BENDABLE ELASTOMERIC EXPANSION JOINT

1422746 Expansion joint GENERAL TIRE & RUBBER CO 14 Aug 1973 [16 March 1973] 38489/73 Heading E1B A reinforced elastomeric expansion joint which may be bent to follow the contours of curbs and/or gutters in a roadway comprises an elastomeric body 10 having a main portion 11 with a bearing surface and a pair of opposed longitudinal blanking portions 12 defining a pair of spaced longitudinal grooves 14, 16 extending the length of the joint, a central reinforcing plate 21 at least partially embedded within the main portion 11 and extending the length thereof to resist vertical movement of the joint and a longitudinal reinforcing member 22, 23 having a base portion and a wall portion at least partially embedded in each blanking portion and extending the length thereof, said reinforcing member 22, 23 including at least one recess 26 which extends through said base and side portions and is opposite the recess 26 of the other reinforcing member. The non-skid bearing surface 17 of the main portion is preferably in the same plane as the bearing surfaces 19, 20 of the longitudinal portions 13. A groove 18 is preferably provided along the longitudinal axis on the underside of the main portion 11. The joint may be provided with tongues and grooves at alternate ends to provide interlocking sections. The reinforcing plate 21 in the main portion 11 is preferably of a width greater than the width of the open base of the groove 18 and is suitably made of steel. The longitudinal reinforcing members 22, 23 may be of T-shaped or L-shaped crosssection and the base portions 24, 25 may be provided with means of anchoring the joint 10 to the adjoining road sections. The oppositely opposed recesses 26 in the longitudinal reinforcing members 22, 23 preferably include a pair of angularly offset edges 27, 28 and an edge 29 parallel to the surface of the joint 10. The recesses may be partially of wholly filled with the elastomeric material. In an embodiment, both the longitudinal reinforcing members are provided with at least two truncated recesses inverted with respect to each other.