FOOTING SYSTEM

Abstract

A method, system and support element for supporting a pole, mast or similar elongated element to a foundation. The pole, mast or similar elongated element comprises a wall which is substantially continuous. A plurality of discontinuities, such as eg. channels or recesses, are provided about the periphery of the pole. A plurality of the support members are positioned on the pole and adapted to extend between the pole and the foundation thereby transmitting force from the pole to the foundation. Each support member is adapted to extend between at least two of the discontinuities and engage the discontinuities over a predetermined axial length of the pole.

Claims

1. A system for connecting a pole, mast or similar elongated element to a foundation, said pole, mast or similar elongated element having an exterior wall with a plurality of discontinuities disposed about its periphery, said system comprising of plurality of support members adapted to extend between the pole and the foundation, said support members adapted to extend between at least two of said discontinuities and engage said discontinuities over a predetermined axial length, said support members being provided with at least a pair of arms biased toward respective discontinuities.

2. A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said predetermined axial length is defined in response to the force applied by the pole to the support member for transmission to the foundation.

3. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said predetermined axial length is defined in response to the maximum expected force applied by the pole to the support member for transmission to the foundation.

4. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the support element comprises a first engagement portion, adapted to engage said discontinuities and a second portion outwardly extending from said first portion for fixing to the foundation.

5. A system as claimed in claim 4 wherein said first portion is adapted to slidably engage said pole.

6. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pole is an aluminium extrusion.

7. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said discontinuities are formed as a plurality of recesses or channels adapted to slidably receive with said support members.

8. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said support members include arms adapted to engage said recesses or channels.

9. A system as claimed in claim 8 wherein said arms terminate in elongate ribs adapted to slidably engage said recesses or channels.

10. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein a plurality of support members are provided at regularly spaced intervals around the perimeter of the pole.

11. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said support members are chemically and/or mechanically fixed to said pole.

12. (canceled)

13. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least said pair of arms are biased away from one another to thereby, in use, engage mutually opposed respective discontinuities.

14. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said discontinuities are configured as longitudinally extending strengthening members or ribs.

15. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said support member is constructed from a different material from said pole.

16. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said support member is of constant cross section along its length.

17. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said support element has an aperture therethrough adapted to facilitate engagement with foundation fixing means.

18. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said support members are substantially L shaped with a substantially upright portion adapted to slidably engage said pole, and a base portion adapted to engage the foundation.

19. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said predetermined length of said support member engaging said discontinuities is between 200 to 500 millimetres in the axial direction.

20. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said predetermined length of said support member engaging said discontinuity is between 250 to 350 millimetres in the axial direction.

21. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein in addition to said engagement with said discontinuities, said support members are chemically and/or mechanically fixed to said pole.

22. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said support members include a cam arrangement for controllably applying a biasing force to the support member to engage said discontinuities.

23. A system as claimed in claim 22 wherein said cam arrangement is provided between said arms for controllably applying a biasing force to outwardly bias said arms to engage said recesses or channels.

24. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said support members are adapted to engage a pair of mutually opposed discontinuities.

25. A support element for supporting a pole, a mast or similar elongated element to a foundation, said elongated element having an exterior wall with a plurality of discontinuities disposed about its periphery, said support member having a first engagement portion adapted to span between at least two of said discontinuities and engage said discontinuities over a predetermined axial length, and a second foundation portion outwardly extending from the first portion for fixing to a foundation, wherein said support members are provided with at least a pair of arms biased toward respective discontinuities.

26. A support element as claimed in claim 25 wherein said predetermined axial length is defined in response to the force applied by the pole to the support member for transmission to the foundation.

27. A support element as claimed in claim 25, wherein said predetermined axial length is defined in response to the maximum expected force applied by the pole to the support member for transmission to the foundation.

28. A support element as claimed in claim 25, wherein the support element comprises a first engagement portion, adapted to engage said discontinuities and a second portion outwardly extending from said first portion for fixing to the foundation.

29. A support element as claimed in claim 28 wherein said first portion is adapted to slidably engage said pole.

30. A support element as claimed in claim 25, wherein the pole is an aluminium extrusion.

31. A support element as claimed in claim 25, wherein said discontinuities are formed as a plurality of recesses or channels adapted to slidably receive with said support members.

32. A support element as claimed in claim 25, wherein said support members include arms adapted to engage said recesses or channels.

33. A support element as claimed in claim 32 wherein said arms terminate in elongate ribs adapted to slidably engage said recesses or channels.

34. A support element as claimed in claim 25, wherein a plurality of support members are provided at regularly spaced intervals around the perimeter of the pole.

35. A support element as claimed in claim 25, wherein said support members are chemically and/or mechanically fixed to said pole.

36. (canceled)

37. A support element as claimed in claim 25, wherein said support members are provided with at least a pair of arms biased away from one another to thereby, in use, engage mutually opposed respective discontinuities.

38. A support element as claimed in claim 25, wherein said discontinuities are configured as longitudinally extending strengthening members or ribs.

39. A support element as claimed in claim 25, wherein said support member is constructed from a different material from said pole.

40. A support element as claimed in claim 25, wherein said support member is of constant cross section along its length.

41. A support element as claimed in claim 25, wherein said support element has an aperture therethrough adapted to facilitate engagement with foundation fixing means.

42. A support element as claimed in claim 25, wherein said support members are substantially L shaped with a substantially upright portion adapted to slidably engage said pole, and a base portion adapted to engage the foundation.

43. A support element as claimed in claim 25, wherein said predetermined length of said support member engaging said discontinuities is between 200 to 500 millimetres in the axial direction.

44. A support element as claimed in claim 25, wherein said predetermined length of said support member engaging said discontinuity is between 250 to 350 millimetres in the axial direction.

45. A support element as claimed in claim 25, wherein in addition to said engagement with said discontinuities, said support members are chemically and/or mechanically fixed to said pole.

46. A support element as claimed in claim 25, wherein said support members include a cam arrangement for controllably applying a biasing force to the support member to engage said discontinuities.

47. A support element as claimed in claim 46 wherein said cam arrangement is provided between said arms for controllably applying a biasing force to outwardly bias said arms to engage said recesses or channels.

48. A support element as claimed in claim 25, wherein said support members are adapted to engage a pair of mutually opposed discontinuities.

49. A method of supporting a pole, mast or similar elongated element to a foundation, said pole, mast or similar elongated element having an exterior wall with a plurality of discontinuities disposed about its periphery, said method comprising providing a plurality of support members extending between the pole and the foundation, said support member extending between at least two of said discontinuities and positioned to engage said discontinuities over a predetermined axial length to thereby support said pole and transmit force applied to the pole through the said foundation, wherein said support members are provided with at least a pair of arms biased toward respective discontinuities.

50. A method as claimed in claim 49 wherein said predetermined axial length is defined in response to the force applied by the pole to the support member for transmission to the foundation.

51. A method as claimed in claim 49, wherein said predetermined axial length is defined in response to the maximum expected force applied by the pole to the support member for transmission to the foundation.

52. A method as claimed in claim 49, wherein the support element comprises a first engagement portion, adapted to engage said discontinuities and a second portion outwardly extending from said first portion for fixing to the foundation.

53. A method as claimed in claim 52 wherein said first portion is adapted to slidably engage said pole.

54. A method as claimed in claim 49, wherein the pole is an aluminium extrusion.

55. A method as claimed in claim 49, wherein said discontinuities are formed as a plurality of recesses or channels adapted to slidably receive with said support members.

56. A method as claimed in claim 49, wherein said support members include arms adapted to engage said recesses or channels.

57. A method as claimed in claim 56 wherein said arms terminate in elongate ribs adapted to slidably engage said recesses or channels.

58. A method as claimed in claim 49, wherein a plurality of support members are provided at regularly spaced intervals around the perimeter of the pole.

59. A method as claimed in claim 49, wherein said support members are chemically and/or mechanically fixed to said pole.

60. (canceled)

61. A method as claimed in claim 49, wherein said pair of arms are biased away from one another to thereby, in use, engage mutually opposed respective discontinuities.

62. A method as claimed in claim 49, wherein said discontinuities are configured as longitudinally extending strengthening members or ribs.

63. A method as claimed in claim 49, wherein said support member is constructed from a different material from said pole.

64. A method as claimed in claim 49, wherein said support member is of constant cross section along its length.

65. A method as claimed in claim 49, wherein said support element has an aperture therethrough adapted to facilitate engagement with foundation fixing means.

66. A method as claimed in claim 49, wherein said support members are substantially L shaped with a substantially upright portion adapted to slidably engage said pole, and a base portion adapted to engage the foundation.

67. A method as claimed in claim 49, wherein said predetermined length of said support member engaging said discontinuities is between 200 to 500 millimetres in the axial direction.

68. A method as claimed in claim 49, wherein said predetermined length of said support member engaging said discontinuity is between 250 to 350 millimetres in the axial direction.

69. A method as claimed in claim 49, wherein in addition to said engagement with said discontinuities, said support members are chemically and/or mechanically fixed to said pole.

70. A method as claimed in claim 49, wherein said support members include a cam arrangement for controllably applying a biasing force to the support member to engage said discontinuities.

71. A method as claimed in claim 70 wherein said cam arrangement is provided between said arms for controllably applying a biasing force to outwardly bias said arms to engage said recesses or channels.

72. A method as claimed in claim 49, wherein said support members are adapted to engage a pair of mutually opposed discontinuities.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0036] The present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which;

[0037] FIG. 1 is perspective view of the support elements in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0038] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a plurality of support elements attached to a base portion of a pole in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.

[0039] FIGS. 3 and 4 are cross sectional views of a support element and pole in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.

[0040] FIGS. 5 and 6 are perspective and cross sectional view of the support element and pole connected to a foundation in accordance with yet another embodiment of the present invention.

[0041] FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view of yet another embodiment of the present invention.

BEST MODE(S) FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0042] FIGS. 1A and 1B are is perspective views of a support members in accordance with preferred embodiments of the present invention.

[0043] The support member/element 200 is adapted to extend between at least a pair of discontinuities on the pole. These discontinuities preferably extend in the axial direction of the elongated pole or mast. In the following description, these discontinuities are provided by recesses/channel formed in the pole wall. It will be understood, however, such discontinuities can be provided in other forms eg. strengthening ribs.

[0044] The support element comprises two portions. The first portion is an engagement portion 210 for slidable engagement and retention by the pole as will be discussed below. In the embodiment shown, this engagement portion comprises a pair of arms terminating in engagement ribs 215. These engagement ribs 215 are sized to closely engage with the aforementioned discontinuities eg. recesses or channels on the pole.

[0045] The support member/element 200 further comprises an outwardly extending foundation portion 230 adapted for fixing to a foundation, wall or the like as will be discussed below. The support elements as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B are intended to support a pole or other elongated element in a substantially vertical configuration. It will be understood by persons skilled in the art, however, the support elements could equally be configured to support the elongated members in other configurations.

[0046] As will be seen in FIG. 1A, the support element 200 shown is essentially constant in cross sectional shape. However, it is also possible to provide a support element in other configurations for example as shown in FIG. 1B with the engaging portion 210 and outwardly extending foundation portion 230 as a L-shape element or similar.

[0047] One of the significant advantages of the embodiment in which the support member is of constant cross section (FIG. 1A), is that it provides excellent flexibility and reliable mounting of the pole since the support member can be simply sized to match the expected loads on each support/element. As will be discussed below, for a typical traffic sign/telegraph pole, the predetermined length of the support member engaging this discontinuities ie. contacting the pole would be around 250 millimetres. For a larger, heavier pole it is expected that this contact length may in fact be around 350 millimetres but it is expected that most support members in the range of 200-500 millimetres would be able to support most commercially available traffic or telegraph poles. If, as it is proposed, the support element is of constant cross section, it can be simply cut to length and it is not necessary to individually prepare support elements for each pole. An operator could simply determine the required length of the support member, (load rating markings on the support member could assist) then cut the support member to length and engage the pole as shown in FIG. 2. As it will be discussed below, the operator can then connect the support element to the foundation.

[0048] Referring now to the embodiment of FIG. 2, this displays the base 110 of a pole such as a light pole, flag pole, telegraph pole, etc. The pole 100 comprises a wall 105 which is substantially circular in cross section. A plurality of discontinuities 150, in this case channels or recesses, extend in the longitudinal or axial direction on the wall 105. The term “discontinuities” refers to the ribs or channels being formed in the substantial continuous wall 105 of the pole.

[0049] At the end portion 120 of the base 100, a plurality of support member elements 200 are provided. Each of these support members 200 are preferably slidably engaged and retained by the pole base 110. In this instance, a plurality of discontinuities 450 in the form of channels or recesses are provided at least in the base 110 of the pole 100. In this embodiment, the pole 100 including its base 110 is produced as an extrusion from aluminium. This extrusion provides a number of recesses or channels 450. These recesses or channels are configured to engage the ribs 215 of the support element and thereby retain the support member/elements 200. In this way, the support member 200 for mounting the base 110 to a foundation does not require additional mechanical or chemical fixing to the base.

[0050] Engagement of the support member 200 into the recesses 450 can be accomplished in several ways. In one embodiment, the support member 200 is simply slid into the recesses or channels 450 formed in the base 110.

[0051] In an alternative embodiment as shown in FIG. 4, arms 210 extending from the support member 200 for engagement with the recesses or channels 450 can be moveable. These arms 210 which are normally biased outwardly can be forced inwardly so as to provide clearance between the ribs 215 and the recesses/channels 450. The support member/element 200 is then placed in position and released such that the arms 210 return to their normal outwardly biased such that the ribs 215 closely engage the recesses/channels 450 in the pole. FIG. 4 shows one support member 200A about to be installed, one support member 200B being installed and one support member 200C in its installed position.

[0052] In the embodiment shown, four support elements are provided around the base of the pole to support the pole in four directions. The biasing of the arms 210 and ribs 215 also assists in compensating for manufacturing tolerances in the pole extrusion 100. To explain, as it would be cleared to persons skilled in the art, in a preferred embodiment the pole is made from extruded aluminium. As such, there would be variations in the manufacturing tolerances. It is preferred to have a close contact between the support member/element 200 and the discontinuities or recesses/channels 450 in the pole. Outwardly biasing the arms 210 such that the rubs 215 snuggly fit into the recesses/channels 450 serves to compensate for these manufacturing tolerances.

[0053] The embodiment shown in FIGS. 3, 5 and 6 will now be explained. When the support members/elements are in position at the base of the pole as shown in FIG. 3, they are preferably connected directly to foundation bolts 610 extending from the foundation 600. To explain, when mounting said poles, a foundation 600 is prepared normally from cast concrete, stone or the like. Foundation bolts 610 are embedded into the foundation as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. These foundation bolts then engage the support member elements 200 as will be explained.

[0054] In the embodiment shown, the foundation bolts 610 are connected to the support elements/members 200 by means of plates 250 (FIG. 5). The foundation bolts 610 essentially pass all the way through the support element 200 and are connected to upper and lower plates 350. In the embodiments shown, and as discussed above, the constant cross section of the support elements/member 200 again provides flexibility. In some cases the foundation bolts 610 may not be precisely in place or at the precise angle needed. In one embodiment of the present invention and as shown more clearly in FIG. 3, an aperture 340 runs through the support member 200 and thereby gives clearance for the foundation bolts 610 to pass therethrough. The upper and lower plates 350 and nuts 620 then connect the support elements/members 200 to the foundation.

[0055] It can be seen, that the load applied by the pole 100 is transferred over the entire predetermined length of engagement of the support element 200 with the discontinuities 450 and thereby to the foundation by the foundation bolts. If the load to be applied to the pole and then foundation is relatively high, the predetermined length of the chosen support element in engagement with the pole can simply be increased to spread the load and more reliably support the pole. Equally, if the load which can be expected to be applied to the pole and the foundation is low, for instance if the pole is quite short or light, the support elements chosen can be equally be of reduced predetermined length.

[0056] A further embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 7. In this embodiment, cam members 700 are provided to further bias the arms 210 of the support member/element 200 and increase contact between ribs 215 in the recesses 450 of the pole. To explain, in this embodiment cam members 700 extend laterally through the base of the pole and engage at least the arms 210 of the support members/elements 200. In this case, the cam members 700 are hex-head bolts. The bolts can be rotated such that they force the arms 210 outwardly and thereby push the ribs 215 towards recesses 450. Of course, other cam members and interior profiles of the support elements/member 200 can be designed to accomplish this technique. For example, vertically oriented cams may also be used. The applicant, however, has found that such hex-head bolts are a cost effective mechanism of providing this function. Additionally, the hex-head bolt assists in maintaining close contact between the support element and the pole. It should be stressed, however, that these bolts do not provide any substantive load bearing function in the inventive device.

[0057] Another option to ensure appropriate positioning of the support element/members 200 on the base 100 of the pole is to provide a small amount of chemical fixing eg, gluing once the support element is slidably engaged in the pole.

[0058] Indeed, any of the aforementioned processes for biasing by means by its structure and form, chemically fixing by gluing or mechanical biasing by means of a cam member or the like, can be used to assist in providing the desired close, snug fit of the support member on the pole and the ribs 215 into recesses/channels 450.

[0059] In the embodiment shown, the base 100 is configured to receive and retain 4 support members 200 equally spaced at 90° interval around the base of the pole 100. Equally, the pole 100 could be extruded with a channel/recess configuration to receive any number of support members 200.

[0060] In can be seen from the reliable and cost effective slidable connection of the support members with the pole, the pole will be retained in its substantially vertical configuration by means of the support members.