Abstract: The present invention provides a resilient support for a treadmill deck by suspending the deck at its lateral edges on resilient elements supported by the side rails of the treadmill frame. In addition, the resilient elements may be of adjustable resiliency, such as inflatable bladders, or may be a combination of fixed and adjustably resilient portions. Also disclosed is the use of an adjustably resilient element between the treadmill frame and a supporting surface, and using such as arrangement to vary the inclination of the treadmill.

Abstract: An ultimate load test on a short-span simply supported bridge having six rolled-steel girders and a noncomposite deck slab is described. The main conclusions drawn from the test are as follows: (1) The bearing restraint forces reduced the bending moment at midspan by a minimum of 11%; (2) the transverse load distribution pattern of the bridge improves by a relatively small margin as the ultimate limit state is approached; (3) any composite action between the deck slab and a girder that may exist at service loads, and is due only to bond or friction between steel and concrete, completely breaks down as the load approaches the failure load for the girder; and (4) a girder continues to carry loads long after the formation of first yield.

Abstract: A suspended deck system uses prefabricated deck block modules as the working surface. Each block comprises a series of lateral beam bars in closely spaced, mutually parallel relation, having their ends secured by tie members splined in place. In one embodiment the deck blocks are of square plan-form, having wooden beam bars of substantially square section, with eased edges, having their ends tied by a thin, elongated wood spline. The block thickness and the length of the beam bars are selected to ensure the necessary bending strength when simply suspended by their ends in a loaded condition, as part of a suspended platform. In the case of a wooden decking the deck blocks are supported upon a framing of joists and cross-braces having rabetted upper edge recesses into which the deck blocks fit in flush-fitting relation. The blocks may be positioned in an alternating pattern, giving a visual parquet effect. In the deck frame ribbed dowel pins are used to secure the ends of the respective headers, joists and cross braces. Adoption of two standard sizes of joists and frame headers permits the building up of a wide range of platform sizes while requiring a minimum stock of prefabricated platform frame elements for use with the block modules. An alternative approach provides a second embodiment in regard to securing the deck block module to the deck frame. This alternative is to rabet the under face of the deck blocks, while leaving unrecessed the underlying framing of joists, headers and cross-braces. Further embodiments incorporate other forms of lateral restraint to position the deck blocks, relative to the supporting framing. The system also has wide application for walks and docks.

Abstract: A two handle faucet and mounting structure has a pair of valve bodies each of which contain a control valve. The valve bodies extend through sink deck openings and are connected by a waterway which is positioned beneath the sink deck. A spout tube is attached to the waterway and extends through a third sink deck opening which is positioned between the other two. A mounting bracket is attached to the waterway and is adapted to be drawn up against the underside of the sink deck by the use of a mounting tool which is inserted into the mounting bracket from above the sink deck. The valve bodies are first positioned through openings in the sink deck and loosely held to the sink deck through the use of mounting members which are positioned in valve body recesses above the sink deck. After the valve bodies have been attached to the sink deck by the mounting members and after the mounting bracket has been drawn up tight against the underside of the sink deck, the spout is positioned on the spout tube and then the mounting tool is inserted through the lift rod opening in the spout to attach the spout to the spout tube and to the top of the sink deck.

Abstract: A security enclosure is mounted on the open load deck of a jeep between the rear seat and the tailgate. The load deck, deck sidewalls, and tailgate provide four sidewalls of the security compartment. Top and forward enclosure panels of the security enclosure are movably coupled together for pivotal movement by a hinge. The forward enclosure panel is stabilized by side flanges which are rigidly attached in flush engagement to the load deck side panels. The top enclosure panel is releasably locked to the load deck side panels by spring loaded lock pins which are concealed within the security compartment. According to this arrangement, access to the security compartment and to the lock assembly is controlled by normal operation of the tailgate and its lock. Upon release of the lock pins, the top enclosure panel may be rotated out of the way to provide a top opening access to the load deck for accommodating oversized articles.

Abstract: A personal marine craft for transporting an individual user across the surface of a body of water. An inflatable buoyancy membrane having independent air chambers, including side buoyancy chambers and a forward bumper chamber is attached to and extends along the sides and about the bow of a central rigid hull. An upper exposed deck of the rigid hull, which is structured and disposed to accommodate the user thereon, hingedly lifts open to provide access to a water-tight engine compartment containing a drive unit, including an engine, fuel tank, battery and air pump for inflating the air chambers. A seat and a steering handle post ar hingedly attached to the rigid hull and are each independently movable between a raised, operable position and a collapsed, stowed position. A lifting handle on the bow and retractable wheels on the transom of the rigid hull facilitate portability on land.

Abstract: A rotary deck for interchanging a pair of pallets in a machining center is partially enclosed within a guard housing surrounding the machining zone. The deck sweeps a predetermined diameter with the pallets. An operator access door is mounted to cover an opening in the housing, adjacent the machining zone. The door slides into the sweep diameter when opened and the deck is stationary; an interlock prevents deck rotation when the door is opened.

Abstract: A screening deck is shown and described including an intermediate frame structure mountable to the screening deck in a manner similar to that of an original screen component, but providing mounting formations for attachment of a plurality of screen modules thereon. The screening deck need not be modified in order to receive the intermediate frame. The intermediate frame may be applied to either a crowned screening deck or a flat screening deck. In the crowned configuration, the intermediate frame takes a form similar to the original screen, but includes mounting rails for receiving the screen modules. In the flat screening deck configuration, individual intermediate frame components mount along the longitudinal support beams and provide formations for mounting of screen components thereon. In each illustrated embodiment, individual screen components are mounted and dismounted without separate fastening elements and enjoy support along at least two edges thereof.

Abstract: The maximum danger of flutter-type aerodynamic instability for long span suspension bridges occurs during the early erection stages of the deck. An overview of the problem is given, discussing the influence of several variables affecting the stability. Data are taken from the Humber and Messina bridges during construction. This includes: a) mode frequency evolution; b) critical frequency ratios; c) stability limits evolution; and d) mode shape evolution. The influence of structural damping, deck length and deck stiffness upon bridge deck stability are discussed. For the covering abstract of the conference see IRRD 857429.

Abstract: A stern light or distress signaling transmitter is continuously electrically activated at any height above the hull of a boat and when not in use may be retracted and stored in a chamber below the deck in the hull. A motor driven drive cord is wound around a takeup reel and includes a pair of electrical connectors embedded therein which are in electrical contact with a power source through a pair of ring conductors mounted on a plate rotatable with the takeup reel. When the light is retracted it is flush with the top surface of the deck.

Abstract: A pallet assembly made of a web of corrugated paperboard and providing a flat deck, a pair of parallel stringers for supporting the pallet on the ground, and flaps associated with the stringer sidewalls and folded to project interiorly of the stringer to strengthen the pallet and form openings for receiving the horizontal support bars of a forklift truck. The pallet assembly may have one or more additional stringers provided thereon. Additional flaps can also be provided to achieve additional strengthening effects. The stringer can be constructed as a separate element for attachment to a suitable deck or box to create a pallet-like construction.

Abstract: A pallet for transporting and storing cylindrical articles whose major axes lie parallel to the support surface, comprising a deck with two integral side-walls and two end walls of trapezoidal cross-sectional shape, each of said end-walls having a surface sloping upwardly and outwardly of the axis of the article to provide for its support. At least one, or optionally both, of said end-walls are releasably detachable from the upper surface of the deck and attachable to the side of the deck so that the end-wall member serves as a ramp along whose sloping surface the cylindrical article may be rolled as it is loaded onto or unloaded from the pallet.

Abstract: An improved article and method for making and installing a bridge deck replacement system. Subsystem articles include a plurality of precast slabs which contain features, notably projections and plates which depend from the underside thereof, which are used to form both haunch forms/molds and grout engaging devices. When used in conjunction with the conventional and preestablished supporting structure subsystem, the slabs, though use of the various devices included and/or depending therefrom, non-shrink grouting and the improved method of installation, are securable thereto and, yet, may be severally and/or discretely removed at a later time and replaced with new slabs. The replacement facility is obtained concomitant with the attainment of an overall system having a truly composite action in that slabs and support structure subsystems function as a singular unit.

Abstract: An offshore deck or platform unit is provided with depending legs having shock absorbing stabbing tip assemblies for engagement with the upstanding columns of a marine substructure to transfer the weight of the deck to the substructure by positioning the deck relative to the substructure with a barge and ballasting down the barge to move the deck into engagement with the substructure. The barge also carries a deck support structure comprising plural sand jack assemblies which provide for disengagement of the barge from the deck. The stabbing tip assemblies include coaxially arranged primary locating pins which are dropped into position to hold the location of the deck relative to the columns and annular resilient collars for transferring vertical and lateral shock loads between the columns and the deck during the transfer process. Final steel-to-steel engagement of the deck legs with the columns and final disconnection of the vessel from the deck is carried out by actuation of sand jacks which are interposed between the stabbing tip assemblies and the columns and between the deck and deck support structure on the barge.

Abstract: The DECAR radar system was evaluated for highway-speed bridge deck condition assessment by the New Hampshire Department of Transportation on three survey networks comprising 44 decks. DECAR (DEck Condition Assessment using Radar) incorporates van-mounted radar equipment, computer-based digital data acquisition equipment operating in the van, a set of procedures for organizing and conducting surveys, and software for collecting and processing the data. It was shown in each of the three surveys that groups of bridge decks could be successively surveyed at highway speeds up to 55 mph during a continuous round trip over the survey route. At this speed, production rates of 10 to 20 decks per day can be easily expected. Of the 44 decks surveyed, 19 were evaluated during replacement or repair to determine deck condition, and an additional 8 were new decks. The radar deterioration predictions using DECAR were compared with these known conditions, with a correlation (R-squared) of 0.81, and a standard error of plus or minus 4.4% of the total deck area. When the radar data were used to classify the decks into one of four categories, the radar results were accurate 93% of the time. The DECAR results were shown to be repeatable when repeat surveys were conducted at different times by different personnel. It was concluded that the DECAR system could be effectively and economically used to set up a bridge deck condition data base for bridge management and to monitor deck performance over time.

Abstract: This patent discloses a method and apparatus for activation of services in a concrete floor of an office building from below floor slab distribution systems. Void-forming boxes that are secured to a conventional metal deck sheet and surrounded by the concrete floor slab provide chambers in which in-floor activations are mounted. An insulating block in the void-forming box restores fire resistance, prior to installation of an activation kit, that is lost by displacement of concrete by the void-forming box. An in-floor activation kit may be installed within the void-forming box and connected to a below floor slab distribution system through an activation opening cut in the metal deck sheet. Connection hardware is secured to the metal deck sheet for connection to a conventional below-floor slab service distribution system providing communication from the interior of the void-forming box to the below-floor slab service distribution system. Void-forming boxes mounted to the metal deck sheet may be connected by conduit in a conventional manner allowing conductors to be routed from a void-forming box connected to a below floor slab service distribution system to another void-forming box through connecting conduit.

Abstract: A load supporting structure includes a pair of beams with tension members extending between them. A deck formed from fiber reinforced concrete is supported on the beams with fasteners extending between the beams and deck. The tension members provide sufficient rigidity to allow an arching action to develop within the deck and thereby avoid the need for steel reinforcements within the deck.

Abstract: An improved mower cutting deck (30) includes a main deck section (38), pivotal wing deck sections (40), and belt drive system (80) with electric clutch/brake units (131, 132) connected therebetween which allow constant belt tension to be maintained while minimizing belt wear and related maintenance. If desired, breakaway assemblies (150) may also be connected between the deck sections (38, 40). Shroud and baffle arrangements (162) are also provided for better grass dispersion.

Abstract: The invention relates to a deck element system for installing a ship deck comprising two kinds of elements, namely the deck element (10) and the installation plank (20). According to the system, at least two opposite edges of the deck element (10) are equipped with a lower protruding part (13), whereby two of such deck elements can be brought next to each other in a manner that both deck elements have a lower protruding part facing the same of the other deck element. Further, at least two opposite edges of the installation plank (20) are equipped with an upper protruding part (24), whereby they cover substantially the lower protruding parts of the deck elements (10) when the installation plank is placed between the deck elements (10) having been placed next to each other in a manner that the lower protruding parts are facing each other. The installation plank (20) is equipped with means to provide the fastening of the deck element system (10, 20) to the counter means in the deck base.

Abstract: Wide area mower which can be attached to and detached from a tractor in a relatively short time. In one disclosed embodiment, the mower has a main frame which is detachably connected to the rear mount of a tractor, swing frames pivotally connected to the main frame for movement into and out of engagement with the side mounts of the tractor, means detachably locking the swing frames in engagement with the side mounts, and mowing heads mounted on the frames to the sides and rear of the tractor. In another disclosed embodiment, the mower includes a frame adapted for connection to a towing vehicle, a pair of side decks positioned on opposite sides of the frame, a center deck positioned between the side decks, a pair of rear decks positioned to the rear of and between the side decks and the center deck. Ground engaging wheels at the front and rear of each deck support the decks, with the wheels at the rear of the side decks and the center deck being aligned with the wheels at the front of the rear decks, and means pivotally mounting the decks to the frame so that the decks can follow the contour of the ground.

Abstract: The invention relates to a high-capacity aircraft having a multi-deck fuselage (9) and wings. The multi-deck fuselage (9) contains a main deck (10), an upper deck (11) and a lower deck (12) which can optionally be occupied by standard containers (13) for freight transportation or standard modules (14) for a variable configuration, equipment and passenger utilisation.

Abstract: A jet motor powered water vehicle is disclosed which is designed for single person use. The jet powered boat includes a deck having a flat surface portion enabling a person to lie prone thereon while manually controlling the motor and steering the boat by utilizing of a joystick mounted on the deck. The hull of the boat has a generally wide and shallow V-shaped configuration at a bore, lower portion thereof. The hull also has a flat bottom surface at mid and aft lower portions thereof which blend with the V-shape. The hull also includes a rear portion which is curved and upwardly slanted at a lower portion thereof. The boat also includes a transom which is generally rounded for improved aquadynamics, and a shroud generally enclosing the nozzle for the motor impeller is contoured and shaped to generally conform to the V-point of the hull in order to enhance aquadynamics of the hull. The shroud is provided with a water inlet hole for the motor impeller but is otherwise generally closed to prevent water flow through the shroud and water turbulence adjacent the nozzle which would otherwise tend to impede free movement of the nozzle within the shroud. A pair of gunnels mounted on the deck provide lateral support to the user as well as fuel system ventilation and an easily accessible fuel filler.

Abstract: In an envelope stuffing apparatus which has an enclosure inserting station (20) and includes a deck at the inserting station, side guides (70,72) coupled to the deck, structure (30 to 40) for delivering an enclosure along the deck, structure for feeding an envelope to the inserting station, structure for opening the envelope, and structure for inserting an enclosure into the envelope and for removing the envelope from the inserting station, and wherein said opening structure includes structure for supporting the flap of the envelope above the deck, there is an improvement in the inserting structure for handling different style envelopes The improvement comprises an adjustable section (62) of the deck comprising a center deck plate adjustably mounted for being positioned adjacent to a specific throat opening of the envelope The center deck plate is on a horizontal plane slightly higher than a plane of horizontal members of a pair of throat openers (94,96)

Abstract: A swimming pool structure comprises a swimming pool sidewall defining a pool area, an elevated deck attached to the sidewall along an upper rim thereof, and a pair of ladder side rails extending from the deck into a water-holding pool area defined by the sidewall, the side rails being connected at upper ends to at least one of the sidewall and the deck. The ladder side rails are provided with elements for ensuring that the side rails are oriented at an acute angle with respect to the pool sidewall. A pair of hand rails are connected to the respective side rails and extend inwardly therefrom into the pool area. A plurality of steps are disposed between and connected to the side rails, while a pair of platform guard rails are connected to the deck in parallel with the side rails.

Abstract: Since the collapse of the first Tacoma Narrows Bridge in 1941 much research has been focussed on the design of road decks that are secure against wind action. This paper reviews the development of aerodynamically stable deck configurations and the use of devices for improving the performance of large bridges as either retrofits or in original design. While it is the road deck that is the principal concern, attention is also directed in the presentation to means of suppressing the dynamic response of towers and cables in wind. Data are provided on: a) truss stiffened road decks, taking the Lion's Gate bridge as an example; b) plate girder stiffened road decks, using as examples the Kessock, Longs Creek, Hawkshaw, Dame Point, Quincy and Alex Fraser bridges; and c) box section road decks, using the Severn, Burrard Inlet, Lillebaelt, Papineau and Pasco-Kennewick bridges as examples. For the covering abstract of the conference see IRRD 857429.

Abstract: A pontoon-type boat comprising a deck having opposite sides, and a modified tunnel hull supporting the deck and including a first outer sponson located adjacent one of the sides of the deck, a second outer sponson located adjacent the other of the sides of the deck, and a center sponson which is located and spaced between the outer sponsons, which extends substantially the entire length of the boat, and which includes a rearward portion having a maximum depth and a maximum width, and a forward portion having a maximum width greater than the maximum width of the rearward portion and having a maximum depth greater than the maximum depth of the rearward portion, the forward and rearward portions defining therebetween a step.

Abstract: Steel trusses acting compositely with concrete slabs on wide rib profile steel deck have proven to be an economical system for long span floors. The flexural behaviour of two composite trusses with...