Patent Application
20070062142
Not Applicable.
Not Applicable.
1. The Field of the Invention.
The present disclosure relates generally to structural columns and/or walls, and more particularly, but not necessarily entirely, to pre-cast concrete structures and mechanisms for attaching the structures to footings or other such supports.
2. Description of Related Art.
Precast concrete structures have been used in the building construction industry for many years. Precast concrete structures may include steel reinforced panels for use in constructing fences, walls, sound barriers, and the like. Precast concrete structures may also include columns for supporting panels or overhead items. High quality precast concrete structures may be formed efficiently since they may be constructed in a factory with specialized equipment, strict quality standards, and controlled conditions not subject to rain, hot or cold temperatures, or builder errors. Moreover, labor savings may be accomplished since precast structures may be formed more efficiently in a factory than constructing a form on site to manufacture the structures in place. Use of precast concrete structures may also reduce construction delays associated with rain or inclement weather since concrete may not be properly poured on site in inclement weather.
In recent years, the use of precast concrete columns and panels with decorative patterns formed on the exterior surface has increased in popularity. The precast concrete panels may have various different patterns such as stone or brick, for example. Such precast concrete panels may be easier to construct than stone or brick walls. Moreover, the precast concrete panels may be durable and provide advantages in that cracking may be reduced as compared to walls formed with grouted natural stone or brick, and no mortar joints are created with precast concrete panels to allow water to seep into the wall.
Various different types of attaching devices and methods are known in the art for joining concrete structures to footings to support the structures in an upright position. Despite the advantages of known attaching devices and methods, improvements are still being sought to improve the efficiency of construction and the quality of the concrete structures.
The prior art is thus characterized by several disadvantages that are addressed by the present disclosure. The present disclosure minimizes, and in some aspects eliminates, the above-mentioned failures, and other problems, by utilizing the methods and structural features described herein.
The features and advantages of the disclosure will be set forth in the description that follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by the practice of the disclosure without undue experimentation. The features and advantages of the disclosure may be realized and obtained by means of the instruments and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
The features and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent from a consideration of the subsequent detailed description presented in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:
For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles in accordance with the disclosure, reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the disclosure is thereby intended. Any alterations and further modifications of the inventive features illustrated herein, and any additional applications of the principles of the disclosure as illustrated herein, which would normally occur to one skilled in the relevant art and having possession of this disclosure, are to be considered within the scope of the disclosure claimed.
Before the present concrete structure system is disclosed and described, it is to be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the particular configurations, process steps, and materials disclosed herein as such configurations, process steps, and materials may vary somewhat. It is also to be understood that the terminology employed herein is used for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting since the scope of the present disclosure will be limited only by the appended claims and equivalents thereof.
It must be noted that, as used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Similarly, as used herein, the terms “comprising,” “including,” “containing,” “characterized by,” and grammatical equivalents thereof are inclusive or open-ended terms that do not exclude additional, unrecited elements or method steps.
As used herein, the term “concrete” shall be construed broadly to include conglomerate construction materials, including construction materials formed of aggregate and cementitious materials, as well as any other known material that may be placed in a fluid or semi-fluid form and hardened or solidified.
As used herein, the phrase “substantially rigid” shall be construed broadly to include members that may not be completely rigid, but may have sufficient rigidity to support a structure at the time the structure is installed.
As used herein, the phrase “surface treatment” shall be construed broadly to include any variety of textures or designs or features that may be placed on the exterior of a concrete structure.
As used herein, the term “attached” shall be construed broadly to include situations in which members are secured or joined together, including situations in which one member is embedded into another member, and situations in which intervening members are used to join one member to another member such that the two members need not physically contact each other.
Referring now to
The structure 10 may also include a column portion 14 for supporting the panel portion 12. The column portion 14 may have an increased lateral dimension as compared to the panel portion to allow increased vertical and lateral support of loads as the loads are transferred to a footing, floor, or other support member. The column portion 14 may also include a slot 15 for receiving a panel portion 12 of an adjacent structure 10. Accordingly, a plurality of structures 10 may be joined together to form a wall of a desired length and configuration. It will also be understood that one embodiment of the present disclosure may include a column portion 14 that does not include a panel portion 12.
In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the structure 10 may be supported on footings 16, also sometimes referred to herein as supports. The footings 16 may be formed in any manner known to those skilled in the art, such as cast in place reinforced concrete. A member 17, shown in dashed lines in
A break-away top view of one embodiment of adjacent structures 10 is shown in
The panel portion 12 and the column portion 14 may formed in any manner known to those skilled in the art, such as by placing concrete in forms in a factory condition so as to produce the structures 10 under controlled conditions. One embodiment of the structure 10 may include the column portion 14 and the panel portion 12 as an integral one piece member of unitary construction without joints. Other embodiments of the present disclosure may be cast in place at a construction site.
Reference will now to made to
It will be appreciated that the alternative embodiment of the disclosure illustrated in
FIG.4 illustrates a break-away top view of an alternative structure 10a having an opening 20a for receiving a rigid member 17 for supporting the structure 10a in an upright position. The opening 20a may be separated from the slot 15a such that the rigid member 17 may be separated from the panel portion 12a of an adjacent structure 10a. It will be understood that the size, shape and position of the opening 20a may vary in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure.
A break-away top view of an additional alternative embodiment structure 10b is shown in
Similarly, as shown in
It will also be understood, that a further alternative embodiment structure 10d may be provided without a panel portion and having a plurality of slots 15d, as shown in
Referring now to
The footing 16 may be formed of a concrete material, cast in place or precast in a manner known to those skilled in the art. Moreover, the footing 16 may be sized and include steel reinforcement as is known in the art. As shown in
It will be understood that the member 17 may be embedded into the footing 16 at various different depths depending on various factors such as the height of the structure 10, the spacing of the column portions 14, and the type of soil supporting the footing 16, for example,. One example of the present disclosure may include a rigid member 17 that may be embedded approximately five feet in the footing 16 and the rigid member 17 may extend another four feet out of the footing 16 for supporting a structure 10 that may be eight feet tall. The footing 16 may be formed approximately two-three feet in diameter for example. Accordingly, it will be understood that the disclosure presented in
Alternatively, it will be understood that the footing 16 may be formed with an opening into which the member 17 may be received when the footing is in a hardened condition. The member 17 may thereafter be fixed within the footing 26 in any manner known to those skilled in the art, or the member 17 may be retained in the footing due to gravity and/or friction.
Referring to
Referring to
Referring now to
Referring now to
Referring to
One embodiment of construction of a concrete system in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure will now be described. The structure 10 may be constructed on site or precast in a factory setting under controlled conditions. The structure 10 may be formed to include a desired surface treatment such as a brick or stone wall, for example. The footing or support 16 may typically be formed in place at the construction site. The member 17 may be attached to or embedded in the footing 16 in a desired orientation to ensure that the structure may be oriented as desired. The structure 10 may then be lifted such that the member 17 may be received in the opening 20. This may typically take place as the structure 10 is unloaded from a vehicle transporting the structure 10. A crane or other lifting device may be used to lift the structure 10 and lower the structure 10 over the member 17 onto the footing 16. Welding, bolting, and/or placement of concrete in the opening 20 may be used, for example, to fix the structure 10 to the footing 16. An adjacent structure 10 may be installed in a similar fashion, with the panel portion 12 received in the slot 15. Accordingly, a concrete column, panel and support system may be easily constructed to provide an aesthetically pleasing barrier.
It will also be understood that an alternative embodiment of the present disclosure may include two or more of the structures 10 stacked on top of each other. A rigid member 17 may extend beyond an entire height of the bottom structure 10 up through a portion or all of the height of an upper structure 10. For example, one embodiment of the present disclosure may include a rigid member 17 extending from the footing 16 up to half way through the height of an, upper structure 10. Accordingly, the upwardly stacked structures 10 may be supported in various heights and configurations.
It will be appreciated that the structure and apparatus disclosed herein is merely one example of a means for attaching a concrete structure to a support, and it should be appreciated that any structure, apparatus, or system for attaching a concrete structure to a support that performs, functions the same as, or equivalent to, those disclosed herein are intended to fall within the scope of a means for attaching a concrete structure to a support, including those structures, apparatuses, or systems for attaching that are presently known, or that may become available in the future. Anything that functions the same as, or equivalently to, a means for attaching a concrete structure to a support falls within the scope of this element.
In accordance with the features and combinations described above, a useful method of attaching a structure to a support includes the steps of:
(a) attaching a substantially rigid member to a support;
(b) providing an opening in said structure for receiving said substantially rigid member; and
(c) placing said substantially rigid member in said opening.
Those having ordinary skill in the relevant art will appreciate the advantages provided by the features of the present disclosure. For example, it is a feature of the present disclosure to provide a structural system that is simple in design and manufacture. Another feature of the present disclosure is to provide such a structural system that is easy to install. It is a further feature of the present disclosure, in accordance with one aspect thereof, to provide a structural system that is stable and that has an aesthetically pleasing appearance. It is an additional feature of the present disclosure, in accordance with one aspect thereof, to provide a structural system that may include a column portion integral with a panel portion of the structure. Another feature of one aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a structure that may be supported in an upright orientation by a substantially rigid member.
In the foregoing Detailed Description, various features of the present disclosure are grouped together in a single embodiment for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed disclosure requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in less than all features of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into this Detailed Description of the Disclosure by this reference, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment of the present disclosure.
It is to be understood that the above-described arrangements are only illustrative of the application of the principles of the present disclosure. Numerous modifications and alternative arrangements may be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure and the appended claims are intended to cover such modifications and arrangements. Thus, while the present disclosure has been shown in the drawings and described above with particularity and detail, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that numerous modifications, including, but not limited to, variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use may be made without departing from the principles and concepts set forth herein.
