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  Bracket assembly for lifting and supporting a lightweight foundationUSPTO Application #: 20080014028Title: Bracket assembly for lifting and supporting a lightweight foundation Abstract: A bracket assembly rests upon a pile or deep foundation pier set adjacent to a lightweight structure or foundation element such as a porch. The bracket slides upon a pile or deep foundation pier and adjusts from the side of the pile or deep foundation pier. The bracket assembly has a weldment with bearing and guide members. The bearing member supports the lightweight structure or foundation element while the guide member raises the bearing member on the pile or deep foundation pier. The guide member has a sleeve and U-shaped bolt to grasp the pile or deep foundation pier. A cap plate atop the pile or deep foundation pier connects to the guide member through rods. Turning nuts on the upper end of the rods pulls them and thus the lightweight structure or foundation element upwards. The bracket assembly is lightweight and supports approximately five thousand pounds. (end of abstract)
Agent: Paul M. Denk - St. Louis, MO, US Inventors: Guy L. Faires, James E. Jacobs, Stanley C. Garton USPTO Applicaton #: 20080014028 - Class: 405230000 (USPTO) Related Patent Categories: Hydraulic And Earth Engineering, Foundation, Underpinning The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20080014028. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION [0001] This continuation in part patent application claims priority to the non-provisional patent application having Ser. No. 11/089,865, which was filed on Mar. 25, 2005. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] The bracket assembly for lifting and supporting a foundation relates to L shaped foundation brackets in general and more specifically to improvements in the connections of the bracket to a pile or deep foundation pile or deep foundation pier for supporting a lightweight structure or foundation element. A unique aspect of the present bracket assembly is an adjustable U-shaped bolt and mechanism that secures the bracket against rotation and translation relative to a pile or deep foundation pile or deep foundation pier. The U-shaped bolt also permits access from the side and a sleeve that allows the assembly to move upon a pile or deep foundation pile or deep foundation pier. [0003] Generally the top of a pile or pier is defined as top and the bracket assembly rests upon the top. Perpendicular to the top is the side and it generally flanks the pile or pier. Briefly in use, the side access to the U bolt allows a contractor to reach into a shallow excavation and to draw the U bolt upon the pile or pier by turning wrenches from the ground surface. In other brackets, a contractor has to reach below the bracket, generally opposite the top, to turn wrenches inside a deeper and wider excavation. [0004] A structure supported on a shallow foundation or lightweight structure or foundation element may become unstable and settle as a result of soil conditions or flaws in the original foundation design. In time, foundation settlement results in a structure becoming out of level and eventually structural damage. Without a stable foundation to rest upon, a structure will become unsafe and require additional foundation reinforcement to stabilize the structure. The present invention or bracket assembly transfers the weight, or vertical load, supported by a foundation or lightweight structure or foundation element, to a heavier foundation or pile or deep foundation pile or deep foundation pier. The pile or deep foundation pile or deep foundation pier bears on a load bearing stratum below the elevation of the lightweight structure or foundation element. The bracket assembly commonly cradles an edge of a lightweight structure or foundation element, such as a porch or patio, then transfers the load to a pile or deep foundation pile or deep foundation pier that bears on compacted earth, bedrock or other load bearing strata beneath the lightweight structure or foundation element. The main concept of this invention is to support a settling but lightweight foundation with a high strength to weight ratio bracket assembly, including a lifting mechanism used to stabilize and to raise a lightweight structure or foundation element, foundation, or structure and to secure same in a stable final position. [0005] Prior art designs have previously supported failed or shallow lightweight structures or foundations utilizing a variety of methods. Piles or deep foundation piles or deep foundation piers made of concrete, reinforced concrete, timber, steel pipe, steel tubing, and solid steel bar bent into a helix have seen use at many sites to remedy failing lightweight structures or foundation elements with varying success. Typically, piles or deep foundation piles or deep foundation piers have been placed directly under a lightweight structure or foundation element and the piles or deep foundation piles or deep foundation piers then bear on adequate strata. The adequate transfer of the load from the lightweight structure or foundation element to the pile or deep foundation pile or deep foundation pier concerns contractors, engineers, and owners alike. However, placement of these piles or deep foundation piers beneath an existing structure, foundation or lightweight structure or foundation element can be difficult, often requiring deep excavations to provide the needed clearances. Commonly, contractors place piles or deep foundation piers below a lightweight structure or foundation element by excavating next to the lightweight structure or foundation element. Piles or deep foundation piers directly below a lightweight structure or foundation element become impractical because of excavation costs and narrow clearances between lightweight structure or foundation elements and adjacent structures. To minimize risk of damaging the lightweight structure or foundation element, contractors excavate wider and deeper access holes, lest piles or deep foundation piers become too short. Short piles or deep foundation piers have proven cumbersome and time consuming for contractors and result in a pile or deep foundation pier of questionable flexural rigidity. [0006] The present art overcomes the limitations of the prior art where a need exists for a lightweight bracket to adequately transfer the lightweight structure or foundation element load to a pile or deep foundation pier located adjacent to a lightweight structure or foundation element. The present invention allows for placement of a pile or deep foundation pier adjacent to a structure eliminating the need for deep excavations. Because the load or weight of a structure is offset from the longitudinal axis of the pile or deep foundation pier, the transfer of the load results in a rotational force, or moment, being imparted into the bracket. That is, the art of the present invention, a bracket assembly for lifting and supporting a lightweight structure or foundation element, fixes a lightweight bracket to a pile or deep foundation pier with minimal moment and rotation of the bracket when under a load. The bracket assembly reduces the distance between the pile or deep foundation pier and the lightweight structure or foundation element to minimize the moment induced into the top of a pile or deep foundation pier by an eccentric load from the lightweight structure or foundation element. The moment imparts bending upon the pile or deep foundation pier where the pile or deep foundation pier has the least lateral support from adjacent soil and tends to rotate a bracket away from the corner of the lightweight structure or foundation element. The rotation reduces the effective bearing area between the bracket and the lightweight structure or foundation element. As a key feature, the present invention has a U-shaped bolt and mechanism that secures the bracket assembly to a pile or deep foundation pier and minimizes the moment upon the present invention and the pile or deep foundation pier. [0007] The difficulty in providing a bracket assembly is shown by prior art bracket designs that transferred a foundation load to a particular style of pile or deep foundation pier. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,120,163 to Holdeman et al., to U.S. Pat. No. 5,171,107 to Hamilton et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,246,311 to West et al., each describes a bracket for a specific style or size of a pile or deep foundation pier. Some prior bracket designs state a feature to accommodate different sizes and styles of piles or deep foundation piers but, only provide for partial front to rear engagement between the installed pile or deep foundation pier and a bracket. Typically, an installed pile or deep foundation pier has a clearance between the lower portions of the bracket and the front edge of a pile or deep foundation pier toward the foundation. [0008] In U.S. Pat. No. 6,079,905 to Ruiz et al. for example, the adjustable brackets only engage the upper portion of the bracket and the back edge of an installed pile or deep foundation pier farthest from the foundation. The prior art brackets provide little means of contact between the lower portion of the bracket and the front edge of a pile or deep foundation pier towards a foundation. Under typical loads without contact at both the lower front and the upper rear edges of the pile or deep foundation pier, the prior art brackets rotate about an axis perpendicular to the length of a pile or deep foundation pier. Rotation causes the foundation support portion of a bracket to disengage from a foundation opening a gap, thus reducing the effective load capacity of a bracket. Contractors and owners alike desire a bracket assembly adaptable for various shapes and sizes of piles or deep foundation piers and adjustable to prevent rotation and to reduce moment between a bracket and a pile or deep foundation pier. [0009] Prior art designs utilized brackets for transferring loads from a foundation or lightweight structure or foundation element to a pile or deep foundation pier, however, the current invention is an improvement related to both speed of use and safety of the installation crew. The prior art has a bracket which has an anti-rotation bolt located at the lower end of the bracket and a stop at the upper end. The anti-rotation bolt is threaded and when tightened it engages the pile or deep foundation pier and in turn biases the top of the pile or deep foundation pier against the upper bracket stop support thus securing the bracket against moment, rotation and translation relative to the pile or deep foundation pier. However, the location and orientation of the lower bracket adjustment bolt requires contractors to reach under the foundation to adjust the bracket, possibly causing an unsafe working condition. [0010] In contrast to the prior art, the present invention improves working conditions with a threaded U-shaped bolt and mechanism. The U-shaped bolt provides adjustment and fixity at the lower end of the weldment of the present invention. And, the U-shaped bolt is oriented with the threaded stems facing away from the lightweight structure or foundation element which allows adjustments from the side and not beneath the lightweight structure or foundation element. As described above, the side refers to away from the pier, flanking the pier, and generally perpendicular to the top of the pier. [0011] Prior art designs also have a support and lifting bracket made of an elongated pipe sleeve that slides over and upon the upper end of a pile or deep foundation pier. The pipe sleeve provides the fixity required to limit rotation of the bracket but no adjustments are possible upon the pipe sleeve. The prior art pipe sleeve requires precise or exact positioning of the pile or deep foundation pier shaft during installation. The present invention though provides a pile or deep foundation pier guide or sleeve and a spaced apart threadably adjustable U-shaped bolt that bolt fit over the pile or deep foundation pier shaft yet allow the present invention to slide. Adjustment of the U-shaped bolt compensates for misalignment of the pile or deep foundation pier and allows for exact positioning of the weldment against the lightweight structure or foundation element while limiting rotation, translation, and moment induced upon the weldment when under load. Then the prior art pipe sleeve called for an applied force to straighten a misaligned pile or deep foundation pier shaft. The pile or deep foundation pier is then held straight by the pipe sleeve and an integral bracket secured to a lightweight structure or foundation element or foundation with wedge anchors. The wedge anchors may induce a horizontal load upon the pipe sleeve that could eventually cause failure of the wedge anchors or disengagement of the pipe sleeve from the lightweight structure or foundation element. The present invention on the other hand permits adjustment to straighten a misaligned pile or deep foundation pier without inducing loads that might cause the weldment to disengage from the foundation. The present invention does not use wedge anchors but rather a U-shaped bolt and a sleeve. [0012] Therefore, a need exists for a bracket assembly to lift and support a failing foundation or lightweight structure or foundation element in cooperation with a pile or deep foundation pier. A bracket assembly must be secured against rotation when under load and permit adjustment to compensate for misaligned piles or deep foundation piers. Thus, the present invention has the ability to fully support the foundation, or a lightweight structure or foundation element, upon the bracket, to maintain such, and to prevent slippage between the bracket and the supported foundation or lightweight structure or foundation element. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0013] Accordingly, the present invention modifies existing brackets so that the bracket adjusts readily to piles or deep foundation piers of various sizes ranging from about one inch to about two inches in diameter and various shapes such as round, square, and polygonal. The present invention uses a U-shaped bolt to minimize moment, rotation, and translation of a weldment. The U-shaped bolt is easily and safely adjusted to fix the weldment upon a pile or deep foundation pier and position the weldment against a foundation or lightweight structure or foundation element. By fixing the weldment against rotation and translation from the lightweight structure or foundation element, an effective bearing area is maintained between the lightweight structure or foundation element and the weldment. Further, the present invention has a sleeve to guide the pile or deep foundation pier which in cooperation with the U-shaped bolt compensates for misalignment of the pile or deep foundation pier. [0014] A U-shaped bolt and sleeve allows a contractor to install the bracket beneath the lightweight structure or foundation element after placement of a pile or deep foundation pier. The location of the U-shaped bolt allows a contractor to adjust the bolt from the side rather than beneath the present invention. This location of the bolt reduces excavation and labor costs. The present invention also allows a contractor to use multiple systems for placement of a pile or deep foundation pier such as rotational torque drive and direct resistance drive among others. The present invention maintains placement and orientation of a pile or deep foundation pier to resist rotation and slippage. Further, the present invention permits locating installation tools and components over the center of a pile or deep foundation pier to reduce induced bending moment at the junction of a pile or deep foundation pier and a bracket, particularly where the lightweight structure or foundation element rests thereon. [0015] A bracket assembly has a weldment of a bearing member, two parallel gussets, a guide member, an adjustable bolt, a sleeve, a cap plate, and two threaded support rods. This configuration allows the bracket assembly to slide over a pile or deep foundation pier and fixes to the pile or deep foundation pier located adjacent to a failing or settling lightweight structure or foundation element in need of repair. The pile or deep foundation pier is installed into the soil to a depth which provides adequate bearing along the length of the pile or deep foundation pier to resist the vertical loads imposed by the weight of the foundation or lightweight structure or foundation element. Additionally, the pile is installed in a manner that prevents movement of the pile or deep foundation pier, relative to the ground surface, when under axial compressive loads, generally from the foundation or lightweight structure or foundation element. [0016] In the present invention, the components of the weldment support the lightweight structure or foundation element and operate upon the pile or deep foundation pier. The bearing member supports and lifts the lightweight structure or foundation element relative to the pile or deep foundation pier which is located adjacent to a lightweight structure or foundation element. The gussets extend from the bearing member away from the lightweight structure or foundation element on both sides of a pile or deep foundation pier. Between the gussets, the guide member has a sleeve in a hole through the guide member. A pile or deep foundation pier passes through the sleeve. Opposite the sleeve, the guide member has holes through which a U-shaped bolt connects. The base of the U-shaped bolt is placed around the pile or deep foundation pier towards the lightweight structure or foundation element and the two stems of the U-shaped bolt pass through the holes in the guide member for securing by nuts or the like. The guide member then has two aligned and spaced apart holes flanking the sleeve. The threaded rods are placed through those holes and oriented parallel to the pile or deep foundation pier. Opposite the guide member, a cap plate is placed upon the pile or deep foundation pier and the threaded rods pass through holes in the cap plate also aligning with the holes in the guide member. Nuts upon the threaded rods secure the cap plate upon the pile or deep foundation pier and the weldment to the threaded rods. Turning the nuts upon the cap plate pulls the threaded rods upwards along with the lightweight structure or foundation element. Generally the weldment moves upwards upon the fixed pile or deep foundation pier immobile relative to the surrounding soil. When the lightweight structure or foundation element reaches a desired position, generally level, the weldment is secured to the pile or deep foundation pier. In one manner of securement, the pile or deep foundation pier and U-shaped bolt are welded to the sleeve. And in another method, the nuts are welded to the rods and the bracket assembly is backfilled. And, in yet another method, nuts are doubled without welding. [0017] Therefore, it is an object of the invention to provide a bracket capable of supporting loads less than twenty five thousand pounds and typically no more than five thousand pounds. [0018] It is another object of the invention to minimize the depth of excavation adjacent to a lightweight structure or foundation element. [0019] It is another object of the invention to provide adequate adjustment to compensate for a misaligned pile or deep foundation pier. [0020] It is another object of the invention to allow adjustment of the bracket from the side opposite the lightweight structure or foundation element when placed upon a pile or deep foundation pier thus not requiring a workmen or tool to reach beneath the lightweight structure or foundation element. [0021] It is another object of the invention to provide a bracket that weighs less than two hundred fifty pounds and typically no more than twenty five pounds. Continue reading... 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