Culvert joint

Claim 1

A culvert joint comprising; opposed anchor members secured respectively to the opposed ends of a culvert section to be joined together, said culvert having an inside and an outside, said anchor members comprising hollow boxes presenting a seat, said boxes each having openings at the inside and outside of said seat which communicate with separate cavities within said boxes, a flexible member in the shape of a short tube, means connecting said flexible member to said seats of said opposed anchor members for isolating the inside of the culvert from the outside, a plurality of elongated first strengthening members each comprising opposite end portions of a thickness less than the size of said openings in said opposed anchor members, each first member having a projection thereon on each side of and generally symmetrical to its longitudinal axis, a plurality of elongated second strengthening members each comprising opposite end portions of a thickness less than the size of said openings in said opposed anchor members, each second member being elongated and having an opening therein on each side of and generally symmetrical to its longitudinal axis, said first and second members extending along the inside and along the outside of said flexible member in alternate arrays with said ends of the members extending through said openings of the anchor members and being displaceable in said cavities, said alternate arrays comprising alternate first and second members alternately overlapped, with a projection of each of said first members extending into an opening of the adjacent second member on each side of a first member to connect said members together for limited movement with respect to each other.