Patent Application
20170328023
Fully incorporated herein by reference is Applicants' engineering and specifications design document entitled: Rapid Deployment Communications Site (RDCS) Engineering Design Package.
The present invention is in the field of static building structures, particularly equipment shelters transportable to and erectable on remote sites (see Class 52). Specifically, the present invention relates to such equipment shelters having a foundation forming a discrete stable base that differ substantially in size and shape from the superimposed structural bodies it supports (see subclass 292). More specifically, the present invention relates to the openwork structure of the foundation, which when erected on a supporting surface defines an area having through passages or openings some of which may be filled by material in which the structure may be embedded (subclass 633).
Experience has shown that the typical installation of a remote communications site (e.g., in Alaska) is both expensive and schedule restrictive. That is, coordinating an accelerated Alaska remote installation project with commercial helicopter schedules is expensive and risky, especially heavy-lift helicopters. There has been a long felt need in the industry to reduce:
helicopter dependency;
manpower requirements at the remote site;
environmental impact at the installation site; and
overall fabrication and installation costs.
As an example, all remote Alaska communication systems must consider and accommodate temperature extremes, wind extremes, seismic effects, site-specific topology, and dead weight. It would be a benefit to the industry to have a rapidly deployable foundation system upon which to construct an installation, such as remote communications site, that addresses all of these needs.
The present invention is an above grade, low-thermal conducting, grillage-type foundation system. More specifically, the present invention is a rapidly deplorable, grillage-type foundation system for installation at or above grade for supporting superstructure units, i.e., equipment shelters and communication masts. These units include generator sheds, communication shelters, fuel tanks, radio masts, and the like. Generally, grillage foundations are used to disperse heavy point loads of a superstructure to an acceptable ground bearing pressure. Grillage foundations comprise one or more layers of beams, usually laid at angles to each other.
The present foundation system is intended for transportation to and installation at rustic, remote and/or relatively unprepared field installation/staging sites. More specifically, the present invention is a composite (i.e., primarily made from “pultruded” fiberglass), and rapidly deployable foundation system. See patent no. U.S. Pat. No. 4,522,009 to Fingerson. Fabrication of the main frame beams and 95% of all structural components was derived from a type of material previously utilized in the manufacture of Arctic Glass Rig Mats (see patent no. U.S. Pat. No. 6,746,176 to Smith). Carbon steel was used for the metal feet, clips, angles and plates that are used to assemble the structure of the foundation.
The present system is adapted to be installed with little site preparation, and is easily transportable with a medium lift helicopter. For example, the foundation system can be transported onto a remote site/staging area in three standard 3500 lb. configured lifts or in two 7,500 lb. configured lifts, and erectable on site. The present foundation system can be partially pre-assembled in off-site, shipped to location, set with a squirt crane and erected in a matter of hours.
The present rapidly deployable foundation embodies desirable features and advantages long missing in the field. For example, its installation is less environmentally intrusive, especially in the extreme climactic environments of Alaska, in view of certain features of its material composition and structural design. The present foundation is substantially less weight than a comparable steel foundation supporting a similar superstructure, and has dielectric properties that resist the corrosion to which steel is subject. Of significant importance is the relative thermal neutrality of the present foundation and its reduced thermal transfer in view of permafrost bulb/environmental ecology considerations, e.g., to prevent heat transfer to the site grade surface.
Also of importance is that, when the present foundation is installed above grade, it still provides the support expected of more intrusive installations (e.g., concrete pilings), while providing superior stability for the supported buildings and structures. Specifically, the present foundation's design and installation are adapted to absorb perturbations of surface soils at its feet, while resisting movement at its centroid. This stability feature is especially important, for example, in remote installations requiring microwave RF communications, whose radio towers must maintain precise alignment to achieve communication links over long distances.
In a preferred embodiment, the present foundation system comprises parallel and cross-parallel structural beams constructed from material having a low dielectric and a low thermal conductivity. The main structural beams are co-joined at a centroid section of the foundation system. The centroid section is defined by the intersection of the parallel and cross-parallel foundation beams. Typically, for remote applications, a mounting means for a communication tower or mast is fixed to an upper surface of the parallel and cross-parallel foundation beams in the centroid section. The foundation's footings are adapted to affixed to a bottom surface of the parallel and cross-parallel foundation beams, and the footings are disposed to engage a grade surface matrix composed of the site materials. Web stiffeners are affixed to the parallel and cross-parallel foundation beams at every footing, and vertical support members fixed to the upper surface of the foundation beams, the vertical support members are positioned to support superstructure units. Generally, the vertical support members are associated with a footing.
Referring now to the drawings, the details of preferred embodiments of the present invention are graphically and schematically illustrated. Like elements in the drawings are represented by like numbers, and any similar elements are represented by like numbers with a different lower case letter suffix.
In the embodiment illustrated in the figures, the footprint of the embodiment is 36 ft×32 ft.
As shown in the example of
In the illustrated embodiment, the present foundation system 10 includes channel braces 20, which brace each of the out-rigger beams 14 relative to a backbone beam 12.
As noted above, a particularly useful application of the present foundation 10 is in the installation of a remote site having a tower-mounted communications system, e.g., microwave radio communications. In accomplishing this, the present foundation system 10 includes at its center-area, mounting plates 50 for such a tower.
Bottoming ballast was utilized to provide the downward forces used with the present foundation system 10. In the example illustrated, bottoming ballast was accomplished using rock indigenous to the site of the installation. To contain the bottoming ballast, ballast grates 60 are disposed and secured in the W-beam channel between parallel sections foundation beams, as illustrated in
The attached exemplary Engineering & Design Specifications document (herein incorporated by reference) sets forth certain design considerations, calculations and engineering specs to practice the present above grade, rapidly deployable foundation system 10, and is referenced and included as part of the instant specification.
While the above description contains many specifics, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention, but rather as exemplifications of one or another embodiment thereof. Other variations are possible, which would be obvious to one skilled in the art. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be determined by the scope of the appended claim(s) and equivalents, and not just by the embodiments.
The present invention claims the benefit of prior filed U.S. Provisional application Ser. No. 62/134,513 filed 17 Mar. 2015 (pending), the content of which prior application is incorporated fully herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62134513 | Mar 2015 | US |
