Post stressed pier
AssigneeA. H. Beck Foundation Company, Inc.
InventorsAugust H. Beck, III, Philip G. King
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A structural pier assembly includes a cementitious pier and pressurized grout contained beneath the pier in the shaft so as to exert an upward force on the pier. An enclosure, such as a bladder or bellows, is filled with grout from a reservoir via a conduit which preferably extends axially along the length of the pier and is left in place after the grout hardens. A pressure gauge measures the pressure of the grout within the enclosure, permitting the direct measurement of end bearing and side bearing capacities of the resulting pier assembly. The load bearing capacity of the pier is enhanced by the pressurized grout, and is preferably at least twice the end bearing capacity of an unpressurized pier.
Claims29
A structural pier assembly with enhanced load bearing capacity for supporting foundations, bridges and other loads, comprising:
- a cementitious pier disposed in a shaft and characterized by a weight;
- and
- an enclosure positioned beneath said cementitious pier, said enclosure containing grout hardened under pressure exerted through a conduit, and said enclosure exerting an upward force on said cementitious pier, thereby enhancing the load bearing capacity of said structural pier assembly.
A structural pier assembly with enhanced load bearing capacity for supporting foundations, bridges and other loads, comprising:
- a cementitious pier disposed in a shaft and characterized by a weight;
- and
- grout placed beneath said cementitious pier through a conduit and hardened under pressure exerted through said conduit, and said grout exerting an upward force on said pier to enhance the load bearing capacity of said structural pier assembly.
A method of enhancing the load bearing capacity of a structural cementitious pier characterized by a weight, comprising the steps of:
- placing an enclosure in a shaft formed in earthen material, said enclosure being adapted to receive fluid grout through a conduit;
- forming a cementitious pier above said enclosure;
- placing pressurized grout in said enclosure through said conduit so as to exert an upward force against said cementitious pier;
- and
- allowing the grout to harden while remaining pressurized through said conduit.
A method of enhancing the load bearing capacity of a structural cementitious pier characterized by a weight, comprising the steps of:
- forming a cementitious pier in a shaft formed in earthen material;
- placing pressurized grout beneath said cementitious pier through a conduit so as to exert an upward force against said cementitious pier;
- and
- allowing the grout to harden while remaining pressurized through said conduit.
A method of determining the enhanced load bearing capacity of a structural cementitious pier, comprising the steps of:
- placing an enclosure in a shaft formed in earthen material and having a floor, said enclosure being adapted to receive fluid grout through a conduit;
- forming a cementitious pier above said enclosure;
- placing pressurized grout in said enclosure through said conduit so as to exert an upward force against said cementitious pier and a downward force against the floor of the shaft, said upward force generating skin friction against said cementitious pier;
- allowing the grout to harden while remaining pressurized through said conduit;
- measuring the pressure of the grout to obtain said upward and downward forces;
- and
- using the measured pressure to calculate an end bearing capacity and a side bearing capacity for the cementitious pier.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.