Road gully or inspection cover assembly

Abstract: A road gully/inspection cover assembly comprises an outer frame (2) including upstanding walls (6) of upwardly-open channel shape in transverse section in which is slidably received an inner frame (14), a cover (22) seating on said inner frame (14) to close the assembly. The height of the cover (22) relative to the fixed outer frame (2) can be selectively varied by pouring a volume of substantially inflexible filler material (32), for example concrete, into the lower regions of the channel section of the outer frame (2) which, when set, supports thereon, at the desired height, the inner frame (14) and cover (22).

Description: The present invention relates to a road gully or inspection cover assembly, and more particularly to such an assembly that permits ready adjustment of the vertical position of the cover of the assembly. It is a necessary part of the construction of new roads to incorporate water gullies and manholes therein all of which have to be covered, the covers eventually needing to be at the finished level of the road. Common practice is initially to construct a road to a base course level and thereafter to apply a wearing course of substantial thickness to complete the road. The gullies and manholes are incorporated prior to application of the wearing course, and invariably extend above the base course with their covers located at a level anticipating that of the final wearing course. There is often a considerable period of time, particularly in new housing estates, between laying of base courses and wearing courses, and this can create a number of problems. As the covers project above the surface of the base course by the thickness of the wearing course, they constitute serious obstacles to vehicles with low clearance as well as to pedestrians. They can cause damage to, and can themselves be damaged by, vehicles, particularly road cleaning vehicles incorporating mechanical front shovels. In such situations, the assemblies, or at least the covers thereof, often have to be replaced and the associated manhole or gully cleared of rubble to prevent blockage. Additionally, the finished level of the water gullies, being above that of the base course prior to the application of the wearing course, results in the accumulation of large pools of water on the roads during wet weather. It has been proposed, for example in UK specification no. 2270708, to provide a road gully or inspection cover assembly the position of the cover of which can be adjusted to accommodate the difference in levels between the base course and the wearing course of a road. More particularly, the assembly comprises an outer rectangular frame for fixedly locating in the road, an inner rectangular frame positioned within the outer frame, and a cover located on top of the inner frame. The inner frame can be raised relative to the outer frame and positioned therein on wedges within the outer frame, the inner frame seating on the wedges the thicknesses of which are chosen to locate the inner frame, and therefore the cover thereon, at a desired level. However, such an assembly suffers from a number of disadvantages not the least of which are that the wedges, which are provided on opposed sides only of the assembly, are located by narrow shoulders or ledges provided on said opposed sides of the outer-frame such that the wedges are extremely unstable in, and are difficult to locate in, their operative receiving positions. Furthermore, the wedges are, by requirement, relatively thin, and, in use of the assembly, there are substantial downward forces applied thereto via the inner frame and cover. There is therefore a strong tendency for the material of the wedges to crumble and the overall assembly itself to disintegrate. It would be desirable to be able to provide a road gully or inspection cover assembly the position of the cover of which was vertically adjustable and which provided for positive location of the cover in any chosen position thereof. According to the present invention there is provided a road gully or inspection cover assembly comprising an outer frame, an inner frame located within, to be slidable relative to, the outer frame, and a cover for location on top of, to close the inner frame, characterised in that the upstanding walls of the outer frame are each of upwardly-open channel shape in transverse section, the inner frame having sidewalls received within the channel section of said outer frame, the lower regions of said channel section of the outer frame containing therein a selectively variable volume of a substantially inflexible settable filler material, the inner frame being supported on the set material thereby to locate said inner frame and the associated cover at a desired level relative to the outer-frame. It will be appreciated that the provision of an outer frame having channel section walls provides for accurate, laterally supported sliding movement of the inner frame relative thereto, while the provision of the settable filler material between the inner frame and the outer frame provides for positive vertical support of the inner frame relative to the outer frame regardless of downward forces thereon. Furthermore, the level of the filler material, which is preferably a semi-dry fine concrete, can be accurately controlled, thereby enabling accurate control of the position of the cover on the assembly. In one embodiment of the invention, the sidewalls of the inner frame are of upwardly-open channel shape in transverse section, the cover including a depending peripheral sidewall received within the channel section of the sidewalls. In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the sidewalls of the inner frame include a first portion of upwardly-open channel shape in transverse section received within the channel section of the outer-frame, and a reflex, dependent inner portion positioned closely adjacent the inner face of the outer frame, the cover including a depending peripheral sidewall received within the channel section of the sidewalls of the inner frame. By way of examples only, embodiments of the invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawing which is a vertical section through parts of two alternative assemblies according to the invention showing the cover in both a lower position and a raised position. Referring to the drawing, the illustrated assembly includes a rectangular outer frame indicated generally at 2 for location in the foundations of a road under construction to surround a manhole of gully pot therein. The outer frame includes an outwardly projecting peripheral flange 4 upstanding from which are sidewalls 6 each of upwardly open channel shape in transverse section, and each having parallel inner and outer wall portions 8,10 respectively. The inner portion 8 terminates just below the level of the outer portion 10 for reasons which will become apparent. The assembly further includes a rectangular inner frame indicated generally at 14 dimensioned to be a sliding fit in the hollow sidewalls 6 of the frame 2. More particularly, the inner frame is of channel shape in transverse section the sidewalls of which each comprise inner and outer parallel wall portions 16,18 respectively the lower ends of which are interconnected by a transverse base portion 20. The outer wall portions 18 terminate just above the associated inner wall portions 16, the arrangement being such that, with the inner frame 14 located within the outer frame 2, and with the base portion 20 seating on the base portion 12, the upper ends of the inner wall portions 8 and 16 are level with each other, and the upper ends of the outer wall portions 10,18 are level with each other, as seen in the right hand side of the drawing. The assembly is completed by a cover indicated generally at 22 and including a rectangular top plate 24 and an integral depending rectangular peripheral flange 26. Closure of the assembly is effected by locating the cover 22 on the inner frame 14 with the flange 26 housed within the hollow interior of the sidewalls thereof as seen in the right hand side of the drawing. In this position, the underside of the top plate 24 of the cover 22 seats on the aligned upper ends of the inner wall portions 8,16, with the lower edge of the flange 26 lying closely adjacent the base portion 20 of the inner frame 14, and the top of the plate 24 is level with the aligned upper ends of the outer wall portions 10,18. The outer frame 2 is concreted into the road foundations such that the upper end of the outer wall portion 10 thereof is substantially level with the anticipated surface level of the base course 28 of the road. Thus it will be appreciated that, after construction of the base course 28 and with the cover 22 in position, the top surface of the plate 24 is level with, to form a continuation of the surface of the base course 28. Before laying of the wearing course 30, it is necessary to raise the cover 22 to the anticipated level of said wearing course, and this is achieved as follows. The cover 22 is removed from the inner frame 14, and the inner frame 14 is removed from the outer frame 2. A quantity of substantially inflexible settable filler material 32, preferably a semi-dry fine concrete, is poured into the hollow channel section of the outer frame 2 between the wall portions 8,10 thereof to seat on the base portion 12 to fill the sidewalls 6 to a predetermined level equivalent to the thickness of the wearing course 30. The concrete 32 is allowed to set, possibly after compaction by the inner frame 14, and the inner frame 14 is located in the outer frame 2 to seat on the set material 30 thereby to locate said inner frame at a raised level relative to the outer frame 2. In this raised position, the top of the wall portion 18 of the inner frame 14 is level with the anticipated surface of the wearing course 30. On location of the cover 22 in the inner frame 14, the underside of the top plate 24 seats on the upper ends of the inner wall portions 16, and the top surface of the plate 24 is level with, to form a continuation of, the surface of the wearing course 30 once said course is laid. Clearly the amount of filler material within the outer frame 2 can be accurately controlled to ensure a flush finish of the cover 22 with the wearing course 30, whilst any cambers in said course 30 can also be accommodated by appropriate control of the surface of the material 32 within the outer frame 2 around said frame. The left hand side of the drawing shows the presence of a wearing course 30 with the cover 22 in its raised position forming a continuation of the course 30, and the inner frame 14 supported on the filler material 32. The inner frame 14 to the left hand side of the drawing is modified compared with that to the right hand side of the drawing, in that the sidewalls thereof each include a reflex, dependent guide portion 34 integral with and spaced inwardly of the associated inner wall portion 16 to lie closely adjacent the inner surface of the associated inner wall portion 8 of the outer frame 2. The presence of the guide portions 34 provides further lateral stabilisation of the inner frame 14 within the outer frame 2 on upward movement of the inner frame 14 within the outer frame 2, and also provides an increased width bearing surface for engagement by the underside of the top plate 24 of the cover 22 on location of said cover 22 in the inner frame 14. The described assembly enables numerous advantages to be achieved compared with known arrangements, leading to greater efficiency and economy in road construction. After construction of the base course, surface water on the part-prepared road will drain in an acceptable manner without leaving pools in the lowest section of the road. The provision of gully grates and manhole covers level with the base course is clearly much safer not only for pedestrians but for earth moving vehicles and other heavy transport. As the condition of the roadway is improved during construction, laying of the wearing course could be delayed until a large area was ready for completion without unduly affecting users of the roadway, thus making for better economy. The height of the cover can be controlled much more accurately than heretofore, allowing for improved finished roadways, while the use of a settable filler material such as concrete enables this accurate control to be achieved in an extremely economic manner, such material being a relatively cheap commodity. Movement of the inner frame in the outer frame can be controlled extremely accurately because of the co-operating nature of the channel sections of the two frames, which are conveniently of cast iron, while the cover, which is also conveniently of cast iron, is positively and accurately maintained on the inner frame in view of the co-operation between the dependent flange on the cover and the inner frame. The reactions between the components of the assembly on the application thereto of downward forces such as are applied by the passage thereover of vehicles are such as to transmit said forces in a manner which does not unduly stress any single region of the assembly. Clearly the precise construction of the assembly can differ from that described and illustrated, this within the scope of the invention as claimed. For example, the inner frame may be other than of channel section provided it is received within, to be guided by, the channel section of the outer frame, while the settable material within the outer frame supporting the inner frame in its raised position may be other than concrete as long as it provides a substantially rigid, incompressible support. The heights of the components of the assembly are chosen in dependence upon their use in conjunction with a gully pot or a manhole. Other modifications and variations within the scope of the appended claims will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Claims: A road gully or inspection cover assembly comprising an outer frame (2), an inner frame (14) located within, to be slidable relative to, the outer frame (2), and a cover (22) for location on top of, to close the inner frame (14), characterised in that the upstanding walls (6) of the outer frame (2) are each of upwardly-open channel shape in transverse section, the inner frame (14) having sidewalls received within the channel section of said outer frame (2), the lower regions of said channel section of the outer frame containing therein a selectively variable volume of a substantially inflexible, settable filler material (32), the inner frame (14) being supported on the set material thereby to locate said inner frame (14) and the associated cover (22) at a desired level relative to the outer-frame (2). An assembly as claimed in claim 1 in which the sidewalls of the inner frame (14) are of upwardly-open channel shape in transverse section, the cover (22) including a depending peripheral sidewall (26) received within the channel section of the sidewalls. An assembly as claimed in claim 1 in which the inner frame (14) includes a first portion (16,18,20) of upwardly-open channel shape in transverse section received within the channel section of the outer-frame (2), and a reflex, dependent inner portion (34) positioned closely adjacent the inner face of the outer frame (2), the cover (22) including a depending peripheral sidewall (26) received within the channel section of the sidewalls of the inner frame (14). An assembly as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 in which the filler material (32) comprises a semi-dry fine concrete.

Inventors: NEWMAN FREDERICK GEORGE, NEWMAN, FREDERICK GEORGE
Applicants: NEWMAN FREDERICK GEORGE, NEWMAN, FREDERICK GEORGE
Application year: 1995
Main classification: E02D29
IPC codes: E03F5, E02D29