US 9,057,204 B2Granted

Fiber reinforced resin polymer mortar pole

AssigneeAmeron International Corporation

InventorsRalph S. Friedrich, Ron G. Ulrich, James W. Davidson, Hector P. Mercado, David B. Jones, Ronald A. Viegl, Liming Chen

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Abstract

Poles of this invention have an annular body with a wall structure comprising a number of fiber reinforced resin layers, which can be positioned to form an inside and/or outside portion of the wall structure. A portion of the layers are oriented longitudinally within the wall structure, and the wall structure also includes radially-oriented fiber reinforced resin layers. The pole includes one or more layers or a core of a composite material or polymer mortar disposed within one or more locations of the wall structure, e.g., as an intermediate layer and/or as part of the wall inside and/or outside portion. The pole can include an outside surface resistant to ultra violet radiation. Poles of this invention can be formed using a continuous process on a rotating mandrel, making use of differently positioned stations to form the different portions of the pole as the fabrication is moved axially along the mandrel.

Claims23

Dependent claims

A method for making a fiber reinforced resin pole having an annular body defined by a wall structure, the method comprising the steps of:

forming an inside wall structure of the pole by depositing a number of fiber reinforced resin layers onto a rotating mandrel, wherein a portion of the fiber reinforced resin layers are oriented longitudinally along a length of the pole and parallel to an axis of the mandrel;
depositing a polymer mortar material onto the inside wall structure to form a pole intermediate core, wherein the polymer mortar material comprises a solid constituent in the form of particulate material and a liquid constituent, and wherein the liquid constituent is curable to a hardened state;
and
forming an outside wall structure over the intermediate core by depositing a number of fiber reinforced resin layers onto the intermediate pole wall structure, wherein a portion of the fiber reinforced resin layers are oriented longitudinally along the length of the pole and parallel to an the axis of the mandrel, wherein the polymer mortar material forming the core extends continuously from the inside wall structure to the outside wall structure;
wherein the steps of forming the inside wall structure, forming the intermediate core, and forming the outside wall structure are performed as part of a continuous process where each step is performed sequentially, and wherein the pole has an axial compressive and buckling strength provided by the intermediate wall structure that is equal to or greater than an axial tensile strength provided by the inside and outside wall structures such that the pole has an optimized structure to fail under axial tension or axial compression at about the same time.

2 more elements

A method for making a fiber reinforced resin pole comprising the steps of:

depositing a number of fiber reinforced resin layers onto a rotating mandrel to form a pole inside wall structure, wherein the inside wall structure is moved axially along the mandrel;
depositing a polymer mortar material onto the pole inside wall structure to form a pole intermediate core, wherein the polymer mortar material comprises a plurality of particles dispersed into a resin material to form one or more polymer mortar layers, wherein the combined inside wall structure and one or more polymer mortar layers is moved axially along the mandrel;
and
depositing a number of fiber reinforced resin layers onto the one or more polymer mortar layers to form a pole outside wall structure;
wherein at least one of the inside or outside wall structures includes fiber reinforced resin layers that are oriented longitudinally and parallel to an axis of the mandrel, and wherein the inside and outside wall structures are free of the polymer mortar material;
wherein the one or more polymer mortar layers are separated from one another by a carrier material that is different from the fiber reinforced resin layers used to form the inside and outside wall structures;
and
wherein the pole comprises at least 50 percent longitudinally-oriented fiber reinforced resin layers based on the total number of fiber reinforced resin layers in the pole, and wherein pole has an axial compressive or buckling strength provided by the intermediate core that is equal to or greater than an axial tensile strength provided by the inside and outside wall structures such that the pole has an optimized structure to fail under axial tension or axial compression at about the same time.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 13/029,921Filed 17 Feb 2011 · division
Priority: 11 Oct 2006
Published: US 2011/0132524 A19 Jun 2011
Granted: 16 Jun 2015
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification16 codes

E04H 12/02
Towers; Masts or poles; Chimney stacks; Water-towers; Methods of erecting such structures: structures made of specified materials
B29C 53/60
Helically: using internal forming surfaces, e.g. mandrels
B29C 70/205
Oriented in a single direction, e.g. roofing or other parallel fibres: the structure being shaped to form a three-dimensional configuration
B29C 70/32
Shaping by lay-up, i.e. applying fibres, tape or broadsheet on a mould, former or core; Shaping by spray-up, i.e. spraying of fibres on a mould,…:…

Family

Application11/548,653Parent of this division · filed 11 Oct 2006
US 2011/0132524 A1Pre-grant publication · published 9 Jun 2011
US 2008/0087371 A1Published application
US 9,879,440 B2Related patent
US 9,057,204 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.