Patent Application
20250237033
The present application relates generally to supports for static structures and methods for installing the supports, such as underground bases for aboveground static structures and methods for installing such underground bases.
Various commercial static structures, such as utility poles in the power transmission industry and lattice towers in the cellular telephone industry, are supported on an underground base. Typically, a conventional underground base is made of concrete. Such concrete bases are associated with a number of disadvantages, including the cost of installation, logistical challenges of getting the concrete mixed, poured, and cured in remote or inaccessible locations where static structures are often installed, and difficulty of installation in inclement weather. Some underground bases are made of steel and are driven into the soil using pressure, such as a hydraulic press.
Load requirements for an underground base are determined based on the size and weight of the static structure that the base must support, various static and dynamic loads that the static structure may experience, such as the weight of power cables attached to the static structure, wind load, or earthquake, and the composition of the underlying soil in which the underground structure is to be installed. A factor of safety is added, which further increases the weight of the underground bases. The increased weight leads to an increase in cost in making, transporting, and installing the underground base. In view of the disadvantages of existing underground bases, it would be desirable to reduce the weight of an underground base for a static structure while meeting the load requirements.
Accordingly, provided is an improved clamshell underground base and a method for installing the clamshell underground base that overcome the deficiencies of the prior art.
In some non-limiting embodiments or aspects, a clamshell underground base configured for supporting an above-ground static structure may include a pair of clamshell sections configured to removably connect to each other to define a pipe portion having an open top end, an open bottom end, and an opening extending therebetween. Each of the clamshell sections may have a distal end, a proximal end, and a body portion between the distal end and the proximal end. At least one reinforcement plate may be connected to the each of the clamshell sections and may extend across the opening. Each of the clamshell sections may be made from a first material, and the at least one reinforcement plate may be made from a second material different from the first material.
In some non-limiting embodiments or aspects, the first material may be a fiber-reinforced polymer composite material, and the second material may be steel. The fiber-reinforced polymer composite material may include a plurality of fiberglass fabric mats. Each of the plurality of fiberglass fabric mats may be aligned at a 45° angle relative to adjacent fiberglass fabric mats.
In some non-limiting embodiments or aspects, each of the clamshell sections may include a first bend line between the proximal end and the distal end extending along a longitudinal length of the body portion; and a second bend line between the proximal end and the distal end extending along the longitudinal length of the body portion. The body portion of each of the clamshell sections between the first bend line and the second bend line may define a semi-circular shape. The at least one reinforcement plate may be connected to the body portion of each of the clamshell sections between the first bend line and the second bend line. The first bend line may be substantially parallel to the second bend line. The first bend line may define an angle of 90° between a first portion and a second portion of the body portion of each clamshell section, and the second bend line may define an angle of 90° between the first portion and a third portion of the body portion of each clamshell section. The second portion and the third portion of the body portion of each clamshell section may include a plurality of holes for receiving a plurality of mechanical fasteners configured for connecting the clamshell portions to each other.
In some non-limiting embodiments or aspects, the at least one reinforcement plate may be planar.
In some non-limiting embodiments or aspects, at least one side support structure may be removably connected to at least one of the clamshell portions. The at least one side support structure may include a bracket distal end; a bracket proximal end; a bracket body portion between the bracket proximal end and the bracket distal end; and a plurality of bend lines between the bracket proximal end and the bracket distal end extending along a longitudinal length of the bracket body portion. The at least one side support structure further may include a pair of curved connection portions having a curvature corresponding to an outer shape of at least one of the clamshell portions.
In some non-limiting embodiments or aspects, an end cap may be connected to the proximal end of the clamshell portions and may cover at least a portion of the open top end of the pipe portion. The end cap may include a base plate defines a plurality of holes for receiving a plurality of mechanical fasteners configured for connecting the static structure to the base plate. The end cap may include a pair of support plates connected to the base plate, the pair of support plates being separated by a gap configured to receive a part of the body portion of each clamshell portion and the at least one reinforcement plate. At least one stabilizing bracket may connect the base plate to the pair of support plates. In some non-limiting embodiments or aspects, the end cap may include a flat drive plate configured for engagement with a driving machine for driving the clamshell underground base into the ground.
In some non-limiting embodiments or aspects, a clamshell underground base configured for supporting an above-ground static structure may include a pair of clamshell sections configured to removably connect to each other to define a pipe portion having an open top end, an open bottom end, and an opening extending therebetween. Each of the clamshell sections may have a distal end, a proximal end, and a body portion between the distal end and the proximal end. At least one reinforcement plate may be connected to the each of the clamshell sections and may extend across the opening. At least one side support structure may be removably connected to at least one of the clamshell portions, and an end cap may be connected to the proximal end of the clamshell portions and may cover at least a portion of the open top end of the pipe portion. Each of the clamshell sections may be made from a fiber-reinforced polymer composite material, and the at least one reinforcement plate may be made from steel.
Further non-limiting embodiments or aspects are set forth in the following numbered clauses:
These and other features and characteristics of the present disclosure, as well as the methods of operation and functions of the related elements of structures and the combination of parts and economies of manufacture, will become more apparent upon consideration of the following description and the appended claims with reference to the accompanying drawings, all of which form a part of this specification, wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding parts in the various figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration and description only and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the disclosure.
Additional advantages and details of the disclosure are explained in greater detail below with reference to the exemplary embodiments or aspects that are illustrated in the accompanying schematic figures, in which:
The following description is provided to enable those skilled in the art to make and use the described aspects contemplated for carrying out the disclosure. Various modifications, equivalents, variations, and alternatives, however, will remain readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Any and all such modifications, variations, equivalents, and alternatives are intended to fall within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.
As used herein, the singular form of “a”, “an”, and “the” includes plural referents unless noted otherwise. With respect to the use of any plural and/or singular terms herein, those having skill in the art can translate from the plural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural as is appropriate to the context and/or application. The various singular/plural permutations are not expressly set forth herein for sake of clarity.
Spatial or directional terms, such as “left”, “right”, “inner”, “outer”, “above”, “below”, and the like, relate to the embodiments or aspects as shown in the drawing figures and are not to be considered as limiting as the embodiments or aspects can assume various alternative orientations.
All numbers used in the specification and claims are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term “about”. By “about” is meant plus or minus twenty-five percent of the stated value, such as plus or minus ten percent of the stated value. However, this should not be considered as limiting to any analysis of the values under the doctrine of equivalents.
Unless otherwise indicated, all ranges or ratios disclosed herein are to be understood to encompass the beginning and ending values and any and all subranges or sub ratios subsumed therein. For example, a stated range or ratio of “1 to 10” should be considered to include any and all subranges or sub ratios between (and inclusive of) the minimum value of 1 and the maximum value of 10; that is, all subranges or sub ratios beginning with a minimum value of 1 or more and ending with a maximum value of 10 or less. The ranges and/or ratios disclosed herein represent the average values over the specified range and/or ratio.
The terms “first”, “second”, and the like are not intended to refer to any particular order or chronology, but refer to different conditions, properties, or elements.
All documents referred to herein are “incorporated by reference” in their entirety.
The term “at least” is synonymous with “greater than or equal to”.
The term “not greater than” is synonymous with “less than or equal to”.
In some instances, one or more components may be referred to herein as “configured to,” “operative,” “adapted,” etc. Those skilled in the art will recognize that “configured to” can generally encompass active-state components and/or inactive-state components and/or standby-state components, unless context requires otherwise.
Some aspects may be described using the expression “coupled” and “connected” along with their derivatives. It should be understood that these terms are not intended as synonyms for each other. For example, some aspects may be described using the term “connected” to indicate that two or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contact with each other. In another example, some aspects may be described using the term “coupled” to indicate that two or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contact. The term “coupled,” however, also may mean that two or more elements are not in direct contact with each other, but yet still co-operate or interact with each other.
The herein described subject matter sometimes illustrates different components contained within, or connected with, different other components. It is to be understood that such depicted architectures are merely exemplary, and that in fact many other architectures may be implemented which achieve the same functionality. In a conceptual sense, any arrangement of components to achieve the same functionality is effectively “associated” such that the desired functionality is achieved. Hence, any two components herein combined to achieve a particular functionality can be seen as “associated with” each other such that the desired functionality is achieved, irrespective of architectures or intermediate components. Likewise, any two components so associated can also be viewed as being “operably connected,” or “operably coupled,” to each other to achieve the desired functionality, and any two components capable of being so associated can also be viewed as being “operably couplable,” to each other to achieve the desired functionality. Specific examples of operably couplable include but are not limited to physically mateable and/or physically interacting components.
Some non-limiting embodiments or aspects may be described herein in connection with thresholds. As used herein, satisfying a threshold may refer to a value being greater than the threshold, more than the threshold, higher than the threshold, greater than or equal to the threshold, less than the threshold, fewer than the threshold, lower than the threshold, less than or equal to the threshold, equal to the threshold, etc.
In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations). Furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, and C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, and C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). In those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, or C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, or C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that typically a disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the description, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms unless context dictates otherwise. For example, the phrase “A or B” will be typically understood to include the possibilities of “A” or “B” or “A and B.”
The term “includes” is synonymous with “comprises”.
As used herein, the terms “parallel” or “substantially parallel” mean a relative angle as between two objects (if extended to theoretical intersection), such as elongated objects and including reference lines, that is from 0° to 5°, or from 0° to 3°, or from 0° to 2°, or from 0° to 1°, or from 0° to 0.5°, or from 0° to 0.25°, or from 0° to 0.1°, inclusive of the recited values.
As used herein, the terms “perpendicular” or “substantially perpendicular” mean a relative angle as between two objects at their real or theoretical intersection is from 85° to 90°, or from 87° to 90°, or from 88° to 90°, or from 89° to 90°, or from 89.5° to 90°, or from 89.75° to 90°, or from 89.9° to 90°, inclusive of the recited values.
The discussion of various examples or aspects may describe certain features as being “particularly” or “preferably” within certain limitations (e.g., “preferably”, “more preferably”, or “even more preferably”, within certain limitations). It is to be understood that the disclosure is not limited to these particular or preferred limitations but encompasses the entire scope of the various examples and aspects described herein.
It is noted that any reference to “an embodiment”, “one aspect”, or “an aspect” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment or aspect is included in at least one embodiment or aspect. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment”, “in one aspect”, or “in an aspect” in various places throughout the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same aspect or embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or aspects.
One skilled in the art will recognize that the herein described components (e.g., operations), devices, objects, and the discussion accompanying them are used as examples for the sake of conceptual clarity and that various configuration modifications are contemplated. Consequently, as used herein, the specific exemplars set forth and the accompanying discussion are intended to be representative of their more general classes. In general, use of any specific exemplar is intended to be representative of its class, and the non-inclusion of specific components (e.g., operations), devices, and objects should not be taken limiting.
In some non-limiting embodiments or aspects, disclosed herein is a clamshell underground base configured for supporting an above-ground static structure that includes a pair of clamshell sections configured to removably connect to each other to define a pipe portion having an open top end, an open bottom end, and an opening extending therebetween. Each of the clamshell sections has a distal end, a proximal end, and a body portion between the distal end and the proximal end. At least one reinforcement plate is connected to the each of the clamshell sections and may extend across the opening. Each of the clamshell sections is made from a first material, and the at least one reinforcement plate may be made from a second material different from the first material. The first material is a fiber-reinforced polymer composite material, and the second material is steel.
With reference to
The base 100 may be construed as a multi-piece structure having a plurality of components that are joined together to form the base 100. In this manner, the separate components can be made to have a shorter length or a smaller size for easier transport, and then assembled on site for final installation as a full-length base 100. Alternatively, the multi-piece structure can be assembled at a factory and shipped to the site as an entire assembled base 100.
The base 100 provides a lightweight structure compared to conventional reinforced concrete bases while meeting the same load and soil support requirements as the concrete bases. The reduced weight of the base 100 compared to conventional concrete bases allows the base to be easily and efficiently transported to the installation site. Additionally, the base 100 can be installed into the soil in a matter of hours and does not require lengthy curing times associated with pouring conventional concrete bases. Unlike the concrete bases, the installation of the base 100 is not dependent on the weather conditions. In some embodiments or aspects, at least a portion of the base 100 may be made from a composite material, such as a fiber-reinforced polymer composite material. Fiber-reinforced polymer composite offers not only high strength to weight ratio, but also reveals exceptional properties such as high durability; stiffness; damping property; flexural strength; and resistance to corrosion, wear, impact, and fire.
With reference to
As shown in
The body portion 116 may have a thickness up to 3″ and a length of up to 100′, although other dimensions are not precluded. The size and shape of the base 100 is desirably selected to meet the load requirements for the above-ground static structure that will be supported by the base 100. The wider that a diameter of the base 100 is, the better suited the base 100 is for withstanding an overturning moment force to prevent the static structure from tipping over.
With continued reference to
As shown in
With continued reference to
The reinforcement plate 130 may extend along at least a portion of the longitudinal length of the clamshell portions 104a, 104b. The reinforcement plate 130 may have a thickness of 0.25″ to 3.0″ and may be formed to have a planar shape. The reinforcement plate 130 is desirably made from a material different from the material of the clamshell portions 104a, 104b. In some embodiments or aspects, the reinforcement plate 130 may be made from steel, such as carbon steel. The reinforcement plate 130 increases the strength of the base 100, such as by resisting torsional forces, without adding a substantial weight to the overall assembly. For example, the reinforcement plate 130 prevents buckling of the clamshell portions 104a, 104b and reinforces the base 100. In some embodiments or aspects, the reinforcement plate 130 may have a tubular form and may be disposed within the opening of the base 100.
In some embodiments or aspects, the clamshell portions 104a, 104b may be made from a composite material, such as a fiber-reinforced polymer composite material. For example, the clamshell portions 104a, 104b may be made from e-glass, where a plurality of fiberglass fabric mats 45° angle relative to adjacent fiberglass fabric mats 140 are laid on top of each with a 45° angle relative to adjacent fiberglass fabric mats such that directions of the fibers 142 of adjacent mats 140 intersect at oblique angles (see
With reference to
With reference to
The first bend line 160 and the second bend line 162 may extend along the entire length of the bracket body portion 158. In this manner, the first bend line 160 and the second bend line 162 divide the bracket body portion 158 into a first flap portion 164, a second flap portion 166, and a central portion 168. The first and second flap portions 164, 166 may be curved to correspond to a curvature of the outer surface of the clamshell portions 104a, 104b. In some embodiments or aspects, the side support structure 150 may be made from the same material as the clamshell portions 104a, 104. In other embodiments or aspects, the side support structure 150 may be made from a different material as the clamshell portions 104a, 104b. For example, the side support structure 150 may be made from steel.
With reference to
With reference to
With reference to
With continued reference to
Referring to
Although the present disclosure has been described in detail for the purpose of illustration based on what are currently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments or aspects, it is to be understood that such detail is solely for that purpose and that the disclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiments or aspects, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover modifications and equivalent arrangements that are within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. For example, it is to be understood that the present disclosure contemplates that, to the extent possible, one or more features of any embodiment or aspect can be combined with one or more features of any other embodiment or aspect.
