A skirt supports an access hatch at a predetermined height as the hatch is formed in concrete. The skirt can be permanently embedded in the concrete. The skirt includes a rigid frame defining a central opening, the frame has an inner surface and an outer surface opposite the inner surface. The frame defines a height between the upper edge and the lower edge. The height of the skirt is predetermined such that the combined height of the skirt and the hatch approximate the desired thickness of the concrete slab. The skirt may include an alignment tab extending from the frame at an angle with respect to the frame, with the alignment tab extending above the upper edge of the frame to guide the hatch into alignment with the upper edge of the frame as the hatch is moved into position on the skirt.

The rapid consolidation and compaction method comprises (i) first driving a hollow pipe, (ii) driving a pipe with a removable end plate after filling and compacting the sandy material in it, through the hollow pipe, to required depth, creating high excess pore-water pressures in the range of 50 to 300 KPa in clayey soils, (iv) pulling out the pipe section leaving behind the removable end plate and thereby installing porous displacement piles which allows dissipation of the excess pore-water pressures horizontally to the porous displacement pile, in which the excess water flows out vertically to the ground surface, and (v) the length of the drainage path is reduced to half the spacing between adjoining porous displacement piles, allowing rapid consolidation resulting in increase in density. Installing the porous displacement piles in the layer of loose to medium dense sand layer results in the instantaneous increase in its density.

An axial reinforcement system is disclosed that provides a shell (i.e., a form or jacket) that protects a weight-bearing member (e.g., a cement column) from a corrosive environment and which also substantially increases the structural capacity of the weight-bearing member. The shell is integrated with positioners and reinforcing elements, the combination of which offers several advantages over conventional shells. The positioner is attached directly to the shell and the positioner is, in turn, secured to a reinforcing element, which can be a reinforced steel, such as rebar, or a carbon fiber reinforced polymer material. The axial reinforcement system has been found to substantially increase the structural rigidity of the weight-bearing member, while at the same time protecting the weight-bearing member from corrosion and is also simple to install.

A retaining wall system includes a face panel having a first end beam and a second end beam extending in parallel to the first end beam. The face panel extends a height defined from the first end beam to the second end beam when the face panel is oriented in an upright position. The face panel further includes a backfill side and is configured to retain a backfill material on the backfill side of the face panel. The retaining wall system further includes a support leg having a bracket for receiving the first end beam therein and an extension platform transversely oriented to the height of the face panel when the first end beam is received within the bracket. The extension platform extends away from the bracket and is configured to anchor the face panel in the upright position.

A shelter, comprising: a foundation system configured to be filled in-place at a construction site with concrete; and a structure mounted to the foundation system, the structure walls and a roof comprising rigid foam insulation plastered with continuous filament winding (CFW), wherein the foundation, walls and roof comprise seamless transitions there between. A method of fabricating a shelter, comprising of a rail system for pressing and gluing together foam walls, floor, ceiling, roof and foundation into a full structure. A foundation for a shelter, comprising: a portable tray configured to support the shelter, the portable tray comprising an interior configured to be filled or injected with a mass, and anchor elements configured to be anchored to an underlying formation. A modular tiling system that can be integrated into the foundation, comprising of movable functional components comprising a toilet, sink, speaker, lights, furniture, electronic equipment, cooking surface, lock box, trash bin and HVAC.

Embodiments described herein relate to construction of subsurface structural elements that are configured to redirect soil forces. For instance, a form may be used to construct a subsurface structural element such that the subsurface structural element redirects soil forces to vertically displace a foundation rather than have the soil forces crack or otherwise damage the foundation.

Disclosed is a cover for a utility vault and a method for making such covers. The cover is formed from fiberglass reinforcement layers, a low-density core, and a polymer mix matrix. The reinforcement layers include a bottom reinforcement layer, one or more edge reinforcement layers, and a top reinforcement layer. A first portion of the edge reinforcement layer overlaps a portion of the bottom reinforcement layer and a second portion of the edge reinforcement layer overlaps a portion of the top reinforcement layer. The core is positioned between the top and bottom reinforcement layers. The reinforcement layers are formed from fiberglass fabric and may include fiberglass layers whose fibers are oriented quadraxially. The polymer mix impregnates the fabric layers, encases the core, and binds the components together. The polymer matrix includes a thermoset polymer resin.

Disclosed is a nesting element for use in a hollow pile. The nesting element is configured to be retained at an opening defined in a wall of the pile. The nesting element comprises a surface that is configured such that, in use, the surface substantially conforms to an internal profile at a transverse cross-section of the pile. Also disclosed are a pile system that employs one or more nesting elements in one or more respective piles, and an installation system for installing the pile system into the ground. Additionally, a method of constructing a retaining wall using the pile system and installation system is disclosed.

Embodiments of a mold for making a retaining wall blocks are disclosed. The mold enables blocks to be made more quickly by enabling separation of each block from the mold housing when the block is cured sufficiently to enable separation. Once separated, the block can be permitted to fully cure away from the mold housing, while the mold housing is re-used to produce one or more other blocks. In one embodiment, among others, the mold has a movable bottom tray and a mold housing with at least one door. The mold housing has an opening designed to receive and introduce a fabrication material, such as concrete, into the cavity. Once a block is sufficiently cured, it is separated from the mold housing on the tray through the at least one door, and a new tray is inserted in the mold housing to make another block.

The present invention discloses a system and method for forming a compacted aggregate pier at a target location. The system comprises a mandrel, which is a composition of a casing pipe and an inner steel shaft with close ended cone and convenient entry and exit of the inner shaft. The system further comprises a casing is equipped with water jet system, a rammer of mandrel attached to hydraulic hammer and an inner mandrel with a casing pipe having two valves with open and close capability. Using this system, the matrix soil radial density and the bearing capacity and the modulus of the reaction of the composite soil are increased and soil settlement decreases. This system also increases the density of loose soils or soils with dense sandy intermediate layers especially in shores and rivers in submerged conditions. Also, the loose granular soil is retrofitted against liquefaction.