Untitled record

The present invention relates to a device for storing manhole covers and the like with an upper frame part which is designed to receive a cover, with holding elements for anchoring in the surrounding road surface being attached to the frame part, and with a connection part movable relative to the upper frame part , which is firmly connected to a component stored in the ground, as well as to a bellows.

Conventional manhole covers for ducts or the like essentially consist of tubular elements to which a frame part is attached at the top, which serves to hold a cover. In the case of a rainwater sewer, such a cover is perforated, while in the case of sewers an essentially tight cover is provided. At its lower end, the shaft sits on the generally horizontal channel. It is inevitable that due to temperature fluctuations and especially due to frost, but also due to other influences in the road surface, horizontal and vertical movements will occur. Conventional rigid shaft systems cannot, or only to an inadequate extent, take part in these movements. This leads to damage to the individual components on the one hand and to situations in which the cover is no longer level with the road surface on the other hand. This represents a significant obstacle and a danger to road traffic. The corresponding repairs and replacement work are associated with relatively high costs.

From WO 82/04276 an arrangement for a manhole cover is known in which a frame part for a manhole cover is anchored by a dome-shaped holding section in an upper layer of the road substructure. On its underside, the frame part is provided with a downwardly protruding sleeve which surrounds a shaft pipe with play, so that an axial movement is possible to a certain extent. Changes in the height of the ground caused by frost can be partially compensated in this way. However, if, in addition to the changes in height, there are also displacements parallel to the road surface, such displacements cannot be compensated for by this construction. In addition, the tube sliding in the sleeve can jam, so that the intended function cannot be fulfilled.

Furthermore, from GB 2 194 981 A a housing for a water shut-off valve is known which consists of a base plate, a grooved tube and an upper section which carries a cover. The main task of the grooved pipe in this maintenance shaft is to improve anchoring in the ground in order to prevent excessive loading of the pipe. The upper part is intended to encompass the pipe, but it is not connected to this pipe which extends freely into this upper part. Such a construction can be suitable for maintenance shafts of water valves or the like, but it is certainly not generally applicable, for example for sewer covers. In addition, with a grooved plastic pipe, as is proposed in this prior art document, there is always the problem that a pipe that is sufficiently rigid that can withstand the stresses of earth pressure is not flexible enough to absorb the earth movements that occur can. If, on the other hand, the pipe is made sufficiently flexible to be able to fulfill this task, there is the problem of insufficient strength, so that a collapse of the shaft in road traffic is to be feared.

From US Pat. No. 4,469,467 A and US Pat. No. 4,475,845 A, manhole covers are known which are equipped with a bellows-like component. This bellows-like component, however, represents a seal that is formed inside or outside a manhole that is constructed in a conventional manner and rests against it in a sealing manner. With these designs, it cannot be guaranteed that the manhole cover will remain level with the road surface.

The object of the present invention is to avoid these disadvantages and to develop a shaft cover in such a way that the even position of the cover can always be guaranteed even in the event of strong temperature fluctuations, frost and the like.

According to the invention, these objects are achieved in that the connection part and the frame part are connected by a flexible member in the form of the bellows, which is provided with reinforcements in the circumferential direction

It is essential to the present invention that the shaft has a flexible member that can easily accommodate changes in length of a few decimeters and is also insensitive to transverse displacements, but which can also reliably withstand high earth pressure. The bellows, which are reinforced in the circumferential direction, optimally meet these requirements

AT 406 277 B

A particular advantage of the solution according to the invention is that the bellows also allows the components connected to it to incline. In this way, a road inclination - be it caused by an incline or a transverse slope - can be compensated in a particularly simple manner without having to produce a concrete wedge on site to compensate for it.

It is particularly favorable if the bellows is composed essentially of frustoconical sections which adjoin one another in alternating orientation, with steel rings preferably being inserted for reinforcement in the areas of the largest diameter of the bellows. This ensures reliable functioning over a long period of time.

Secure anchoring in the area of ​​the road substructure can be achieved in that the holding elements are designed as brackets.

In a particularly advantageous variant of the present invention, it is provided that the upper frame part is designed to receive an intermediate ring on a case-by-case basis. In the course of the renewal of the road surface it can happen that the level of the road surface changes by a predetermined amount. In conventional solutions it is necessary to expose the upper part of the manhole and to build it higher by this predetermined amount. By using an intermediate ring of a corresponding thickness, this complex work can be dispensed with, and the previous upper frame part can remain in its place. In this way, a cost-effective and simple solution is also made available in the event of a new road surface being applied directly to the old road surface.

A particularly simple and safe installation is achieved in that, in a preferred manner, an upper support ring is non-detachably attached to the upper end of the bellows, to which the upper frame part is detachably attached. During the construction of the road substructure, the upper support ring can be removed so that, for example, when compacting the grading material, no upwardly protruding part will hinder the work. In this way, the risk of damage during installation work can be minimized.

The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the exemplary embodiment shown in the figures.

1 shows a section through a device according to the invention, FIG. 2 shows a plan view of the device from FIG. 1 with the cover removed, and FIG. 3 shows the upper part of the device from FIGS. 1 and 2 in the installed state.

An upper frame part 1 is designed to receive a cover 2. The upper frame part I is fastened with screws 8 to an upper support ring which is firmly connected to a bellows 4 which is made of rubber, a flexible plastic or the like. In the interior of the bellows reinforcement rings 5 ​​made of ring steel are inserted in each case at the points with the largest diameter. These reinforcement rings stiffen the bellows 4 against the earth pressure. At the lower end of the bellows 4, a lower support ring 6 is attached. When used as intended, the upper support ring 3, the bellows 4 together with the reinforcement rings 5 ​​and the lower support ring 6 are permanently connected to one another.

In place of individual reinforcement rings 5, a single helical reinforcement part can also be used with a corresponding design of the bellows.

The upper frame part 1 is provided with retaining brackets 7 at regular intervals on its circumference.

For a better understanding, an intermediate ring 9 is shown above the actual device of FIG. 1, which can be screwed onto the upper frame part 1 in the event of an increase in the road level. It is obvious that in such a case the cover is inserted into the intermediate ring 9. For this purpose, the screws 8 that connect the upper frame part 1 to the upper support ring 3 are removed and replaced by corresponding longer screws that firmly connect the intermediate ring 9, the upper frame part 1 and the upper support ring to one another .

The installation of the device according to the invention is carried out in the following manner. During installation, the manhole is in the vertical direction, ie predetermined in length, larger distances between the manhole surface and the sewer cone are compensated - as in known solutions - with concrete rings or similar components. The device according to the invention is used in the upper area in which the effect of frost is to be expected. The bellows part including the upper and lower support ring 3, 6 can be brought to a predetermined length with simple clamping tools. If the lower support ring 6 is now placed on the correspondingly prepared connection part, not shown in the figure, so

AT 406 277 B is the upper edge of the upper support ring by exactly the thickness of the upper frame part 1 below the future road surface. If necessary, this can be changed by adjusting the clamping device accordingly. In order to simplify the required measurements, the upper frame part 1 can also be temporarily placed on the upper support ring 3 at this point in time in order to check the correct height of the device. If the height is now set correctly, the area around the bellows 4 can be backfilled and compacted. In the course of the application of the road surface, the upper frame part 1 is placed in order to ensure that the retaining brackets 7 are anchored in the road surface in the best possible way. In this way it is ensured that the upper frame part 1 including the cover 2 takes part completely in the raising and lowering of the road surface due to frost and the like.

In Fig. 3, an installation situation with the original road surface and immediately above with a new road surface is shown at a higher level. In the case of the old road surface 10, the upper edge of the upper frame part 1 is flush with the road surface. This applies in the same way to the cover 2. After a new layer of pavement has been applied, the intermediate ring 9 is placed, so that its upper edge is now flush with the layer 11 of the new pavement. It is obvious that the cover 2 is inserted into the intermediate ring 9 in such a case.

The invention makes it possible to ensure in a simple and reliable manner that manhole covers always remain flush with the road surface, even in the event of strong earth movements. In this way, traffic hazards can be avoided without the need for extensive renovation work.