The present disclosure is directed to seismic remediation devices, systems, and methods, and more particularly, to a bracket for seismic remediation.
Existing pile supported structures, such as docks, piers, and wharfs typically consist of vertical or batter-angled pilings that support pile caps or beams that span the pilings in rows. In a typical construction using wood pilings, the timber pile caps or beams are secured to the piling with a drift pin. Stringers are then run on top of the pile caps and the deck is installed on top of the stringers. In some examples where the piles are concrete, the piles are driven and concrete is chipped away at the top of the pile to expose some portion of the rebar of the concrete. The pile cap is then poured around the concrete piling with the piling and the exposed rebar embedded into the pile cap. The deck structure is formed and poured over the pile cap. A steel pile structure may be built similarly to a concrete pile structure with the piling filled with a rebar cage and concrete with a portion of the rebar exposed at the top of the pile and cast into the pile cap.
In a seismic event, the seismic waves travel through the ground and will move the pilings up and down. With a typical wood pile supported structure, the pilings can separate from the pile cap during the up and down movement from the seismic waves. The concern is whether the pilings will land back squarely, if at all, under the pile cap. With each seismic wave that passes through the structure and the piling, the likelihood of the piling landing under the pile cap decreases. If not, the structure can collapse and pose a safety risk to those on the structure or in the vicinity of the structure. Alternatively, if some of the pilings remain connected while others separate from the pile cap, the structure will lose the ability to support the intended load which can result in at least a partial failure of the structure. In some cases the structure can also fail or collapse where the load on the structure, such as the dead load, exceeds the maximum supportable load by the remaining connected pilings after a seismic event.
During a seismic event with a concrete piling structure or a steel piling structure, the movement is concentrated at the connection between the pile and the pile cap. The rebar or the steel in the concrete allows the concrete to resist a certain amount of tensile force due to the elastic properties of the metal. However, it is well known that the concrete material itself is very weak under tensile force. In other words, it is well known that concrete will fail when placed under tension. During a seismic event, the repeated up and down motion from the seismic waves produces repeated cycles of tensile and compressive forces at the connection between the pile and the pile cap that are likely to cause the concrete to crack and fall away, leaving nothing but the rebar or steel to support the structure. In some cases, the rebar or steel may prevent a total collapse, but the structure will not be able to handle the intended load. In some severe cases, the seismic event is strong enough or the rebar or steel is too weak to support the remaining load and the structure will collapse. In either situation, the failure of the concrete due to a seismic event poses a safety concern to those near the structure as well as loss of use of the structure itself if it cannot support the intended load after a seismic event.
Moreover, it is difficult and expensive to address the above concerns with known pile supported structures. For example, installation of known seismic upgrades may require closing access to the structure, disassembling all or part of the structure, installing the upgrades, and reassembling the structure. This process has high labor and material costs while also restricting access to the structure for an extended period of time, which can cause a loss of revenue for the owner of the structure or negative impacts on local infrastructure in some examples.
Thus, known pile supported structures have several disadvantages during seismic events that can pose serious safety concerns as well as loss of use of the structure itself after a seismic event. Known seismic upgrades are prohibitively expensive and time consuming to install, which limits their applicability. It would therefore be desirable to have a system that overcomes the shortcomings of conventional seismic remediation devices.
In one or more embodiments, a bracket may be summarized as including: a body including a first half and a second half structured to be coupled to the first half, the first half of the body including a tubular base having a hollow half cylinder shape, a lower channel defined by the tubular base, an upwardly facing U-shaped flange coupled to the tubular base, and an upper channel defined by the flange; the second half of the body including a tubular base having a hollow half cylinder shape, a lower channel defined by the tubular base, an upwardly facing U-shaped flange coupled to the tubular base, and an upper channel defined by the flange, wherein the lower channel of the first half of the body and the lower channel of the second half of the body are securable around a circumference of a pile and the upper channel of the first half of the body and the upper channel of the second half of the body are securable around a longitudinal section of a pile cap.
The bracket may further include: the lower channel of the first half of the body being perpendicular to the upper channel of the first half of the body; the lower channel of the first half of the body having a same size and shape as the lower channel of the second half of the body; the upper channel of the first half of the body having a same size and shape as the upper channel of the second half of the body; the upwardly facing U-shaped flange of the first half of the body including sidewalls that define the upper channel of the first half of the body, the sidewalls of the upwardly facing U-shaped flange of the first half of the body being flat and planar; and the upwardly facing U-shaped flange of the second half of the body including sidewalls that define the upper channel of the second half of the body, the sidewalls of the flange of the second half of the body being flat and planar.
The bracket may further include: the first half of the body including tabs and the second half of the body includes tabs corresponding to the tabs of the first half of the body, the first half of the body being coupleable to the second half of the body with nut and bolt assemblies through the tabs of the first half of the body and the tabs of the second half of the body; the first half of the body being coupled to the second half of the body with at least one of a welded connection, a bracket, and a latch; and the tubular base of the first half of the body and the tubular base of the second half of the body each including a first material having a modulus of elasticity and a second material having a modulus of elasticity greater than the modulus of elasticity of the first material, the second material positioned proximate an interface between the pile and the pile cap to reduce strain at the interface.
In one or more embodiments, a device may be summarized as including: a bracket structured to be coupled to a pile and a pile cap of a structure, the bracket including a first half including a lower channel and an upper channel and a second half including a lower channel and an upper channel, the second half structured to be coupled to the first half with the lower channel of the first half and the lower channel of the second half cooperating to define a pile channel securable around at least a portion of a circumference of the pile of the structure and the upper channel of the first half and the upper channel of the second half cooperating to define a pile cap channel securable around at least a longitudinal portion of a pile cap of the structure.
The device may further include: the lower channel of the first half and the lower channel of the second half each having a different shape than the upper channel of the first half and the second upper of the second half; the lower channel of the first half being perpendicular to the upper channel of the second half; the first half of the bracket including a base and an upwardly facing U-shaped flange coupled to the base, the lower channel of the first half of the bracket defined by the base and the upper channel of the first half of the bracket defined by the upwardly facing U-shaped flange, the base of the first half of the bracket having a hollow half cylinder shape and the upwardly facing U-shaped flange of the first half of the bracket having a rectangular shape with flat and planar sidewalls; the second half of the bracket including a base and an upwardly facing U-shaped flange coupled to the base, the lower channel of the second half of the bracket defined by the base and the upper channel of the second half of the bracket defined by the upwardly facing U-shaped flange, the base of the second half of the bracket having a hollow half cylinder shape and the upwardly facing U-shaped of the second half of the bracket having a rectangular shape with flat and planar sidewalls; and each of the lower channels of the first half of the bracket and the second half of the bracket having a same size and shape and each of the upper channels of the first half of the bracket and the second half of the bracket have a same size and shape.
In one or more embodiments, a method may be summarized as including: coupling a bracket to a pile and a pile cap of a structure, including positioning a lower channel of a first half of the bracket defined by a tubular base with a hollow half cylinder shape of the first half of the bracket around a first portion of the pile, positioning an upper channel of the first half of the bracket defined by an upwardly facing U-shaped flange of the first half of the bracket around a first portion of the pile cap, positioning a lower channel of a second half of the bracket defined by a tubular base with a hollow half cylinder shape of the second half of the bracket around a second portion of the pile opposite to the first portion of the pile, positioning an upper channel of the second half of the bracket defined by an upwardly facing U-shaped flange of the second half of the bracket around a second portion of the pile cap integral with the first portion of the pile cap, and coupling the first half of the bracket to the second half of the bracket around a portion of a circumference of the pile and around a portion of a longitudinal section of the pile cap.
The method may further include: the coupling the first half of the bracket to the second half of the bracket including at least one of coupling at least one nut and bolt assembly to a corresponding at least one tab coupled to the first half of the bracket and at least one tab coupled to the second half of the bracket, welding, coupling a plate to both the first half of the bracket and the second half of the bracket, securing a latch between the first half of the bracket and the second half of the bracket, securing a clamp between the first half of the bracket and the second half of the bracket, and fastening the first half of the bracket and the second half of the bracket to the pile with fasteners; the coupling the first half of the bracket to the second half of the bracket including aligning the lower channel of the first half of the bracket with the lower channel of the second half of the bracket to define a pile channel securable around the portion of the circumference of the pile and aligning the upper channel of the first half of the bracket with the upper channel of the second half of the bracket to define a pile cap channel securable around the portion of the longitudinal section of the pile cap; the positioning the upper channel of the first half of the bracket including arranging the upper channel of the first half of the bracket perpendicular to the lower channel of the first half of the bracket; and the coupling the bracket to the pile and the pile cap of the structure including coupling the bracket to an interface between the pile and the pile cap of the structure.
The present disclosure will be more fully understood by reference to the following figures, which are for illustrative purposes only. These non-limiting and non-exhaustive embodiments are described with reference to the following drawings, wherein like labels refer to like parts throughout the various views unless otherwise specified. The sizes and relative positions of elements in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale in some figures. For example, the shapes of various elements are selected, enlarged, and positioned to improve drawing legibility. In other figures, the sizes and relative positions of elements in the drawings are exactly to scale. The particular shapes of the elements as drawn may have been selected for ease of recognition in the drawings. The figures do not describe every aspect of the teachings disclosed herein and do not limit the scope of the claims.
Persons of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the present disclosure is illustrative only and not in any way limiting. Other embodiments of the presently disclosed system and method readily suggest themselves to such skilled persons having the assistance of this disclosure.
Each of the features and teachings disclosed herein can be utilized separately or in conjunction with other features and teachings to provide seismic remediation devices, systems, and methods. Representative examples utilizing many of these additional features and teachings, both separately and in combination, are described in further detail with reference to attached
In the description below, for purposes of explanation only, specific nomenclature is set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the present system and method. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that these specific details are not required to practice the teachings of the present devices, systems and methods.
Moreover, the various features of the representative examples and the dependent claims may be combined in ways that are not specifically and explicitly enumerated in order to provide additional useful embodiments of the present teachings. It is also expressly noted that all value ranges or indications of groups of entities disclose every possible intermediate value or intermediate entity for the purpose of original disclosure, as well as for the purpose of restricting the claimed subject matter. It is also expressly noted that the dimensions and the shapes of the components shown in the figures are designed to help understand how the present teachings are practiced, but are not intended to limit the dimensions and the shapes shown in the examples in some embodiments. In some embodiments, the dimensions and the shapes of the components shown in the figures are intended to limit the dimensions and the shapes of the components.
While most of the embodiments described below refer to a bracket for a pile and a pile cap of a pile-supported structure that is at least partially submerged in water (i.e., a pier, wharf, bridge, and the like), in other embodiments, the brackets may be adapted for vertical supports or columns and beams or caps of land-based structures.
Beginning with
During a seismic event, the structure 20 will experience repeated cycles of up and down movements, as well as potential side to side movements, that are concentrated at the interface between the piles 22 and the pile caps 28. As explained above, the piles 22 can separate from the pile caps 28 as a result of this up and down movement and the concern becomes whether the piles 22 will land squarely, if at all, under the pile caps 28. With each seismic wave that passes through the structure 20, the probability that the piles 22 land squarely with the pile caps 28 decreases. If the piles 22 do not land squarely with the pile caps 28, the structure 20 can collapse and pose a safety risk to people or objects on the deck 32 and near the structure 20. Alternatively, if some of the piles 22 remain connected to the pile caps 28 while some are disconnected, as above, then the structure 20 will not be able to support the intended load and access to the structure 20 will likely need to be restricted until the structure 20 can be adequately repaired. These type of repairs represent a significant expense and hassle for owners as well as a loss of use of the structure 20 for an extended period.
Although the rebar 44 improves the properties of the concrete 46 when the pile 42 is subjected to tension forces, the concrete material 46 itself is known to be weak under applied tensile forces. During a seismic event, the repeated up and down motion from the seismic waves produces repeated cycles of tensile and compressive forces on the concrete that are concentrated at the connection between the pile 42 and the pile cap 48. As a result, the concrete 46 is likely to crumble, leaving only the rebar 44 to support the pile cap 48 and the structure 40, as shown in
Further, remediation of the above structures 20, 40 is difficult and expensive because it typically requires disassembly of the structures 20, 40 and installation of specialized remediation devices that resist forces during a seismic event. This process has high labor and material costs while also restricting access to the structure for an extended period of time, which can cause a loss of revenue for the owner of the structure or negative impacts on local infrastructure in some non-limiting examples.
The flange 110 may have an upward facing “U” shape with flat and planar sidewalls 118 and a flange base 119. The sidewalls 118 are parallel or substantially parallel to each other. Additionally, the sidewalls 118 are perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the flange base 119. Together the sidewalls 118 and a flange base 119 define an upper channel 120. Thus, as defined herein, the upward facing “U” shaped flange 110 typically has perpendicular lower corners, not rounded corners of a traditional “U” shape. However, the flange 110 is configured to conform to the bottom section of a pile cap. Accordingly, in an embodiment where the bottom section of a pile cap has rounded corners, the corresponding section of the flange has rounded corners as well.
The upper channel 120 is open at the top of the bracket 100 to receive at least a portion of a pile cap, as explained further below. Further, the flange 110 includes a length 122 and a width 124. The upper channel 120 extends through the flange 110 over the entire length 122 and width 124 with the dimensions of the upper channel 120 being constant over the entire length 122 and width 124. In one or more embodiments where the pile cap has an unusual shape, the length and width 122, 124 of the flange 110 may change over the length and width 124. In some non-limiting examples, the upper channel 120 may taper or may have a step-down or step-up configuration over the length 122 and width 124 of the upward facing U-shaped flange 110. The length 122 of the upward facing U-shaped flange 110 may also be greater than, equal to, or less than the width 124 of the upward facing U-shaped flange 110. Further, the length 122 or the width 124, or both, may be greater than, equal to, or less than the height 116 of the base 108. As with the base 108, the size and shape of the upward facing U-shaped flange 110 may be selected based on design factors, such as the dimensions, size, or shape, or any combination thereof, of a pile cap received in the upper channel 120.
Although the above description focuses on the first half 104 of the body 102 of the bracket 100, it is to be appreciated that the second half 106 of the body 102 of the bracket 100 is a mirror image and may have the same features, aspects, and characteristics as the first half 104 of the bracket 100. In one or more embodiments, the second half 106 of the body 102 of the bracket 102 may have a different size or shape, or both, than the first half 104 of the body 102 of the bracket 102, such as when the pile or pile cap has an irregular shape. Further, where the bracket 100 is intended to be used with the last pile in a given series (i.e., a corner pile), the first half 104 or the second half 106 of the body 102 of the bracket 100 may include only the base 108 but not the upward facing U-shaped flange 110, or the height 116 of the base 108 may be greater than the length 122 of the upward facing U-shaped flange 110 of either half 104, 106 of the body 102 of the bracket 100 due to the termination of the pile cap at the corner location. In some embodiments, the first half 104 or the second half 104 of the body 102 of the bracket 100 may replace the upwardly facing U-shaped flange 110 with an upwardly facing corner-shaped flange corresponding to a shape of the pile cap where the pile cap terminates at the corner location.
Where the pile has an irregular shape, such as a pile with a tapered diameter decreasing from a top to a bottom of the pile or a step-down configuration, among others, the bracket 100 may further include a seal between the bracket 100 and the pile. More specifically, the base 108 of one or both halves 104, 106 of the body 102 of the bracket 100 may include a strip of material a bottom of the base 108 for creating a seal between the base 108 and the pile. The strip of material may be foam or another like material and may include an adhesive in some embodiments for securing the strip of material to the pile. The base 108 of one or both halves 104, 106 of the bracket 100 further includes two valves or ports. A first valve is positioned above the layer of material proximate the bottom of the base and a second valve is positioned near a top of the base 108 proximate the flange 110.
Once the bracket 100 is in position on the pile with the strip of material creating a seal at the bottom of the bracket, an epoxy grout or another like hard setting material can be pumped into the first or lower valve. The air in the void between the bracket 100 and the pile is displaced as the grout fills the void with the air being vented through the second valve at the top of the base 108 of one or both halves 104, 106 of the bracket. In some embodiments, the grout is pumped into the first valve until the grout reaches the second valve, although the same is not necessarily required and any selected amount of grout can be pumped into the void through the first valve. The flange 110 of one or both halves 104, 106 of the body 102 of the bracket 100 may include similar features, such as a strip of material for forming a seal and valves, to accommodate pile caps with an irregular shape in some embodiments. Further, the bracket 100 including the valves 100 is particularly well adapted for use with concrete piles in some embodiments, although the concepts can also be employed with any type of pile.
Moreover, the bracket 100 may be formed of any material now known or discovered in the future. For example, the bracket 100 may be formed of any material currently listed, or listed in the future, in the American Society for Testing Materials (“ASTM”) standards, specifications, technical papers, or books. In some non-limiting examples, the bracket may be formed of structural steel or structural aluminum with the dimensions (i.e., length, width, height, web thickness, etc.) selected based on the factors above in addition to engineering design factors. The dimensions may be constant for both halves 104, 106 of the body 102 of the bracket 100 or may change over the halves 104, 106 of the body 102 of the bracket 100, such as when a higher web thickness is selected for the base 108 and the bottom of the upward facing U-shaped flange 110 relative to the sides of the upward facing U-shaped flange 110 to further resist localized stress and strain at the interface between the pile and the pile cap. In yet further non-limiting examples, the bracket 100 may be formed of any material with a modulus of elasticity higher than concrete.
Moreover,
In some embodiments shown in
Although only one side of the bracket 100 is shown in
In some embodiments, the tabs 143 are positioned only on the base 108 of each half 104, 106 of the bracket 100 or only on the upward facing U-shaped flange 110 of each half 104, 106 of the bracket 100. However, it is preferred that both the base 108 and the upward facing U-shaped flange 110 of each half 104, 106 of the bracket 100 include tabs 143 to provide a secure connection between the halves 104, 106 of the bracket 100. Although not specifically shown in
Moreover, the bracket 100 limits further damage and failure of the interface between the pile 130 and the pile cap 132 for any type of pile and pile cap (i.e., formed of any material) because the bracket 100 has a higher modulus of elasticity than the pile 130 and the pile cap 132 and can better resist deformation resulting from the stresses applied by the seismic event at the interface between the pile 130 and the pile cap 132. As a result, the bracket 100 also prevents the pile 130 from separating from the pile cap 132, which is of particular importance when the pile 130 and the pile cap 132 are wood. As such, the use of the bracket 100 during a seismic event enables the structure to continue supporting most of, or all, of its intended load to reduce the risk of harm to persons and objects on the structure or near the structure until the structure can be safely repaired. Further, the bracket 100 reduces the overall amount of damage to the pile 130 and the pile 132, thus reducing the cost of repairs. The bracket 100 can also be manufactured and installed at considerably less cost than other known seismic remediation devices because installation does not involve disassembling the pile 130 and the pile cap 132, or any part of the structure.
Beginning with
In
In
In
Referring now to
As further shown in
A bracket 200F is coupled to a pile 202F and a pile cap 204F at the interface between the pile 202F and the pile cap 204F. The bracket 200F includes a first half 206F coupled to a second half 208F with each half 206F, 208F including a base 210F coupled to an upward facing U-shaped flange 212F. The halves 206F, 208F of the bracket 200F are coupled to the pile 202F and pile cap 204F with fasteners 214F. The fasteners 214F may be any fastener presently available or developed in the future, including, without limitation, nails, screws, bolts, and other like devices. Further, the fasteners 214F may be inserted through pre-drilled or preformed holes in the bracket 200F or may be inserted directly through the bracket 200F and into the pile 202F and pile cap 204F. Although the fasteners 214F are illustrated as being only through the base 210F of each half 206F, 208F of the bracket 200F, the fasteners 214F may be selected to be located on any part of the bracket 200F.
The bracket 300 includes a first half 306 coupled to a second half 306 of the bracket 300 with each half 306, 308 including a base 310 coupled to an upward facing U-shaped flange 312. In some embodiments, the base 310 or the upward facing U-shaped flange 312, or both, of each half 306, 308 of the bracket 300 may include sections or portions of material with a different composition or material properties and characteristics than the remainder of the bracket. As shown in
In some embodiments, the second section 316 has a higher modulus of elasticity than the first section 314 to reduce the strain in the bracket 300 proximate the interface between the pile 302 and the pile 304 under the stresses applied by a seismic event. In some embodiments, it may be advantageous to have the second section 316 have a lower modulus of elasticity than the first section 314. For example, using a material such as rubber or another like elastic material at the second section 316 may allow the second section to act as a spring or shock absorber proximate the interface between the pile 302 and the pile cap 304. Although the second section 316 is illustrated as being only part of the base 310 of each half 306, 308 of the bracket 300, it is to be appreciated that any portion of either or both halves 306, 308 of the bracket 300 can include one or more sections or portions with a material having a different material composition than the remainder of the bracket 300. For example, the second section 316 may extend to a bottom portion of the upward facing U-shaped flange 312 in some embodiments, as indicated by dashed line 318. Still further, the bracket 300 can include a selected number of sections of different materials, such as three, four, or five or more sections positioned at any selected location throughout the bracket 300, in some embodiments.
In view of the above, the brackets of the present disclosure have reduced manufacturing and installation costs relative to known seismic remediation devices. Further, the brackets can be installed without disassembling any portion of a structure and thus reduce potential downtime and loss of use of the structure during installation of remediation devices. The brackets of the present disclosure also considerably improve the structure's response to a seismic event by strengthening the connection between the pile and the pile cap of a pile supported structure. This improved response reduces damage to the structure as a result of a seismic event, which can further reduce repair costs and downtime, while also allowing the structure to continue supporting most, if not all, of its intended load after a seismic event and allowing people and objects in the vicinity of the structure to be moved to safety after a seismic event. Thus, the concepts of the present disclosure provide these and other benefits and advantages over known seismic remediation devices.
From the foregoing it will be appreciated that, although specific embodiments have been described herein for purposes of illustration, various modifications may be made without deviating from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the technology is not limited except by the corresponding claims and the elements recited by those claims. In addition, while certain aspects of the technology may be presented in certain claim forms at certain times, the inventors contemplate the various aspects of the invention in any available claim form.
The above description of illustrated embodiments, including what is described in the Abstract, is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the implementations to the precise forms disclosed. Although specific embodiments and examples are described herein for illustrative purposes, various equivalent modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure, as will be recognized by those skilled in the relevant art. The teachings provided herein of the various embodiments can be applied outside of the sanitation device, system, and method context, and are not limited to the examples generally described above.
Many of the methods described herein can be performed with variations. For example, many of the methods may include additional acts, omit some acts, and/or perform acts in a different order than as illustrated or described.
Certain words and phrases used in the specification are set forth as follows. As used throughout this document, including the claims, the singular form “a”, “an”, and “the” include plural references unless indicated otherwise. Any of the features and elements described herein may be singular, e.g., a sensor may refer to one sensor and a memory may refer to one memory. The terms “include” and “comprise,” as well as derivatives thereof, mean inclusion without limitation. The phrases “associated with” and “associated therewith,” as well as derivatives thereof, may mean to include, be included within, interconnect with, contain, be contained within, connect to or with, couple to or with, be communicable with, cooperate with, interleave, juxtapose, be proximate to, be bound to or with, have, have a property of, or the like. Other definitions of certain words and phrases are provided throughout this disclosure.
The use of ordinals such as first, second, third, etc., does not necessarily imply a ranked sense of order, but rather may only distinguish between multiple instances of an act or a similar structure or material.
Throughout the specification, claims, and drawings, the following terms take the meaning explicitly associated herein, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. The term “herein” refers to the specification, claims, and drawings associated with the current application. The phrases “in one embodiment,” “in another embodiment,” “in various embodiments,” “in some embodiments,” “in other embodiments,” and other variations thereof refer to one or more features, structures, functions, limitations, or characteristics of the present disclosure, and are not limited to the same or different embodiments unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. As used herein, the term “or” is an inclusive “or” operator, and is equivalent to the phrases “A or B, or both” or “A or B or C, or any combination thereof,” and lists with additional elements are similarly treated. The term “based on” is not exclusive and allows for being based on additional features, functions, aspects, or limitations not described, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In addition, throughout the specification, the meaning of “a,” “an,” and “the” include singular and plural references.
Where a range of values is provided, it is understood that each intervening value, to the tenth of the unit of the lower limit unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, between the upper and lower limit of that range and any other stated or intervening value in that stated range is encompassed within the invention. The upper and lower limits of these smaller ranges may independently be included in the smaller ranges is also encompassed within the invention, subject to any specifically excluded limit in the stated range. Where the stated range includes one or both of the limits, ranges excluding either or both of those included limits are also included in the present disclosure.
The terms “top,” “bottom,” “upper,” “lower,” “left,” “right,” and other like derivatives are used only for discussion purposes based on the orientation of the components in the Figures of the present disclosure. These terms are not limiting with respect to the possible orientations explicitly disclosed, implicitly disclosed, or inherently disclosed in the present disclosure and unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, any of the aspects of the embodiments of the disclosure can be arranged in any orientation.
Generally, unless otherwise indicated, the materials for making the invention and/or its components may be selected from appropriate materials such as metal, metallic alloys (high strength alloys, high hardness alloys), composite materials, ceramics, intermetallic compounds, and the like.
The foregoing description, for purposes of explanation, uses specific nomenclature and formula to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosed embodiments. It should be apparent to those of skill in the art that the specific details are not required in order to practice the invention. The embodiments have been chosen and described to best explain the principles of the disclosed embodiments and its practical application, thereby enabling others of skill in the art to utilize the disclosed embodiments, and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. Thus, the foregoing disclosure is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed, and those of skill in the art recognize that many modifications and variations are possible in view of the above teachings.
Unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, relative terms such as “approximately,” “substantially,” “generally,” and other derivatives include an ordinary error range or manufacturing tolerance due to slight differences and variations in manufacturing, and when used to describe a value, amount, quantity, or dimension, generally refer to a value, amount, quantity, or dimension that is within plus or minus 5% of the stated value, amount, quantity, or dimension. It is to be further understood that any specific dimensions of components or features provided herein are for illustrative purposes only with reference to the various embodiments described herein, and as such, it is expressly contemplated in the present disclosure to include dimensions that are more or less than the dimensions stated, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
These and other changes can be made to the embodiments in light of the above-detailed description. In general, in the following claims, the terms used should not be construed to limit the claims to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification and the claims, but should be construed to include all possible embodiments along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. Accordingly, the breadth and scope of a disclosed embodiment should not be limited by any of the above-described embodiments, but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents.
Number | Date | Country | |
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63248947 | Sep 2021 | US |