Patent Application
20080184640
One foundation technique frequently used in home building is to pour concrete directly on the building site to form a building foundation slab. A building foundation anchors a home firmly in the ground, working like roots to hold a house down and tie it into the ground below. Further, the building foundation often encompasses the entire footprint of house and thus provides support for all of the load bearing walls of the home. It should be noted, the building foundation can also provide support for any non-load bearing walls.
A building foundation is generally constructed in place at the home site. Typically, the building foundation is constructed of poured concrete (reinforced with steel rebar or un-reinforced). The home site is excavated and compacted using new fill. Wooden or metal forms are then placed around the perimeter of the house, forming the footprint of the house. Steel rebar is then placed throughout the area encompassing the footprint of the house, if reinforcement is needed. However, rebar is not always necessary. After the forms and any necessary reinforcement is in place, the appropriate amount of concrete is poured to form the building foundation. In some cases, the reinforcing steel or rebar extends above the slab for later tie-in to the walls of the house. Ties and anchor bolts are wet set in the concrete so that they are completely tied into the structure. A house can then be built on and attached to the finished building foundation.
Building foundations formed in such a way provide a very stable foundation which protects from damage even in rising waters, seismic events, and high winds. However, it is desirable to improve the efficiency of forming building foundations.
The present invention relates to a building foundation. A building foundation includes a molded structure being formed from a first substance and a second substance formed within the molded structure. The second substance displaces a predetermined volume of the first substance and is lighter than the first substance. The building foundation also includes a means for coupling the molded structure to a movable building in a factory. The building foundation is further adapted to be transported to a building site.
In another embodiment, the present invention relates to a method of moving a preformed building and foundation. The method includes the steps of forming a mold having at least one spacer material therein, pouring a first substance into the mold to form a molded structure, curing the molded structure, attaching the molded structure to at least one preformed building, moving the attached molded structure and the preformed building to a predetermined building site, and installing the attached molded structure and the preformed building on the predetermined building site.
In another embodiment, the present invention relates to another method of moving a building. This method includes the steps of forming a mold having at least one spacer material therein, pouring a first substance into the mold to form a molded structure, curing the molded structure, constructing at least one portion of a building on the molded structure in a factory, moving the attached molded structure and the building to a predetermined building site, installing the attached molded structure and the building on the predetermined building site.
Additional features and advantages are described herein, and will be apparent from, the following Detailed Description and the figures.
As shown in
To build a mold, a suitable mold section or sections are selected and arranged together. The mold can have any suitable shape or structure (e.g., a square, rectangle, circle, etc.), and preferably at least includes the perimeter of the eventual building that will rest upon the building foundation. However, the mold is not required to include the perimeter of the eventual building and can include some combination of the perimeter of the internal and/or external walls of the building or another portion of the building. Similarly, a building foundation mold can be constructed from multiple molds that are selected and arranged together. The molds can then be coupled in any desirable fashion. In one example, a square mold can be paired with one or more rectangle molds to form a desired building foundation; however, the selection and arrangement can be in any desirable manner including any mold shape.
During or after the mold construction, one or more spacer elements 6 are set within the mold. The spacer elements offset the volume available for the main building foundation substance. The spacer elements are pre-formed from a material that is preferably lighter in weight than the substance used to form the main building foundation or from a material that has a lower density; however, spacer elements 6 can be formed from any suitable material. Preferably, the spacer elements are made from a lightweight polymer (e.g., rigid foam or other suitable material) that can withstand fluid pressure that the first substance may exert on the spacer elements while in the mold. However, spacer elements can be formed from other polymers (e.g., plastics or other suitable polymers), steel, wood, gas, composites, or any other suitable alternative or combination thereof. Additionally, depending on the type of materials used for the spacer elements, the spacer elements can be solid or hollow.
The spacer elements can be cylindrical columns, or any suitable shape or structure (e.g., tubes, cubes, spheres, cones, box, cylinder, parallelpiped, prism, pyramid, regular pyramid, right cone, right cylinder, right prism, polyhedrons, ellipsoids, spheroids, etc.). In one embodiment, the spacer elements are rectangular columns. In another embodiment, the spacer elements can be formed from hexagons. However, any suitable polyhedron, shapes as listed above, combination of shapes, or structures can be used to form the spacer elements.
Preferably, as shown in
Where the spacer elements extend beyond the building foundation in either the vertical or horizontal direction and remain within the building foundation, the spacer elements can be trimmed to be substantially flush with the building foundation, if desired. Alternatively, where the space elements extend beyond the building foundation in either the vertical or horizontal direction, the exposed spacer elements can be left intact and serve as a support or gripping extension when the building foundation is moved between different locations or for any other suitable purpose or for no purpose.
Preferably, the mold includes one or more spacer elements. The spacer elements reduce the total amount of the building foundation substance used to form the main building foundation. Preferably, the quantity of spacer elements is maximized to reduce the total weight of the building foundation. However, the number of spacer elements is determined by the strength to weight ratio needed for a given load characteristic. For example, if a building foundation needs to support a specific load requirement of 300 tons, the size, quantity, and spatial orientation of the spacer elements depends further on the known strength of the building foundation substance. Where the building foundation substance is unreinforced concrete, smaller and fewer spacer elements are likely used because unreinforced concrete generally requires more concrete and material continuity than reinforced concrete, to maintain an equivalent strength. However, larger and greater quantities of spacer elements can be used where the first substance is concrete reinforced with the compositions described above. Preferably, the volume of the spacer element is between 1% and 99% of the volume of the lightweight building foundation substance.
In one embodiment, hexagonal spacer elements are vertically oriented and used in such quantity that the spacer elements are attached to each other to form one or more honeycomb layers embedded within the concrete; however, a honeycomb layer can be formed with any other suitably shaped, vertically oriented spacer elements. Where the spacer elements form a honeycomb, the honeycomb can be formed from a metal, polymer, or any other suitable material or combination of materials. The honeycomb layer can serve to displace large areas of the first substance such that the honeycomb layer is sandwiched between layers of the building foundation substance.
In another embodiment, a mold is not used to form the building foundation. Substantially hollow spacer elements are used to form the one or more honeycomb layers and the one or more layers are formed into an appropriate building foundation; however, the one or more honeycombed layers can be filled with a building foundation substance to form a building foundation, if desired. Alternatively, the building foundation can be substantially formed from one or more honeycomb layers, without incorporating a building foundation substance. However, any suitable combination of honeycomb layers and building foundation substance can be used to form a building foundation with or without a mold.
In one embodiment, the spacer elements are permanently fixed into the mold. When the building foundation is cured and released from the mold, the spacer elements remain with the mold. When the spacer elements are left with the mold, the spacer elements can be removed from the mold at any later time if they need to be repaired, replaced, or exchanged for different spacer elements.
Alternatively, the spacer elements can be removable from mold. When the spacer elements are removable from the mold, the cured building foundation can be released from the mold and the spacer elements substantially simultaneously or in any order desired. In another embodiment with removable spacer elements, the spacer elements remain in the building foundation when the building foundation is released from the mold. In one such embodiment, the spacer elements are nondestructively released from the cured building foundation (i.e., the spacer elements are reusable). In another alternative embodiment, the spacer elements are destructively removed from the building foundation (i.e., not reusable because they are drilled out, melted away, or destroyed in any other suitable manner without harming the building foundation). In yet another embodiment, the spacer elements are permanently installed in the building foundation.
The building foundation is allowed to substantially cure before it is removed from the building foundation mold; however, the building foundation can be removed from the building foundation mold at any other appropriate time.
Holes 16 are preferably continuous or substantially continuous from the top of building foundation 14 to the bottom of building foundation 14; however, holes 16 do not need to be continuous and can extend partially through or within the building foundation. Holes 16 reduce the amount of the main building foundation substance needed to form the building foundation.
In one embodiment, a building foundation is manufactured and then transported in any suitable manner to a building site for placement. Preferably, the building foundation is manufactured within an enclosed facility; however, the building foundation can be manufactured outdoors or in any other suitable location. Further, the building foundation is preferably manufactured at a location which does not require transporting the building foundation via public roadways to the building site; however, the building foundation can be manufactured at a location for which transporting the building foundation to the house site via public roadways would be necessary or desirable. Further still, the building foundation can have any suitable dimensions, including, but not limited to: those which would provide a foundation for a house or other structure that is too large to transport over public roads due to legal, physical or any other limitation; those having length and width dimensions such that the smaller of the length and width dimensions is greater than 16 feet; and those which would support a multiple story structure. It should be noted that a building foundation can also be transported to a site (i.e., a structure site) for any suitable type of structure (e.g., a townhouse row, a commercial facility, an apartment complex, an agricultural building, etc.) and that house or home sites are a subset of structure sites.
As shown in
Preferably, tension cables are also placed within the mold and are stressed after the concrete cures to provide increased tensile strength. However, tension cables are not required and the building foundation can be unreinforced or reinforced with any suitable component such as rebar or a wire mesh or any combination of suitable reinforcement components. The rebar or cable used within the mold are often deformed or threaded steel bars. However, fiber-reinforced polymer bars or other suitable material combinations can be used in place of steel rebar or cable. Additionally, the concrete can be further reinforced using fibers of various materials. The concrete can be mixed with fibers made from steel, glass, synthetic (nylon, polyester, and polypropylene), natural fibers, or any other suitable fiber. Using appropriate quantities of fibers, the concrete can achieve increased durability from increased resistance to: plastic and drying shrinkage, cracking, reduced crack widths, enhanced absorption, and impact resistance.
Concrete or another suitable substance is then poured into the mold and allowed to substantially cure. The building foundation is then released from the mold and the tension cables are tightened. The spacer elements remain with the mold.
The frame of partially stick-built house 106 depicts a first and second floor with windows and a door. It should be appreciated that any home or building design can be used. The partially stick built house 106 is bolted to the building foundation using one or more bolts and/or brackets as is necessary to secure the building foundation and completed house together for transport from the factory or any other suitable method.
The transport vehicle or vehicles can be any suitable vehicle or combination of vehicles. For example, the transport vehicle can be a flat bed, a frame system or a plurality of dollies capable of coupling or supporting the building in any suitable manner. Additionally, the vehicle can be a plurality of vehicles that couple to the building or support the building, as described in the above mentioned co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 11/431,196; 11/559,229; and 11/620,103. As discussed therein, each separable portion of such a transport can be positioned adjacent or along side the building and couple thereto. Thus, lifting the building and eliminating the need for a crane or other lifting device. It is noted however, that any lifting device or means can be used to position the building on to this type of transport device or any other type of transport device.
It should be appreciated that in other embodiments, the order of some or all of the above steps (e.g., the curing, the tightening and the releasing) can be performed in a different order.
In another embodiment, after the building foundation is transported to the building site, a building is built or placed on top of the building foundation. Preferably, the building is secured to the building foundation in any suitable manner, including those described above for a site-built or attached house; however, the building is not required to be secured to the building foundation. In one embodiment, the building foundation is placed or formed on skates which are operable to transport the building foundation within a structure manufacturing facility or site; however, the building foundation can be transported within the facility or site in any suitable manner (e.g., rails, cranes, vehicles, air cushion, dollies, reduced friction surfaces, water, etc.) or remain stationary until being transported to the building site. Alternatively, a building foundation can be manufactured at one facility or site and transported to one or more other facilities or sites at which a building that is at least partly built, is placed upon the building foundation before the building foundation is transported to and placed at the building site.
In an alternative embodiment, the building foundation is moved on the skates from station to station, and at each station one or more portions of the house or structure is built on or added to the building foundation/house structure. However, the building foundation is not required to be moved from station to station. The building foundation can remain substantially in one position while a house or other structure is placed or built upon the building foundation. For example, a full-sized house (e.g., a non-roadable house, a mini-mansion, houses larger than mobile homes, etc.) can be built or assembled within the facility or brought to the facility and attached to the building foundation. Alternatively, a full-sized house can be built in any suitable manner (e.g., stick building, panelized building, modular building) onto the building foundation. Further it should be noted that alternatively, a smaller dwelling such as a mobile home can be placed or built upon the building foundation. It should also be noted that structures other than houses (including but not limited to townhouse rows, apartment buildings, commercial structures, agricultural buildings or any other suitable structure) can be placed or build upon the building foundation.
In one embodiment, after the building foundation and house are coupled, the building foundation and house are transported to the house site in any suitable manner, including, but not limited to, those described above for transporting the building foundation. Alternatively, transporting the building foundation and house can include coupling a moving apparatus (e.g., one or more vehicles, a crane, etc.) to a structure of the house or building foundation, a protrusion from the house or building foundation, an opening into the house or building foundation, by any of the mechanisms described in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 11/431,196 and 11/559,229, the entire contents of both of which are incorporated herein by reference, or any other suitable mechanism for grasping the house as well as or instead of the building foundation.
Alternatively, the horizontal spacer elements can remain confined within the perimeter of mold 200, or any other suitable arrangement. The horizontal spacer elements can be formed in any manner as described above in connection with the spacer elements. Similarly, the horizontal spacer elements may remain with the building foundation or be removed from the building foundation as described above (e.g., destructively or non-destructively). Vertical spacer elements 206 can alternatively extend beyond the top and bottom of mold 200. Alternatively, vertical spacer elements 206 can be shorter structures that are placed on the top and bottom, or either the top or the bottom of the horizontal spacer elements 204, but are not continuous. In yet another embodiment, the vertical spacer elements 206 do not intersect or do not come into contact with horizontal spacer element 204 and are placed in alternative or alternating locations of mold 200. The vertical spacer elements 206 can be formed in any manner as described above in connection with the spacer elements.
Additionally, building foundation 208 can function as one section of a stem wall for a building. Stem walls tie the building to the ground and can support the exterior and interior load and non-load bearing walls. In one embodiment, a mold is formed as discussed above. The mold can be designated to form one or more stem wall sections. Once the stem walls are substantially formed, one or more stem walls sections can be coupled together in any suitable fashion to form at least a portion of the stem wall or the entire stem wall. The stem wall sections can be coupled to a building foundation in any suitable fashion. In one embodiment, the one or more stem wall sections can be coupled to the building foundation in a factory. Alternatively, the stem wall sections can be coupled to the building foundation at the building site. In an alternative embodiment, one or more stem wall sections can be used to form a perimeter around the entire building foundation. The one or more stem wall sections can be coupled to the building foundation in any suitable manner. In another embodiment, a single mold can be formed to incorporate one or more stem wall sections and a building foundation. The resultant mold creates one or more stem wall sections that are integral with the building foundation. In all of the above embodiments, the stem wall can be formed in a factory or formed on a building site. The stem wall can also be coupled to a building foundation in a factory or at a building site.
In one alternative embodiment, the building foundation is formed with one or more vertical and horizontal openings. The openings are created when the spacer elements are placed in the mold and then removed from the cured building foundation. Beams or pegs can be inserted through the horizontal openings to facilitate transportation of the building foundation to the house site. Preferably, the horizontal openings are configured such that a beam can extend through the building foundation; however, such a configuration is not required. The length of the horizontal openings only need to be sufficiently long enough to support the load of the building foundation and an attached building. In an alternative embodiment, instead of or in addition to the horizontal openings, one or more protruding members are formed extending beyond one or more exterior ends of the building foundation. The protruding member can be part of the mold and poured similar to the rest of the building foundation. Alternatively, a beam (e.g., a steel I beam) is positioned within the mold such that when the building foundation is poured, a portion of the beam extends beyond the exterior ends of the building foundation.
In another alternative embodiment, exterior face attachment points (e.g., exterior brackets, protrusions or any other suitable graspable structure) are attached to one or more exterior ends of the building foundation. The exterior face attachment points can be attached after concrete is poured into the mold or can be positioned within the mold such that the exterior face attachment points are formed as a continuous part of the building foundation. The exterior face attachment point can include an embedded steel plate to which an external bracket can be mounted or attached (e.g., by bolting, welding or any other suitable attachment mechanism). The external bracket can also have any suitable configuration and is preferably operable with one or more other attachment points to enable one or more transportation vehicles to grasp and/or lift the building foundation.
In one embodiment, after the building foundation is formed, it is transported to and positioned at the house site. Preferably, one or more ground transportation devices are coupled to the building foundation by gripping the beams or other objects (e.g., cables, brackets, etc.) inserted through the horizontal holes; however, the devices can be coupled to the building foundation in any other suitable manner, including but not limited to by inserting pegs of the devices into the horizontal holes or by gripping one or more protruding members or exterior attachment points described above. It should be noted that the building foundation is not required to be transported by a ground vehicle and that the building foundation can be transported by an air vehicle (e.g., a helicopter), a water vehicle (e.g., a barge) or any other suitable vehicle (e.g., a crane, an amphibious craft, etc.).
It should be understood that various changes and modifications to the presently preferred embodiments described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present subject matter and without diminishing its intended advantages. It is therefore intended that such changes and modifications be covered by the appended claims.
This application is related to co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 11/431,196 entitled “BUILDING TRANSPORT DEVICE” and filed on May 9, 2006; Ser. No. 11/620,103 entitled “DEVICE AND METHOD FOR TRANSPORTING A LOAD” and filed on Jan. 5, 2007; 11/559,229 entitled “TRANSPORT DEVICE CAPABLE OF ADJUSTMENT TO MAINTAIN LOAD PLANARITY” and filed on Nov. 13, 2006; Ser. No. 11/620,560 entitled “METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MOBILE STEM WALL” and filed on Jan. 5, 2007; and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/887,696, entitled “METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR INTEGRATED INVENTORY AND PLANNING” and filed on Feb. 1, 2007 the entire contents of each of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60887696 | Feb 2007 | US |
