Patent ID: 8677712

Claim:
A thermal joint for a flooring system, the thermal joint comprising: a. a cold side angle joint, wherein the cold side angle joint has a cold side thermal wall connected at a right angle to a cold side base, wherein the cold side base has a plurality of bond holes, and wherein the bond holes allow a liquid curable flooring material to bond through each of the plurality of bond holes; b. a warm side angle joint, wherein the warm side angle joint has a warm side thermal wall connected at a right angle to a warm side base, wherein the warm side base has a plurality of bond holes, wherein the bond holes allow the liquid curable flooring material to bond through each of the plurality of bond holes, and wherein the cold side thermal wall is disposed in parallel and flush with the warm side thermal wall; c. a plurality of rod holes that penetrate through the warm side thermal wall; d. a plurality of tube holes that penetrate through the cold side thermal wall, wherein each diameter of each tube hole is larger than each diameter of each rod hole, and wherein the rod holes align with the tube holes; e. a plurality of leveler holes formed in each base; f. an adjustable leveler inserted into at least four of the leveler holes, two per base; g. a rod inserted into each rod hole, wherein each rod has a rod coupling for receiving a first rebar tie-in; h. a tube inserted into each tube hole, wherein each tube has a tube coupling for receiving a second rebar tie-in, and wherein each tube is adapted to engage one of the rods in a slidably resistive engagement; and i. a heater conduit fastened longitudinally along the warm side base, wherein the heater conduit has a first heater conduit coupler and a second heater conduit coupler for transferring heat from a heater; and wherein the thermal joint engages the rebar tie-ins to slidably form an expandable floor joint; wherein the liquid curable flooring material is flowed in a liquid state around the thermal joint while attached to the rebar tie-ins, forming a structural matrix through the bond holes as the liquid state of the liquid curable flooring material cures into a solid; and wherein the thermal joint simultaneously (i) allows the rods to slide in the tubes as the cured solid flooring material expands and contracts due to temperature changes, and (ii) prevents vertical deflection as heavy equipment is transported across the cured solid flooring material.