Reynolds Metals Company

Kurt P Thompson

Glen A Taylor

John Randolph Kissell

Roman Wolchuk

Adam D Matteo

Brian J Malloy

George B Tyler

John J Ahlskog

Jeffrey W Wiese

A light-weight, corrosion-resistant, readily installed bridge deck is formed of modular deck panels spliced to each other on site. Each of the deck panels is shop-fabricated by longitudinally welding flanges of adjacently placed multi-void extruded aluminum alloy structural elements. Transfer splices of longitudinally adjacent elongate elements are made by providing shear elements connecting individual elongate structural elements of each deck panel end-to-end prior to longitudinal welding of adjacent elongate elements, with the end joints between the elongate elements being arrayed in a staggered manner. A safety rail system is mounted to run alongside and above outer edges of the finished bridge deck mounted to a system of support girders.

Curb and safety rail system for a bridge deck

Modular bridge deck system including hollow extruded aluminum elements

Modular bridge deck system consisting of hollow extruded aluminum

An energy absorbing beam construction for use in vehicle seat belt restraining systems includes an energy absorbing beam which is mounted or fastened to a vehicle frame or vehicle seat frame. The seat belt retracting mechanism or belt buckle end of the seat belt restraining system can then be mounted to the energy absorbing beam. In use, when the vehicle is subjected to a head-on collision, the energy absorbing beam deforms elastically at collision speeds less than a target speed and deforms plastically at speeds greater than this to minimize injury to a vehicle occupant that may occur as a result of seat belt restraint.

Energy absorbing beam construction for use with vehicle seat belt

Growing community of inventors

Richmond, VA, United States of America

Kurt P Thompson