US2819026A - Road construction - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 7, 1958 J. B. LEYENDECKER 2,819,026

ROAD CONSTRUCTION Filed Dec. 17, 1953 JOHN BATTICE LEYENDECKER INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY United States Patent ROAD CONSTRUCTION JohnBattice LeyendeckenHouston, Tex.

Application December 17 1953, Serial No. 398,690

1 Claim. (Cl.i238--10) The present invention relates to a portable road which can be laid withaiminirnum of difiiculty;

In the drilling of wells. such. as oil or gas wells, it is not uncommon for the drilling site to be located in relatively inaccessible places. It is necessary to-provide a road so that the drilling equipment can be movedtothe location, and the drilling operators can then -move-to and from the drilling site with a minimum of diffi-culty.

Since it ordinarily takes a relatively short time to drill an oil well, it can be appreciated that it is desirable to provide access means which can be laid down while the well is being drilled and then picked up and reused on other drilling sites, as necessary.

The present invention provides a road construction which is sturdy and compact, and which can be laid with a minimum of effort. The invention also contemplates a road formed of a plurality of interlocking sections so that the road can be laid section by section, and then torn up, after the use thereof is completed at a particular location, and transported by truck or other suitable means to a new location and relaid.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a road construction which will withstand tremendous loads, and which can be laid with a minimum of effort.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a road construction which comprises a plurality of sections adapted to be engaged together to form a continuous roadway.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a roadway which is simple in construction and can be easily put together by unskilled labor.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become more readily apparent from a consideration of the following description and drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a sectional view on the line 11 of Fig. 4 illustrating the construction of a preferred embodiment of the invention and a form of means for maintaining adjacent sections connected;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 4 and illustrating additional means for aiding in maintaining the sections of the roadway in position;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3--3 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 4 is a top plan view showing the manner in which adjacent sections are engaged together to form a continuous road;

Fig. 5 is a partial top plan view of one of the road sections illustrating it on the ground ready to receive an adjacent section; and

Fig. 6 is a top plan view of a road section of the present invention.

Attention is directed to Figs. 4 and 5 wherein the portable oil field road invention is illustrated generally by the numeral 2. It is to be noted that the roadway comprises a plurality of sections such as that illustrated at 3, 4 and 5, which sections are adapted to be engaged together in order to form a road of a desired length.

Each of the road sections includes a plurality of spaced 2,819,026 Patented Jan. 7, 1958 ice laterally extending members; as illustrated at 6 in"-Fig.' 4 of the drawings. Secured to the laterally extendingmembets-6 of eachsectiomby any suit'ablemeans such asnuts and bolts,: are a plurality t of 1 longitudinally. extending members7.

It is to be noted that the longitudinally extendingmembers 70f each section are arranged in a'pair'of spaced rows 8 and 9, was to accommodate the wheels of a vehicle. The longitudinally extendingmembers 7 are also arranged -in staggered relationship in each of the rows 8 and Fanduwithrespect to theends 10 and 11 of" each section.

For example, the longitudinally extending-member 12 is as long asthe section, such as the section 3. 'Theleng'th of the sections are defined bythedistance' from the outside edge'of; the laterally extending member 14 on one end ll of'the 'sections totheoutside edgeof "laterally extending member 15 on the opposite end 100f the sections. The nextadjacent longitudinally extending member 16-is staggered with relation tojthe adjacent longitndin'ally extending member 12' so that the end 17' of the member 16 projects out beyondthe end11-of the section 3, while the end 18 of such member is receded with respect to the end 10 of the section 3 to form the recess 20 between adjacent longitudinal members 7. The next adjacent longitudinally extending member 23 is disposed on the section in a manner similar to the member 12 while member 24 is in staggered relation to such member 23 and to adjacent member 25 in a manner as previously discussed with regard to longitudinally extending member 16.

The longitudinal members in row 8 of each section are similarly arranged so that there is a recess in one end of the row in each section and a projection in the other end of the row in each section.

The longitudinally extending members of the row 9 are disposed in a staggered relationship as described with regard to row 8 so that each row 8 and 9 in the sections is provided with a pair of members which project beyond one end of each section, while being provided with a recess 20 in the opposite end of each of the sections. The road sections may be engaged together as they are laid on the ground by fitting the projecting ends 17 of the longitudinally extending members of one section into the recesses 20 of an adjacent section. This interconnects such sections together and positions them relative to each other on the ground.

In some cases it may be desirable to provide an additional member 27 as illustrated in Fig. 2 adjacent the end of each section to aid in positioning such sections on the ground surface. Such member 27 comprises the laterally extending portion 28 and upstanding portions 29, 30 and 31 which fit in the space 32 between the rows 8 and 9 and on each side 33 and 34 of the rows 8 and 9 respectively. It may be desirable also in some cases to provide strap means 35 for weaving among the engaged longitudinally extending members as illustrated in Fig. 1. The strap ends 36 may be engaged together by suitable buckle means (not shown).

While it is believed that the operation of the invention is apparent by reason of the foregoing, to further amplify and describe the invention, it will be assumed that it is desired to lay a plurality of sections in end to end relation to form a roadway. Suitable means such as a truck or tractor is provided with a hoist mechanism including a lifting frame, so that a section of the road, as illustrated in Fig. 6, can be engaged and such section positioned on the ground, as illustrated in Fig. 5 or Fig. 6. The truck or tractor then picks up another section, such as section 4, backs to the end of section 3 and lays section 4 so that the projecting ends 17 of the longitudinally ex.

tending members in each row 8 and 9 engage in the recesses 20 of section 5. This operation is repeated until a suitable number of sections have been laid to complete the length of road, which in some cases may be as much as two to ten miles.

Fig. 4 illustrates several of the sections showing the relationship of adjacent sections when engaged, with the projections of one section engaged in the recesses of the adjacent section.

The sections can be made in any desired lengths and preferably the length of the sections is such that they can be carried from location to location on trucks. Sections approximately 30 feet in length have been found quite satisfactory. The laterally extending members 6 may be spaced a suitable distance apart so as to provide ample supportfor the section and a distance of approximately two feet between laterally extending members 6 has been found quite satisfactory.

After the use of the road has been completed, it can be picked up by reversing the foregoing procedure and transporting it to a new location for reuse.

Broadly, the invention relates to a portable oil field road and more particularly to aportable oil field road which can be quickly and easily laid and then picked up for reuse at a new location.

What is claimed is:

A portable oil field road for wheeled vehicles comprising a plurality of sections adapted to be fitted together for forming a continuous road, each of said sections including a plurality of spaced laterally extending members, a pair of rows of longitudinally extending members secured to said lateral members, said rows being spaced for accommodating the wheels of a vehicle, said members in each row being staggered in longitudinal relation to the next adjacent member whereby alternate longitudinal members of a row project beyond one end of a section and are receded at the opposite end of such section so that adjacent sections may be fitted together by placing the projecting members of onesection in the recess of an adjacent section, and strap means for weaving among said longitudinal members of adjacent sections for retaining them in position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 620,992 Surgi Mar. 14, 1899 1,935,823 Turner Nov. 21, 1933 2,335,556 Wilson Nov. 30, 1943

Images