The present technology regards systems and methods for encapsulating corroded or deteriorated steel or concrete piles of bridges and other structures with concrete columns, below the mud line or earth's surface, using a novel fiber-reinforced polymer shell system having an auger attachment. Although particularly useful for reinforcing deteriorated piles and columns, the technology may further be used on new or in-service non-deteriorated support structures.
Prior to the development of the present technology, corroded or deteriorated structural piles and columns were reinforced by means of jackets or shells, positioned and secured about the structure, above the earth's surface. To extend the reinforcing structure below the earth's surface, the pile or column site had to be excavated. However, excavation can be costly, inefficient and at some sites difficult or practically impossible. The present invention provides a practical, cost effective and user friendly component, system and method for reinforcing deteriorated structural piles and columns to below the earth's surface.
Generally, the disclosed technology regards a novel auger annulus adjoinable to a shell useful in encapsulating structural piles to below the earth's surface. The disclosed technology further regards a jacket and auger annulus system useful in encapsulating structural piles. Also provided is a method of positioning a first fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) circular-cylindrical shell at and about the exposed base of a structural pile, thereby encapsulating the pile to below the earth's surface using a jacket and auger annulus.
The auger annulus of the disclosed technology includes a plurality of arced members, joinable to form a circle, with each member having one or more blades extending from the bottom surface of the arced member.
The system of the disclosed technology generally includes a jacket having a longitudinal cut extending from the top to the base of the jacket, and an auger annulus adjoinable to the jacket base. In the system the auger annulus includes a plurality of arced members which join to form a circle, wherein each arced member includes one or more blades extending from the bottom surface of the arced member.
The present method for encapsulating a structural pile to below the earth's surface includes positioning about the pile a jacket having a longitudinal cut extending from the jacket's top to its base, and further positioning about the pile an auger annulus. The auger annulus has a plurality of arced members joinable to form a circle, each arced member includes one or more blades extending from the bottom surface of the arced member. Once the jacket and annulus are positioned about the pile, the auger annulus is adjoined to the base of the jacket and the longitudinal cut of the jacket is sealed to form a shell column. Thereafter, a fiber reinforced polymer wrap is wound about the shell column. Applying force to the shell column and annulus causes the column to bore into the earth's surface to a desired depth. Finally, the shell column is filled with a cementitious composition.
As shown in the embodiments depicted in
The auger annulus 10 of the disclosed technology includes a plurality of arced members 20, an embodiment of which is shown in
Each arced member 20 has one or more blades 30 affixed directly or indirectly to, and extending from, the bottom surface 22 of the arced member. In some embodiments, as shown in
The auger annulus 10 may be molded or otherwise made from a metal, such as high strength tempered steel. In some embodiments the blades 30 are made from the same material as the annulus, or another metal, or may even be made from diamonds, wherein for example the blade is a diamond bit of a fin shape.
As shown in
As shown in
In some embodiments the jacket is constructed from a fiber-reinforced polymer, with glass strand fiber, having a thickness of between about ⅛″-¼″; thicker shells may be more suitable or necessary for longer columns, or in aggressive water conditions. Suitable shells for use in the method and system of the present technology include the FX-70® inert, corrosion-free jacket made with a glass strand material in a polymer matrix, readily available from Simpson Strong-Tie. These jackets have a tongue-and-groove seam along their length, allowing the jacket to be opened for installation about piles or other structures, and sealed when in place about a pile.
The jacket shell 50 can be customized for use in the present technology by controlling the resin properties, and the type and orientation of the fiber within polymer. Stronger material with a high strength-to-failure ratio may be required for use in the jacket depending on the compactness of the mud/earth into which the shell is being augered in accordance with the present technology. FX-70® is sufficiently strong for typical sandy soil and clay conditions.
As shown in
As shown in
A method of encapsulating a structural pile to below the earth's surface is also provided, using a shell or jacket 50 and an auger annulus 10 such as those hereinabove described. In this method the jacket and the auger annulus are positioned and sealed or secured about the pile to form a shell column, and the auger annulus is adjoined to the jacket. When a plurality of cylinders 50A, 50B are used to form the jacket 50, the cylinders are secured longitudinally one to another (in some embodiments the cylinder's overlap to strengthen points of affixation), by, for example, epoxy or riveting, in some cases up to flush with the pile cap. When the pile is subjected continuously or from time to time to water, the first or lowest positioned cylinder may have a height that exceeds the sum of the designed bore depth and a maximum determined water depth to which the pile may be exposed. A fiber reinforced polymer wrap 60 is applied about the shell column, all as shown in
With the jacket and auger annulus positioned about the joint, and secured to form the shell column, a force is applied to the shell column to cause the annulus to bore into the earth's surface to about the designed bore depth or another depth, based upon the soil conditions encountered in the boring process. The applied force may be torque, vibration, vertical load or combinations thereof. In some embodiments of this method vibration and/or vertical load are applied by equipment positioned on a structure supported by the pile.
In some embodiments a plate 61 may be positioned on the top of the jacket, and at least some of the applied force may be applied indirectly to the column by direct application to the plate. The use of a plate at the top of the shell ensures uniform distribution of the load (and result in the shell uniformly boring along a central axis into the earth). The plate may include a pair of semicircular plates which together have a diameter larger than the outer diameter of the jacket, and wherein each semicircular plate comprises an internal aperture to receive and surround the pile. The plate may be unsecured relative to the column, or secured in position on top of the shell column by welding and/or bolting.
When used, torque may be applied to the shell column either manually or mechanically, thereby causing the system of the disclosed technology to bore into the earth, about the pile. For example, as shown in
Vibration and vertical load can also be applied to the shell-ring system, with or without torque, to cause the system of the present technology to bore into the earth. Vibration and vertical load can be applied from the bridge deck, wherein a vibrating mechanism (e.g., by means of shaking with an excavator or back hoe) can be attached to the top of the shell, and the vertical load can be applied to the shell by a hydraulic jacking mechanism (of the excavator or other machine providing downward thrust), positioned between the plate and the bridge deck or another structure, which applies downward forces to the shell using the gravity load or the self-weight of the bridge deck as the jacking reaction mechanism. In another embodiment, vertical load can be applied to the shell by dead weight (e.g., sand bags or other materials), which may be positioned and secured upon a plate over the top of the shell.
As shown in
Upon boring to the about bore depth, the base of the shell column may be filled with polymer concrete to form the base thereof and minimize moisture uptake into the column to prevent any corrosion activity. Preferably this layer of polymer concrete is about 12-18″ in depth. In some embodiments this polymer concrete is an epoxy concrete with high strength, low moisture absorption and high resistance to chemical and aggressive water environment, without dewatering. Simpson StrongTie's FX-70-6MP multipurpose marine epoxy grout, a water tolerant grout specifically designed for underwater applications, has been found suitable for this application.
A cementitious composition may then be inserted into the chamber of the shell column, to or near the top of the column, to fill the annular space between the pile and the shell, up to or near the top of the shell. In some embodiments the cementitious composition is self-consolidated concrete. The cementitious composition may be poured into the chamber by means of one or more chutes positioned in the chamber of the shell column. The chute(s) may be wooden, or any similar material, and may have a chamfered interior. In some embodiments the chute may have a cross-section of 9×9″ to 12×12″, although a larger cross-section may be desirable for larger shells. The chutes typically have a length designed to extend the length of the column, from the layer of polymer concrete to the top of the pile cap.
In some embodiments the top of the shell column may be wrapped with FRP wrap (using, for example, 2-3 layers of G-05 Aqua Wrap®, helically applied about the top of the column) to further encapsulate the column and protect it from degrading environments and substances. In some environments a water-repellant paint may be applied to the exterior of the wrapped column.
While embodiments of the system and method of the present technology are described and shown in the present disclosure, the claimed invention of the present technology is intended to be only limited by the claims as follows.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20160348330 A1 | Dec 2016 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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62169039 | Jun 2015 | US |