STRUCTURE REINFORCEMENT SYSTEM AND METHOD

Abstract

A reinforcement system includes a structural member with a fiber reinforcement strip mounted in two positions and adhered to the member. An end of the fiber reinforcement strip is secured to a lower portion of the structure with a bracket. The opposite end of the fiber strip is mounted with an upper bracket to a sill pate of the structure. The upper bracket includes an upper bridge portion and a lower bridge portion with a slot between the bridge portions. With the upper bracket mounted to a sill plate, the fiber strip is wrapped behind and around the upper bridge portion of the upper bracket. The fiber strip is threaded through the slot between the bridge portions and behind the lower bridge portion. The fiber strip through the upper bracket is pulled tightly through the slot, and the upper bracket is secured to the sill plate of the structural member.

Claims

1. A method of reinforcing a structure, comprising the steps of: apply an adhesive to one of a fiber reinforcement strip and the structure; securing an end of the fiber reinforcement strip to a lower portion of the structure; mounting an upper bracket to a sill pate of the structure, the upper bracket including an upper bridge portion and a lower bridge portion with a slot therebetween; wrapping an opposite end of the fiber reinforcement strip around a back surface of the upper bridge portion of the upper bracket; threading the fiber reinforcement strip through the slot between the upper bridge portion and behind the lower bridge portion of the upper bracket; pulling the opposite end of the fiber reinforcement strip tightly through the slot; and tightly securing the upper bracket to the sill plate.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the upper bracket has rounded edges on the upper and lower bridge portions.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the upper bracket is made of a rod formed to have the upper bridge portion, lower bridge portion, and slot there between.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the upper bracket and lower bracket are made of metal.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the fiber reinforcement strip is made from carbon fibers.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the fiber reinforcement strip is adhered to the structure with an adhesive.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0016] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary wall for use with a reinforcement system and method according to the principles of the present disclosure;

[0017] FIGS. 2 and 2A illustrate exemplary mounting positions for installation of a reinforcement system and for a reinforcement method according to the present disclosure.

[0018] FIGS. 3, 3A, 3B, and 3C illustrate exemplary brackets used for anchoring the fiber reinforcement material to the wall structure; and

[0019] FIGS. 4 and 4A illustrate exemplary brackets used and methods for installing a reinforcement system according to the present disclosure.

[0020] Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0022] Example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and will fully convey the scope to those who are skilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not be employed, that example embodiments may be embodied in many different forms and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure. In some example embodiments, well-known processes, well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are not described in detail.

[0023] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms a, an, and the may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms comprises, comprising, including, and having, are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described herein are not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance in the particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specifically identified as an order of performance. It is also to be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed.

[0024] When an element or layer is referred to as being on, engaged to, connected to, or coupled to another element or layer, it may be directly on, engaged, connected or coupled to the other element or layer, or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being directly on, directly engaged to, directly connected to, or directly coupled to another element or layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion (e.g., between versus directly between, adjacent versus directly adjacent, etc.). As used herein, the term and/or includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0025] Although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Terms such as first, second, and other numerical terms when used herein do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the example embodiments.

[0026] Spatially relative terms, such as inner, outer, beneath, below, lower, above, upper, and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. Spatially relative terms may be intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as below or beneath other elements or features would then be oriented above the other elements or features. Thus, the example term below can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.

[0027] Referring to FIG. 1, reinforcement system 10 is shown and can be utilized to support a structural member 12 that can include a block wall, brick wall, a poured concrete wall, a timber wall, a concrete pillar, beam, ceiling, floor, or other concrete structure. Reinforcement system 10 can be installed as fiber reinforcement strips 14 that can be adhered to the structural member 12 by an adhesive 26, applied by either a roller or a trowel to the structural member 12, to inhibit or abate bowing or other structural irregularities that would reduce the structural integrity of the structural member 12.

[0028] The fiber reinforcement strips 14 can include a number of longitudinal fiber bundles and a plurality of transverse fiber bundles that can be woven together or otherwise layered to form a flexible reinforcement strip. The fibers can include carbon fibers or other fibers such as Kevlar, nylon or other synthetic or natural fibers that exhibit strong tensile strength.

[0029] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary installation for the reinforcement system 10 relative to the structural member 12. The reinforcement system 10 can include a fiber reinforcement strip 14, an upper bracket 18, and a lower bracket 20. The fiber reinforcement strip 14 has a first end 14A, a second end 14B, and an intermediate portion 14C disposed between the first and second ends. The upper bracket 18 can be mounted to a sill plate 22, as shown in FIG. 2A. The lower bracket 20 can be mounted to the structural member 12 at a mounting location 16B low on the structural member, as shown in FIG. 2A.

[0030] It should be understood that mounting locations 16A, 16B can vary depending upon the direction in which reinforcement is required. Therefore, the fiber reinforcement strips 14 can extend vertically (as shown in FIG. 2) or alternatively horizontally or diagonally as desired.

[0031] Referring to FIGS. 3 and 3A, the lower bracket 20 can include a bridge 32, and a pair of legs 24A, 24B disposed at opposite ends of the bridge 32. The second end 14B of the fiber reinforcement strip 14 is to be placed under the lower bracket 20. The lower bracket 20, with the fiber reinforcement strip 14 second end 14B underneath, is to be fixed in mounting location 16B with the pair of legs 24A, 24B placed into the mounting location 16B and adhered with glue or liquid concrete from a caulking gun or other device. Once the lower bracket 20 is fixed in the position of the mounting location 16B, the fiber reinforcement strip 14 second end 14B is fixed as well, securing the second end 14B of the fiber reinforcement strip 14 and allowing for tightening from the first end 14A of the fiber reinforcement strip 14. FIGS. 3B and 3C show other contemplated structures of the lower bracket 20.

[0032] For reinforcing a block wall, it is preferred that the lower bracket 20 is secured to the lowest course of blocks of the structural member 12, as shown in FIG. 2A, which are typically partially covered by a concrete floor 36 that secures the blocks from being pulled inward. If not secured to the lowest course of blocks of the structural member 12, then the lower bracket 20 and the fiber reinforcement strip 14 second end 14B can be secured to a concrete floor 36.

[0033] Referring to FIGS. 4 and 4A, the upper bracket 18 can include an upper bridge portion 28A, a lower bridge portion 28B, and a slot 34 between the bridges 28A, 28B. A pair of threaded fasteners 30A, 30B can be inserted through the slot 34 at opposite ends and used for fastening the upper bracket 18 to the sill plate 22, as shown in FIG. 4A. Alternatively, the fastening holes can be formed separate from the slot 34. It is contemplated that the upper bracket 18 can be made of a solid metal bar with curved edges or from a flat plate with rounded edges. As shown in FIG. 4A, the first end 14A of the fiber reinforcement strip 14 can be wrapped around the upper bridge 28A and threaded through the slot 34 between the upper bridge 28A and the lower bridge 28B.

[0034] While the upper bracket 18 is loosely fixed to the mounting location 16A of the sill plate 22, the fiber reinforcement strip 14 can be tightened to the structural member 12 by pulling the fiber reinforcement strip 14 first end 14A that is wrapped through the slot 34 of the upper bracket 18 between the upper bridge 28A and lower bridge 28B. Once the fiber reinforcement strip 14 is tight, interfacing with the adhesive 26, and applying pressure to the opposite direction from which the structural member 12 tends to bow, the first end 14A of the fiber reinforcement strip 14 can be anchored to the sill plate 22 by the upper bracket 18 by tightening the threaded fasteners 30A, 30B to the sill plate 22.

[0035] When the upper bracket 18 is secured to the sill plate 22, the fiber reinforcement strip 14 first end 14A is both underneath the upper bracket 18, wrapped around the upper bridge 28A, threaded through the slot 34, and wrapped back around underneath the lower bridge 28B, as shown in FIG. 4A. The fiber reinforcement strip 14 first end 14A is to be pulled tightly through the slot 34, and the upper bracket 18 should be secured tightly to the sill plate 22 mounting location 16A which maintains the tension in the fiber reinforcement strip 14.

[0036] The present disclosure can vary in many ways. For example, a reinforcement system 10 according to the principles of the present disclosure can have a variety of components which each can have a variety of configurations and can be made of a variety of materials. Furthermore, the installation steps for a reinforcement system according to the principles of the present disclosure and reinforcement methods according to the principles of the present disclosure, and the order in which they are completed can vary. Additionally, a reinforcement system and method according to the principles of the present disclosure can be used in a variety of applications. As such, it should be understood that the present disclosure is exemplary in nature.

[0037] The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.