Splice joint

Abstract

A flexible and movable splice joint between edge aligned adjacent panels incorporates a flexible water sealing gasket and a flexible tensile member, which may be a strap or a cable or chain that allow the panels to move laterally and rotationally transversely relative to each other without damaging each other by such movements, and is particularly applicable to a plurality of assemblies of so joined panels that form raisable flood barriers to prevent flooding of land and improvements on the land by water rising from an adjacent body of water without permanently blocking a view of the waterscape.

1 . Apparatus comprising a plurality of next adjacent structural panels, each panel having a top surface, a bottom surface, a front end, a back end, and lateral sides in edge alignment with the next adjacent panel, said panels having a gap between said lateral sides, said next adjacent panels being moveably connected across said gap by
 (a) a flexible gasket having a segment spanning said gap and portions distal to said segment secured to said panels proximate said lateral sides and,   (b) a tensile member having end segments secured to said panels proximate said lateral sides and an intermediate flexible joint segment spanning said gap, said flexible joint segment allowing thermal expansion and contraction lateral movement of said next adjacent panels relative to one another and allowing transverse rotational movement of one said panel relative to the next adjacent panel, spreading a tension load over said flexible joint segment spanning said gap.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein said tensile member is a strap comprising a fiber reinforced material. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 2  in which said fiber is a metal. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 2  in which said tensile strap comprises an interwoven polyester fabric. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 2  in which said panels have a height that runs from said back end to at least near the front end of the panels, and in which said tensile strap has a length that runs said height of said panels. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 1  in which said tensile member is metal wiring incorporated in said gasket. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 1  in which said lateral sides of said next adjacent edge aligned panels each have a flange attached to said panel lateral side adjacently below said panel top surface, said flanges defining said gap between the lateral sides of said panels. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 7  in which said panels have a height that runs from said back end to at least near the front end of the panels, and in which said flanges and said gasket have a length that runs said height of said panels. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 1  in which said tensile member is a cable or chain. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 9  comprising at least one set of projections, one projection extending in the direction of said gap from one said lateral side or from proximate one said lateral side of said next adjacent edge aligned panels, and another projection extending in the direction of said gap from the other said lateral side or from proximate the other said lateral side of said next adjacent edge aligned panels, terminal ends of said cable or chain being attached to said one projection and to said another projection of said at least one set of projections. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 1  in which said panels comprise flood barriers arranged on land near a water frontage shoreline resident in at least one support pan situated in or on said land, said lateral sides of said panels have an imagined projected intersecting angle to said shoreline, said panels having a height that runs from said back end to at least near the front end of the panels, said flexible gasket being impermeable to water, said panels residing in said support pan hingedly rotatable on a substantially horizontal axis of rotation at said back end of the panels for said panels to be rotated upwardly to an upright position where water invading from said shoreline will be impounded behind said bottom surface of the panels, said gasket running said height of the panels to prevent water impounded at said bottom surface of the panels from penetrating between said next adjacent panels. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 11  in which said panels are buoyant and rotate upward buoyantly on invasion of water from said shoreline. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 11  wherein said tensile member is a strap comprising a fiber reinforced material. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 13  in which said tensile strap comprises an interwoven polyester fabric. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 11  in which said tensile member is a cable or chain. 
     
     
         16 . Apparatus comprising a plurality of next adjacent structural panels, each panel having a top surface, a bottom surface, a front end, a back end, and lateral sides in edge alignment with the next adjacent panel, said lateral sides of said next adjacent edge aligned panels each having an orthogonal flange with upper and lower arms, said lower arms being attached to said panel lateral side adjacently below said panel top surface, said upper arms of said flanges defining a first gap between them, said next adjacent panels being moveably connected across said first gap by a splice joint comprising:
 (a) a flexible gasket extending from adjacent said lateral side edges of said next adjacent panels spanning across said first gap, supported by said upper arms of both said flanges, and partially covered by separate first and second spaced apart gasket cover plates atop said gasket, said cover plates defining between them a second gap, and   (b) a flexible tensile strap extending from adjacent said flanges across said first gap and held under said upper arms of said flanges by separate first and second spaced apart splice plates defining a third gap between them, said first, second and third gaps separating the next adjacent panels, a first set of fasteners fastening said flexible tensile strap between said flanges and said first and second splice plates, and a second set of fasteners spaced from said first set of fasteners fastening together said first and second gasket cover plates, said gasket, said flanges, said flexible tensile strap, and said splice plates, said flexible tensile strap allowing thermal expansion and contraction lateral movement of said next adjacent panels relative to one another and structural loading across said strap from transverse rotational movement of one said panel relative to the next adjacent panel, said third gap spreading a tension load over a section of said flexible tensile member.   
     
     
         17 . The apparatus of  claim 16  wherein said flexible tensile strap comprises a fiber reinforced material. 
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 17  in which said flexible tensile strap comprises an interwoven polyester fabric. 
     
     
         19 . The apparatus of  claim 16  in which said panels comprise flood barriers arranged on land near a water frontage shoreline resident in at least one support pan situated in or on said land, said lateral sides of said panels have an imagined projected intersecting angle to said shoreline, said panels having a height that runs from said back end to at least near the front end of the panels, said flexible gasket being impermeable to water, said panels residing in said support pan hingedly rotatable on a substantially horizontal axis of rotation at said back end of the panels for said panels to be rotated upwardly to an upright position where water invading from said shoreline will be impounded behind said bottom surface of the panels, said gasket running said height of the panels to prevent water impounded at said bottom surface of the panels from penetrating between said next adjacent panels. 
     
     
         20 . The apparatus of  claim 19  in which said panels are buoyant and rotate upward buoyantly on invasion of water from said shoreline.