US3523396A - Grating - Google Patents

Description

1970 MC. DE JONGE 3,523,396

GRATING Filed April 29. 1968 FIG.1

ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 11, 1970 3,523,396 GRATING Martinus C. de Jonge, 17 Hobbemalaan, Bilthoven, Netherlands Filed Apr. 29, 1968, Ser. No. 724,848 Claims priority, application Netherlands, May 3, 1967, 6706205 Int. Cl. E04c /04 US. Cl. 52668 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A grating having crossing longitudinal bars and cross bars, of which at least the longitudinal bars are provided with slots of which at least one of the sidewalls is provided with a projection by which the cross bars are reliably secured in the slots of the longitudinal bars.

This invention relates to a grating with crossing longitudinal bars and cross bars in which the longitudinal bars and/or cross bars are provided in slots with which portions of the cross bars and/or longitudinal bars are in engagement. Such gratings may be used for various purposes, for example for platforms, floors, boiler houses or machinery houses and other industrial purposes, in which case they usually consist of steel, while they can also be used as ornamental gratings for ventilators, ventilation openings, air conditioning and similar purposes, in which case they are usually made from aluminium.

The invention aims at providing a grating of this kind which may be easily and rapidly manufactured without the necessity of the longitudinal bars and cross bars being welded to each other. This is accomplished according to the invention in that at least one of the sidewalls of the slots of the longitudinal bars and/or cross bars are provided with at least one projection. In consequence of the fact that each time one or each projection of one bar penetrates into the material of the other bar engaging or gripping around the first mentioned bar, both bars are anchored relative to each other in the longitudinal as well as in the transverse direction so that they cannot shift relative to each other and thus a firm unit is obtained. Since the bars need not be welded to each other the corners of the crossing bars remain entirely free of projections so that the grating thus manufactured has a pleasing appearance.

A preferred embodiment of the grating according to the invention is characterized in that at least one sidewall of the slots merges via a rounded or chamfered portion into the bottom of the slots. In this way the material of the bar co-operating with the bar comprising a projection is pressed behind said projection and thus a still better anchoring of these bars relative to each other is accomplished.

The invention will be further explained below with reference to the drawings showing by way of example some embodiments of the grating according to the in vention.

These drawings show in:

FIG. 1 diagrammatically a top plan view of the grating;

FIG. 2 a section through part of the grating according to line IIII in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 a view of part of a cross bar;

FIG. 4 a section through another embodiment of the grating.

The grating shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 comprises a plurality of longitudinal bars 1 and a plurality of cross bars 2, which cross at right angles. These longitudinal bars and cross bars consist of strips of metal, preferably of steel or aluminium. Around these longitudinal bars and cross bars a frame 3 is provided which may be constructed in any manner known per se. The ends of the longitudinal bars 1 and of the cross bars 2 are connected with said frame 3 in a manner known per se. The construction of the grating frame and the connection of the ends of the longitudinal bars 1 and the cross bars 2 do not form part of the invention so that these will not be further described.

As is apparent from FIG. 2 the longitudinal bars 1 have a greater height than the cross bars 2, but these bars may also have the same height. The longitudinal bars 1 are provided with slots 4. One sidewall 5 of each slot 4 comprises a projection 6 projecting into said slot, said projection 6 being situated at a small distance from the slot bottom 7. The other sidewall 8 merges via a rounded portion 9 into the slot bottom 7.

The cross bars 2 also comprise slots 10. The height h of the cross bar portion positioned above the slots 10 is equal to the depth of the slots 4 so that, when the cross bars 2 have been put in place, the upper surfaces thereof are situated in one plane with the upper surfaces of the longitudinal bars 1.

FIG. 2 shows four different positions of a cross bar 2 in a longitudinal bar 1. The first position shows the cross bar 2 above the longitudinal bar 1. When the cross bar 2 is moved towards the longitudinal bar 1 the slot 10 arrives opposite the slot 4 of the longitudinal bar 1, after which that portion of the cross bar 2 which is positioned above the slot 4 enters said slot 4 and the portion of the longitudinal bar 1 situated below the slot 4 enters the slot 10. The walls of the slots 4 and 10 therefore slide along the sidewalls of the cross bars and longitudinal bars. Via the second position shown in FIG. 2 the cross bar 2 assumes the third position shown in FIG. 2 in which the projection 6 penetrates into the cross -bar 2. If thereupon the cross bar 2 is further moved the end of its portion positioned above the slot 10 meets the curved portion 9 of the bottom 7 of the slot 4. Upon further movement of the cross bar 2 the latter arrives in its final position which is shown as the fourth position in FIG. 2. The end of the cross bar 2 is deformed by the curved portion 9 so that the groove which the projection 6 has made in the bottom end of the cross bar when being pressed into the end of the slot 4 is closed. Since the curved portion 9 is onlv small and, moreover, it is closed by the portions of the cross bar 2 lying against the longitudinal bar 1 the thus formed rounded area of the portion of the cross bar 2 positioned in the slot 4 is not visible while nevertheless a reliable mutual locking between the longitudinal bar and cross bar is accomplished.

FIG. 4 shows an embodiment in which the height of each cross bar 11 is equal to the depth of the slots 12 in the longitudinal bars 13. Between the sidewall 14 of the slot 4 and the bottom 15 thereof there is provided in this embodiment a chamfered portion 16. The sidewall 17 of the slot 12 is provided with two projections 18.

It is obvious that the invention is not restricted to the embodiments described above and shown in the drawings, but that these may be modified in many ways without departing from the scope of the invention. The profile of the longitudinal bars and the cross bars thereby does not play a part. If required, the projections may be provided in the same way as described and shown for the longitudinal bars, as is also apparent from FIG. 3, in the slots of the cross bars or both in the cross bars and in the longitudinal bars. In FIG. 3 such a projection 19 is shown in view in the slots 10 of the cross bar 2.

I claim:

1. A grating with crossing longitudinal bars and cross bars, at least said longitudinal bars being provided with slots with substantially parallel sidewalls into which portions of the cross bars grip, at least one of the sidewalls of each of said slots being provided with at least one projection extending into said slot by which the Width of said slot is diminished at said projection, the remaining sidewall, below said projection, being inclined towards said one sidewall and merging with the bottom of said slot.

2. A grating according to claim 1, characterized in that the width of the portion of each of said slots in the longitudinal bars lying under said projection being smaller than the width of the portion of said slot lying above said projection.

3. A grating according to claim 1, characterized in that the inclined portion of said remaining sidewall is a rounded portion directed towards the Wall provided with the projection.

4. A grating according to claim 1, characterized in that the inclined portion of said remaining sidewall is a chamfered portion directed towards the wall provided with the projection.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS OTHER REFERENCES 1,184,926, January 1965, German printed application, Walter.

ALFRED c. PERHAM, Primary Examiner

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