Patent Grant
7300228
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to dock and structural pilings. More particularly, it relates to a method and apparatus for preventing piling uplift caused by frost heaving or shifting, or rising frozen tide waters.
2. Description of the Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 4,127,002 relates to a permanent pier piling for use in docks and the like in a body of water whereby an antifreeze solution within the piling circulates to distribute latent ground heat from the lower portion of the piling to the upper portion of the piling to maintain a fluid interface between the piling and the ice during the winter season.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,464,083 relating to an ice guard for protecting a vertically extending piling positioned in a body of water from damage due to changes in water and ice levels. The ice guard is concentrically positioned around a piling and extends above the surface of the body of water. The ice guard is held in place by the surrounding ice. The ice guard includes at least one longitudinally extending sleeve which is made of a buoyant material and a means for restricting vertical movement of at least a portion of the sleeve.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,818,148 relates to a covering applied on the outer surface of a pile including a steel pipe or the like to surround a predetermined length thereof so as to reduce frost heaving force or negative friction acting on the pile in a frigid area. The covering is closely adhered by an adhesion layer to the pile.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,585,681 relates to a frost damage proofed pile for installment in a frigid district where the pile is subjected to a freezing and frost heaving force, such as permanently or seasonally frozen soil terrain. A tubular sheath member is fitted over the pile surface and has a length longer than the thickness of an active or seasonally frozen soil layer of the terrain in which the pile is installed. At least a portion of the length of the pile is formed as an extensible section, and at least the lower end of the sheath member is secured to the pile at or below a position corresponding to the bottom region of the active or seasonally frozen soil layer. A fluid material is filled in a space defined between the pile and the sheath member.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,512,683 relates to a sleeve adapted to float in water to surround a piling to protect the same from being lifted by ice. It includes an outer corrugated casing which can be easily gripped by ice forming therearound. Within the casing is a layer of waterproof cementitious material followed by a layer of closed cell foam plastic. Should ice form in the annular space between the piling and the sleeve, the sleeve can easily slide up or down across the outer surface of the ice without moving the piling.
The prior art devices generally provide a mechanism that is capable of sliding up and down the piling or ice with the shifting tides or frost lines. However, with the increasingly colder winters in, the temperatures are so low below freezing that the water around the piling freezes. This freezing of the water adjacent the piling defeats the purpose of the prior art devices and causes the piling to lift, along with prior art piling anti-lift devices. Thus, a need exists for a new alternative to the prior art devices.
It is therefore an aspect of the present invention to overcome the shortfalls of the prior art and provide a method and apparatus that prevents piling uplift in extreme cold weather environments.
It is a further aspect of the invention to provide a method and apparatus for preventing piling uplift by preventing the water between the device and the piling from freezing.
It is yet another aspect of the invention to provide a method and apparatus for preventing piling uplift by maintaining the piling independent of the surrounding freezing environment.
This and other aspects are achieved in accordance with the invention wherein the piling anti-lift system includes a heat trace cable, a support device adapted to receive and secure the heat trace cable in a substantially concentric configuration around the piling and an electric connection for providing power to the heat trace cable. The support device is adapted to maintain an annular space between the support device and the piling.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the support device can be a flat sheet of material on which the heat trace cable is secured. A waterproof covering contains and seals the flat sheet of material, and thereby the heat trace cable, from surrounding water and/or dirt. The waterproof flat sheet is wrapped around the piling in the concentric configuration such that the annular space between the piling and the anti-lift system is maintained.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the support device includes a flat pipe having an elongate cavity and end seals for providing a water and air tight seal. The heat trace cable is disposed in elongate cavity and is connected to the electric connection through said flat pipe or said end seals. The air chamber in the flat pipe will help the flotation of the device around a piling.
According to yet another aspect of the invention, the support device can include at least two clips having a plurality of cable receiving portions for receiving and securing the heat trace cable in a repeating manner to provide a substantially enclosed device capable of enclosing a piling and maintaining an annular space therebetween.
According to another aspect of the invention, the support device can be formed of a tubular member for receiving the heat trace cable. The tubular member is then shrink wrapped such that the tubular member is completely enclosed with the heat trace cable in a water and air tight way.
According to a further aspect of the invention, the support device can be formed of a first tubular member for receiving the heat trace cable, and a second tubular member for receiving the first tubular member such that an air chamber is formed between the first and second tubular members. An end cap on each end encloses the open ends in a water and air tight manner and create an air chamber between the two tubular members. The air chamber facilitates the flotation of the device.
According to yet a further aspect of the invention, the support device can be formed from a first longitudinally split tubular member for receiving the heat trace cable, and a second longitudinally split tubular member for receiving the first tubular member. At least one latching device is coupled to the longitudinal split of both the first and second tubular members. The latching device enables the combined tubular members to be secured concentrically around a piling.
Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are designed solely for purposes of illustration and not as a definition of the limits of the invention, for which reference should be made to the appended claims. It should be further understood that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale and that, unless otherwise indicated, they are merely intended to conceptually illustrate the structures and procedures described herein.
In the drawings wherein like reference numerals denote similar components throughout the views:
a, 5b and 6 show the piling anti-lift system according to another embodiment of the invention;
a-11c and 12a-12b show the piling anti-lift system according to another embodiment of the invention;
The flat sheet 14 with heat trace cable adhered thereto is then enclosed in a waterproof material 18 (e.g., fabric, plastic, etc.) and releasably connectable straps 20 are provided on each end of the enclosed sheet 14. The anti-piling list system 10 can then be wrapped around a piling 5 (
When the water 100 freezes, the heating activity of the heat trace cable can often prevent the water in the annular space 102 from freezing. In this instance, the piling anti-lift device 10 will rise and fall with the water tides, while the piling remains free from any such movement in the frozen water. In the event of very cold weather, it is possible that the water in the annular space 102 can also freeze. In this event, the piling anti-lift device 10 operates to retain the piling independent from the exterior ice 100, which translates into the piling remaining independent from the massive strength of the vertical ice movement caused by the tides. In this mode of operation, the tide may rise and fall, the heated piling anti-lift device 10 will maintain the piling 5 independent from the ice 100 and prevent any upward lift that could be cause by a rising tide of frozen water.
a, 5b and 6 show another embodiment where the heat trace cable 12 is enclosed in a coiled watertight hose 50, with the electrical connection 16 extending therefrom. As shown, the coiled hose 50 is disposed around the piling 5 in a horizontal manner such that it sits in the water and extends above and below the surface of the water at least a few inches in each direction. The increase surface area of the coiled hose 50 allows a greater heat transfer from the heat trace cable to the water. In this manner, the water within the annular space 102 between the hose 50 and the piling 5 is prevented from freezing.
a, 11b, 11c, 12a and 12b show another embodiment of the piling anti-lift system 105 according to the invention. Clip devices 110 are used to retain the heat trace cable 12 in a concentric configuration with respect to the piling. Clip devices 110 include retaining clips 112 or any other suitable type of receiving end for a tubular member (like the heat trace cable) and may be arranged in a horizontal or vertical arrangement. In the vertical embodiment (
c and 12b show the clips 110 arranged in a horizontal position. Clip devices are not connected to the piling and are simply retained in place by their retention of the heat trace cable 12. A flotation device 134 can be added to the clip arrangement 110 to maintain the piling anti-lift system 105 in its preferred position with a pre-determined amount of downward length (i.e., depending on desired application). The flotation device can be any suitable device that is not bulky and can be wrapped around the anti-lift system 105 and is attached thereto.
The length of the piling anti-lift system 105, or any embodiment disclosed herein, is a matter of design application and will depend entirely on the depth of tide water rising and falling, and/or the depth of anticipated ice build up. As explained above, by maintaining the separation between the annular area 102 and the outer water/ice 100, the piling anti-lift device 105 functions to isolate the annular space 102 and thereby piling 5 from the shifting water/ice 100.
While there have been shown, described and pointed out fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form and details of the methods described and devices illustrated, and in their operation, may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, it is expressly intended that all combinations of those elements and/or method steps which perform substantially the same function in substantially the same way to achieve the same results are within the scope of the invention. Moreover, it should be recognized that structures and/or elements and/or method steps shown and/or described in connection with any disclosed form or embodiment of the invention may be incorporated in any other disclosed, described or suggested form or embodiment as a general matter of design choice. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the claims appended hereto.
This application is a Continuation-in-Part of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/842,590 filed May 10, 2004, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2484063 | Ackley | Oct 1949 | A |
| 4252471 | Straub | Feb 1981 | A |
| 5436429 | Cline | Jul 1995 | A |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20050249557 A1 | Nov 2005 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 10842590 | May 2004 | US |
| Child | 10988855 | US |
