The present invention relates generally to subsurface supports placed in the ground, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for creating soil or rock subsurface supports that can be used in multiple applications to include support for excavations as a passive soil nail in tension, bending and/or shear, support to stabilize sloping terrain as a tieback in tension, support for an above ground structure as a micropile in compression and/or shear, or support for an above ground structure as an anchor in tension. A preferred embodiment of the invention includes a self-centralizing soil nail having an inner member centralized within an outer member.
In the construction of buildings, bridges, and other man-made structures, it is well known to place passive supports such as footers, piles, and other subsurface supports for supporting such man-made structures. These types of supports are passive because the earth around the subsurface support must first shift or move to mobilize the available tensile, bending, or shear capacities.
One particular problem associated with subsurface supports which may be made of iron, steel, or other metals is that over time, corrosion takes place which ultimately degrades the ability of the support to provide designed support for an overlying structure.
In addition to providing the above-mentioned subsurface supports, it is also known to provide ground strengthening by driving elongate reinforcing members, referred to as soil nails, into the ground in an array thus improving the bulk properties of the ground. The soil nails themselves are not used for direct support of an overlying structure; rather, the soil nails are simply used to prevent shifting or other undesirable properties or characteristics of a particular geological formation that is built upon.
In some cases, the earth surrounding or near a man made structure becomes unstable and requires active support, such as by a tieback. Tiebacks are pre-tensioned subsurface supports that are used to restrain any movement of surrounding soil and rock. Tiebacks are similar to passive soil nails in construction, and can be emplaced in a similar fashion as a soil nail. More recently, soil nails and tiebacks have also been used to provide temporary and permanent excavation support and slope stabilization.
The U.S. Pat. No. 5,044,831 discloses a method of soil nailing wherein a soil nail is placed in the ground by being fired from a barrel of a launcher. The soil nail is loaded into the barrel, and pressurized gas emitted from the barrel forces the soil nail into the ground to a desired depth. One advantage of using a soil nail launcher is that the soil nails can be emplaced with a minimum amount of labor and equipment thereby minimizing environmental impacts as well as providing a simple and economical means of strengthening the ground. Drilling is the traditional way to install soil nails, tiebacks, and anchors.
Although there are a multitude of subsurface supports and methods by which subsurface supports can be emplaced, there is still a need for simple and effective subsurface supports and an environmentally friendly manner in which subsurface supports are emplaced.
In accordance with the present invention, a method and apparatus are provided to create a subsurface support device that is placed in the ground. In a first embodiment of the invention, the support device of the present invention has many potential uses. In one use, this support device can be used as a passive soil nail. In another use, this support device of the present invention can be used as an active tieback in tension. More generally, for use as a tieback, this support device can also be referred to as a soil or rock inclusion. The term inclusion refers to the ability of the support device to increase the tensile capacity of the rock and soil. In yet another use, this support device can be used as a micropile in compression, bending and shear. This support device, when acting as a micropile, can be physically connected to an overlying structure. In yet another use, this support device can be used as an anchor in tension. For example, this support may be tensioned as by a cable that interconnects the support to a man made structure.
Once emplaced, this support device includes a protective outer member or tube, an inner support member, and a stabilizing mixture, preferably in the form of grout, cement, resin, or combinations thereof which fixes the inner support member within the outer protective member. The stabilizing mixture may also be referred to as a cementious mixture. The outer protective member supports the opening into the native rock and soil, and acts as a housing for the cementious mixture. As discussed further below, the outer member may be perforated thereby allowing the cement us material to exit the perforations and increase the overall tensile and compressive contribution of the support device. The outer protective member also provides a barrier to prevent water or other corrosive materials from contacting the inner support member. The inner support member provides the design tensile and compressive strength of the support. The inner support member may protrude a desired distance above the outer member to connect to an overlying structure to provide support in any desired manner to include bearing/compression, tension, and/or shear. The diameter and length of the outer member and inner member can be selected to provide the necessary support. The outer member and stabilizing mixture provide strengthening support to the inner member. For example, in compression, the forces are transmitted from the inner support member directly to the stabilizing mixture and the outer member. In tension, forces are also transmitted to the stabilizing mixture and the outer member thereby greatly increasing the force necessary to dislodge or pull out the inner member. The method by which the outer member of the subsurface support is emplaced in the ground is preferably by a launching mechanism, such as that disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,044,831.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the support device is in the form of an improved soil nail including a fiberglass body and a metal tip. The metal tip is preferably made from a single piece of metal, such as a machined ingot of hardened steel. The tip comprises a contacting portion or stinger that makes contact with the ground when emplaced, and a proximal base portion that is received within an opening in the distal end of the fiberglass body thus allowing the tip to be attached to the fiberglass body. The base portion may be attached by a compression fit within the opening of the body and/or may be secured by an appropriate bonding agent, such urethane glue. The size and dimensions of the soil nail can be modified for the intended purpose of use. One common size acceptable for use in many soil stabilization efforts includes a fiberglass body of twenty feet in length and a contacting portion of the metal tip extending approximately six inches in length from the distal end of the fiberglass body. For those applications in which a shorter body is required, the same tip construction can be used, and the length of the body can simply be shortened. Unlike most prior art soil nails, the soil nail of the present invention has a tubular shaped body without projections which allows the soil nail to be emplaced by the soil nail launcher disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,044,831. The use of a soil nail with a fiberglass body in conjunction with a metal tip provides many advantages. The fiberglass body provides a more cost effective solution than traditional soil nails that are just made of metal. The fiberglass body also is highly resistant to corrosion, even more so than many metal soil nails within corrosion treated surfaces. The weight of the soil nail of the present invention is also less than a metal soil nail, allowing it to achieve greater velocity when emplaced by a soil nail launcher, thus enhancing its ability to penetrate the ground. The strength of the soil nail is not compromised because the fiberglass has adequate strength, and has a greater elastic limit as compared to many metal soil nails enabling the nail to handle even greater tensile and shear loads. Although the soil nail has a relatively smooth outer surface allowing it to be emplaced by a launcher, the surface characteristics of the fiberglass provide excellent adhesion with soil. Additionally, the stinger can be especially designed to handle particular soil or rock formations without having to modify the body of the soil nail. For example, in more dense soil or rock formations, the stinger shape can be modified prior to assembly with the body thus making the soil nail more adaptable for many uses.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, a self-centralizing soil nail is provided. This self-centralizing feature enables the inner member or inner bar to be centralized within the outer member. The inner member maintains a uniform concentric relationship wherein the inner member is uniformly spaced from the inner surface of the outer member. This feature is achieved by crimping the outer member at selected locations along the length of the outer member thereby narrowing the inner diameter of the outer member, but maintaining an opening in the outer member large enough for passage of the inner member. The outer member is crimped so that the inner member is centered in the opening of the outer member and, the space between the outer surface of the inner member and the interior surface of the outer member is substantially uniform. Placing the inner member in this centralized relationship increases the capacity of the soil nail both in tension and compression. If the soil nail is not centered and makes contact with the interior surface of the outer member, the inner member is subject to corrosion. Additionally, if the inner member is spaced too closely to the interior surface of the outer member, there may be small voids or spaces that do not completely fill with cementious material and/or the cementious may have a very small thickness which is more susceptible to being fractured. The narrowing of the diameter of the outer member achieves natural centering of the inner member without having to make an outer member of a more complex construction.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, this self-centering feature can be achieved by use of one or more self-centralizing elements that may be installed within the outer member. These self-centralizing elements may be in the form of inserts or spacers that have an outer diameter sized to frictionally engage the inner diameter of the outer member. The centralizing elements also have an inner diameter that is sized to frictionally receive the inner member thereby holding the inner member in place. The centralizing elements may be located at the proximal and distal ends of the outer member, with one or more centralizing elements also being placed intermediate between the proximate and distal ends.
In yet another embodiment, the self-centralizing feature of the present invention may be incorporated into a soil nail that is installed by drilling the soil nail into the ground. This self-drilling soil nail includes a drilling bit secured to the distal end of the soil nail.
In yet another preferred embodiment of the present invention, a composite self-drilling soil nail is provided in which the soil nail is installed by drilling. The soil nail is self-installing by inclusion of a drill tip attached to the distal end thereof. This soil nail more specifically comprises an outer member or tubular member having a threaded outer surface with a hollow opening or bore extending therethrough, and the hollow bore also being threaded. Preferably, the outer member is made of a material such as fiberglass. If it is necessary to extend a length of the outer member, an outer coupler may be used to join the distal end of one outer member with proximal end of an abutting outer member. The outer coupler is a tubular member itself, having internal threads which are threaded in an engagement with the abutting ends of the outer members. A threaded inner member is placed through the threaded bore of the outer tubular member by threaded engagement between threads on the inner bore and external threads on the outer surface of the inner member. As mentioned, the drill tip is secured to the most distal end of the soil nail enabling the soil nail to be self-drilled. The proximal end of the soil nail receives a bearing plate sized to hold or bear against the specific geological formation being held by the soil nail. An outer nut is threaded over the outer member and in engagement against the bearing plate. An inner nut is threaded over the inner member that has an end protruding beyond the adjacent end of the outer member, and the inner nut is tightened against the outer nut. The use of the threaded inner member enhances the strength of the soil nail, particularly when using fiberglass as the outer member, and also when fiberglass sections are to be joined for extending a length of the soil nail. The use of steel couplers improves the strength of the joint between the outer members; however, metallic couplers will corrode over time. The use of the inner member provides more permanent tensile and compressive capacity to the overall soil nail, and also helps to compensate for weakening of the metallic coupler over time. If fiberglass couplers are used, the joint between the outer tubular members is relatively weak, but the inner bar again greatly enhances the bearing capacity of the soil nail. The use of two holding nuts as opposed to a single nut against the bearing plate further provides strength to the system.
The primary problem with use of fiberglass is that fiberglass has a very low shear resistance. Therefore, creating threads on a fiberglass member will result in a very weak connection at that threaded location, which clearly limits the application of fiberglass soil nails when they must be threaded. One solution provided by the present invention is the use of the inner member which overcomes any deficiencies with respect to a threaded fiberglass member.
In another aspect of the invention, various embodiments are provided with surface irregularities or asperities that increase the pull-out capacity of the soil nail. In one embodiment, the surface asperities include protrusions formed on the outer surface of the soil nail. In another embodiment, the surface asperities may include indentations. These surface asperities may be used in combinations. In another aspect, the surface asperities are created by a galvanization process in which the outer tube or member is subjected to a hot dip galvanizing process. The molten metal that is to be applied to the outer member is stirred in order to suspend particles in the molten metal. These particles are referred to as dross. More specifically, dross is the mass of solid impurities that may float on the surface of the molten metal, or may be a heavier impurity that can sink to the bottom of the container holding the molten material. These impurities are usually removed by skimming the surface or screening the molten material before the object is subjected to the hot dip galvanization. In the present invention, these stirred particles within the molten metal provide a beneficial purpose in the creation of a very rough layer of material applied to the outer member. This roughness increases the pull-out capacity, as well as to provide an increased capability for the tube to bond to cementious material placed within the outer member. Therefore, the particles that are normally skimmed from the surface of the molten metal provide a very useful purpose with respect to treating the surface of the outer members.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, a system is provided for repairing a roadway in which cracking and deterioration of the roadway is caused by a slip plane in the roadbed. The system includes a plurality of soil nails that extend through the slip plane and therefore join the earth on the opposing sides of the slip plane to stabilize the surrounding area. In this configuration, the soil nails are installed at various angles to extend substantially perpendicular to the slip plane. The soil nails each include a protective outer member or tube, an inner support member, and a stabilizing mixture preferably in the form of grout, cement, resin, or combinations thereof. The upper ends of the soil nails terminate below the paved surface of the road. A wire mesh layer is placed over the upper ends of the soil nails and covers preferably a significant portion of the earth lying above the slip plane. The mesh is then held in place by galvanized plates which are fitted over the protruding upper ends of the inner support members. The galvanized plates are then secured to the inner members by, for example, epoxy-coated nuts.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent by a review of the following figures, taken in conjunction with the detailed description.
Referring to
Referring now to
Although a launcher of a particular construction is illustrated in
Now referring to
Additionally, the subsurface support of the present invention can be used in combination at a particular jobsite to support an overlying structure and to stabilize surrounding soil. In this case, one or more support devices can be structurally connected to an overlying structure such as shown in the figures, and one or more additional support devices can be used as soil nails to stabilize the surrounding soil or rock formation. Even in tunnel construction, the support device of the present invention can be used to stabilize the soil or rock formation surrounding the tunnel. In a tunnel, a support device can be emplaced in any orientation to include stabilizing the ceiling/upper surface of the tunnel.
Referring to
Although the indentations 110 are shown as extending uninterrupted between the proximal end 108 and the distal end 106, it is also contemplated that the indentations could be provided in a discontinuous pattern, a continuous pattern, or combinations thereof. Additionally, while the indentations are shown as being provided in a linear orientation, it is also contemplated that the indentations could be provided in a non-linear or random fashion.
With respect to a method of making the soil nail shown in
It is also contemplated that the protrusions 132 could also be combined with the other asperities shown in
With respect to launching the soil nails illustrated in
Referring now to
In
Referring to
Referring to
With respect to installation of the subsurface support 200, there are a number of methods by which these subsurface supports can be emplaced. One contemplated method is to launch the subsurface support 200 in which there is a single outer member 202. The distal end, since it is crimped, has a smaller cross-sectional area that enhances its ability to be launched into the ground without requiring a separate tip piece. In order that the opening at the distal end does not become clogged with soil or rock, a removable cap (not shown) can be placed over the opening. Alternatively, a hole may be drilled, and the outer member is placed in the hole. As mentioned, the support 200 may also have a self drilling capability in which the support is attached to a drilling tool and the self-drilling bit 226 facilitates drilling.
Once the outer member is emplaced, it is filled with cementious material by use of, for example, a pressurized grout tube placed within the opening 205. After filling the opening 205, the inner member 204 is inserted through the opening 205 and through the length of the outer member. As shown in the figures, the distal end of the inner member 216 may protrude beyond the distal end 206 of the outer member. Similarly, the proximal end 218 of the inner member 202 may extend beyond the proximal end of 210 of the outer member 202. As shown in the cross-section of
Referring to
In
The insert 230 can be used at various locations along the length of the outer member to include intermediate between the proximal and distal ends, as well as placed at the proximal and distal ends.
Referring to
In another aspect of the present invention, surface asperities may be formed on a soil nail by a galvanization process. The outer support member is dipped in a molten metal, such as zinc. Prior to dipping, the galvanizer tank is stirred to mix the dross. Therefore, it is preferable that none of the dross should be skimmed or removed from the galvanizer tank. The molten metal along with the dross adheres to the surfaces of the member being dipped. Upon drying, the galvanized layer has a very rough texture. This rough texture increases the pull-out capacity of the soil nail, also increases the bond capability between the interior surface of the bore and grout or other cementious material placed within the outer member. Thus, the suspended dross particles which are normally removed from the molten material in a galvanization process provide a very useful purpose in creating a soil nail having an outer member with surface asperities. Additionally, it is contemplated that the inner member can also be subjected to this type of galvanization process in order to increase surface asperities on the inner member that also improves bond between the grout in the bore of the outer member and the inner member.
Referring also to
With the method and apparatus of the present invention, a subsurface support is provided which can be emplaced with a minimum of effort. In one advantage of the present invention, the subsurface support provides an alternative to other anchoring means because the outer tube provides protection to the inner support member from corrosion or other undesirable environmental factors. Depending upon the geological conditions, the outer tube can be emplaced with a launching device that is adapted to account for varying geological formations. For example, ground formations with little rock allows emplacement of the outer tube with a minimum of force while placement of the outer tube into an actual rock formation would require a greater force provided by the launching mechanism. In any case, the particular launching device chosen may have the capability of emplacing the outer tube to the appropriate depth and through various rock and soil conditions. In another advantage of the present invention, an improved soil nail is provided in a two-piece construction. This construction is cost effective yet provides at least the same performance as compared to a soil nail made of a single piece of material. While surface asperities are illustrated with respect to the embodiments shown in
In some of the preferred embodiments, means is provided to maintain a uniform spaced relationship between the inner member and the outer member to maximize the strengthening effect of the inner member for both applications in tension and compression. These means include crimped features formed directly on the outer member or the use of inserts placed within the outer member.
The outer members may be placed in series to extend the length of the support in which a threaded coupling is used to join abutting outer members. A self-drilling bit may be used for direct installation of the outer tube without having to conduct a separate drilling step.
While the method and the apparatus of the present invention have been provided in various preferred embodiments, it shall be understood that various other changes and modifications may be made within the spirit and scope of the present invention.
This application is a continuation-in-part application of co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 11/693,584, filed on Mar. 29, 2007 entitled “METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CREATING SOIL OR ROCK SUBSURFACE SUPPORT”, which is a continuation-in-part application of co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 11/460,317, filed on Jul. 27, 2006, entitled “METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CREATING SOIL OR ROCK SUBSURFACE SUPPORT”, which is a continuation-in-part of co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 10/741,951, filed on Dec. 18, 2003, entitled “METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CREATING SOIL OR ROCK SUBSURFACE SUPPORT”, the disclosures of these applications being hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 11693584 | Mar 2007 | US |
Child | 12646573 | US | |
Parent | 11460317 | Jul 2006 | US |
Child | 11693584 | US | |
Parent | 10741951 | Dec 2003 | US |
Child | 11460317 | US |