Pile anchor foundation

• US 7,533,505 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2003
• Issued: 05/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Terracon Consultants Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Allan P. Henderson
• Inventors: Henderson, Allan P.
• Primary Examiner(s): CHAPMAN, JEANETTE E
• Application Number:
  US10/734,281
• Publication Number:
  US 20040131428A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,982 Days
• Field of Search: 521/11, 521/53, 52156-158, 521/66, 521/699, 52292-299, 527/411.5, 527/450.4, 527/451.7, 405228-229, 405232-233, 405236-239, 405/242, 405/244, 405/249, 405/252.1
• US Class Current: 52/292
• CPC Class Codes: E02D 27/42 Foundations for poles, masts or chimneys sockets or holders for poles or masts per se E04H12/22
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 12/085 Details of flanges for tubular masts
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 13/22 Foundations specially adapted for wind motors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/72 Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/728 Onshore wind turbines

Abstract

A circular concrete cap foundation poured in-situ within a perimeter forming corrugated metal pipe set atop or within an excavated pit and enclosing a series of circumferentially spaced pile anchors. The circular concrete cap foundation supports sets of inner and outer circumferentially spaced tower anchor bolts having their lower ends anchored to an embedded anchor ring and their upper ends projecting vertically and upwardly out the top of the circular foundation to engage the base flange of a supported tower. The pile anchors are formed with perimeter corrugated metal pipes set deep in subsurface soils with cementitious material surrounding and partially bonding to a centralized steel bolt or tendon which extends through the cap foundation. The tower anchor bolts and the pile anchor bolts are both partially encased in a PVC sleeve so that the bolts can be post-tensioned. The pile anchors are in tension only and serve to pull the cap foundation down to compress the underlying ground soils.

Claims

1. A pile anchor foundation for supporting a heavy load from a ground surface comprising a concrete foundation cap having a bottom surface engaged with said ground surface and an upper surface supporting a heavy load connected rigidly thereto and a plurality of elongated pile anchors depending from said cap, each of said pile anchors including cementitious material extending into underlying soil a substantial vertical depth below said foundation cap, a void or a gap at an upper end of each pile anchor between said cementitious material of each said pile anchor and a bottom surface of said cap, each of said pile anchors further including a tension member anchored thereto and extending upwardly through said respective void or gap and said cap, a lower end of each tension member being anchored in said pile anchor, an upper end of each tension member including a post tensioning assembly which engages an upper surface of said cap to pull said cap downwardly, an upper portion of each tension member being movable in relation to said pile anchor and said cap to enable stretching of said tension member when the post tensioning assembly on the upper end thereof is tightened downwardly against the cap so that said upper end of the pile anchor moves upwardly into said void or gap and said cap is pulled downwardly and compresses underlying soil forming said ground surface, said cap bearing on the underlying compressed soil to withstand overturning and uplifting forces exerted on said cap by said heavy load connected to said cap.

2. The foundation as claimed in claim 1 wherein each of said tension members includes a bolt having a sleeve enclosing a substantial length thereof to prevent the portion of the bolt covered by said sleeve from bonding to said pile anchor and cap and facilitating said post tensioning.

3. The foundation as claimed in claim 1 wherein said foundation cap is generally cylindrical and said elongated pile anchors are circumferentially spaced around said foundation cap.

4. The foundation as claimed in claim 1 wherein a periphery of each said pile anchor is defined by a corrugated metal pipe for a substantial length thereof.

5. The foundation as claimed in claim 1 wherein a periphery of said concrete foundation cap is defined by a corrugated metal pipe.

6. The foundation as claimed in claim 4 wherein said blockout element is said uppermost section of said corrugated pipe.

7. The foundation as claimed in claim 1 wherein said blockout element is made of foam.

8. The foundation as claimed in claim 1 wherein said blackout element has a height of less than about two feet.

9. The foundation as claimed in claim 6 wherein said blockout element has a height of less than about two feet.

10. The foundation as claimed in claim 1 wherein an upper end of each tensioning member is threaded and said post tensioning assembly includes a base plate on the upper surface of said cap and a nut that is received on said threaded end which engages an upper surface of the base plate.

11. A foundation for supporting a tower subject to high overturn loads which comprises a concrete cap defined by vertically spaced top and bottom surfaces and a peripheral wall, said cap adapted to be supported on an upwardly facing soil surface, fastening members rigidly securing said tower to said cap upper surface, a plurality of pile anchors depending from said bottom surface of said cap in spaced relation, said pile anchors positioned in and surrounded by soil underlying said cap with each pile anchor including cementitious material and having an elongated tension bolt anchored therein and extending through said cap, and a post tensioning assembly cooperating with an upper end of each tension bolt and in contact with said top surface of said cap to pull said cap downwardly to compress soil underlying said cap to resist overturning and uplifting forces exerted on said cap by the supported tower, each of said pile anchors including an elongated corrugated pipe substantially filled with cementitious material with said tension bolt being generally centralized therein, each said tension bolt having a lower end anchored in said cementitious material and being sleeved over a major portion of its length to prevent bonding with the cementitious material of the pile anchor and said concrete cap to permit post tensioning of said tension bolts, an uppermost end of each of said pile anchor corrugated pipes forming a void or gap between an upper surface of said cementitious material in said pipe and a lower surface of said cap, said tension bolt extending from said cementitious material of said pile anchor through said void or gap and through said cap, said void or gap enabling the concrete cap to be pulled downwardly to compress and consolidate underlying soil to desired strengths and permitting the pile anchors to move upwardly to develop skin friction resistance against the surrounding soil substantially equal to the pile anchor bolt post tension.

12. The foundation as claimed in claim 11 wherein each of said fastening members includes a tower anchor bolt extending downwardly into said concrete cap, an embedment ring extending peripherally in said concrete cap and being positioned adjacent said bottom surface thereof, each of said anchor bolts having a lower end rigidly affixed to said embedment ring to anchor the supported tower to said cap.

13. The foundation as claimed in claim 12 wherein each of said anchor bolts include a tubular sleeve extending from said embedment ring to prevent said anchor bolts from bonding to said concrete cap.

14. The foundation as claimed in claim 11 wherein said concrete cap includes a grout trough in said top surface to receive and set a supported tower flange in grout in said grout trough by a template bottom ring, removable blockout members supporting said tower flange at spaced points in said trough while grout is poured into the grout trough under the tower flange, leveling nuts on said fastening members engaged with said tower flange to support the tower flange to enable curing of said grout.

15. The foundation as claimed in claim 14 wherein said leveling nuts can be lowered within void spaces formed by removing said blockout members to enable said tower anchor bolts on which the lowered leveling nuts are threaded to be elongated by post tensioning.

16. The foundation as claimed in claim 11 wherein said corrugated pipe is made of a compressible material such that the uppermost portion of said pipe that surrounds said void or gap is compressed by said post tensioning to allow said upward pile anchor movement.

17. A pile anchor foundation for supporting a heavy load from a ground surface comprising:

a concrete foundation cap having a bottom surface engaged with said ground surface and an upper surface supporting a heavy load connected rigidly thereto; and

a plurality of elongated pile anchors formed in pile holes that extend from said ground surface into underlying soil beneath said foundation cap a substantial vertical depth, each of said pile anchors including a column of cementitious material having an upper surface and extending to a bottom portion of a respective pile hole, said upper surface of said pile anchor cementitious material and an adjacent area of said foundation cap bottom surface being configured to leave a gap or void between said upper surface of said pile anchor cementitious material and said adjacent area of said foundation cap bottom surface, each of said pile anchors including a tension member having a lower portion anchored in said cementitious material and extending upwardly through said respective gap or void and through said cap, an upper end of each tension member including a post tensioning assembly which engages an upper surface of said cap to pull said cap downwardly, an upper portion of each tension member being movable in relation to said pile anchor and said cap to enable stretching of said tension member when the post tensioning assembly on the upper end of said tension member is tightened downwardly against the cap so that said upper surface of said pile anchor cementitious material moves upwardly into said gap or void, thus reducing a vertical extent of said gap or void between the upper surface of said pile anchor cementitious material and the bottom surface of the cap, and thereby transfers stress to the soil surrounding said pile anchor, said cap being pulled downwardly so as to compress soil underlying said ground surface.

18. The foundation as claimed in claim 17 wherein each of said tension members includes a bolt having a sleeve enclosing said upper portion of said tension member to prevent the upper portion of the bolt covered by said sleeve from bonding to said pile anchor cementitious material and cap and facilitating said post tensioning.

19. The foundation as claimed in claim 17 wherein said foundation cap is generally cylindrical and said elongated pile anchors are circumferentially spaced around said foundation cap.

20. The foundation as claimed in claim 17 wherein an upper end of each tensioning member is threaded and said post tensioning assembly includes a base plate on the upper surface of said cap and a nut that is received on said threaded end which engages an upper surface of the base plate.

21. The foundation as claimed in claim 17 wherein said void or gap is formed by a compressible blackout element positioned above said upper surface of said pile anchor cementitious material.

22. The foundation as claimed in claim 21 wherein said blackout element is made of foam.

23. The foundation as claimed in claim 17 wherein said void or gap has a blockout element made of a compressible material positioned therein.

24. The foundation as claimed in claim 23 wherein said blockout element has a height of less than about two feet.

25. The foundation as claimed in claim 23 wherein said blackout element is made of foam.