A. B. Chance Company

J Thomas Odom

Daniel V Hamilton

Robert M Hoyt

Patricia J Halferty

Gary Leonard Seider

David P Eppinger

M L Holdeman

Steven R Cutforth

An apparatus for stabilizing the foundation of a building structure includes a support assembly fastened to the foundation and a screw anchor installed in the earth in generally upright disposition with an upper end thereof located adjacent the foundation. The upper end is secured within a sleeve of the support assembly by a bonding composition to prevent movement of the screw anchor relative to the sleeve. During assembly of the apparatus, a lower bracket of the support assembly is attached to the foundation of a building to be stabilized, and the screw anchor is installed in the earth in generally upright disposition with an upper end of a rod of the anchor located adjacent the lower bracket. The sleeve is placed over the upper end of the rod, and a bonding composition is inserted into the interior space of the sleeve between the sleeve and the rod. The sleeve is also attached to the bracket to prevent settling and uplift movement of the foundation relative to the screw anchor.

Underpinning bracket for uplift and settlement loading

A low cost, easy to install underpinning apparatus (14) for supporting below-grade structural footings such as foundations (10) or the like is provided which makes use of a power installed, load-bearing helix-type screw anchor (16) together with a connecting bracket assembly (b 19) secured to the foundation (10). The anchor (16) is screwed into the earth below the foundation (10), leaving the upright end of the anchor shaft (20) adjacent the foundation (10). The bracket assembly (18) advantageously includes a foundation-engaging plate (28) with a pair of spaced, outwardly extending wall portion (30, 32) rigidly secured thereto. An elongated, U-shaped bracket (36) together with a mating retainer (42) are releasably secured to the wall portions (30, 32) and serve to captively retain the upper end of the anchor shaft (20), with the U-bracket (36) having a top crosspiece wall (38) provided with a threaded opening (40) therethrough. A threaded, force-transmitting bolt (54) screwed into the bracket crosspiece (38) engages the uppermost butt end (22) of the anchor shaft (20) so that the anchor (16) becomes a load-bearing support for the foundation (10). Rotational torque is imparted to each screw anchor during installation as a force independent of a respective support and the foundation until a predetermined torque value is achieved. The rotational torque on the screw anchor is then relieved and the dead weight and any live load of the building structure carried by the bracket assembly is transferred to the screw anchor.

Method of underpinning existing structures

A low cost, easy to install underpinning apparatus (14) for supporting below-grade structural footings such as foundations (10) or the like is provided which makes use of a power installed, load-bearing helix-type screw anchor (16) together with a connecting bracket assembly (19) secured to the foundation (10). The anchor (16) is screwed into the earth below the foundation (10), leaving the upright end of the anchor shaft (20) adjacent the foundation (10). The bracket assembly (18) advantageously includes a foundation-engaging plate (28) with a pair of spaced, outwardly extending wall portions (30, 32) rigidly secured thereto. An elongated, U-shaped bracket (36) together with a mating retainer (42) are releasably secured to the wall portions (30, 32) and serve to captively retain the upper end of the anchor shaft (20), with the U-bracket (36) having a top crosspiece wall (38) provided with a threaded opening (40) therethrough. A threaded, force-transmitting bolt (54) screwed into the bracket crosspiece (38) engages the uppermost butt end (22) of the anchor shaft (20) so that the anchor (16) becomes a load-bearing support for the foundation (10). Rotational torque is imparted to each screw anchor during installation as a force independent of a respective support and the foundation until a predetermined torque value is achieved. The rotational torque on the screw anchor is then relieved and the dead weight and any live load of the building structure carried by the bracket assembly is transferred to the screw anchor.

A low-cost easy to install underpinning apparatus (14) for supporting below-grade structural footings such as foundations (10) or the like is provided which makes use of a power installed, load-bearing helix-type screw anchor (16) together with a connecting bracket assembly (18) secured to the foundation (10). The anchor (16) is screwed into the earth below the foundation (10), leaving the upright end of the anchor shaft (20) adjacent the foundation (10). The bracket assembly (18) advantageously includes a foundation-engaging plate (28) with a pair of spaced, outwardly extending wall portions (30, 32) rigidly secured thereto. An elongated, U-shaped bracket (36) together with a mating retainer (42) are releasably secured to the wall portions (30, 32) and serve to captively retain the upper end of the anchor shaft (20), with the U-bracket (36) having a top crosspiece wall (38) provided with a threaded opening (40) therethrough. A threaded, force-transmitting bolt (54) screwed into the bracket crosspiece (38) engages the uppermost butt end (22) of the anchor shaft (20) so that the anchor (16) becomes a load-bearing support for the foundation (10).

Underpinning anchor system

An earth anchor apparatus adapted to be driven by a source of rotational driving force into unbroken soil includes a longitudinally extending hub having first and second axial ends. A recess is provided in one axial end of the hub by which the anchor may be driven, and a radially extending, load-bearing element is affixed to the hub between the axial ends. An earth engaging lead tip extends axially from the second end of the hub and includes a first cutting edge extending in a direction generally transverse to the longitudinal axis of the hub and arranged to cut into and break soil encountered thereby, a front surface extending between the hub and the first cutting edge, and a second cutting edge extending between the first cutting edge and the leading edge of the load bearing element. The second cutting edge is adapted to both cut soil and guide it from the first cutting edge toward the load-bearing element along the front surface so that as soil is cut it is moved away from the unbroken soil.

Penetration of power installed anchor

A mounting assembly for supporting electrical apparatus such as transformers and the like on a utility pole includes spaced, equipment supporting brackets that are interconnected and secured to the pole by means of elongated, toothed plates. End regions of each plate extend through corresponding apertures in the brackets, and during assembly the end regions are shifted laterally and toward a narrowed portion of the aperture until a marginal edge section of the bracket next to the aperture enters a notch between adjacent teeth of the plate. The width of the narrowed aperture portion, being smaller than the overall width of the end regions of the plate except for the notches of the plate between adjacent teeth, prevents unintentional withdrawal of the plates from the brackets. A retaining spring, fixed to the bracket adjacent each aperture, ensures that the end region thereafter remains in place in the narrowed aperture portion in order to facilitate handling of the mounting assembly during installation.

Growing community of inventors

Centralia, MO, United States of America

J Thomas Odom