Precast concrete rail construction

Claim 1

A precast reinforced concrete post and railing assembly for installation of concrete balconies, walkways and stairways comprising at least one return post and at least one typical post, each of said posts being of uniform rectilinear cross section and having embedded therein coaxial with the longitudinal axis thereof a steel reinforcing rod which extends below the bottom of each post to form a dowel to anchor said post to the flat surface of said balcony, walkway or stairway, said return post having a longitudinal groove to slidingly receive the said railing assembly centrally located along one face of said post, said groove extending through the top surface of said post and along said face to a predetermined distance from the bottom of said post to form a shoulder to support the bottom edge of the said railing assembly when slidingly inserted therein, said groove being of a width slightly in excess of the thickness of said comprising and of a depth sufficient to prevent the assembly from being moved laterally out of said groove, each of said typical posts having one of said longitudinal grooves on each of two opposed faces, said posts being anchored on said flat surfaces with the grooves in each post facing each other; said railing assembly comprising a pair of spaced panels slidingly interposed in said grooves, each of said panels having a rectilinear shape comprising an upper, a central and a lower portion, the upper and lower portions each having a reinforcing rod centrally embedded therein along the longitudinal axis of each portion, the central portion selectively being recessed on at least one surface or having an opening therein, the width of said recess or opening being substantially not greater than onethird the width of the panel, said panel being of a length greater then the distance between the opposing faces of two posts but less than the distance between the bottom of the groove in each opposing post and being of a width less than one-half the length of said longitudinal grooves so that when said pair of panels are slidingly positioned between any two adjacent posts said upper portion of the uppermost panel projects above the top of said posts, said panels having a thickness in at least said upper and lower portions which is slightly less than the width of said groove but provides the minimum required thickness of concrete on each side of said reinforcing rods therein; and vertical spacers interposed between said panels, said spacers each comprising a concrete block having a width equal to the thickness of said panel, a thickness equal to the depth of said groove and a length substantially equal to the distance between said panel supporting shoulder in said groove and the lower end of said post, said spacer being adapted to be inserted into each groove in each post between said pairs of panels, the ends of said spacers further having a construction adapted to maintain said pairs of panels parallel to the inclination of the surface along the edge of which said assembly is installed.