An improved pile cap connector for connecting the top end of a driven pile, e.g., pipe pile, to a support beam or girder of a building, and/or the building proper, comprising, a cap plate, one or more lower braces secured to the underside of the cap plate to anchor the cap to the pile, two or more upper braces securable to the top side of the support plate, wherein at least one of the two or more upper braces has a length so that the brace, when secured to the cap plate, rises above the support beam or girder so that a portion of the brace lays against the building proper for fastening thereto.

A modular slab, slab system, piles and methods of use thereof are described along with specific applications and methods of manufacture. The slab or slab system may be pre-insulated and pre-finished before being assembled on site. The slab system may be advantageous to use as a replacement for traditional in-situ poured building foundations. The slab system may also have uses in other fields such as for floors, roads, bridges, pavements/side walks and other civil and structural applications.

A Smart Caisson incorporates an expandable balloon-like body at depth under the base of a vertical piling or foundation member. The self-expanding balloon footing counteracts soil erosion by expanding to fill areas of soil recession. A pipe or through-hole in the vertical piling admits surface rainwater into the balloon footing at the same time the rainwater is contributing to sub-surface erosion. Users can actively pump water downward through the piling through-hole to fill the balloon footing during times of low rainfall or following short-duration erosion events, such as earthquakes. The through-holes are designed to capably admit cement, concrete and other fill materials without clogging or corroding. A metal mesh surrounding the balloon footing expands with the balloon, providing structure and a matrix to trap and hold shifted sub-surface earthen material and concrete previously pumped into the balloon footing. An array of sensors warns the user of sub-surface soil conditions.

A non-contact strain and/or displacement measurement system for use with structural objects having an optical device, a data store and an image arrangement that is fixed relative to the structural object to be tested, the optical device including an image receiving device for receiving visual images and the data store being configured to record the received visual images, the image receiving device being spaced from the image arrangement by an optical spacing such that the image receiving device has a visual range that includes a portion of the structural object and the image arrangement being within the portion, the image arrangement having at least one image element wherein movement of the at least one image element during a measurement period provides image data to calculate structural object strain and/or structural object displacement.

A photovoltaic solar panel array support structure that has a negligible footprint and that may be adjustably sized in the future to accommodate an increase or decrease of the number of solar panel arrays. It is installed at a substantial elevation above ground level so as to allow unhampered, ongoing farming activities in the area directly below the solar panel array, including the use of large mechanized farm equipment. The photovoltaic solar panel array support structure utilizes a series of vertical pilings that support a pre-fabricated unitary segment platform upon which a solar panel system may be mounted and then lifted atop of the pilings as a single assembly. It is intended for erection and operation in locations where large-scale ground mounted solar panel arrays are not feasible.

The frost heave prevention system is configured for use with a piling. The piling further comprises a stanchion and a frost pad. The stanchion anchors to the frost pad. The frost pad is a concrete pad that is buried below the frost line such that frost will not cause the frost pad and the stanchion to heave or otherwise shift. The frost heave prevention system comprises a skirt structure and the piling. The skirt structure encloses the piling such that the skirt structure inhibits water from flowing towards the anchor joint between the stanchion and the frost pad thereby inhibiting a common source of failure when using a frost pad.

A marine structure including a floating deck attached to a damper configured to control the vertical movement of the deck. The damper allows vertical motion of the floating deck in response to gradual changes in water level such as tidal changes, but resists bouncing of the deck in response to shorter term fluctuations in water level such as boat wakes or wind chop.

A marine structure including a floating deck attached to a damper configured to control the vertical movement of the deck. The damper allows vertical motion of the floating deck in response to gradual changes in water level such as tidal changes, but resists bouncing of the deck in response to shorter term fluctuations in water level such as boat wakes or wind chop.

A foundation reinforcement system may include an elongated beam, a first bracket assembly and a second bracket assembly. Each bracket assembly includes a shaft receiving portion and a seat portion. The seat portion includes a plurality of protruding members that protrude upwardly therefrom. The elongated beam is disposed atop the seat portion of the first bracket assembly such that at least one of the plurality of protruding members of the bracket assembly is disposed on each of opposing lateral sides of the elongated beam. The bracket assemblies are horizontally spaced-apart from each other. The elongated beam is disposed atop the seat portion of the second bracket assembly such that at least one of the plurality of protruding members of the second bracket assembly is disposed on each of opposing lateral sides of the elongated beam.

A tip is described which extends axially along a central longitudinal axis and is configured to displace the ground when the tip is being rotated about its central longitudinal axis during a ground displacement operation for a foundation pile. The tip comprises a tip body; several spiral-shaped ribs protruding from the tip body; and several protrusions arranged to the ribs. The protrusions comprise a point which is arranged such that, during rotation of the tip about its central longitudinal axis, the point of the protrusion is ahead of the rib to which the protrusion is arranged. The tip body, the ribs and the protrusions are made as a single-piece casting.