Improvements in Floor Plates and Floors for Bridges, Buildings, and other Structures.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Aug., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 14th Jan., 1890-Accepted, 22nd Feb., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Floor Plates and Floors for Bridges, Buildings, and
other Structures.
•
I, EDMUND OLANDER of the Engineers Office, Great Western Railway, Paddington
in the County of London do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to an improved construction of floor plates and of floors con-
structed therewith, which are applicable for railway and other bridges, subways,
buildings, piers, wharves, landing stages, pontoons and the like.
According to my invention I construct such floor plates of ridge and furrow or
corrugated form, the ridges and furrows being however by preference formed with a
flat bearing surface, and I make each plate terminate at the middle of either a ridge or
a furrow at which point the edges of two adjacent plates are interlocked or otherwise
secured together. The interlocking may be effected either by rivetting a strip of plate
both above or below the one edge of each plato so as to overhang such edge and form
a jaw into which fits the meeting edge of the next plate so as to be held securely
thereby, or I form a separate locking piece with jaws or grooves on each side into
which the edges of both plates fit; or there may be fixed on the edges of both plates
short overhanging pieces at equal distances apart so that when fitted together the
pieces of the one plate will interlock with the pieces on the other plate, and will
also overlap the edge of such plate; or these pieces may be made of a Z shape so
as to lap respectively over the edge of the one plate and under the edge of the
other one.
The meeting edges may also be fixed together by bolts or keys formed on meeting
flanges on the edges, with or without the interposition of a T shaped or other
strengthening rib. Such plates are by preference constructed each with two complete
corrugations, terminating at the middle of the ridge or furrow on either side; or when
the ridges or furrows are deep, each plate may have only a single furrow, with a half
ridge on each side.
When constructing floors with these plates they are each rivetted or bolted at
the works either to two supporting girders or joists, when these run in the same
direction as the ridges and furrows, so that when conveyed to the locality whero the
floor is to be erected, there is no further joining work to be done than to place the
plates side by side with their supporting girders and then secure their meeting edges
together in either of the ways above described and fit the necessary bracing to the
supporting girders underneath the floor plates. Or if the supporting girders running
in the direction of ridge and furrow are composed of openwork webs in hou of solid
web the floor plates may be secured to the lower tie bars below with di-tance pieces
between, the distance between the tie bars and the floor plates being such, that
distributing girders or joists shall be slid in between them; the distance pieces are by
preference so arranged that there is just sufficient space between two of them for the
distributing girders to pass through. Such girders or joists may only serve as
distributing girders, the main support of the floor being afforded by the above
described lower tie bars of supporting girders which are distanced from the floor
plates by suitable trussing pieces, or in place of such trussing, a complete girder may
be secured to the plates with openings in the web for the distributing girder to pass
through. But with both methods of supporting the floor plates either by solid web
joists or girders, or by open web girders they are both joined at site or the locality
where they are to be erected without the aid of rivets or bolts.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Floor Plates and Floors for Bridges, Buildings, and
other Structures.
I, EDMUND OLANDER of the Engineers Office, Great Western Railway, Paddington
in the County of London, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement :-
This invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of plates, which
may be rolled, pressed, or bent, and in their application for the construction of Floors
of railway and public road bridges, and subways; also for the floors of piers, wharves,
landing stages, and pontoons: and for large rooms of public buildings, and
roofs, &c. &c.
Some recent floors now used for railway bridges are of a deep corrugated section,
about 9 inches, but according to my invention 1 employ a section of shallow depth of
about 1 inch, the plates forming the upper surface or flange as well as the floor
itself. These sections are secured to the upper members of rolled joists, or any other
kind of girder by rivets or bolts as shewn in Figs. 1, 2, 3 & 4 of the accompanying
drawings, but the sections are not limited to those shewn, but may be varied in shape
as to corrugations. Two of these profiles are shewn (Fig. 5) resting on an ordinary
cross girder where they are specially applicable.
The main purpose of this invention, is that all constructive work such as the
usual fitting, rivetting and bolting shall be performed at the works or manufactory in
making the respective parts, and when taken to be orected at site for the purpose
for which they are intended the parts are simply put together, by placing each
section side by side, then slid, locked and fastened into final position, without any
rivets being used for fixing the floor itself. Hence a large area of flooring can
be laid easily, quietly, and absolutely, an object much desired in the restoration of
existing railway bridges, producing when completed a decking of greater strength
than hitherto used, owing to another improvement which distributes equally over the
floor impinging loads, such as the wheels of locomotive engines wheels of road
rollers, as effectually as by rail bearers generally used between the cross girders of a
railway bridge.
In order that my invention may be fully understood and readily carried into
effect, I will proceed to describe the same with reference to the drawings hereunto
annexed.
The section of plates above referred to are shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the first being
a partial cross section of bridge floor put together, and the second a sectional
elevation through X X of Fig. 1. They are indicated by letters A. A A, and are
formed with a dome like top, and secured to girder joists by rivets B, B, and thus
secured, become upper flanges to the lower flanges C. O, the indicative letters referring
to both views.
At the side of each section, two plates E F, one on the upper, and one on the lower
surface, are secured by rivets or otherwise, thus forming between them a space or
aw into which fits the edge of the plate A of the contiguous section. The floor
plate AA is rivetted to two joists, which may be called one section or panel of
the floor, and when placed in position on bearings (in this case main girders D D)
Fig. 2 its fellow or adjoining panel is pushed into its final position, and so on
with the next panel, as shewn in cross section Fig. 1: the recess or longitudinal
cavity open to receive the edge of its fellow, is shewn at E¹ at the right side of Fig. 1,
being simply two lips to receive the corresponding panel.
The diagonal strut tie bars F F accompany the sections to site, and are secured
to the lower flanges C C of the supporting joists by bolts at G G. these diagonal bars
le under the line of rails, if the floor is used for supporting a railway or at other
convenient distancos when used for other purposes to distribute local or impinging
loads from one section to another. Thus the floor is fixed at site without pivots or

page_text: bolts, except a few of the latter for some of the bottom ends of strut ties as above
described.
Figs. 3 and 4 are similar views in respect to the use of the upper plates A A A
above described, but of different construction as regards the supporting girders
underneath, the former being utilized under similar conditions of manufacture and
erection at site. The mode of constructing of this system of flooring is as follows:
Fig. 3 is a transverse section through the supporting girders and plates of the
floor.
Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional elevation through the line Y Y. Fig. 3, the
letters of reference applying to all views containing similar parts.
The supporting girders are manufactured of openwork of iron or steel, and
some of the members of maleable cast iron or steel, or cast iron. The bars C₁₁
form the lower or tensile members of the supporting girders, which are distances
from the upper members or aforesaid plates A A A by pieces of iron, steel, or
castings H H H of any desirable shape, but shown in the drawing as pieces of
market channel section cut to the width of the lower bars C¹ C¹ C¹.
At the ends of the floor at the bearings on the main girders, the plates A A A
are depressed and rivetted direct to the tensile bars CC to facilitate drainage, as
also for the purpose of economising material, depth not being required near the
bearings. The upper plates A A are rivetted through the iron steel or cast iron
distance piece I IL to the lower bars CCC with sufficient holding power of
rivets to take the strain which they are calculated to sustain. Other points in the
plates AA are also rivetted down to the distance pieces H H H by rivets BB B.
Under the line of rails (if the floor is used for sustaining railway traffic) are
rolled joists K K or if the floor is for supporting other weights, then at convenient
distances. These joists are inserted or pushed along between the distance pieces
of channel iron HHH, after all the sections or panels of floor are in final position,
or the sections of floor can be pushed along the rolled joists K K, according to
the requirements during erection at site, and when in place they are keyed to the
channel irons H H H by small keys L L L Fig. 3 making a floor which will
distribute most effectually a weight which may act or impinge at any point on its
surface.
I wish it to be understood that I do not confine myself to the use of the spocial
form of joint for securing the floor platos or panels A A A together as shown
in Figs. 1 2 3 4 and 5 between the supporting girders, but reserve myself the
right of applying and using other methods of junctions some of which I will proceed
to explain. Fig. 6 is a part drawing taken from Fig. 3, the joint is made by
having one edge of the floor plate A A, bent up at M. sufficiently to admit of the
edge of the continuous panel being inserted; a plate O is rivetted underneath, as
already described to be used for Figs. 1 2 3 4 and 5 so that the joint is formed
by the rivet P passing through two plates instead of three.
Fig. 7 is a part drawing taken from Fig. 1, the connection of the plates A A being
effected by making them with each side turned down as shewn at P¹ P¹, thereby
forming two vertical flanges which are drawn together by bolts at proper intervals,
thus forming an effective joint for connecting the floor panels A A. together.
Fig. 8 is taken from Fig. 3, showing a joint of wedge like or dovetail form. The
sides of the floor plates A A are pushed against each side of the small section QQ
wedging into the same at the points RR: these are held in position by the
longitudinal number of the sections composing the complete floor, as well by the small
keys L LL (Fig. 3) through the distributing girder already described.
Fig. 9 is taken from Fig. 1. and here the junction is more elaborate, the upper part
of the dome plates A A, aie rolled pressed or bent at the points S S, one upwards and
the other downwards. The sides lap over each other but do not touch, being made to
enter the spaces or jaws in the joint-piece TTT of S section of iron or steel which
may be manufactured by rolling bending or pressing to the form shewn so as to
produce the said jaws for the sides of the aforesaid floor plates A A A to fit into.

page_text: Fig. 10 is taken from Fig. 3 and shows the floor plates, rolled pressed or bent
slightly downwards at the points UU so as to fit into the jaws of the joint-piece W,
the keys L L as aforesaid driven through the distributing girders KK effectually
locking all parts together.
Fig. 11 is taken from Fig. 1. The floor plates A A being slightly depressed at a a
and again turned downwards at the points 66 either by rolling, pressing or bending.
Between the vertical flanges thus formed, the vertical member of tee iron O is dropped.
The joint is secured together by a series of lock pins or cotters with an arm at each
end d d.
The holes receiving these pins are punched through the vertical flanges and arm of
tee iron with elongated horizontal holes of sufficient length to admit of the passage of
the pin or cotter with its arms placed horizontally whereupon by the use of a spanner
or other means the arms d d are forced down into vertical positions, so that being
slightly bevelled they effect the drawing together of the flanges of the plates 6 b.
Fig. 12 is taken from Fig. 1, shewing the plates A A A rolled pressed or bent to
the exact sectional form as in Figs. 1 and 5 and secured together in the following
manner Pieces of bars of suitable lengths e e e are rivetted to the left hand side of
the floor plates AAA by two or more rivets as at ff. Similar plates e¹ el are
fastened in the same manner to the right hand side of the floor plates A A A. Hence
the pieces eee bear on the left hand side of the floor plates A A, while the pieces e'e' e
bear on the right hand side of the floor plates, and this interlocking action prevents
the upward or downward movement of either side, while the diagonals F F F already
described in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 lock the supporting joists firmly together.
Fig. 18 is taken from Fig. 1, showing the plates A A A of the exact sectional form
as shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 5. They abutt against each other at g. Two cover
plates hh, upper and lower, are bolted together by bolts, clenching the plates A A;
the holes for receiving the bolts being punched or drilled at semicircular notches at
each edge of plate A. A.
Fig. 14 is taken from Fig. 1. The plates A A A being slightly depressed at the
points KK, they are then pushed horizontally towards the small flat Z sections
which are of suitable length, these plates being made to lap alternately over the
edge of the one plate A and under the edge of the other, as shown.
Fig. 15 is a section of rolled pressed or bent plates of the deep ridge and furrow
form shewing the application of one of my above described joints, this being exactly
similar to the joints described in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, or any of the other described
joints may be used for the purpose of joining together_corrugated sections of the
well known deep form either at the ridge as shewn at E E or at the bottom of the
furrow m. m.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The construction of floor plates of a ridge and furrow section, the furrows
being made with a flat bearing surface connected by sloping sides to a flat ridge,
and the plates being made to terminate in the middle of a ridge or midd'e of a
furrow, with provision of means for securing together or interlocking the meeting
edges, without the use of bolts or rivets, substantially as herein described.
2. Constructing floors of plates such as are referred to in the preceding claim,
which plates form the upper flanges of girders or joists, the separate plates being
rivetted or bolted at their furrows to the girders or joists so as to form complete
sections of the floor, which are secured together by connecting the meeting edges
of the plates of the sections by locking pieces and by the use of diagonal tie bars,
or other connecting devices, substantially as herein described.
3. In the construction of floors such as is referred to in the preceding claim,
constructing the girders or joists with openings in their webs through which aro
passed distributing girders or joists, secured to the main girders by pins, substantially
as herein described,

page_text: 5
4. The use in combination with floor plates either of the kind herein described,
or of other forms having meeting edges, of junction pieces so arranged and operating
as to secure the meeting edges together without the use of bolts or rivets, substantially
as herein described.
T: Ah In of T
1000
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.