Patent Publication Number: US-2022213656-A1

Title: Deck system

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE 
     The present patent application is a continuation of Ser. No. 16/795,862, filed Feb. 20, 2020, which was based upon and claimed the benefit of provisional Ser. No. 62/810,000, filed Feb. 25, 2019. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention is directed to a deck system that can be utilized to span areas that are not easily traversed by pedestrian or vehicle traffic. In particular, the deck system is frequently used to extend over water or marshy areas that otherwise could not easily be traversed. The deck system utilizes reinforced concrete components that can resist the elements much more readily than treated wood decking systems that have been used in the past. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A deck system is disclosed having a mounting plate with a planar support surface and at least one locating rod extending from the support surface. The locating rod extends in a direction that is substantially perpendicular to the support surface. A beam having a first end and a second end is positioned on the support surface of the mounting plate. The first and second ends of the beam have a slot and the slot is disposed for receiving the locating rod. At least one tread is disposed to extend between the two spaced apart parallel oriented beams. The tread has opposed shoulders on the side of the tread that engages the spaced apart beams. The opposed shoulders are disposed for engaging a side of the spaced apart beams that are in adjacent relationship. 
    
    
     
       IN THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an end elevational view of the deck system of the invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a partial side elevational view of the support for the deck system. 
         FIG. 3  is a partial top elevational view of the support beams. 
         FIG. 4  is a cross sectional view of a tread of the deck system. 
         FIG. 5  is a partial side elevational view. 
         FIG. 6  is a partial side elevational view of a curb for the deck system. 
         FIG. 7  is a partial side elevational view of the abatement for the deck system. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention is directed to a deck system designed to be used in areas that are suitable for walking or vehicle traffic. More particularly, the deck system is made primarily of reinforced concrete that can accommodate many environmental conditions and provide a safe and long-lasting deck system. The features of the invention will be more readily understood by referring to the attached drawings in connection with the following description. 
     The deck system  5 , as shown in  FIGS. 1-7 , is designed to be mounted on piers  9  that are positioned in and extend above the land or water where the deck system is to be utilized. A concrete or metal style of pier can be used in the system. A helical pier that can be screwed into the ground has been found to be particularly useful for establishing a base for the deck system. A mounting cap  11  is positioned on the end of each of the piers  9 . The mounting cap is positioned on the end of the pier that is spaced apart from the land or water where the pier is located. The mounting cap has a mounting plate  15  and sleeve  17  that extends from the mounting plate in a direction that is substantially perpendicular to a planar support surface  19  formed by the mounting plate  15 . The sleeve  17  is designed to fit over the pier upon which the camp  11  is positioned. Bolts  21 , or other securing devices, can extend through the sleeve  17  and the pier  9  to secure the mounting plate to the pier. At least one locating rod  25  extends from the side of the mounting plate  15  that is spaced apart from the sleeve  17 . The at least one locating rod extends from the planar support surface  19  in a direction that is substantially perpendicular to the planar support surface. Reinforcing gussets  27  can extend between the sleeve  17  and the mounting plate  15  to provide additional reinforcement for the mounting plate  15 . Mounting plate  15  is usually made of steel or a similar material having sufficient structural strength. The steel can be galvanized or otherwise coated to protect the material of the mounting plate from environmental elements. 
     A support beam  31  is designed to extend between the mounting caps  11  positioned on adjacent piers  9 . The support beams are made of reinforced concrete and have a generally rectangular cross-section. Steel reinforcing bars  33  are usually positioned in the support beams to provide additional strength. The steel reinforcing bars can be galvanized or otherwise coated to protect the steel from environmental conditions. Each end of the support beam  31  has a radiused or curved section  35  and a slot  37  positioned in the curved section that extends from the bottom to the top of the support beam. The slot  37  is disposed to be in alignment with one of the locating rods  25  positioned on the planar support surface  19  of the mounting plate  15 . The curved section  35  allows one support beam to be positioned at an angle with respect to an adjacent support beam to accommodate changes in direction for the deck system. The slot  37  and locating rod  25  also facilitate the positioning of the support beams in the desired orientation for the deck system. The bottom  39  of the support beam  31  is designed to rest upon the planar support surface  19  of the mounting cap  11 . 
     An epoxy grout  41  can be positioned in the slot  37  on the support beam  31  to fill the slot around the locating rod  25 . The epoxy grout  41  can also act to position the support beam with respect to the locating rod  25 . A bearing pad  45  is positioned on the top of the support beam  31 , which is the side of the support beam that is spaced apart from the mounting plate  15 . The bearing pad  45  has a thickness that is from about ⅛ of an inch to about ¾ of an inch and is made from an elastomeric material such as rubber, urethane or similar resilient materials. 
     A plurality of treads  49  are positioned to extend over spaced apart support beams  31  that are orientated in a parallel relationship. The treads are formed of reinforced concrete with reinforcing steel  53  positioned substantially in the center of the treads. The reinforcing steel has a coating or protective material on the surface of the steel to protect the steel from the effects of moisture or other environmental conditions. The ends  51  of the treads  49  are designed to extend beyond the support beams  31  that support the treads. The concrete that is used in the treads is reinforced with reinforcing fibers  55  that are distributed substantially uniformly in the concrete. It has been found that a helix type of steel reinforcing fiber is particularly good at reinforcing the treads. Fibers sold by Helix Steel under the name twisted steel micro-rebar are one example of such a preferred reinforcing fiber. The use of helix type of reinforcing fibers increases the strength of the treads and allows less concrete to be used. This significantly reduces the weight of the treads. The treads can be subjected to vibration during pouring of the concrete to assist in positioning the reinforcing fibers in the treads and away from the exterior surfaces of the treads. The reinforcing fibers usually have a length from about 10 mm to about 50 mm and a diameter from about 0.25 mm to about 0.75 mm. In practice it has been found that a length of about 25 mm and a diameter of about 0.50 mm for the reinforcing fibers is preferred. The helix fibers are usually coated with zinc or other suitable material that protects the fibers from moisture and environmental chemicals. Although a helix type of steel fiber has been described, it should be appreciated that other types of reinforcing fibers can also be used. It has been found preferable to use from about 35 pounds to about 60 pounds of helix reinforcing fibers per cubic yard of concrete. The treads  49  have a generally rectangular cross-section width of the tread is substantially greater than the height of the tread. The bottom  57  of the treads  49  rests upon the bearing pads  45  that is positioned on the top of the support beams  31 . A shoulder  61  is positioned adjacent each end of the treads  49 . The shoulder on each end of the tread is designed to be located so that it can engage the side of the support beam  31  that is adjacent to the opposed support beam that supports the treads. This location for the shoulder  61  positions the shoulders between the parallel support beams that are used to support the treads. The shoulders extend from the bottom  57  of the treads  49  in a direction towards the mounting cap  11  for a distance from about 2 to about 4 inches. The shoulders  61  are designed to engage the support beams  31  and to prevent the treads from moving any substantial lateral distance with regard to the support beams. Shoulders  61  also function to make sure that the support beams are located a proper distance apart, so the proper support is provided for the treads. The top  59  of the treads  49  provide a surface upon which a pedestrian, vehicle, or other similar types of traffic can advance. 
     In some applications it may be desirable to have a curb  65  positioned on each end of the treads  49 . The curbs, as shown in  FIG. 6 , are made of precast concrete and can be secured to the treads with a threaded rod  67  that extends through the treads  49  and into the curb  65 . It should also be recognized that railings or similar structures can be mounted along the edges of the treads in a manner similar to the curbs. In some applications, as shown in  FIG. 7 , it may be desirable to position a bearing block  71  beneath the ends of the support beams  31  at the end of the deck system where the deck system transitions to the ground adjacent to the area that the deck system spanned. The bearing block is made of reinforced concrete utilizing the same type of reinforcing steel as previously described in this application. An anchor rod  73  extends from the top of the bearing block in a direction towards the support beam  31 . The anchor rod  73  is designed to extend into the slot  37  on the end of the support beam to locate the support beam with respect to the bearing block  71 . Epoxy grout  41  can be positioned in the slot  37  in the manner previously described. 
     In operation, the piers  9  are positioned in parallel rows in the ground where the deck system is to be utilized. Mounting caps  11  are positioned on each of the piers and support beams  31  are positioned on the planer support surface  19  of the mounting plate  15  of the mounting caps  11 . The locating rods  25  extend into the slots  37  on the end of the support beams to ensure that the support beams are in the desired location on the mounting caps positioned on the piers  9 . Epoxy grout  41  is used to fill the slots  37  and secure the support beams with respect to the locating rods  25 . Depending on the length of the area that the decking system will span, several support beams  31  may be positioned on the plurality of parallel oriented piers  9 . A plurality of treads  49  are positioned to extend between the support beams  31  that are positioned in spaced apart parallel relationship on the piers  9 . The treads  49  can be positioned on top of a bearing pad  45  that can be positioned at the top of the support beams  30 . The plurality of treads will extend along the length of the support beams  31  that span the area to be covered by the deck system  5 . The shoulder  61  that is located on the bottom  57  of the treads  49  will be positioned adjacent the inside surface of the spaced apart parallel oriented support beams  31 . The shoulder  61  is designed to engage the support beams to prevent any substantial movement of the treads in a direction that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the support beams  31 . In some applications, a bearing block  71  can be used at the end of the span that the deck system is to cover to provide a base upon which the ends of the support beams  31  can be positioned. A curb  65  can also be positioned adjacent the ends  51  of the treads  49  to provide a barrier to prevent pedestrians or vehicles from moving off the ends  51  of the treads  49 . The curb  65  can be held in place with threaded rod  67  that extends through the treads  49  into the curbs. 
     The above detailed description of the present invention is given for explanatory purposes. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that numerous changes and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the whole of the foregoing description is to be construed in an illustrative and not a limitative sense, the scope of the invention being defined solely by the appended claims.