Patent Application
20130305630
The present invention relates to pre-cast concrete structures, systems of pre-cast concrete structures and methods of assembling pre-cast concrete structures.
Pre-cast concrete structures are commonly used in construction applications. They are often preferred over cast-in-situ concrete structures since casting conditions can be regulated at an off-site casting facility. The pre-cast structure can then be shipped and assembled at the site with less labour and less stringent quality requirements. It is also possible to add a number of design features to pre-cast concrete structures such as decorative texturing and structural features.
Pre-cast concrete structures such as fences, walls, sound barriers, retaining walls are typically cast as full height structures that are then erected on site by means of heavy lifting equipment such as cranes. Due to the need for specialized equipment, the delivery, storage and erection of concrete fences and barriers must be timed precisely to coincide with availability of the heavy lifting equipment on site.
Pre-cast concrete structures are often cast according to specific construction requirements for height, length and width. This requires exact knowledge of the construction requirements prior to casting and shipping. Should construction conditions change and taller or shorter structures be required, there is no recourse but to re-cast new structures to the amended specifications.
A need and interest therefore exists in the art to develop improved pre-cast concrete structures and methods of assembling pre-cast concrete structure systems such as walls, sound barriers, fences and retaining walls.
A system is taught comprising a first plain end concrete structure comprising two side faces extending vertically to end in a bottom face and in a top face and extending horizontally to end in two end faces and a second fork end concrete structure comprising two side faces extending vertically to end in a bottom face and in a top face and extending horizontally to end in two fork ends; said fork ends each comprising a pair of fork walls that define a slot. The system further comprises a base for receiving thereupon the first plain end concrete structure and the second fork end concrete structure and a rigid support member embedded in the base, and received within said slot. The slot has a width sized to receive an end face of the first plain end structure such that the end face of the first plain end structure is disposed adjacent the rigid support member.
A further system is taught comprising a first plain end concrete structure comprising two side faces extending vertically to end in a bottom face and in a top face and extending horizontally to end in two end faces, and a second fork end concrete structure comprising two side faces extending vertically to end in a bottom face and in a top face and extending horizontally to end in two fork ends; said fork ends each comprising a pair of fork walls extending from a fork end face to a mouth to define a slot. The system further comprises a base for receiving thereupon the first plain end concrete structure and the second fork end concrete structure and a rigid support member embedded in the base, and received within said slot adjacent the fork end face. A width of the slot of one or more of the fork ends at the mouth is sized to receive the end face of the plain end structure and the width of the slot increases from the mouth to the fork end face.
Finally a system of stacked structures is taught, said system comprising one or more stacking structures, each comprising two side faces extending vertically to end in a bottom face and a top face, said top face comprising a top profile and said bottom face comprising a bottom profile. The one or more stacking structures are vertically stackable onto each other such that the top profile of a lower structure interfits with the bottom profile of a higher structure in the vertical stack.
The present invention will now be described in greater detail, with reference to the following drawings, in which:
The present invention relates to pre-cast concrete structures and systems of pre-cast concrete structures. More specifically, the present invention relates to pre-cast concrete structures for use as walls, fences, sound barriers, retaining walls, dividers or other well known constructional and structural elements. The structures of present invention can be easily and economically formed, transported, erected and stacked as needed. The present structures further do not require heavy lifting equipment such as cranes for set up or assembly.
The structures of the present invention can be made from a number of well-known materials including reinforced concrete or any construction materials composed of aggregates and cementitous materials. Other fluid or semi-fluid materials that can be hardened or solidified may also be used, as well as filler materials joined together with a bonding agent or resin.
An example of the system of structures of the present invention is shown in
The side faces 6 may preferably comprise a texture or decorative pattern such as, for example plain, textured concrete, revealed concrete, stone, rock, masonry block or brick. Such texture or pattern is more preferably bounded horizontally by a plain surface directly adjacent end faces 8. Further preferably, the texture or pattern may also be bounded vertically by a plain surface directly adjacent top face 12 and bottom face 10.
The fork-end structure 4 is depicted in
Fork ends 20, 22 comprise a pair of fork walls 24 that extend from the bottom face 16 to the top face 18. The fork walls 24 are connected at a first end to define a fork end face 26 and are open to a mouth 28 at a second end to thereby define a slot 30. In one embodiment, the fork walls 24 are preferably substantially parallel to one another. A width of the slot 30, as defined by a distance between fork walls 24, is preferably equal to or greater than a width of the end face 8, to receive end face 8 and support plain end structure 2 in an upright position.
In such a manner, plain end structures 2 and fork end structures 4 can be inter-fit to form a system such as a wall, fence, sound barrier, divider or retaining wall.
Side faces 6a, 6b and 14a, 14b are shown as being preferably substantially planar and parallel to one another. However it is also possible for the side faces 6a, 6b and 14a, 14b to define a curved surface, to comprise ridges or projections, or to be wholly or partially non-parallel, to thereby define varying thicknesses between the side faces. These and other variations in side faces 6a, 6b and 14a, 14b can be envisioned and are encompassed by the scope of the present invention.
In a preferred embodiment, one or both of the plain end structure 2 and the fork end structure 4 may be cast with a reinforcement 38 embedded within the structure for added strength and durability. Such reinforcement 38 may take the form of a steel plate, rebar, steel mesh and any other well known reinforcing products in the art.
In one method of assembly of a system of the present invention, a base 34, preferably in the form of a cast-in-situ pile, is poured and a rigid support member 36 is embedded into the base 34. This is depicted in
Alternatively, the support member 36 may preferably be reinforced with rebar 46 and placed in a pile hole and then the base 34 may be poured around the reinforced support member 36. In this embodiment, rebar 46 is most preferably welded to the support member 36 prior to insertion in the pile hole. Many other means of pouring the base 34, reinforcing the base 34 or embedding a support member 36 in a base 34 would be known and well understood by a person of skill in the art and are encompassed by the scope of the present invention.
Said support member 36 can preferably be any elongated rigid member including, but not limited to posts, rods, tubes, ‘I’ beams and ‘H’ beams. The support member is typically made of steel and is most preferably a wide flange beam such as a steel ‘H’ beam. Such support members 36 preferably extend above the base 34 to a final height of the assembled system.
Once cured, a fork end structure 4 can be supported on the pile 34, with the support member 36 being accommodated in an inner portion of the slot 30 near the fork end face 26, as depicted in the right hand side of
In an alternate embodiment, the support beam preferably comprises one or more flanges on one or more sides, such as, for example a wide flange ‘H’ beam support member 36. In such cases it is also possible for one or more of end faces 8 of a plain end structure 2 to be formed with a projection 42 that can be received into said one or more flanges of the support member. One example of this configuration is shown in
Preferably, any void space between the support member 36 and the slot 30 is filled with filler selected from aggregates, concrete, spray foam, grout or other well-known fillers in the art. The filler provides additional rigidity and support to the system and helps to lock the structures of the system in place. More preferably, the void is filled with aggregate such as washed rock. Most preferably the void is filled with ¾ inch (2 cm) washed aggregates.
A preferred profile of fork walls 24 are shown on fork end 22, in which the width of the slot 30 increases from the mouth 28 to the fork end face 26 such that the width of the slot at the mouth 28 is still sized to receive and support an end face 8. The increased slot width beyond the mouth 28 can be provided by any known shape or profile of the fork walls 24. For example, as depicted in
The increased width of the slot 30 depicted in alternative fork end 22, may be present on both fork ends of a fork end structure 4, or may be present on only one end, or alternatively may not be present at all.
The increased width of the slot 30 resulting from fork end 22, may advantageously accommodate a larger, and preferably therefore stronger, support members 36. The profile of the fork walls 24 of fork end 22 may also advantageously serve to better retain any filler used to fill the void between the support member 36 and the slot 30.
In a further preferred embodiment, fork end structures 4 may be constructed without side walls 14, in the form of a column. In such an embodiment, the column form of fork end structure may comprises one or more slots 30 formed by one or more pairs of fork walls 24 for receiving one or more plain end structures 2 therein. The slots 30 may be formed in line with one another such that a linear fence or wall system may be formed with plane end structures 2 in spaces of small length. Alternatively, the slots 30 may be at perpendicular angles to one another such that plane end structures 2 are received therein to form a corner of a fence or wall system. Finally, a singular slot 30 may be formed in a column form of a fork end structure to form an end piece to a fence or wall system.
The structures 2, 4 of the present system may be formed in any dimensions of height, width and depth that are preferred for the formation of systems of sound barriers, fences, retaining walls and other related systems.
In a preferred embodiment, illustrated in
The profiles 40 may be of any shape and configuration well known in the art and can include, for example, shiplap profiles, tongue-and-groove profiles, dovetail profiles, and any other profiles that interfit upon stacking, as depicted in
The structures 2, 4 of the present system are most preferably cast in heights of 1 foot (30 cm), 2 feet (60 cm) or 3 feet (91 cm). At such heights, the structures 2,4 are advantageously easily maneuvered and lifted into place by smaller equipment such as bobcats, forklifts, telescopic handlers and the like, which are commonly found on construction sites. The preferred heights of the structures 2, 4 do not require the use of larger specialty equipment such as cranes for assembly of the present system.
The support member 36 of the present invention preferably extends above the base 34 to the full height of the present assembled system. Thus, for example in assembling a system comprising a stack of three structures, each being 3 feet (91 cm) in height, the support member 36 would extend 9-foot (2.75 m) above the base 34.
As the height of the assembled system increases, and correspondingly the height of the support member 36 above base 34, the depth that the support member 36 is embedded into the base 34 is also preferably increased. This arrangement advantageously improves support of the system against increased wind loads as the height of the system increases. The thickness of the support member and its cross sectional size is also preferably increased with increasing height of the stacked system and increased height of the support member. Some examples of ratios of system height, support member size and embedment depth of a wide flange or I-beam support member are given in Table 1 below:
In a further preferred embodiment, the assembled system of the present invention may further comprise a coping (not shown) covering the top faces 12, 18 of structures 2, 4 respectively. A sealing means (not shown) may preferably cover fork ends 22, 24 to prevent ingress of water into voids between the support member 36 and plain ends 8, and the slot 30. Such sealing means can be any suitable means of sealing the fork ends 22, 24 including but not limited to caps, concrete covers, flashing, membranes or the use of sealants and the like.
In the foregoing specification, the invention has been described with a specific embodiment thereof; however, it will be evident that various modifications and changes may be made thereto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention.
