Basalt Basket and Dowel and Method of Manufacture

Abstract

Basalt basket and dowel system to provide load transfer between adjoining slabs. The basket is designed as a placement jig to properly position dowels during the concrete placement phase of construction. Additionally to provide inherently tinsel and shear reinforcement to the edge of the concrete before during and after the contraction stress of curing concrete is relieved by scoring and to do so without the risk of rust spalling. The baskets and dowels are constructed from continuous basalt fibers admixed with an appropriate adhesive to produce the required strength and provide load predictions in a similar manner to steel calculations. The basalt basket is light weight and the configuration of its tendons interlaces provides sufficient space to allow concrete flow during placement and too prevent tinsel slippage within the cured concrete.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of manufacturing a dimensionally scalable basalt basket constructed and arranged to align a plurality of dowels between an approach slab and a leaving slab for load transfer therebetween adjoining concrete slabs comprising the steps of:
 coating a plurality of basalt fiber strands with a thermoplastic polymer;   wrapping said coated basalt fiber strands around a base have pins secured thereto, said wrapping following an scalable pattern to form a basket capable of holding basalt dowels;   allowing said basalt strands to cure upon drying;   removing said pins from said base to release a cured basket from said base;   aligning said basket between an approach slab form and a leave slab form;   positioning dowels within each said dowel holder formed in said basket;   embedding said basket and dowels by filling said approach slab form and said leave slab form with concrete.   
     
     
         2 . The method of manufacturing according to  claim 1  wherein each said dowel is constructed from basalt. 
     
     
         3 . The method of manufacturing according to  claim 1  wherein each said dowel is constructed from the group consisting of: glass fiber reinforced polymer (FRP), basalt, hemp, carbon fiber or combinations thereof. 
     
     
         4 . The method of manufacturing according to  claim 1  wherein each said dowel has a polygon cross sectional shape. 
     
     
         5 . The method of manufacturing according to  claim 4  wherein adjoining polygon shaped dowels are inverted. 
     
     
         6 . The method of manufacturing according to  claim 1  wherein said thermoplastic polymer is selected from the group consisting of: urethane, acrylic, acetyl, polyester, vinyl ester, epoxy, phenolic, polyimide, polyamide, polypropylene, PEEK, methacrylate or a combination thereof.