Other

Butlerbilt L.l.c.

Allen Telecom, Inc.

Michael G Butler

John F Lambert

Xiao-Pang Liang

Methods, systems, and devices, are developed for in-situ placement of a concrete mix that can have the thixotropy to hold vertical dimension without containment, while maintaining pliability to be pumped into place and manipulated to a desired shape, and can be combined with concrete set accelerators, allowing subsequent layers of this concrete mix to be continuously stacked in place to build tall walls and such without the use of forms. Concrete without these special properties is pumped toward the point of placement where it is modified by injecting and mixing, into that line of pumped concrete, an admixture containing thixotropes, thickeners and/or set accelerators or other modifiers to provide these properties and other improvements. This method allows conventional plant batching with commonly available constituent materials for batching an economical concrete that is delivered to a jobsite and then is pumped most of the way to a point of placement.

Apparatuses and systems for and methods of generating and placing zero-slump-pumpable concrete

Hydraulic displacement mechanisms, and methods of using hydraulic displacement mechanisms to remove cables jammed or stuck in a conduit or other passageways, are disclosed.

Hydraulic displacement mechanism and method of use

A manhole guard, methods of assembling the same, and methods of using the same, are described. The manhole guard generally includes a plurality of sections connected for movement, the sections being capable of being locked into a fixed rigid structure through the use of a first arm and second arm that act independently of each other. The manhole guard may include a safety net attached to one or more sections of the manhole guard. The manhole guard may include attachable mounting brackets designed to facilitate the attachment of a first hoist device and/or first winch and include attachable mounting members designed to facilitate the attachment of a second hoist device and/or second winch.

Manhole guard and attachable winch mount

A cut resistant knife, and a method for stripping jacket or sheathing off of a cable, are described.

Cut resistant knife

A manhole guard, methods of assembling the same, and methods of using the same, are described. The manhole guard generally includes a plurality of sections connected for movement, the sections being capable of being locked into a fixed rigid structure through the use of a first arm and second arm that act independently of each other. The manhole guard can include attachable mounting brackets designed to facilitate the attachment of a hoist device and/or winch.

Manhole guard and attachable hoist device

A system for forming concrete slabs has been developed for commercial buildings having a steel moment-frame structure. This system utilizes the cold-formed-steel framing members, such as the wall girts shipped with a particular building package, to be first utilized as slab foundation forming elements before being framed into the building. The system defines foundation geometry upon simple assembly of the forming elements, and efficiently provides for placement of anchoring hardware which corresponds exactly to the connections of the structural frames.

Slab foundation construction fixture, particularly as adapts standard girts for pre-use as foundation forms

A dielectric loaded cavity filter having a housing and a cover and defining at least two adjacent cavities having respective dielectric resonators mounted therein and separated by a transverse partition defining a coupling window in the housing. In one form, the coupling window has two spaced opposing sidewalls confronting each other, and vertically offset shoulders intermediate their length. A conductive coupling strip is secured to the shoulder of one sidewall and extends across the coupling window and over the shoulder of the other sidewall. A tuning screw is secured by threading to the housing and has an outer free end accessible from the exterior of the filter, and an internal end disposed adjacent the coupling strip, whereby when the tuning screw is rotated, the internal end of the screw moves toward and away from the coupling strip in a direction perpendicular to the cover for tuning without requiring access to the coupling strip. In another form, no coupling strip is present and the tuning screw inner end confronts a shoulder of a sidewall.

Coupling mechanisms for dielectric resonator loaded cavity filters

A stake suitable for use in construction is formed from an elongate threaded metal member, typically of length between 0.45 meter and 1.8 meter, having two ends. A first end region, tapered to a sharp point over typically 3 centimeters, is suitable to be plunged into earth. A middle region has threads that are both deeply cut, typically at a ratio of root diameter to outside diameter less than 0.80, and steeply inclined, typically at least 1 in 20. A second end region has a feature in the shape of a regular prism suitable to be engaged by a torquing tool for rotation of the entire stake. The second end region feature may be a prism of regular cross section, normally a hexagonal prism, of a diameter everywhere less than the minor diameter of the middle region's threads. The second end region feature is preferably (i) a continuation of the middle region's threads in combination with (ii) several, normally two, nuts of 9 mm nominal internal diameter threaded onto the feature and tightly jammed together. The stake is readily screwed into and extracted even from even hard earth by forcible rotation with power tools. The threaded stake readily mounts devices and fixtures, and is particularly useful as part of an assemblage for forming monolithic concrete slab-on-grade foundations in situ.

Versatile threaded construction stake usable to anchor and/or support construction forms, including concrete slab foundation forming devices

An interlocking corrugated fluted panel for use in constructing a foundation wall for a building where a plurality of the panels are attached to a presupported building member and the panels hang downwardly into a foundation support opening. At the bottom portion of each fluted panel, the flutes extending outwardly from the building are cut along a bend line and the bottom portion of the panel is bent inwardly approximately 90&deg;, the bent portion forming an anchorage when concrete is placed around the bottom of the panels. At the lower edge of each panel a cut flute is bent into either an interlocking male or female shape.

Interlocking corrugated panel wall cast in-situ

A concrete footing for the construction of a wall is created by the placement of a guide member with a series of very large holes, which is supported with adjustable threaded stake supports. This guide is situated along a location which will become the top surface of that footing, typically within the confines of a footing trench. Concrete is conventionally placed via a pump through the large holes thus filling the trench void up to the guide element underside. Adjacent guides are attached with plastic connectors which also fixture vertical reinforcing elements which disassemble to strip guides, typically immediately after concrete has been placed.

Foundation footing construction method, particularly as serve to

A perimeter-wall foundation is created by attaching galvanized-steel corrugated panels to an in-place structure. The freely hanging bottom edges of the panels, which have continuous deformation specific to the enhancement of bearing and anchorage within concrete, are cast in-situ with footing concrete, so becoming a cast-in-place perimeter-wall foundation, capable of residential-scale bearing and shear loadings. The panels can have screened ventilation built into the top, utilizing corrugation flute apertures, or they can be thermally optimized for cold climates.

Foundation for a modular structure

An assemblage which forms in-situ monolithic concrete slab-on-grade foundations is an internally collocating monolithic forming unit, which unit is typically light weight enough to be maneuvered intact. The unit is comprised of a number of form members and an overhead screed. The concrete-surface-defining form members, preferably sections of light-gage cold-formed metal, also serve as struts defining foundation horizontal geometry by having controlled lengths and interconnections. Corresponding pairs of squaring wires control geometry as well, and are removed before finishing the concrete slab. Temporary support of the forming unit is upon coarsely threaded stakes. Each stake screws into earth with a high speed pneumatic impact wrench, and quickly secures simple form support components such as a slab clip. Resulting connections provide subsequent adjustment of any form member independently, or the entire forming unit simultaneously, in any direction or rotation before securing it into place, and pouring a slab on grade foundation.

Concrete slab foundation forming devices

A foundation structure comprises a plurality of light metal parts which assemble and secure in place prior to placement of foundation in situ concrete. Assemblage is supported by coarsely threaded rods which screw directly into earth and attach to parts by various methods. Some parts remain in place as permanent supporting members for superimposed structure. Others, which generally form surfaces of foundation concrete, subsequently relocate to become either similar permanent structural members, or inventory for subsequent projects. Use of a computer aided design program assists in optimal configuration of parts, and creates a list of parts with necessary cut and piecemark information for automated fabrication of any particular length parts. This information, along with a computer produced schematic plan, allows use of parts as collocation elements which define a distinct foundation design by simple field assembly. Variations in assemblage of parts accommodate requirements of site, user needs, and materials of subsequent structure. Specific versions offer an integral joist floor structure, a free standing wall, or a concrete slab on grade. Interface with subsequently superimposed walls is specific to those of either framed members, or concrete type materials.

Growing community of inventors

Fort Bragg, CA, United States of America

Michael G Butler