Patent Application
20120011806
The present invention relates to the field of a structure having a unitary bridge for attachments, more specifically, a unitary bridge for attachments to concrete poles.
The most common method used to attach various types of mountings, structures, arms, braces, hardware, and/or equipment to concrete structures, specifically, concrete utility poles, is by using bolts and nuts. However, this method by itself does not provide a great amount of support for the attachments, and limits the maximum amount of size and weight of the attachment.
The previous method also does not assist the structural integrity of concrete utility poles, which are generally hollow with walls that have a limited capability of withstanding a great amount of torque. Because the nuts and bolts can place pressure on only one relatively small area of the pole, the bolts will degrade the integrity of the concrete at the pressure point and decrease the weight the attachment can be as well as the structure of the pole itself.
In view of the foregoing background, it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a unitary bridge for concrete structure attachments which strengthens the structures' structural integrity to provide greater support for attachments.
The bridge is comprised of a hollow threaded tubular member made from sufficiently resilient material, such as ASTM A513.The tubular member spans across the diameter of the concrete structure, from outside wall to outside wall, and is embedded into both sides of the structure's wall from one outer surface to the other. Bolts can then be inserted into the tubular member from either side of the structure to secure attachments. The tubular member is threaded typically seven and one-half (7½) inches internally from each end along its length, permitting mounting bolts to penetrate farther into the pole to make the attachments more secure.
Because of the internal threading, there is no need of nuts within the tubular member. This provides the added advantage of distributing the weight of the bolts evenly throughout the tubular member rather than having them attached to a nut at one discreet point along the tubular member. The tubular member allows forces to be distributed along its entire length, and derives strength from the support of the concrete in the structure's wall.
The bridge is further comprised of at least two substantially flat vertical support members that are embedded diametrically opposed to one another in the structure's wall. The support members are made of a sufficiently resilient material such as ASTM A36.Preferably shaped to conform to the structure's wall, these support members optionally can span the entire height of the structure, but can also be shorter if less support is required. The tubular member passes through and is attached to the support members, such as by way of non-limiting example, welding.
As one skilled in the art would appreciate, concrete utility poles typically have annular components located throughout the wall for support, such as multiple helical wire springs and/or annular bars. These annular components can be comprised of steel, and can also assist in supporting the unitary bridge by being proximally located to the tubular member, such as immediately above and below the tubular member in the case of the annular bars, or, in the case of the helical wire springs, situated such that the tubular member is enclosed by one or more of the coils. Preferably, the annular components are placed between the vertical support members and the outside of the pole.
Also as one skilled in the art would appreciate, concrete utility poles typically have numerous vertical steel tension strands. These strands are stretched after the concrete is inserted into the mold but before it hardens, and are then de-stretched after the concrete hardens to “pre-stress” the concrete. When used in conjunction with the unitary bridge, the strands are preferably located within the annular components, such that they are between the annular components and the center axis of the pole.
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description of the invention which follows, when considered in light of the accompanying drawings.
Referring initially to
As one skilled in the art would appreciate, the tubular member 16 can be a multitude of dimensions, but by way of non-limiting example, the tubular member 16 can be one and five-sixteenths (1 5/16th) inches in diameter with five-sixteenths ( 5/16th) inches wall thickness, and thread 27 pitch diameter between 0.8248 and 0.8330 inches. Alternatively, the tubular member 16 can be one and half (1½) inches in diameter with three-eighths (⅜th) inches wall thickness, and thread 27 pitch diameter between 0.9428 to 0.9516 inches. Also as one skilled in the art would appreciate, the pole 12 can be a variety of different sizes and shapes such as, by way of non-limiting examples, square or triangle (not shown), as can the support members 22, 24 to accommodate the shape of the pole 12.
As shown in
As one skilled in the art can appreciate, there can be more than one tubular member 16, 17 per pole and per set of support members 22, 24 depending on the desired number of attachments (not shown). Also as one skilled in the art can appreciate, the support members 22, 24 can be a multitude of different sizes and lengths, but are preferably are ¼th inch by 4 inches in dimension, and span the entire height of the pole 12. Alternatively, the support members 22, 24 can extend six (6) inches above and below the tubular member 16.
Referring back to
There can be a multitude (not shown) of annular components 30 throughout the height of the pole 12, but there is preferably an annular bar immediately above (not shown) and below 30 the tubular member 16, or an annular helical spring (not shown) encompassing the tubular member 16
Many modifications and other embodiments of the invention will come to the mind of one skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is understood that the invention is not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed, and that modifications and embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.
