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Claims  |
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What is claimed is:
1. A composite concrete and electrified metal decking floor comprising:
(a) a plurality of metal decking members each having a plurality of
alternating coplanar crests and coplanar valleys connected by slanting
sidewalls, the upper portion of each of said sidewalls having a groove
adjacent the connection of the sidewall with the adjacent one of said
crests,
each of said crests having a longitudinal stiffening bead and each of said
valleys having two horizontally spaced longitudinal leg engaging support
means;
(b) a plurality of elongated cover plates each having a generally flat
upper surface with a plurality of spaced apertures, outwardly convex and
upturned lateral edges and a pair of laterally spaced, longitudinally
extending legs, each of said cover plates being dimensioned to overlie one
of said valleys with said lateral edges engaging one of the grooves in
said sidewalls and with the lower end of the legs thereof engaging the
support means in the underlying one of said valleys to thereby support the
upper surface of the cover plate generally coplanar with said crests, said
cover plates being positioned in longitudinal succession over selected
ones of said valleys so that said legs longitudinally partition the area
bounded by the cover plate, the valley underlying the cover plate and the
adjacent sidewalls into three longitudinally extending electrical cells;
(c) a plurality of preset inserts each having upstanding side and end
walls, a removable top and a plurality of electrical terminals, the lower
edge of said side and end walls being configured to mate with the top of
one of said cover plates surrounding said apertures so that electrical
conductors disposed in one of said cells may pass upwardly through one of
said apertures for connection to one of said terminals;
(d) an electrical distribution trench including:
a first plurality of elongated metal rails carried by the crests of said
decking members in an end-to-end relationship in a direction transverse to
said decking members,
a second plurality of elongated metal rails carried by said decking members
in an end-to-end relationship parallel to and spaced from said first
plurality of rails to thereby define the sides of the trench,
a plurality of flat metal plates carried in an end-to-end relationship by
said rails to thereby define the top of the trench,
a plurality of flat bottom members each having means at the ends thereof
for engaging one of the grooves in said decking members, said bottom
members being dimensioned to cover one of said valleys between the sides
of the trench to thereby define with said crests the bottom of the trench
except at the junction of the trench with an electrified valley so that
electrical conductors disposed in one of said cells may pass upwardly into
the trench; and
(e) concrete overlying said decking, said cover plates and selected ones of
said preset inserts to a depth sufficient to define floor planar with said
metal plates.
2. The composite concrete and electrified metal decking floor of claim 1
wherein each of said cover plates comprises:
a single elongated sheet of metal with three lateral sections,
the outer two of three said sections having a flat portion at a first
elevation and an outer edge portion at an elevation lower than that of
said flat portions for positioning said flat portions substantially
coplanar with said crests when said outer edge portion engages the grooves
in said sidewalls,
the inner one of said three sections having a flat portion interconnected
with the flat portions of said outer sections by said legs, said legs
being resiliently compressible in a lateral direction adjacent said flat
portions sufficient to permit a snap-in engagement of said outer edge
portions with the grooves in said sidewalls.
3. The floor of claim 2 wherein the elevation of the flat portions of inner
section of said cover plates is less than the flat portion of the two
outer sections thereof,
wherein said legs are joined to the flat portions of said outer portions by
a section including an upwardly and outwardly inclined portion, and
wherein the apertures in said cover plates include a first pair of
knock-outs, each laterally spanning the width of one of said inclined
portions and more than about seventy-five percent of the width of one of
said flat portions to thereby provide a downward and outward angled entry
from said preset insert into the outer two electrical cells.
4. The floor of claim 1 wherein the sidewalls of each of said decking
members include a longitudinal rib projecting into the valley adjacent
each of said grooves, said grooves and projections being dimensioned so
that the maximum extent of said projection is approximately aligned
vertically with the portion of the sidewall of an identical underlying
decking member at a vertical distance below the lower sidewall of said
grooves equal to the distance between said crest and the lower sidewall of
said groove so that lateral stability of the stacked decking member during
shipment is enhanced.
5. The floor of claim 1 wherein the lower side of said groove is generally
horizontal and the upper side thereof is joined thereto and inclined to
the horizontal at an angle between about forty and forty-five degrees,
wherein the radius of curvature of the junction of the two sides of said
grooves and the radius of curvature of the connection of the upper side of
said groove and said crest is approximately the same, and
wherein the radius of curvature of the connection of the lower side of said
groove and the lower portion of said sidewall is greater than the radius
of curvature of the connection of the upper side of said groove and said
crest by little more than the thickness of said metal decking members,
whereby one of said decking members may be stacked on another of said
decking members for shipment with the connection of the lower side of said
groove and the lower portion of said sidewall of the overlying decking
member supported by the connection of the crest and upper side of the
groove of an underlying decking member to provide lateral stability of
stacked decking members during shipment.
6. The floor of claim 1 wherein each of the legs of said cover plate is
integral with said cover plate, resiliently spaced apart at the upper end,
and joined together at the lower end.
7. The floor of claim 1 wherein said preset insert includes retaining means
adjacent each of said end walls, and
wherein said electrical terminals include a pair of plural outlet
electrical receptacles carried by a mounting plate, said mounting plate
being adapted at the upper end thereof for engagement with said retaining
means and being adapted at the lower end thereof for engagement with
apertures in said cover plate.
8. The floor of claim 7 wherein the end walls of said preset inserts
include recesses sufficient to receive one of said receptacles when said
mounting plate engages the retaining means of said insert and the edge
engaging one of said apertures.
9. A three-cell electrified metal floor comprising:
a plurality of metal decking members each having a plurality of alternating
coplanar crests and coplanar valleys connected by slanting sidewalls,
the upper portion of each of said sidewalls having a groove adjacent the
connection of the sidewall with the adjacent one of said crests,
each of said valleys having laterally spaced longitudinal support means for
engaging the lower ends of legs; and
a plurality of snap-in cover plates each having a generally flat upper
surface, outwardly convex and upturned lateral edges and a pair of
laterally spaced, longitudinally extending legs, each of said cover plates
being dimensioned to overlie one of said valleys with said lateral edges
engaging one of the grooves in said sidewalls and with the lower ends of
said legs engaging said support means to thereby support the upper surface
thereof generally coplanar with the adjacent ones of said crests,
said cover plates being sufficiently resiliently compressible in a lateral
direction to permit entry of said lateral edges into said grooves,
said legs longitudinally partitioning the area bounded by said cover plate,
the valley underlying said cover plate and the immediately adjacent
sidewalls into three longitudinal electrical cells.
10. The floor of claim 9 wherein said cover plate has two laterally outer
sections each having a flat portion and a flat central section vertically
below the plane of said crests, said legs being joined to the flat
portions of said outer sections by a portion including an upwardly and
outwardly inclined portion, and
including a first pair of knock-outs, each laterally spanning the width of
one of said inclined portions and more than about seventy-five percent of
the width of one of said flat portions to thereby provide a downwardly and
laterally outwardly slanted entrance to the outer two cells.
11. The floor of claim 10 including a preset insert comprising a housing
having upright side and end walls and a removable cover, the lower portion
of said side and end walls being adapted to overlie said cover plate in
conformity therewith to thereby enclose said knock-outs.
12. The floor of claim 11 wherein the housing of said preset insert
includes retaining means adjacent each of said end walls; and
wherein said preset insert further includes a pair of plural outlet
electrical receptacles carried by a mounting plate, said mounting plate
being adapted at the upper end thereof for engagement with said retaining
means and being adapted at the lower end thereof for engagement with an
aperture created by the removal of a knock-out in said central section.
13. The floor of claim 12 wherein the end walls of said preset inserts
include recesses sufficient in size to receive one of said receptacles
when said mounting plate engages said retaining means and said aperture.
14. The floor of claim 9 wherein the valleys of each of said decking
members include two laterally spaced longitudinally extending upward
projections, each adapted to engage and laterally restrict movement of the
ends of one of the legs of said cover plates.
15. The floor of claim 11 wherein each of said legs is integral with said
cover plate, having dual walls spaced apart at the upper end and joined
together at the lower end thereof.
16. A composite concrete and electrified metal decking floor comprising:
(a) a plurality of metal decking members each having a plurality of
alternating substantially coplanar crests and substantially coplanar
valleys connected by slanting sidewalls, the upper portion of each of said
sidewalls having a groove adjacent the connection of the sidewall with the
adjacent one of said crests,
(b) a first plurality of elongated metal rails carried by the crests of
said decking members in an end-to-end relationship in a direction
transverse to said decking members,
(c) a second plurality of elongated metal rails carried by said decking
members in an end-to-end relationship parallel to and spaced from said
first plurality of rails to thereby define the sides of a trench overlying
said decking members,
(d) a plurality of flat metal top plates carried in an end-to-end
relationship by said rails to thereby define the top of the trench,
(e) a plurality of substantially flat, substantially metal bottom members
each having means at the ends thereof for engaging one of the grooves in
the sidewalls of said decking members, said bottom members being
dimensioned to overlie one of said valleys between the sides of the trench
to thereby define with said crests the bottom of the trench; and
(f) concrete overlying said decking and said bottom members to a depth
sufficient to define with said top plates a planar floor.
17. The floor of claim 16 wherein one of said valleys is electrified,
wherein no bottom member is used at the junction of the trench with said
electrified valley so that electrical conductors disposed in said
electrified valley may pass upwardly into the trench;
wherein said electrified valley includes longitudinal partitioning means
dividing said valley into three longitudinal cells; and
including a cross-trench partition comprising integral sides and top, each
of said sides having longitudinally extending tabs on both ends thereof
for engaging the partitioning means of said decking members on both sides
of said trench.
18. The floor of claim 17 wherein each of said bottom members includes
longitudinal edges inclined downwardly and then outwardly to curve
upwardly and thereby present an upwardly curved, outwardly convex edge for
engagement with said groove.
19. The floor of claim 16 wherein each of said bottom members includes
longitudinal edges inclined downwardly and then outwardly to curve
upwardly and thereby present an upwardly curved, outwardly convex edge for
engagement with said groove.
20. A metal decking comprising alternating coplanar crests and coplanar
valleys connected by slanted sidewalls wherein the upper portion of said
sidewalls includes a longitudinally extending groove immediately adjacent
said crests and a longitudinally extending rib immediately below said
groove.
21. The metal decking of claim 20 wherein the upper portion of said
sidewalls is dimensioned so that the distance between the ribs on opposite
sides of said crests is only slightly less than the distance between the
inner surfaces of the lower portion of said decking member at the
elevation of said ribs so that engagement of the ribs of an underlying
decking section with the sidewalls of an overlying decking section when
stacked thereon with the groove of said overlying decking member supported
by the crest of said underlying decking member provides lateral stability
to the decking members.
22. The metal decking of claim 21 including two laterally spaced
longitudinally extending stiffening beads in each of said crests, and two
longitudinally extending stiffening beads in each of said valleys.
23. A metal decking member comprising alternating coplanar crests and
coplanar valleys connected by slanted sidewalls wherein the upper portion
of each of said sidewalls includes a groove, the lower side of said groove
being generally horizontal and the upper side of said groove being joined
thereto and inclined to the horizontal at an angle between about forty and
forty-five degrees,
the radius of curvature of the junction of the two sides of said groove and
the radius of curvature at the connection of the upper side of said groove
and said crest being approximately equal, and
the radius of curvature at the connection of the lower side of said groove
and the lower portion of said sidewall being greater than the radius of
curvature of the connection of the upper side of said groove and said
crest by slightly more than the thickness of the metal decking,
the connection of the upper side of said groove to said crest being
substantially over the connection of the lower side of said groove to said
sidewall,
whereby said decking member may be stacked on an identical underlying
decking member with the connection of the lower side of said groove and
said sidewall supported by the connection of the crest and upper side of
the groove of the underlying decking member to provide increased lateral
support for said decking member when stacked.
24. The metal decking member of claim 23 wherein each of said crests
includes a longitudinal stiffening bead, and
wherein each of said valleys includes two longitudinal stiffening beads.
25. In combination with metal decking having alternating crests and valleys
and an apertured cover plate for selected ones of the valleys to define
with the underlying valley an electrical raceway, a preset insert having a
housing having a removable top and upright sidewalls and with retaining
means adjacent thereto, the lower portion of said side and end walls being
adapted to overlie the apertures in said cover plate in conformity with
the upper surface of the cover plate thereby to enclose the apertures; and
including a pair of plural outlet electrical receptacles carried by a
mounting plate, said mounting plate being adapted at the upper end thereof
for engagement with said retaining means and being adapted at the lower
end thereof for engagement with one of the apertures in the cover plate.
26. The preset insert of claim 25 wherein the removable top of said preset
insert is insulated.
27. The preset insert of claim 25 wherein said end walls include recesses
sufficient to receive one of said receptacles when said mounting plate
engages said retaining means and said aperture.
28. In an electrified metal floor including decking members with
alternating crests and valleys, at least one of the valleys being
partitioned to provide three parallel electrical cells, and a lateral
trench overlying the decking members, a metal partition extending the
central one of said three cells through the portion of the partitioned
valley underlying the trench, said partition comprising integral sides and
top, each of said sides having longitudinally extending tabs on both ends
thereof for engaging the partitions of said decking members on both sides
of said trench.
29. In a trench having parallel sides rails crossing the alternating crests
and valleys of a metal decking and a removable cover plate carried by said
rails, a plurality of bottom plates each comprising a flat portion
dimensioned to span the width of the trench and the distance between
adjacent of said crests, said flat portion having lateral edges extending
upwardly and then outwardly to overlie a horizontal flange on said rails
and having longitudinal edges inclined downwardly to engage a groove in
the sidewalls of the metal decking.
30. The bottom plates of claim 29 wherein said longitudinal edges incline
downwardly and then outwardly to curve upwardly and thereby present an
upwardly curved, outwardly convex edge for engagement with said groove.
31. A metal floor comprising:
a plurality of decking members, each having a plurality of alternating
substantially coplanar crests and substantially coplanar valleys connected
by slanting sidewalls,
the upper portion of each of said sidewalls having a groove adjacent the
connection with the adjacent one of said crests;
a plurality of snap-in cover plates each having a generally flat, apertured
upper surface, outwardly convex lateral edges adapted to engage one of the
grooves in said sidewalls to support said upper surface generally coplanar
with the adjacent ones of said crests; and
a preset insert including a housing having upright side and end walls, the
lower portion of said end walls being adapted to overlie said cover plate
in conformity therewith to thereby enclose an aperture in said upper
surface, the lower portion of said side walls terminating in an outwardly
convex lateral edge adapted to be received in the groove in said sidewalls
in an overlying relation to the lateral edges of one of said cover plates.
32. The floor of claim 31 wherein each of said cover plates includes a pair
of laterally spaced, longitudinally extending legs adapted to engage the
underlying valley to thereby longitudinally partition the area bounded by
the cover plate, the valley underlying the cover plate and the adjacent
sidewalls into three electrical cells.
33. A side rail for the lateral trench of an electrical distribution system
in a composite metal/concrete floor comprising:
a first elongated metal member including in cross-section an inverted
U-shaped channel with outwardly extending horizontal flanges adapted to be
secured to the crests of corrugated metal decking members,
a second elongated metal member including in cross-section a horizontal
center section, a downwardly extending section on the trench side thereof,
and an upward and then horizontally outwardly extending | | |
