Patents Assigned to Highrise Concrete Systems, Inc.
  • Patent number: 7596922
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for coupling separate series or stacks of structural or shear walls of a multistory building are disclosed. The method comprises constructing a plurality of stacks of shear walls and attaching a rigid coupling member to the top of at least two of the stacks of shear walls between the stacks such that the walls are connected to the rigid coupling member and move together with the coupling member. The apparatus is a rigid coupling member, which may be a beam, such as an I-beam or rectangular beam, made from poured concrete and reinforcing steel. The coupling member may also be a wall of poured concrete and reinforcing steel. The attached rigid member acts to connect the tops of independent stacks of shear walls typically used to build multistory buildings, thereby creating a flexural moment at the top of the building that helps the building resist lateral loads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2009
    Assignees: Englekirk Partners Consulting Structural Engineers, Inc., Highrise Concrete Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert E. Englekirk, Afshin Ghodsi, Walter H. Mawby