US2090483A - Key arch flooring - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 17, 1937. A. MENDEZ KEY ARCH FLOORING Filed Jan. 2, 1936 INVENTOR 49470 Nendez ATTORN EY Patented Aug. 17, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE KEY ARCH FLOORING Application January 2, 1936, Serial No. 57,208

7 Claims.

This invention deals with improvements in flooring in general and in particular to improvements in flooring for railway cars.

In constructions as now built a relatively thin plate of metal having strengthening corrugations of suitable configuration is covered by a plastic material which will fill the'spaces between corrugations and give a smooth top surface. A relatively deep corrugation is necessary in order that the plate have sufi'lcient stiffness, but a deep corrugation requires more material to fill the spaces and this material adds nothing to the strength of the floor, but due to its weight actually detracts from the useful load that can be carried by the floor. It is an object of this invention, therefore, to provide a strong yet light floor in which the amount of plastic material necessary to fill the corrugations is materially reduced.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a floor unit having relatively deep corrugations for strength yet which requires a small amount of flooring material to form a smooth floor.

A yet further object of the invention is the provision of a corrugated floor unit having means covering at least a portion of the area of the corrugations.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a new and improved floor unit which is lighter and cheaper than present constructions.

These and other objects of the invention will be apparent to one skilled in the art from a study of the following description and accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a sectional view of the improved flooring unit;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the improved floor unit but showing a slightly different type of covering;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view partly in section showing the improved floor plate without the floor material;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a modified form of filler plate;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of a modified form of arch filler plate;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view of a still further modification of the arch filler plate and is similar in purpose to that of Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is a sectional view of a yet further modification of the arch filler plate, and

Fig. 8 is a sectional view of a modification showing a different form of filler plate.

Referring now to the drawing in detail wherein like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views, the floor or base plate is formed of a sheet of metal 2 having substantially flat ridge portions 4 alternating with grooves or corrugations having substantially flat bottoms 6 connected to the ridge portions by converging side walls 8. The grooves or corrugations may be properly termed key grooves or key corrugations, since the cross-section of each groove is substantially the same as the conventional keystone used in masonry and serves the purpose of locking the floor material and plate together. I

After the floor plate is formed narrow strips of sheet material 10 are curved or arched in any suitable manner to form a segment of a circle whose diameter is substantially equal to or greater than the width of portion 6. The width or chord distance of these arch strips is made greater than the width of portion 6 in order that the arch strips will have to be sprung slightly when placed in the grooves so that the edge portions IE will engage the corners M of the floor ,or base plate and the strips will be resiliently held in position. The unit is now in the condition shown in Fig. 3 and is ready for the plastic material 16 which is placed on the floor plate and by vibration, troweling or other means forced into the space [8 between the arch strip and the plane through the top of the base plate. A flat surface is thus formed upon which more material of the same character may be placed as 20 in Fig. 1 or upon which material of a different character such as cork 22 may be placed as in Fig. 2.

The volume occupied by the plastic material in the groove may be varied by changing the curvature of the arch strips, but in the instance shown it occupies about one-fourth of the groove volume. The use of the arch strip thus saves threefourths of the plastic material that would otherwise be needed to fill the groove, yet leaves sufficient material to anchor the material to the floor plate. The arch strip will also very materially stiffen the assembly for with the plastic material in place a semi-tubular construction is provided which is extremely strong. Due to the added strength and decreased dead weight it is possible to decrease the thickness of the metal forming the floor plates and it has been found that approximately eight hundred pounds of dead weight may be eliminated in the average passenger car.

Referring now to the various modifications of the arch or filling strip disclosed in Figs. 4 to 8 inclusive it is seen that the main purpose of these is to provide additional anchoring means for the 'plastic material. In the form shown in Fig. 4,

' ing into the arch.

tabs 24 are struck up from the arch strip a sufiicient distance to' allow anchorage of the plastic material yet without danger of the material flow- In the form shown in Fig. 5 the edges of the archstrip are bent outward as at 28 along the chord'of the arch tospace the arch from the Walls 8 and thus provide increased space 30 for plastic material. The added volume will not materially affect the weight of the unit but will materially increase the anchorage of the plastic ofrivets 36 thus providing an efiective' anchoring means for securing the floor to the plate. In Fig. 7 the arch strip has the central portion pressed inward to provide a key groove 38 having a bottom part 46 and converging side walls 42 thus providing'a' key groove Within a key groove or what may be properly. termed a twin key groove or twin key corrugation.

The filler strip in Fig. 8 is bent in exactly the same manner as the main plate to provide key groove 44 having a bottom portion '46 and converging side walls 48 adapted to overlap the side walls 8 of the main plate. in short portions 59 which overlapthe portion 4 of the base plate and hold the strip in position. In .this form also there is a key groove within a key groove and it may also be properly termed a. twin groove or twin corrugation. It is, or course, obvious that instead of forming a plurality of strips that the grooves may be pressed in a plate identical in appearance to the base plate but. with shallower grooves. 7

Although various forms and arrangements of parts have been specifically described it is'apparent to one skilled in the art that rearrangements and. modifications may be 'made without departing from the. scope of the following claims which define the invention.

What is claimed is: a

1. A base platefor compositionffioors comprising, a plate having grooves pressed therein, and strips sprung into place within said grooves and formingarches for said grooves, said strips covering a substantial volume of the grooves.

2. A composition floor formed of metal and The walls 48 terminate set plastic material, said metal comprising, a plate having key-shaped grooves formed there-. in, strips of metal transversely arch shaped within said grooves and covering a substantial volume of the grooves whereby the amount of plastic material necessary to form a smooth surface a is materially reduced, said strips having projecting portions forming anchor means for the plas tic material.

3. A composition floor formed of metal and set plastic material, the metal portion of said floor comprising, a plate having recesses formed therein and strips resiliently held in said recesses and rial in said recesses comprising arch-shaped metal members resiliently retained in said recesses. V

A base plate for composition floors comprising a plate having recesses formed therein of said recess, and constituting arches lor said recesses.

6. A base plate for composition floors, compris ing a plate havinggrooves-pressed therein, each.

of said grooves having a base portion and side wall portions, and metal strips of arch shaped.

cross section within said grooves, the longitudinal edges of said strips being positioned at the junc-. tions of the base portion and the side wall portions, and being formed with a chord greater in length than the width of thebaseportion, whereby said strip when positioned will expand into locking engagement, 7

7. A base plate for compositionfioors comprising a plate having recesses formed therein, means for supporting plastic material in said recesses ALVARO MENDEZ.

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