Abstract:
A plurality of at least two plate or panel-type members are formed with edge portions which hook together to define a key-forming passage therebetween, with tongue-and-groove type interlocks directed laterally from the elements defining both sides of the passage. The passage is filled with initially flowable, solidified key-forming material injected therein under pressure sufficient to cause the injected material to flow along and fill all, or one or more selected portions of the passage. The elements of the panels defining such passage are so formed that the pressurized, injected material tends to expand the passage, and thereby urge adjacent edges of the two panels toward abutting relation with each other, whereby further expansion of the passage is prevented. Upon solidifying, the injected material comprises a key, which interlocks the panels and seals the joint therebetween.

Description:
This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 453,378, filed Mar. 21, 1974. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     In the past, in the joining together in edge-to-edge relation formed or extruded panel-type members, for example, aluminum strakes used to cover the side walls of a transportation type vehicle such as a bus or rail car, it has been common practice to form adjoining edge portions of the strakes for overlapping engagement with each other, and then to secure the overlapped edge portions together with a row of rivets. A groove usually is provided to receive the heads of each row of rivets, and after the rivets are set, each such groove is filled with suitable material such as a mastic screeded in, or a strip set in the groove to cover and conceal the rivet heads. 
     Such prior strake joints are somewhat costly, involve a substantial amount of labor, and are not readily concealed. They usually are so designed. that the filled material of each groove forms a decorative groove of stripe along the side of the vehicle. This filler material is subject to damage or removal of vandals. 
     The use of solidifiable liquid or plastic material has been employed previously in various types of interlocked joints, for example, as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,266,702, 3,823,525, 3,118,252 and 3,151,767. Such prior joint structures do not, however, provide a strong, plastic key-interlock joint similar, in concept or structure to the present invention; surface conformation of the present joint. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A primary objective of the present invention is to provide a key-interlock joint for joining together the edges of two adjacent plate or panel-type members wherein solidificable, initially flowable, key-forming material is injected into a selected portion or portions of a passage defined by interengaged portions of the two joined members, the joint thus provided being strong, weather-tight, dust free, stable rattle-free and inconspicuous, and which washes out, instead of accumulating, tolerances of the individual components. 
     A further objective of the invnetion is to form adjoining edge portions of two side-by-side panel-type members for interlocking with each other when mounted to a suitable support, the inter-engaged portions defining a passage therebetween, and to inject into such passage solidifiable, initially flowable material under pressure high enough to force the injected material a required distance along the passage, the pressure of the injected material tending to fill and expand the passage to a degree limited by the formation of the panel members, and to extrude such material into interstices between portions of the members defining such passage, whereby, upon solidifying, the injected material acts as a key, locking the panels together by a sealed joint which resists forces acting between the members in tension, in shear, and in compression across the joint. 
     While the invention as illustrated and described herein is intended to joint the plate portions of adjacent vehicle side wall strakes, it an of course be used to join other panel-type members, or even major assemblies, such as vehicle roof-to-side wall side wall-to-floor, etc. 
     As used herein the terms &#34;outer&#34; and &#34;inner&#34; and &#34;outwardly&#34; and &#34;inwardly&#34; are used to indicate directions normal to the common outer surface of the joined plate members, while &#34;laterally outward(ly)&#34; and &#34;laterally inward(ly)&#34; are used toindicate directions laterally across the joint relative to the plate member of which an element referred to is a part. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The objectives and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a fragmentary, transverse, sectional view showing marginal portions of a pair of vehicle side walls strakes mounted in edge-to-edge relation on a support member, and joined together in a position of final assembly by a presently preferred form of joint structure embodying the present invention. 
     FIG. 1a is a similar view of the joint structure shown in FIG. 1 with the parts in a position of initial assembly. 
     FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 are views generally similar to FIG. 1 and show modified forms of the invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring to the drawings in detail, and considering first a presently preferred form of the invention shown in FIGS. 1 and 1a, two plate or panel-type members A and B are herein assumed to be adjacent strakes covering a side wall of a transportation type vehicle such as a bus or rail car. The strakes A and B comprise outer plate portions 10 and 11, respectively, shaped to define a common outer surface and thereby provide a desired external side wall configuration for the vehicle of which they are part, and a selected plurality of integral, inwardly extending, supporting flanges 12 and 13. The inner edge portions 12a and 13a, respectively, of the support flanges 12 and 13 are bent to seat on a selected number of usual upright support members, such as mullion 14, to which they are fastened by conventional fastening means such as rivets 15 and 16 respectively. 
     The strakes A and B are joined in edgewise adjacent relation by a joint C embodying the present invention. This joint comprises an inwardly extending flange 17 formed integrally along the joined edge of the plate portion 11 of the panel A. An integral locking flange 18 extends laterally outwardly from the flange 17 and fits into a groove 22 of corresponding shape and size provided in a thickened base portion of the support flange 12 of the other strake A. An integral flange 19 also extends laterally outwardly from the support flange 12 of the strake A inwardly of the groove 22 therein, the flange 19 having a downwardly bent intermediate portion 19a and outwardly extending locking flange 20 which fits into a space 23 provided between a flange 21 on the support flange 13 and the outer plate portion 11 of the strake B. 
     The flanges 18 and 20 are sufficiently short to permit the joint elements to be easily placed in their initially assembled position as shown in FIG. 1a by superimposing the edge portion of the strake A on that of the strake B when spaced slightly apart from their finally assembled position shown in FIG. 1. 
     After initial assembly of the strakes as shown in FIG. 1a, the panels are moved edgewise together into edge-to-edge fitted relation, thereby to cause the flange 17 to abut the edge of the outer plate portion 10, thereby preventing further movement of the strakes in this direction and positioning the parts of the joint in interlocked interengagement as shown in FIG. 1. Completion of this final movement of assembly opens a key-forming passage 24, which is defined by the flanges 11, 19, and 19a, and a portion of the plate portion 11. In order to complete the joint, initially flowable, solidifiable, key-forming material 41, which may be either a suitable plastic or liquid of selected viscosity, is then injected into the passage 24 under selected pressure sufficient to cause a desired flow of the material along the passage 24, and, if desired, also into communicating interstices between the parts. Such latter flow is controlled by the amount of pressure on the material and the amount of clearance between the parts. 
     The term &#34;solidifiable&#34; as applied to the key-forming material 41 is intended to mean either self-solidifying or solidifiable by heat or other treatment after injection into the passage 24. Also, this material is so selected that when solidified it is of required strength but may vary in consistency from a strong, hard material such as &#34;Hydrastone&#34; sold by U.S. Gypsum Company, to a soft, resilient material such as rubber or a rubber-like substance or other suitable material depending upon the intended use of the joint and the stresses it is designed to withstand in service. The key-forming material also may have adhesive or bonding capability, such as, for example, an epoxy resin. Preferably it is of material which does not shrink upon hardening. 
     The strakes A and B may be of substantial length, for example, up to and even exceeding 70 feet in length. The key-forming material 41 may be injected into the passage 24 from either or both ends thereof or from a plurality of selectively spaced holes 42 provided as shown in FIG. 1a and in broken lines in FIG. 1. After the injected key-forming material has solidified, the holes, may, if desired, be closed as by means of flush plugs, not shown, of suitable material. The holes 42, where provided, serve not only as witness holes to indicate the presence or absence of material in the passage 24, but also to provide additional resistance to longitudinal shear. Various types of extruding apparatus suitable for injecting the key-forming material 41 into the passage 24 are either well known and readily available, or are capable of being designed and built by an ordinarily capable designer or artisan familiar with such practice. The details thereof are, therefore, omitted. 
     OPERATION OF THE FORM OF THE INVENTION SHOWN IN FIG. 1 
     In practicing the form of the invention shown in FIG. 1 and 1a, after necessary side wall support or frame members, such as the mullion 14, are erected, either as parts of a vehicle frame structure or jig, at least one of the strakes, such as the strakes A, is secured to the support structure as by the rivets 15. If the structure is being erected with the mullion 14 upright, after the strake A is thus mounted, the edge portion of the upper strake B may be superposed in hooked relation with the flange 19 of the lower strake A as shown in FIG. 1a, so that upon release of the angle upper strake B the latter will drop by gravity to final assembled position as shown in FIG. 1. The rivets 16 may be inserted and set to secure the strake B to the mullion 14 with the parts in their final position of assembly shown in FIG. 1. 
     Selected hardenable key-forming material 41 is injected into the passage 24 under selected pressure to fill all, or one or more selected portions of the passage and communicating interstices between the parts, and hardened. In the event that any of the key-forming material 41 seeps through to the outer faces of the strakes it can be readily cleaned off by known means either before or after solidifying, as desired. 
     DESCRIPTION OF FIGS. 2, 3 AND 4 
     In the modified forms of the invention shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, many of the various parts are generally quite similar to those of FIGS. 1 and 1a. Corresponding parts shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 are, therefore, designated by the same reference numerals as their respective counterparts in FIGS. 1 and 1a, with the exception that in FIG. 2, a prime (&#39;) will be added thereto, in FIG. 3, a double prime (&#34;), and in FIG. 4, a triple prime (&#39;&#34;). 
     In the form of the invention shown in FIG. 2, the joint C&#39; comprises an inwardly extending curved flange 17&#39; formed integrally on the laterally outward edge of the outer plate portion 11&#39; of the strakes B&#39;. A second laterally outwardly extending flange 19&#39; is formed integrally on the support flange 12&#39; of the strake A&#39; and has an outwardly bent portion 19a&#39;. The convex, laterally outward side of the flange 17&#39; is generally wedge shape in cross section and fits into a corresponding shaped recess 22&#39; formed in the base portion of the mounting flange 12&#39; outwardly beyond the base of the flange 19&#39;. 
     In the form of the invention shown in FIG. 3, the wedge shape side of the flange 17&#34; fits into a correspondingly shaped recess 22&#34; as in FIG. 2 and a locking flange 20&#34; extends laterally outwardly from the free edge of the flange poortion 19a&#34; and fits beneath a flange 21&#34; which extends from the support flange 13&#34; as in FIG. 1 to resist shear stresses applied across the joint. In the form of the invention shown in FIG. 4, a tapered flange 18&#39;&#34; fits into a recess 22&#39;&#34; of corresponding shape and size provided at the base of the support flange 12&#39;&#34; while the flange portion 19a&#39;&#34; is provided with an outwardly projecting tapered flange 20&#39;&#34; which fits beneath a flange 21&#39;&#34; provided on the support flange 13&#39;&#34; in a manner generally similar to the showing of FIG. 1. 
     The operation of the forms of the invention shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 will be obvious to one familiar with their structure as explained herein and having an understanding of the form of the invention shown in FIGS. 1 and 1a. 
     The invention provides a strong, inexpensive, easily assembled, permanent, weather tight and inconspicuous joint for interconnecting adjoining edges of the side wall strakes of transportation type vehicles and other types of panel-like members for use in various structures, such as buildings, marine vessels, cargo pellets, and others. The joint has an additional feature which is advantageous from a cost standpoint in that it omits the substantial labor and equipment costs involved in punching the holes, setting the rivets, and covering the heads of each row of rivets in a riveted joint.