Patent Application
20140186126
Embodiments disclosed herein relate to helically driven piles used in civil and utility applications.
It is necessary to place cable telephone and communications equipment and electrical wiring in enclosures for protection from the elements. Thus, it is known to use cabinets to protect equipment and wiring for telephone and cable applications; naturally, these cabinets need to be level and stabilized, and hence concrete slabs must be poured and dried.
However, problems in the use of concrete slabs have arisen. First pouring a suitable concrete slab is time consuming and labor intensive. An appropriate bed must be dug out, gravel compacted and cement mixed, poured skimmed, leveled, and dried. Often, further settling or shifting of the soil bed (or the compacted stone) leads to cracking of the slab and instability. Additionally, concrete may not be level or may not be skimmed appropriately, leading to the puddling of water and further damage to the concrete slab and instability of the cabinet. Finally, concrete slabs at ground level are susceptible to water damage caused by large puddles or flooding of water. Furthermore, at ground level, cabinets are exposed to snow drifts and corrosive salts and debris associated with road maintenance and snow removal.
One solution to the problems posed by the use of concrete is to attach cabinets to telephone and utility poles. Attaching cabinets to existing poles elevates equipment and wiring and thereby provides protection from flooding water, snow build up, salts and other corrosives and debris associated with snow removal along roads and thorough fares. The elevated positioning thus solves some of the problems associated with the use of concrete slabs but creates others. When housing equipment, the cabinets are heavy, and put stress on utility poles which are typically made of wood. Furthermore, cabinets are mounted on one side of the pole, thereby creating an imbalance that pulls the pole from its proper alignment in holding up overhead lines. Re-setting poles is expensive and disruptive to electric telephone and cable service.
Accordingly, there exists long felt need to protect equipment and wiring from the elements quickly while at the same time reducing labor costs. There also exists a need to provide a stable environment for equipment without loading existing infrastructure excessively. The present invention is directed to overcoming these and other disadvantages inherent in prior art systems. Other advantages will be revealed in the following specification.
The scope of the present invention is defined solely by the appended claims, and is not affected to any degree by the statements within this summary. Disclosed herein are embodiments of helical pile, comprising a shaft that is provided with an axis, a first end, and a second end, a lead located at the first end, a first plate that is welded to the helical pile, and a second plate that is attached to the first plate.
FIG. 1-a is a side view of a pile with a lead welded to one end and a plate welded to the other end.
FIG. 1-b is a scaled drawing showing relative dimensions of the pile, lead, and plate in inches.
FIG. 2-a is top view of a plate.
FIG. 2-b is a scaled drawing showing relative dimensions of the plate in inches.
FIG. 5-a is a top view of a platform.
FIG. 5-b is a scaled drawing showing relative dimensions of the platform in inches.
The plate 200 is provided with a plurality of openings 210, 211, 212, 213, 220, 221, 222, 223, 230, 231, 232, 233. The openings are in the form of a plurality of holes 210, 211, 212, 213, 220, 221, 222, 223 and slots 230, 231, 232, 233. The holes 210, 211, 212, 213, 220, 221, 222, 223 include a plurality of fastening holes 210, 211, 212, 213 that are straight-through holes and shaped to accept a plurality of bolts (not shown). Also shown in
The first plate 200 is configured to be attached to a platform 300, which is depicted in
The platform 300 is provided with an upper surface 301 and an under surface 302, a plurality of reinforcements 310, 311, 312, and a plurality of sides 303, 304, 305, 306. As FIG. 5-a illustrates, the sides 303, 304, 305, 306 are configured as opposing pairs 303, 304, 305 and 306. One pair of sides 305, 306 are welded onto the platform while the other pair of sides 303, 304 are formed over the edges 307, 308 of the platform, as is depicted in
The reinforcements 311, 312 extend from one of the sides of the platform to the other side (from one side 303 to the other opposing side 304). The reinforcements 311, 312 are in the form of channels spaced to provide the platform 300 with rigidity. Advantageously, the channels are provided with a plurality of drain holes that drain away water that may condense or seep therein. The channels and the second plate 300 are also provided with a plurality of mounting holes 320, 321, 322, 323, that are shaped to cooperate with the holes 210, 211, 212, 213 on the first plate 200. Because the reinforcements 310, 311, 312 are in the form of channels, the fasteners (preferably mounting bolts) used to secure the platform 300 to the plate 200 are recessed so that the upper surface 301 presents a smooth and flat finish.
As noted above, the plate 200 is provided with at least one slot, but preferably a plurality of slots 230, 231, 232, 233. The slots are curved about a slot axis 201, which advantageously is coaxial with the pile axis 111 after the plate 200 and the pipe are welded together. The slots 230, 231, 232, 233 are dimensioned to accept a fastener, which, in the preferred embodiment, is a bolt. As
The slots 230, 231, 232, 233 are oriented so that the mounting bolts pass through the mounting holes 320, 321, 322, 323 in the platform 300, through the channels, to extend through the slots 230, 231, 232, 233 in the first plate 200. Because the slots 230, 231, 232, 233 are curved about the slot axis 201, the platform 300 can be turned and oriented while the mounting bolts extend through both the plate 200 and the platform 300. After the platform 300 is adjusted on the plate 200, the mounting bolts and nuts secure the platform 300 to the plate 200. Thus, the platform 300 is adjustably mounted to the pile 100. In the preferred embodiment, each of the slots 230, 231, 232, 233 forms an arc of 30°. Nonetheless, it is within the scope of the present invention for each slot to form an arc that ranges between 0° and 30°. Collectively, the slots form an opening 235 that is shaped as a circle with at least one, but preferably a plurality of, interruptions 236, 237, 238, 239.
The plate 200 is also provided with an indicator 240, which, in the preferred embodiment, is in the form of a notch 241 located at the outer portion of the plate 200. As
The platform 300 is preferably configured to cooperate with electrical wiring and is provided with a plurality of wiring holes (which have been designated collectively as “330” on
The pile 100 is also provided with a depth indicator 241. In the preferred embodiment, the fixture 120 also provides a visual indication of how far into the soil the pile has penetrated. The fixture 120 is positioned axially on the pipe 130 so that one of the fixture ends 121, 122 is located at a standard installation depth (approximately 4.5 feet).
The pile 100 is provided with a lead 140, a pipe 130, and a plate 200. The lead 140 is shaped to penetrate earth so as to provide a foundation for the platform 300. In the preferred embodiment, the lead 140 is a helix and welded to an end of the pipe 130. The fixture 120 is also welded to the pipe 130, and as is noted above, the plate 200 is welded to the pipe 130 as well. Advantageously, the pile 100, the plate 200, and the platform 300 are provided with a coating to prevent corrosion, preferably hot dipped and galvanized.
Referring again to
After the platform 300 is secured, an enclosure (generally designated “500” in
While this invention has been particularly shown and described with references to embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
