Method of aligning a base and a frame in a road surface

Abstract

 A base (14) supports a frame (10) via a plurality of spacers (12). The top of the frame (10) is closed off by a lid (42). The base (14) and the frame (10) are generally square when viewed in plan, and each of the lower corners of the frame (10) can have their relative height to the base (14) adjusted by adding or removing spacers (12) in order that the upwardly facing surface (38) of the frame (10) can be flush with the surface (36) of a road.
By removing spacers (12), the height of the frame 10 can be reduced in order that the road surface can be scraped to the depth indicated by a line (44), and the road surface can subsequently be made good again to the height of the surface (36) either before or after the frame (10) has been returned to the height shown in Figure 2.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to apparatus including a base and a frame and to a method of resurfacing an area having such an apparatus associated therewith and, in particular, although not exclusively, relates to drains in roads, post office installations in pavements or fire hydrants.

[0002] In a known method of resurfacing roads with drains, the top surface of the road is taken off using a scraping tool attached to the front of a digger. Typically about an inch or two of the surface is so removed. However, in the region of a drain it is necessary to remove the surrounding surface manually, which is extremely time consuming.

[0003] The scraped surface is frequently required to have traffic passing over it, and as the drains protrude from the surface they represent a considerable hazard to the road users and are often the cause of cyclists or motorcyclists being thrown off their machine.

[0004] When the road is resurfaced the drains are removed and the new layer applied before the drains are replaced. The drains come in one particular size with a predetermined depth and accordingly the replaced drains are liable to be proud of the road surface or located slightly beneath the road surface with consequent adverse effect on the surface.

[0005] According to one aspect of the present invention, an apparatus includes a base arranged to be located beneath a surface, and a frame arranged to extend upwardly towards the surface from the base, the frame being arranged to be supported by the base, and adjustment means capable of altering the height of the frame relative to the base. The adjustment means may be arranged to decrease the height of the frame relative to the base, or increase that height, or both decrease and increase the height. Such an apparatus has considerable advantages when used in relation to manholes in roads as, when the road is to be resurfaced, the frame can be lowered to allow the old surface to be scraped off. The new surface can then be applied and the height of the frame subsequently increased thus obviating the need for the manhole to be removed during resurfacing and rendering unnecessary the manual removal of the old surface around the drains. Furthermore, the drains can remain substantially flush with the scraped road to allow traffic to pass over that surface without the hazard presently existing whereby the drains protrude above the scraped surface.

[0006] The adjustment means may be located between the frame and the base. The adjustment means may include a member or members located between the frame and base. The adjustment means may be arranged to alter the height of the frame relative to the base by replacement, addition or removal of the member of members. The member or members may be arranged to provide support for the frame on the base in at least two directions. The member or members may be constrained from moving laterally.

[0007] The upper region of the frame may be arranged to be substantially flush with a surface.

[0008] The apparatus may include means for altering the height of one portion of the frame relative to another portion of the frame. Those means for altering the relative heights of the portions of the frame may include or comprise the adjustment means.

[0009] The present invention also includes a region including an upwardly facing surface when provided with an apparatus as herein referred to in which the base is located beneath the surface and the frame extends upwardly towards the surface.

[0010] According to another aspect of the present invention a method of surfacing an area in which a base is located beneath the area and a frame, supported by the base, extends upwardly towards the surface comprises altering the height of the frame relative to the base with adjustment means such that the height of the frame relative to the base is greater after the area has been resurfaced.

[0011] The invention may be carried into practice in various ways, but one embodiment will now be described by way of example, and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:-

Figure 1 is an exploded view of a frame 10, a spacer 12 and base 14 and,

Figure 2 is a side sectional view taken in the region of one of the corners showing the co-operation of a plurality of spacers between the frame and base, and their relation to a normal road surface.

[0012] As shown in the Figure 2, the base 14 is embedded in a road 16 and is held in place by the road 16 extending above and around an outwardly directed flange 18. The frame 10 includes a square peripheral wall 20 which extends within an upwardly extending square peripheral wall 22 of the base. The lower edge 24 of the wall 20 rests on a plurality of spacers 12, which spacers in turn rest on inwardly directed flanges 28 of the frame 10. The flanges 28 connect the lower end of the wall 22 with upwardly directed plates 30 located adjacent to, but spaced from the corners 32 of the base 14.

[0013] The upper edge 34 of the base terminates well beneath the surface 36 of the road, and the frame 10 normally extends up to that surface, terminating in an upwardly facing surface 38, flush with the road surface, the surface 38 having an inner groove 40 on which a lid 42 rests.

[0014] When it is desired to resurface the road, the frame 10 is raised out of the road and the surface scraped. Alternatively, with the frame 10 removed, the spacers can be lifted upwardly and removed and the frame returned so that its lower edge 24 rests on the flange 28 of the base. The top surface of the road can then be scraped by the tool of a digger to the depth indicated by the phantom line 44, and that tool can pass directly over the frame and the lid. Accordingly the material scraped off the surface is prevented from falling into the base by the lid.

[0015] When the road is being resurfaced the frame can either be raised by reinserting the spacers before the new surface is applied, or the frame can be so raised after the new surface has been applied.

[0016] As the frame is supported by spacers at each of its four corners, the tilt or angle of inclination of the upwardly facing surface 38 of the frame can be arranged to be substantially flush with the new road surface, even though the road surface may not be precisely horizontal or precisely equal to the previous depth. To assist in the accurate adjustment of the height of the frame some spacers may be provided which are of less depth than others. Alternatively, a single spacer may be provided at each corner, in which case the required spacer can be selected from a stock of spacers having varying depths.

[0017] As shown in Figure 1, the spacers comprise two plates 46 which are at right angles to each other and each of which rests on a different flange 28 of the frame adjacent to a corner of the frame. The spacers also include an arm 48 extending between the plate 46 into the interior of the frame. The arm 48 assists in the insertion and removal of the spacers into the frame, and the free end of the arm 48 includes a bevelled downwardly facing surface 50 into which a chisel can be driven in order to free the spacer should it become jammed in the frame.

Claims

1. An apparatus including a base (14) arranged to be located beneath a surface (36) and a frame (10) arranged to extend upwardly towards a surface from the base (14), the frame (10) being arranged to be supported by the base, and adjustment means (12) capable of altering the height of the frame relative to the base.

2. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 1 in which the adjustment means are capable of decreasing the height of the frame relative to the base.

3. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 1 or 2 in which the adjustment means are capable of increasing the height of the frame relative to the base.

4. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim in which the adjustment means are arranged to be located between the frame and the base.

5. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 4 in which the adjustment means includes a member (12) or members (12) arranged to be located between the frame and the base.

6. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 5 in which the adjustment means are arranged to be capable of altering the height of the frame relative to the base by replacement, addition or removal of the member or members.

7. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim in which the upper region of the frame is arranged to be substantially flush with a surface towards which it extends.

8. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim in which the adjustment means is arranged to enable the height of one portion of the frame to be varied relative to another portion of the frame.

9. A region including an upwardly facing surface (36) when provided with an apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim in which the base is located beneath the surface and the frame extends upwardly towards the surface.

10. A method of surfacing an area in which a base (14) is located beneath the area and a frame (10), supported by the base, extends upwardly towards the surface (36) comprising altering the height of the frame (10) relative to the base (14) with adjustment means (12) such that the height of the frame relative to the base is greater after the area has been resurfaced.

Drawing