Patent Publication Number: US-2020283971-A1

Title: Device for attachment to a bridge support bracket

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     This application is directed to bridge building, and, more particularly, to the use of bridge overhang support brackets used in bridge construction. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , modern-day bridges use steel or concrete I-beams  10  to support bridge loads. After placement of the I-beams, concrete roadways  14  are formed on top of the I-beams. Further, a portion  18  of the concrete roadway extends over the outside edges of the I-beam. When constructing the bridge, concrete forms  22  and the concrete  18  are supported by bridge overhang support brackets  30  secured to the I-beam  10 . Each support bracket  30  includes a horizontal component  32 , a vertical component  34 , and an angled component  36  attached at one end  40  to an end  42  of the horizontal component, and another end  46  attached to an end  48  of the vertical component  34 . Conventionally, the various ends are attached to each other with nuts and bolts, with or without the use of various adapters. The vertical component  34  is also attached at one end  64  to an end  62  of the horizontal component. More specifically, as illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the typical support bracket vertical  34  and angled  36  components are telescoping tubes, and the horizontal component  32  is made from spaced apart steel plates  49  and  51  (see  FIG. 5 ). By varying the amount of telescoping of the vertical and angled components, and the point of attachment of the vertical and angled components to the horizontal component, various support bracket dimensions can be accommodated in order to allow the bridge overhang support bracket  30  to be used with different bridge installations. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 3 , the connection of the support bracket  30  to the I-beam  10  begins with the placement of a hanger  50  on the top of the I-beam  10 . The hanger  50  is secured to the I-beam  10  in a conventional fashion, such as by attaching the rear of the hanger to the back side of the I-beam  10 , as shown in  FIG. 3 , and a hanger end clip  52  is positioned just at the edge of the I-beam where the support bracket  30  is to be positioned. 
     The next step in this process is to support the bridge overhang support bracket  30  on the side of the I-beam  10  so a coil rod  54  can be inserted through an opening (not shown) in the hangar clip  52 , and also inserted into a support bracket bolt holder  56  in the support bracket  30 . After being inserted through openings in the hanger clip  52  and the bolt holder  56 , the coil rod  54  is then secured in place by coil nuts  58  on the ends of the coil rod  54 . 
     Once in place, it is not uncommon for a bridge construction worker to need to adjust the relative lengths of the support bracket components, in order to adjust the relative angles between the bracket sides. More specifically, the horizontal component  32  may not end up being horizontal, so, with other points of attachment being fixed, by varying one point of attachment the relative angle between the vertical component  34  and the horizontal component  32  can changed to result in a truly level horizontal component. 
     Two examples of how this is currently accomplished are as follows. As shown in  FIG. 2 , it is common to have a threaded bolt  54  within the horizontal component  32 , with a bolt head  57  accessible from outside the support bracket  30  for rotating the threaded bolt  54 . The bolt in turn is received in a clip  58  that holds an end of the angled component  36  inside the horizontal component  32 . By rotating the threaded bolt  54 , the point of attachment of the angled component relative to the horizontal component can be varied. In another bridge support bracket design, as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 7,032,268, the vertical component is a threaded rod, which can be turned in order to vary the threaded rod points of attachment between the horizontal component and the angled component, in order to change the relative angles between the components. 
     SUMMARY 
     Disclosed is a device for attachment to a bridge support bracket. The device is adapted to be connected to an end of a support bracket horizontal component and to an end of a support bracket vertical component. The device comprises a support adapted to be attached to the end of the horizontal component, a sliding tube adapted to be attached to the end of the vertical component, and a mounting tube attached to the support for mounting the sliding for sliding movement relative to the support. A slot is in the side of the mounting tube, and a nub is attached to the sliding tube and extends through the slot. The nub has a threaded opening therein, and a threaded rod extends through and engages the threaded opening, the threaded rod being mounted for rotation but not vertical movement relative to the support, for moving the vertical piece vertically relative to the support. 
    
    
     
       DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a side perspective view illustrating bridge construction. An I-beam is show, with an attached bridge support bracket, and forming for the concrete bridge. 
         FIG. 2  is a side perspective view illustrating further details of the bridge support bracket. 
         FIG. 3  is a side view of a portion of an I-beam, a hanger, and a coil rod passing through a hanger end clip and a bracket bolt holder. A portion of a vertical component of the bridge support bracket is shown attached to a bridge support bracket horizontal component. 
         FIG. 4  is an enlarged side view of a portion of the support bracket illustrated in  FIG. 4 , together with an adjustment device according to this disclosure. 
         FIG. 5  is a top perspective view illustrating the adjustment device of this disclosure being slid onto the end of the horizontal component of the bridge support bracket. 
         FIG. 6  is a top perspective view of the adjustment device attached to the end of the horizontal component of the bridge support bracket. 
         FIG. 7  is a side perspective view of the adjustment device according to this disclosure. 
         FIG. 8  is a side perspective view of another side of the adjustment device shown in  FIG. 7 . 
         FIG. 9  is an enlarged side perspective view of the adjustment device shown in  FIG. 7 . 
         FIG. 10  is an end view of the adjustment device shown in  FIG. 7 . 
         FIG. 11  is a side perspective view of the adjustment device, with a sliding tube shown in a first position relative to a holding tube. 
         FIG. 12  is a side perspective view similar to  FIG. 11 , only showing the sliding to the different second position relative to the holding to. 
     
    
    
     Before one embodiment of the invention is explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of the construction and the arrangements of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. Use of “including” and “comprising” and variations thereof as used herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. Use of “consisting of” and variations thereof as used herein is meant to encompass only the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof. Further, it is to be understood that such terms as “forward”, “rearward”, “left”, “right”, “upward” and “downward”, etc., are words of convenience in reference to the drawings and are not to be construed as limiting terms. 
     DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Although the disclosure hereof is detailed and exact to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, the physical embodiments herein disclosed merely exemplify the invention which may be embodied in other specific structures. While the preferred embodiment has been described, the details may be changed without departing from the invention, which is defined by the claims. 
     Illustrated in the drawings is a metal device  60  for attachment to a bridge overhang support bracket  30 . The device  60  according to this disclosure is adapted, as shown in  FIG. 4 , to be connected to the other end  62  of the horizontal component  32  and to the other end  64  of the vertical component  34 , so that the points of attachment between the horizontal component and the angled component can be varied in order to change the relative angles between the components. Access to the device  60  is at the end of the horizontal component by the I-beam, thus providing bridge builders with a ready and convenient method of leveling the support bracket horizontal component  32 . 
     The device  60  according to this disclosure, as shown in  FIG. 9 , comprises a support  70  adapted to be attached to the other end  62  of the horizontal component  32 , a vertical piece  72  adapted to be attached to the other end  64  of the vertical component  34 , mounting means  74  attached to the support  70  for mounting the vertical piece  72  for sliding movement relative to the support  70 , and moving means  76  attached to and between the support  70  and the vertical piece  72  for moving the vertical piece  72  vertically relative to the support  70 . 
     More specifically, as shown in  FIG. 7 , the support is in the form of two spaced apart rectangular plates  78  and  79 . The spacing of the support plates  78  and  79  is such that it allows the end plates to snuggly slide along the top  80  and bottom  82  of the horizontal component  32 , as illustrated in  FIGS. 6 and 7 . The spaced apart plates  49  and  51  at the end of the horizontal component  32  provides room for the mounting of the vertical piece  72  and the mounting means  74 , and the support plates  78  and  79  hold the device  60  in place on the horizontal component  32 . 
     In the illustrated embodiment, the mounting means is in the form of a square mounting tube  74 , and the vertical piece is a sliding tube  72  received in and slidable relative to the mounting tube  74 . More specifically, the mounting tube  74  has a portion of one side of the tube removed to provide a vertical piece access slot  76 , as shown in  FIG. 9 . The vertical piece  72  extends between and through the spaced apart rectangular support plates  78  and  79 , and the vertical piece slot  76  is located between the spaced apart support plates  78  and  79 . An outward extension  83  (see  FIG. 8 ) from the mounting tube  74 , opposite the vertical piece access slot  76 , has an opening  87  therethrough, adapted to receive therein a mounting bolt  85  (see  FIGS. 3 and 6 ) extending between the plates  49  and  51 . This secures the device  60  in place and prevents further horizontal sliding of the device  60  along the horizontal component  32  after the device  60  is positioned on the horizontal component  32 . 
     The moving means, as shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8 , is in the form of the slot  76  in the side of the mounting tube  74 , and a nub  80  attached to the sliding tube  72  and extending through the slot  76 , the nub  80  having a nub threaded opening therein, and a threaded rod  84  extending through and engaging the nub threaded opening, the threaded rod  84  being mounted for rotation but not vertical movement relative to the support plates  78  and  79 , so that rotation of the threaded rod  84  slides the nub  80  and sliding tube  72  relative to the mounting tube  74 . This allows the device  60  to vary the combined length of the support bracket vertical component  34  and sliding tube  72  relative to the horizontal component  32  so as to change the angle of the horizontal component  32  relative to the vertical component  34 . The nub  80  also serves to keep the sliding tube  72  within the mounting tube  74 . 
     More particularly, the threaded rod  84  is mounted for rotation relative to the support  70  by the support plates  78  and  79  located on opposite sides of the nub  80 , with an opening in each support plate, the respective ends of the threaded rod each passing through the respective plate openings. Respective nuts  86  and  87  are each fixed such as by welding on each respective end of the threaded rod  84 . At least one nut  86  is adapted to be rotated to in turn rotate the threaded rod  84  relative to the support  70 , such as by the use of a drill  90  (see  FIGS. 11 and 12 ). 
     The sliding tube  72  is adapted to be attached to the other end  64  of the support bracket vertical component  34  by having a U-shaped attachment  91  (see  FIG. 9 ) with an attachment opening  92  through one end of the sliding tube  72 , and a bolt  94  (see  FIG. 4 ) that passes across the attachment and through the attachment&#39;s spaced apart arms in order to secure the other end  64  of the vertical component  34  to the end of the sliding tube  72 . The bolt  94  passes through matching openings (not shown) in the other end  64  of the vertical component  34 . 
     To use the device  60 , a worker will slide the device  60  onto the horizontal component  32 . The sliding tube  72  is then attached to the other end  64  of the vertical component  34 , the vertical component  34  being then adjusted, such as by telescoping, so as to obtain the desired geometry of the bridge overhang support bracket  30 . The bracket  30  is then positioned along the side of the I-beam  10  and secured to the I-beam  10 . Then, in order to level or otherwise adjust the angle of the horizontal component  32  relative to the vertical component  34 , the nut  86  on the end of the threaded rod  84  can be rotated, so that the vertical position of the sliding tube  72  relative to the horizontal component  32  can vary, as shown in  FIGS. 11 and 12 . 
     Use of the device  60  thus eliminates the need to reach the end  42  of the horizontal component  32 , which involved the need to either use a bucket truck to reach the end, or the need to climb out to the end of the support bracket to reach the threaded bolt head  57 . Instead, a bridge builder can remain on top of the beam, and with the use of a drill, adjust the level of the horizontal component  32 , using conventional bridge overhang support bracket components. 
     The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Furthermore, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described. While the preferred embodiment has been described, the details may be changed without departing from the invention, which is defined by the claims. 
     Various other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following claims.