Noise attenuating barrier and method of installing same

Abstract

A noise abating wall including piers with integral column members, columns each including two laterally extending wing walls, and a spandrel panel. The piers are secured in spaced ground holes with column members extending vertically from the pier securing the columns in a vertical orientation with the wing wall outer sides having a selected spacing from one wing wall of an adjacent column. The spandrel panels are wider than the selected spacing of wing walls of adjacent columns whereby the spandrel panel sides overlap the sides of adjacent wing walls. First connectors on the spandrel panel front face adjacent both of the panel opposite sides and second connectors on the wing wall rear faces adjacent the wing wall outer sides connect together to secure the overlapping walls and spandrel panels in substantially face to face contact.

Claims

1. A wall for abating noise from a noisy area, comprising: a plurality of columns each precast monolithically and integral with a pair of wing walls extending laterally from the column with each wing wall having front and rear faces extending laterally from said column to an outer side spaced from the column, said columns each being secured in a vertical orientation adjacent said noisy area with said wing wall outer sides have a selected spacing from one wing wall outer side of an adjacent column; a spandrel panel having front and rear faces extending between opposite sides, said opposite sides being spaced greater than said selected spacing of wing walls of adjacent columns whereby said spandrel panel front face adjacent one of said panel opposite sides overlaps said rear face of one of the wing walls of one of said adjacent columns, and said spandrel panel front face adjacent the other of said panel opposite sides overlaps said rear face of one of the wings walls of said other adjacent column; and first connectors on said spandrel panel front face adjacent both of said panel opposite sides and second connectors on said wing wall rear faces adjacent said wing wall outer sides, said first and second connectors connected together to secure said overlapping walls and spandrel panels in substantially face to face contact.

2. The wall of claim 1, further comprising: a plurality of piers each with a column member, each of said piers secured in ground holes adjacent the noisy area with said column member extending vertically from the pier above the ground and spaced from at least one adjacent pier; and a center recess in said plurality of columns receiving said pier column members to support said plurality of columns in a vertical orientation.

3. The wall of claim 2, wherein said piers are each precast concrete formed integrally with a steel pillar extending above said pier to define said column members.

4. The wall of claim 3, wherein said piers are each secured in a ground hole larger than said pier with fill closing the ground hole after the pier is positioned in the ground hole, and further comprising rebar extending downwardly from said precast concrete pier and into said ground securing the position of the pier as the fill is added to the ground hole.

5. The wall of claim 4, further comprising a stand securing the position of said pillar while fill is added to the ground hole.

6. The wall of claim 5, wherein the fill is CLSM concrete.

7. The wall of claim 1, wherein: said first connectors comprise a plurality of projections from said spandrel panel front face adjacent said panel opposite sides; and said second connectors comprise a plurality of recesses into the wing walls through said wing wall rear faces adjacent said wing wall outer sides; wherein said first connector projections when received in said second connector recesses bias said spandrel panel front face into engagement with said rear faces of said wing wall.

8. The wall of claim 7, wherein: said first connector projections each include a downwardly extending locking member having a sloped surface generally facing said panel vertical front face; said second connector recesses each include an upwardly extending locking member having a sloped surface generally facing into said second connector recesses; and said first connector downwardly facing members are located behind said second connector upwardly facing members in said recesses with said downwardly extending locking member sloped surfaces engaging said upwardly extending locking member sloped surfaces whereby said locking member sloped surfaces interact to bias said spandrel panel front face against said wing wall rear faces.

9. A method of assembling a wall for abating noise from a noisy area, comprising the steps of: precasting a plurality of piers, a plurality of columns, each column being precast monolithically and integral with a pair of wing walls extending laterally from the column, and a plurality of spandrel panels; digging at least two ground holes adjacent the noisy area; in each ground hole securing one of said piers with a pier column member oriented vertically; adding CLSM fill to said ground holes and allowing said CLSM fill to cure around said pier; lowering said columns onto said pier column members to secure said columns in a vertical orientation with wing walls of adjacent columns at said selected spacing; suspending one of said spandrel panels above the ground between said wing walls of adjacent columns with locking members of first connectors higher than locking members of second connectors; moving said suspended spandrel panel toward said wing walls to locate said first connectors in said second connector recesses with said first connector locking members behind said second connector locking members in said second connector recesses; and lowering said suspended spandrel panel whereby locking member sloped surfaces interact to bias a front face of said spandrel panel against rear faces of said wing walls.

10. A wall for abating noise from a noisy area, comprising: a plurality of piers with integral column members, each of said piers secured in ground holes adjacent the noisy area with said integral column member extending vertically from the pier above the ground and spaced from at least one adjacent pier; a plurality of columns each including a pair of wing walls extending laterally from the column, each of said columns and included wing walls being integrally formed of precast concrete with each wing wall having front and rear faces extending laterally from said column to an outer side spaced from the column, said columns each being secured in a vertical orientation to said pier column members whereby said wing wall outer sides have a selected spacing from one wing wall outer side of an adjacent column secured to said adjacent pier; a spandrel panel having front and rear faces extending between opposite sides, said opposite sides being spaced greater than said selected spacing of wing walls of adjacent columns whereby said spandrel panel front face adjacent one of said panel opposite sides overlaps said rear face of one of the wing walls of one of said adjacent columns, and said spandrel panel front face adjacent the other of said panel opposite sides overlaps said rear face of one of the wings walls of said other adjacent column; and first connectors on said spandrel panel front face adjacent both of said panel opposite sides and second connectors on said wing wall rear faces adjacent said wing wall outer sides, said first and second connectors connected together to secure said overlapping walls and spandrel panels in substantially face to face contact.

11. The wall of claim 10, wherein said spandrel panels and wing walls are supported in a substantially vertical orientation.

12. The wall of claim 10 wherein said piers, columns and spandrel panels are formed of precast concrete prior to assembly at the noisy area.

13. The wall of claim 10, wherein: said first connectors comprise a plurality of projections from said spandrel panel front face adjacent said panel opposite sides; said second connectors comprise a plurality of recesses into the wing walls through said wing wall rear faces adjacent said wing wall outer sides; wherein said first connector projections when received in said second connector recesses bias said spandrel panel front face into engagement with said rear faces of said wing wall.

14. The wall of claim 13, wherein: said first connector projections each include a downwardly extending locking member having a sloped surface generally facing said panel front face; said second connector recesses each include an upwardly extending locking member having a sloped surface generally facing into said second connector recesses; and said first connector downwardly facing members are located behind said second connector upwardly facing members with said downwardly extending locking member sloped surfaces engaging said upwardly extending locking member sloped surfaces whereby said locking member sloped surfaces interact to bias said spandrel panel front face against said wing wall rear faces.

15. A method of assembling the spandrel panels and wing walls of claim 14, comprising the steps of: suspending one of said spandrel panels above the ground; positioning the suspended spandrel panel between adjacent spaced wing walls with said locking members of said first connectors higher than the locking members of said second connectors; moving said suspended spandrel panel toward said wing walls to locate said first connectors in said second connector recesses with said first connector locking members behind said second connector locking members in said second connector recesses; and lowering said suspended spandrel panel whereby said locking member sloped surfaces interact to bias said spandrel panel front face against said wing wall rear faces.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIGS. 1 and 2 are front views of sound attenuating walls as disclosed herein;

(2) FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the main components of the wall, namely the pier, the column with wing walls, and spandrel panels;

(3) FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the wall as assembled, with sound attenuating and/or reflecting and/or aesthetic liners attached to the front and rear of the wing walls and spandrel panels;

(4) FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a pier as it is prepared for installation on-site in a ground hole;

(5) FIGS. 6-8 are front, side and top views of a support tripod which may be advantageously used to support a pier during the installation of the pier in an augured ground hole;

(6) FIGS. 9-12 illustrate connectors which may be advantageously used to connect spandrel panels to column wing walls, where

(7) FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view showing the connector components which are integral with the spandrel panel and the wing walls,

(8) FIG. 10 is a side cross-sectional view showing the panel and wing wall connectors as positioned prior to connecting the panel to the wing walls,

(9) FIG. 11 is a side cross-sectional view showing the panel and wing wall connectors as the male connector is moved into engagement with the female connector, and

(10) FIG. 12 is a side cross-sectional view showing the panel and wing wall connectors in their connected position supporting and holding the panel and wing walls together;

(11) FIGS. 13-14 are cross-sectional views from the top and side of the engaged connectors, respectively;

(12) FIG. 15 is a top view of the sound attenuating wall showing a plurality or joined spandrel panels and columns with wing walls;

(13) FIG. 16 is a front view of an alternate spandrel panel illustrating an aesthetic panel cover;

(14) FIG. 17 is a top view of an alternate crash-worthy wall;

(15) FIG. 18 is a perspective exploded view illustrating a column which may be used at the end of a wall; and

(16) FIG. 19 is a view of an integrated precast column with wing walls which are not linearly aligned for use where corners are required in the wall.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

(17) New and advantageous noise attenuating walls or barriers 40 are illustrated in FIGS. 1-2. In one form as illustrated in those figures, and as discussed in greater detail hereafter, the walls 40 include a plurality of spaced precast concrete piers 50 secured in the ground 54, each pier 50 supporting a column 60 which is precast monolithically and integrally with a pair of wing walls 62, 64 cantilevered on the column 60. A spandrel panel 70 on opposite sides overlaps with and is secured to the wing walls 62, 64 of adjacent columns to form the wall 40. The height of the spandrel panels 70 may be of any required height depending on the environmental requirements (with suitable piers 50 and columns 60), including up to at least thirty (30) feet.

(18) The wall 40 shown in FIG. 1 is installed on uneven ground 54, and the wall 40′ shown in FIG. 2 is on even ground 54′. For uneven ground as in FIG. 1, the wing walls are secured at different heights to the sides of the column 62 (see, e.g., wing walls 62′,64′ in FIG. 1)

(19) A portion of the walls 40 is also shown in exploded view in FIG. 3. As seen therein, a hole 80 is dug in the ground 54 and a pier 50 is lowered into the hole 80. The pier 50 is precast reinforced concrete including rebars 84 extending (e.g., about 18 inches) below the bottom of the pier 50 (to assist in ensuring the proper orientation of the pier 50 as described hereafter) and a column member 86 embedded in the pier so that a portion extends from the top of the pier 50.

(20) The column 60 includes a recess or box-out 88 (see FIG. 3) in the bottom which receives the column member 86 when assembled such that the precast column 60 is supported by the pier 50 and its column member 86 in the desired (typically vertical) orientation. Advantageously, the column member 86 may be formed of a standard sized steel hollow structural section (HSS) designed to withstand the stresses of a particular installation, and typically would be of a size which would extend to at least about 6 inches of the bottom of the pier 50 and at least about four (4) feet above the pier 50 (and about four [4] feet into the column recess 88). It should be appreciated that in addition to supporting loads on the wall 40 over its life, the non-cylindrical shape of the column member 86 will also support the column 60 against unbalanced wind loads during construction (when, e.g., only one of the wing walls 62, 64 is secured to a spandrel panel 70). It should also be appreciated that the steel column members 86 are fully contained within precast box-outs 88 and thus are completely protected from the elements once the wall has been fully erected.

(21) The spandrel panels 70 include male connectors 90 which are secured in female connectors 92 (see FIGS. 10-12) to secure the spandrel panels 70 between adjacent spaced wing walls 62, 64 as described in greater detail hereafter.

(22) As illustrated in FIGS. 4 (and 16), sound attenuating, absorptive, and/or reflective properties and/or aesthetic coatings or layers 96 may be added to the sides of the wing walls 62, 64 and spandrel panels 70, as long as the minimum required structural thickness of the spandrel panel 70 is maintained.

(23) FIGS. 5-8 illustrate the advantageous manner and devices disclosed herein for on-site installation of the piers 50 in minimal time and with minimal use of lifting equipment such as cranes. Specifically:

(24) a. Ground holes 80 are dug (e.g., by auguring) at each location where a pier 50 is to be located. Advantageously, the hole diameter should be larger than the diameter of the pier 50 and the bottom of the hole 80 should be deeper than the height of the pier 50. However, advantageously the bottom of the hole 80 should be no more than about 12 inches from the design bottom of the pier 50.

(25) b. Each pier 50 may then be positioned in the desired vertical orientation in the ground holes 80 in a vertical orientation by a suitable lifting device such as a crane 100 (See FIG. 5). Advantageously, the pier 50 may be suspended beneath a support tripod 110 by, for example, a cable 112 secured to the pier 50 by looping through a hole 114 in the column member 86, with the cable 112 secured on its upper end to a vertical screw 116 of the support tripod 110.

(26) c. The pier 50 when initially positioned properly is then lowered to its final orientation within the ground hole 80, with the downwardly extending rebars 84 penetrating the ground 54 at the bottom of the hole 80 to substantially secure the pier 50 in the desired vertical position spaced from the walls and bottom of the hole 80. Specifically, the rebars 84 will secure the bottom of the pier in place to prevent it from rotating or being laterally displaced when the hole 80 is thereafter backfilled with CLSM.

(27) d. Once substantially secured in the desired position, the supporting tripod 110 may be adjusted to precisely orient the pier 50 into the desired position. Specifically, as seen in FIGS. 5-8, the tripod legs 120 may be adjusted so as to be firmly positioned on the ground 54 around the hole 80. Two orthogonal adjusting screws 124, 126 may then be adjusted to horizontally position the vertical screw 116 supporting the cable 110 so that the tripod 110 and the rebars 84 in the ground 54 cooperate to support the pier 50 in its exact design position. The vertical screw 116 may also be used to adjust the vertical position of the pier 50 and embedded column member 86 to the design height. Moreover, it should be appreciated that once the pier 50 is supported near its designed orientation by the support tripod 110, the crane 100 may be disengaged and used for installation of the next pier 50.

(28) e. Fast setting CLM material may then be poured into the ground hole 80 around the pier 50 and allowed to set, securing the pier 50 in the ground hole whereby the piers 50 can support the wall 40.

(29) It should be appreciated that use of multiple inexpensive support tripods 110 may be used simultaneously while the CLSM backfill is poured into the ground holes and while the CLSM sets. Thus, the supporting crane 100 need remain at the site of each pier 50 only until the pier 50 is sufficiently supported by the tripod 110, freeing the crane 100 to be used to position other piers 50 while precise adjustment using the screws 116, 124, 126 of the tripod 110 of the prior pier is done, as well as while backfilling of the ground hole 80, and setting of the CLSM occurs. This not only reduces the time during which the relatively costly crane 100 is required to install all of the piers, but also speeds the installation of the piers 50. Alternatively, stronger but slower setting backfill may be used to secure the piers 50, again without tying up the crane 100 as the backfill sets.

(30) Once the piers 50 are secure, columns 60 may be installed by raising each over a column member 68 and then lowering the column 60 onto the column member 68 so that the column member 68 is received in the column recess 88, with the base of the column 60 bearing on the top surface of the pier 50. Additional hardware connecting the columns 60 to the piers 50 may not be required, with the design of the connection between the precast concrete foundation pier and the precast concrete integrated column creating cost savings by eliminating the need for connection hardware (i.e. washers and nuts) and the time needed to install in field. Further, manufacture of the piers 50 is simplified by, for example, eliminating the cast-in-anchor bolts in prior art systems, as well as eliminating the potential for such bolts being misaligned due to setting error in cast-in-place foundation piers or damaged prior to setting of prior art steel wall columns. Further, the disclosed pier 50 and column 60 connection eliminates the potential for the top surface of the cast-in-place concrete pier of being out of level or not smooth enough to fully bear the above grade column section, as well as eliminating any damage to exposed galvanized steel components (also eliminating the potential for corrosion of the steel columns).

(31) FIGS. 9-12 illustrate male and female connectors 90, 92 which may be advantageously used to connect the spandrel panels 70 to installed column wing walls 62, 64.

(32) The male connectors 90 include plates 200 suitably embedded in corners of the precast spandrel panels 70, with steel WT sections 204 welded to the plates 200 and projecting outwardly from the spandrel panels 70. The WT sections 204 include a horizontal plate 206 and a vertical supporting web 208 with a chamfer 210 at its outer end. Locking members or keeper bars 220 such as steel plates or teeth are suitably secured (e.g., by welding) to the bottom of the horizontal plates 206 and include a sloped surface 224 generally facing the face of the spandrel panel which is to be secured in abutment with the wing walls 62, 64.

(33) The female connectors 92 include an embedded steel angle bearing angle or bent plate 240 integrally connected with the precast wing walls 62, 64, with a vertical section 244 extending along the face of the wing walls 62, 64 and a horizontal section 246 extending along the bottom of a recess 250 in the wing wall 62, 64. A locking member or keeper bar 260 such as a steel plate or tooth is suitably secured (e.g., by welding) to the top of the horizontal plate 246 and include a sloped surface 266 generally facing into the wing wall recess 250.

(34) Assembly of the spandrel panels 70 between the wing walls 62, 64 of adjacent columns 60 can thus advantageously be accomplished as follows.

(35) With the columns 60 supporting wing walls 62, 64 at sufficient spacing, a spandrel panel 70 may be lifted so that its ends are adjacent to and overlap the sides of the wing walls 62, 64. Moreover, the spandrel panel 70 may be supported such as shown in FIG. 10, wherein the projecting WT sections 204 are adjacent to the recess 250 of the wing wall female connectors 92 at a height in which the locking members 220 of the male connectors 90 are above the locking members 260 of the female connectors 92. At that point, the spandrel panel 70 may be moved toward the wing walls 62, 64 so that the WT sections 204 of the spandrel panel 70 move into the recesses 250 at the top and bottom of the adjacent wing walls 62, 64 with the male connector locking member 220 passing over and beyond the female connector locking member 260. When the locking members 220 clear the locking members 260, the spandrel panel 70 may be lowered and the sloped surfaces 224, 266 of the locking members 220, 260 will cooperate to pull the wing walls 62, 64 and spandrel 70 together, closing any gap between the spandrel panel 70 and wing walls 652, 64. It should be appreciated that the engaging sloped surfaces 224, 266 of the locking members 220, 260 could alternatively in some applications be vertical, or sloped in the direction opposite that of the sloped surfaces 224, 266 illustrated in FIGS. 9-12. In that case, the engaging surfaces may not bias the wing walls 62, 64 and spandrel panels 70 together, but they will provide increased locking strength to retain the wing walls 62, 64 and spandrel panels 70 together in the event, for example, that a strong horizontal load is encountered, such as from a collision or high wind load. Further, the weight of the spandrel panel 70 will, as shown in FIG. 12, secure the wing walls 62, 64 and spandrel panel 70 together as also shown in FIGS. 13 and 14.

(36) For short wall heights, it may be acceptable to provide only one male/female connector 90, 92 at each side, with more (e.g., four connections at the corners) for taller walls 40. Further, walls 40 may be formed with multiple stacked spandrel panels 70, where the male and female connectors 90, 92 independently support each panel 70 on the wing walls 62, 64 (i.e., the bottom spandrel panel(s) 70 do not bear the weight of the top spandrel panel(s) 70). This eliminates the potential for cracking to occur where upper panels 70 bear and also allows for easy removal and replacement of an individual spandrel panel 70 if one happens to be damaged

(37) It should be appreciated that such a connection allows the spandrel panel 70 to be assembled to the wing walls 62, 64 without needing to raise the spandrel panel 70 beyond its assembled height any more than the height of the female connector locking member 260. Thus, special actions such as have been necessary to install walls in areas with height restrictions (e.g., under bridges) such as previously discussed are not required.

(38) FIG. 15 illustrates a wall 40 with a plurality of columns 60 and integral wing walls 62, 64 assembled with spandrel panels 70. It should be appreciated that this construction also requires fewer piers 50, since the panels (which may be restricted in width due to strength and/or shipping requirements) do not require that piers be provided at spacings corresponding to the width of the panels. That is, for example, spandrel panels having a twenty (20) foot width do not require piers at the end of each 20 foot panel 70, but rather would require piers 50 only about every thirty (30) feet with wing walls 62, 64 which are six (6) feet wide and overlapping a foot with the sides of the spandrel panel 70, Reducing the number of piers 50 may not only reduce material requirements, but also may significantly further enhance the ease and speed of installation. Cost is further reduced by minimizing the need for installers of a variety of trades such as with many prior art installations.

(39) FIGS. 17-19 show further variations of the sound attenuating walls which enjoy at least some of the advantages of the structure disclosed herein.

(40) That is, FIG. 17 shows a wall 40″ in which the column wing walls 62″,64″ are secured together (such as disclosed in FIGS. 9-12) without intervening spandrel panels and therefor providing increased strength, such as might be used where vehicles crashing into the wall 40″ would be of a concern.

(41) FIG. 18 illustrates a column 60′ such as may be used at the end of a wall, where wing walls are not necessary. With such a column 60′, female (or male) connectors 92 or 90 may be incorporated in the column 60′ itself for securing to the outer side of the last spandrel panel 70.

(42) FIG. 19 illustrates yet another column 60a which may be advantageously used, wherein the column 60a is precast with the wing walls 62a, 64a at a selected angle based on the design configuration of a particular wall. Alternatively, columns with linearly aligned wing walls such as previously described herein may be used with a spandrel panel which is itself curved, with the adjacent wing walls at a curve or corner being aligned tangentially with the design curve of the spandrel panel. Horizontal turns or grade changes along the line of the proposed noise abatement wall system may thus be accomplished in an aesthetically pleasing manner which is essentially as easy to install as straight walls, without the need for special components and time-consuming steps such as with the prior art.

(43) In addition to the numerous advantages of the wall as previously stated, it should be appreciated that numerous other advantages are provided.

(44) For one, the components may be mostly (about 95%) precast with only a few structural steel components used to connect the components (the column member 88 and the connectors 90, 92). Thus, the precast contractor may realize a relatively large margin of return and fabrication and material acquisition may be accomplished more easily and quickly. Additionally, the precast components as described herein minimize the time required on-site to install a wall 40, with waiting time on-site being minimal (i.e., waiting is only required for the backfill around the piers 50 to sufficiently set). Of course, the column 60 with wing walls 62, 64 and the spandrel panels 70 may also be erected quickly due to the simplicity of the component connections and the reduced number of component parts.

(45) Further, the need for fewer piers 50 as described herein results in numerous advantages beyond the time and cost savings of installing such piers 50. For example, fewer components creates cost savings (a) by increasing the efficiencies of the fabrication process by reducing the number of component parts that need to be fabricated, handled and positioned in the precast, (b) on shipping the components to the sight since fewer trips are required, (c) by reducing the number of components that need to be erected in the field, (d) by reducing the number of moves or setups by the on-site portable crane, and (e) by allowing for a compressed fabrication and erection process. Moreover, fewer components and elimination of field hardware in connections creates cost savings by reducing part acquisition logistics and waste of lost hardware during erection (e.g., small parts such as nuts and wrenches). Further, in addition to the basic savings associated with installation of fewer piers 50, reducing the number of augured holes reduces the potential for the auguring process interfering with existing underground utilities and/or natural impenetrable underground elements. Such interferences can cause delays to the erection of the wall due to the design team having to find alternate solutions and potentially having to redesigned and fabricated portions of the wall system. Still further, fewer components create cost savings by reducing the quantity of wall joints which reduces the field application of structural or fire retardant caulk.

(46) Still further, the precast concrete piers 50 can be fabricated and installed during any weather as long as the augured hole can be maintained. Additionally, the augured hole is not left open as long using a precast pier system as has been required with prior art cast-in-place systems. This reduces the chance of inclement weather from damaging the undisturbed soil at the bottom and sides of an augured hole.

(47) Additionally, the disclosed wall 40 lends itself to easy replacement of deteriorated or damaged existing walls. That is, since the piers 50 may be spaced at greater distances than the piers of prior art walls, location of new piers 50 to avoid conflict with the old wall structure may be avoided.