Guide construction and method of installation

Claim 1

A continuous wheeled vehicle supporting guideway having: a plurality of guideway sections, each section being of substantially uniform length and affixed in end-to-end relation, each of said sections comprising: a pair of upper horizontal stringers located parallel to each other and a pair of lower horizontal stringers located parallel to each other and placed parallel to and below said upper horizontal stringers; a plurality of upwardly opening U-shaped reinforcing ribs spaced from each other, said ribs affixed to and substantially enclosed within said stringers, said ribs in regular spaced relation to each other substantially along the entire length of each said guidewal section; a plurality of diagonal members affixed in tension to said upper and lower horizontal stringers in vertical planes and generally spanning the diagonal distance between said spaced U-shaped ribs; a plurality of horizontally oriented diagonal members affixed to and joining said lower horizontal stringers and generally spanning the diagonal distance between said spaced U-shaped ribs; a pair of parallel main wheel support channels affixed to said U-shaped ribs, each said main wheel support channel comprises a continuous section of material substantially the said length of said guideway section, said support channel section affixed to said U-shaped ribs so that the ends of said support channels are longitudinally spaced from the end of said guideway section a distance of between 35 and 65 percent of said length of said guideway section; means for elevating said guideway sections a desired distance above the ground, said elevation means located beneath said guideway sections and including a plurality of support posts, one of said posts being clamped at four points, each of said clamping points spaced from each adjacent clamping point at least a distance equal to a distance between said mean wheel support channels beneath each of said guideway sections approximately 25% of the length of said guideway section from one end of said section; and, a plurality of extended upper and lower overlapping members, each of said members being respectively affixed at one end thereof to one end of one of said upper or said lower horizontal stringers of a first guideway section, said overlapping members extending beyond the ends of the horizontal stringers to slidably receive the adjacent end of a second guideway section.

Claim 16

A method of installing a prefabricated vehicle supporting guideway, said guideway having a plurality of individual guideway sections of substantially uniform length, each said section elevated above the ground by a support post, each said section including a pair of upper stringers parallel to each other and spaced in parallel fashion above a pair of lower stringers, said upper and lower stringers affixed to and substantially enclosing a plurality of upwardly opening U-shaped reinforcing ribs, said ribs spaced from each other along the length of said section and supporting a pair of main wheel support channels, the ends of which are longitudinally spaced from an end of the guideway section a distance of between 35 and 65 percent of said length of the guideway section said method comprising the steps of: (1) installing a plurality of said support posts at substantially uniform distances along the desired path of said guideway; (2) positioning one of said guideway sections over one of said posts so that said post is positioned approximately 25% of the length of said guideway section from one end and said post is positioned vertically below two of said U-shaped ribs; (3) lowering said previously positioned guideway section onto said support post and clamping said guideway section to said support post at at least four points to said lower stringers; (4) affixing a pair of lower extended overlapping members to said lower stringers at the one end of said guideway section, said overlapping members extending beyond the end of said section; (5) repeating steps 2-4 for an adjacent post along said desired path with a subsequent section so that said subsequent section contacts the portion of said overlapping members beyond the end of said guideway section and said guideway section and said subsequent guideway section are in end-to-end relationship; (6) resting said subsequent section on said lower overlapping members in longitudinally slidable fashion; and (7) affixing a pair of upper extended overlapping members to said upper stringers of said guideway section and resting said upper overlapping members on said upper stringers of said subsequent section, said guideway sections respectively longitudinally slidable and forming a continuous, smooth vehicle supporting elevated guideway.

Claim 17

A method of installing a prefabricated vehicle supporting guideway, said guideway having a plurality of individual guideway sections of substantially uniform length, each said section elevated above the ground by a support post, each said section including a pair of upper stringers parallel to each other and spaced in parallel fashion above a pair of lower stringers, said upper and lower stringers affixed to and substantially enclosing a plurality of upwardly opening U-shaped reinforcing ribs, said ribs spaced from each other along the length of said section and supporting a pair of main wheel support channels, the ends of which are longitudinally spaced from an end of the guideway section a distance of between 35 and 65 percent of said length of the guideway section said method comprising the steps of: (1) installing a plurality of said support posts at substantially uniform distances along the desired path of said guideway; (2) positioning one of said guideway sections over one of said posts so that said post is positioned approximately 25% of the length of said guideway section from one end and said post is positioned vertically below two of said U-shaped ribs; (3) lowering said previously positioned guideway section onto said support post and clamping said guideway section to said support post at at least four points to said lower stringers; (4) affixing a pair of lower extended overlapping members to said lower stringers at the one end of said guideway section, said overlapping members extending beyond the end of said section; (5) repeating steps 2-4 for an adjacent post along said desired path with a subsequent section so that said subsequent section contacts the portion of said overlapping members beyond the end of said guideway section and said guideway section and said subsequent guideway section are in end-to-end relationship; (6) resting said subsequent section on said lower overlapping members in longitudinally slidable fashion; and (7) affixing a pair of upper extended overlapping members to said upper stringers of said guideway section and resting said upper overlapping members on said upper stringers of said subsequent section, said guideway sections respectively longitudinally slidable and forming a continuous, smooth vehicle supporting elevated guideway.