Granted Patent B2

US 12,428,829 · App. 18/483,125 · Granted Sep 30, 2025

Inventor: Stephen Thomas Pontarelli (Rochester, NY)

Assignee: PKG Equipment Inc.

E03F3/046E03F3/06E03F5/0407

Abstract

Claims (91)

1. A trench system, comprising:

a trench body operable to contain a plurality of chemicals without corroding, the trench body comprising:

a trench floor having a longitudinal length and a lateral width, and

a pair of first and second sidewalls welded to opposing longitudinal perimeters of the trench floor and extending vertically upwards therefrom;

wall support ribs attached to outer surfaces of the first and second sidewalls and extending laterally outward and vertically upward therefrom;

floor support ribs attached to an outer surface of the trench floor and extending vertically downward therefrom;

a vertically extending anchoring slot attached to each wall support rib, each anchoring slot configured to receive a metal reinforcement bar therethrough at an acute angle to the upward extending wall support ribs, the metal reinforcement bars operable to reinforce concrete poured around the outer surfaces of the first and second sidewalls;

the trench system having a front end portion and an opposing rear end that are spaced apart in a longitudinal direction of the trench system; and

the trench system having a substantially constant overall height from the front end portion to the rear end portion, the overall height of the trench system including a height of the trench body and a height of the floor support ribs;

wherein the height of the trench body is uniformly decreased from the front end portion to the rear end portion to provide a constant pitch along the longitudinal direction of the trench body and the height of the floor support ribs are uniformly increased from the front end portion to the rear end portion to compensate for the pitch of the trench body and to keep the overall height of the trench system substantially constant.

2. The trench system of claim 1 , wherein the anchoring slot is attached to an outer distal edge of each wall support rib.

3. The trench system of claim 1 , comprising:

the anchoring slots configured to receive the metal reinforcement bar therethrough at an angle of about between 15 degrees and 5 degrees to the upwardly extending wall support ribs.

4. The trench system of claim 1 , comprising:

the anchoring slots configured to receive the metal reinforcement bar therethrough at an angle of about between 10 degrees and 6 degrees to the upwardly extending wall support ribs.

5. The trench system of claim 1 , wherein the metal reinforcement bar has an outside diameter within a range of about ⅜ inches to 1 inches.

6. The trench system of claim 1 , comprising:

a plurality of pipe supports, configured to provide structural support to pipes that are operable to have the plurality of chemicals flow therethrough without corroding, the pipe supports being operable to attach to an inner surface of the first and second side walls.

7. The trench system of claim 6 , wherein the pipe supports are welded to the inner surfaces of the first and second side walls.

8. The trench system of claim 6 , wherein the pipe supports are removably attached to rails that are welded to inner surfaces of one of the first and second side walls.

9. The trench system of claim 1 , comprising:

a pair of first and second rims attached to upper distal ends of the first and second side walls respectively, the first and second rims extending longitudinally along, and laterally outward from, the upper distal ends of the first and second sidewalls; and

a perforated, fabric backed thermoplastic top sheet welded to each upper surface the first and second rims;

wherein the rims are operable to lay on a top surface of a concrete floor when the trench system is installed in a trench pit; and

wherein the top sheet is operable to bond with a concrete floor coating to prevent the trench system from separating from the concrete floor.

10. The trench system of claim 1 , wherein the trench floor and first and second sidewalls are comprised of a same corrosion resistant thermoplastic material.

11. The trench system of claim 10 , wherein:

the first and second side walls are welded to the trench floor to form a first and a second weld joint respectively:

the first and second weld joints are comprised of the same thermoplastic material; and

the first and second weld joints have a thickness that is equal to or greater than a thickness of the first and second side walls.

12. A trench system, comprising:

a trench body operable to contain a plurality of chemicals without corroding, the trench body comprising:

a trench floor having a longitudinal length and a lateral width, and

a pair of first and second sidewalls welded to opposing longitudinal perimeters of the trench floor and extending vertically upwards therefrom;

wall support ribs attached to outer surfaces of the first and second sidewalls and extending laterally outward and vertically upward therefrom;

floor support ribs attached to an outer surface of the trench floor and extending vertically downward therefrom;

a plurality of pipe supports, configured to provide structural support to pipes that are operable to have the plurality of chemicals flow therethrough without corroding, the pipe supports being operable to attach to an inner surface of the first and second side walls;

the trench system having a front end portion and an opposing rear end that are spaced apart in longitudinal direction of the trench system; and

the trench system having a substantially constant overall height from the front end portion to the rear end portion, the overall height of the trench system including a height of the trench body and a height of the floor support ribs;

wherein the height of the trench body is uniformly decreased from the front end portion to the rear end portion to provide a constant pitch along the longitudinal direction of the trench body and the height of the floor support ribs are uniformly increased from the front end portion to the rear end portion to compensate for the pitch of the trench body and to keep the overall height of the trench system substantially constant.

13. The trench system of claim 12 , wherein the pipe supports are welded to the inner surfaces of the first and second side walls.

14. The trench system of claim 12 , wherein the pipe supports are removably attached to rails that are welded to inner surfaces of one of the first and second side walls.

15. The trench system of claim 12 , comprising:

a pair of first and second rims attached to upper distal ends of the first and second side walls respectively, the first and second rims extending longitudinally along, and laterally outward from, the upper distal ends of the first and second sidewalls; and

a perforated, fabric backed thermoplastic top sheet welded to each upper surface of the first and second rims;

wherein the rims are operable to lay on a top surface of a concrete floor when the trench system is installed in a trench pit; and

wherein the top sheet is operable to bond with a concrete floor coating to prevent the trench system from separating from the concrete floor.

16. The trench system of claim 12 , wherein the trench floor and first and second sidewalls are comprised of a same corrosion resistant thermoplastic material.

17. The trench system of claim 16 , wherein:

the first and second side walls are welded to the trench floor to form a first and a second weld joint respectively:

the first and second weld joints are comprised of the same thermoplastic material; and

the first and second weld joints have a thickness that is equal to or greater than a thickness of the first and second side walls.

18. A method of forming a trench system, comprising:

welding a pair of first and second side walls to opposing longitudinal perimeters of a trench floor that extend vertically upwards therefrom to form a trench body, the trench body operable to contain a plurality of chemicals without corroding;

attaching wall support ribs to outer surfaces of the first and second sidewalls, the wall support ribs extending laterally outward and vertically upward from the first and second sidewalls;

attaching floor support ribs to an outer surface of the trench floor, the floor support ribs extending vertically downward from the outer surface of the trench floor; and

attaching a vertically extending anchoring slot to an outer distal edge of each wall support rib, each anchoring slot configured to receive a metal reinforcement bar therethrough at an acute angle to the upward extending wall support ribs, the metal reinforcement bars operable to reinforce concrete poured around the outer surfaces of the first and second sidewalls;

wherein the formed trench system comprises:

a front end portion and an opposing rear end that are spaced apart in a longitudinal direction of the trench system,

a substantially constant overall height from the front end portion to the rear end portion, the overall height of the trench system including a height of the trench body and a height of the floor support ribs, and

the height of the trench body is uniformly decreased from the front end portion to the rear end portion to provide a constant pitch along the longitudinal direction of the trench body and the height of the floor support ribs are uniformly increased from the front end portion to the rear end portion to compensate for the pitch of the trench body and to keep the overall height of the trench system substantially constant.

19. The method of claim 18 , comprising:

digging a trench pit configured to receive the trench body, wall support ribs, floor support ribs and anchoring slots therein;

inserting metal reinforcement bars in each of the anchoring slots at an acute angle of about between 15 degrees and 5 degrees to the upwardly extending wall support ribs; and

pouring concrete at least around the outer surfaces of the first and second sidewalls;

wherein the metal reinforcement bars reinforce the poured concrete.

20. The method of claim 19 , comprising:

attaching a plurality of pipe supports to an inner surface of the first and second sidewalls, the pipe supports configured to provide structural support to pipes that are operable to have the plurality of chemicals flow therethrough without corroding.

21. The method of claim 18 , wherein the welding of the pair of first and second sidewalls comprises:

machine butt welding the first and second side walls to the trench floor to form a first and a second weld joint respectively; and

wherein the first and second weld joints have a thickness that is equal to or greater than a thickness of the first and second side walls.

22. A trench system, comprising:

a trench body operable to contain a plurality of chemicals without corroding, the trench body comprising:

a trench floor having a longitudinal length and a lateral width, and

a pair of first and second sidewalls welded to opposing longitudinal perimeters of the trench floor and extending vertically upwards therefrom;

wall support ribs attached to outer surfaces of the first and second sidewalls and extending laterally outward and vertically upward therefrom;

floor support ribs attached to an outer surface of the trench floor and extending vertically downward therefrom;

a vertically extending anchoring slot attached to each wall support rib, each anchoring slot configured to receive a metal reinforcement bar therethrough at an acute angle to the upward extending wall support ribs, the metal reinforcement bars operable to reinforce concrete poured around the outer surfaces of the first and second sidewalls;

a pair of first and second rims attached to upper distal ends of the first and second side walls respectively, the first and second rims extending longitudinally along, and laterally outward from, the upper distal ends of the first and second sidewalls; and

a perforated, fabric backed thermoplastic top sheet welded to each upper surface the first and second rims;

wherein the rims are operable to lay on a top surface of a concrete floor when the trench system is installed in a trench pit; and

wherein the top sheet is operable to bond with a concrete floor coating to prevent the trench system from separating from the concrete floor.

23. A trench system, comprising:

a trench body operable to contain a plurality of chemicals without corroding, the trench body comprising:

a trench floor having a longitudinal length and a lateral width, and

a pair of first and second sidewalls welded to opposing longitudinal perimeters of the trench floor and extending vertically upwards therefrom;

wall support ribs attached to outer surfaces of the first and second sidewalls and extending laterally outward and vertically upward therefrom;

floor support ribs attached to an outer surface of the trench floor and extending vertically downward therefrom;

a vertically extending anchoring slot attached to each wall support rib, each anchoring slot configured to receive a metal reinforcement bar therethrough at an acute angle to the upward extending wall support ribs, the metal reinforcement bars operable to reinforce concrete poured around the outer surfaces of the first and second sidewalls;

a plurality of pipe supports, configured to provide structural support to pipes that are operable to have the plurality of chemicals flow therethrough without corroding, the pipe supports being operable to attach to an inner surface of the first and second side walls;

wherein the pipe supports are removably attached to rails that are welded to inner surfaces of one of the first and second side walls.

Assignments (1)

Continuity (2)

References Cited (20)