Slab-embedded precision height-and-tilt-adjustable plinth anchoring for a column base

Abstract

Precision-adjustable, plinth structure for anchoring the base of a building-frame column to a poured concrete slab including (a) a first load-reaction structure embeddable in a pre-cured (i.e., wet, and not yet fully cured) pour of concrete which will cure/harden to form such a slab, (b) a second load-reaction structure disposed above the first load-reaction structure, anchorable to the base of a column, and including at least one depending retention element which extends downwardly toward the first load-reaction structure so as to be embeddable in the same still-wet concrete pour, and (c) adjustable, differential, load-reaction-interaction structure load-transmissively and operatively interposed the first and second load-reaction structures, and offering plural, laterally spaced adjusters which are manipulable from above selectively to shift the two load-reaction structures relative to one another in both elevational and tilting senses. The methodology of the invention includes (a) placing a precision, position-adjustable plinth in an intended slab zone, (b) pouring concrete into that zone so as effectively to engage the placed plinth, (c) adjusting, as desired, the position of the plinth in three-dimensional space before full curing of the poured concrete, and (d) locking the adjusted position of the plinth through curing of the poured concrete.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to currently pending, prior-filed, U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/605,728, filed Aug. 30, 2004 for “Slab-Embedded Base Plate Anchor for Column Base”. All of the disclosure contents of that prior-filed application are hereby incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to plinth structure, and to associated methodology for anchoring the base of an upright, structural, building-frame column to a poured concrete slab, such as a podium slab. More particularly, it concerns the structure and methodology of such plinth structure which is configured to be manipulable in both elevational (raising and lowering) and a tilting senses so as to enable precise positioning and orienting of a column, from the base up, in a building frame.

A preferred and best mode embodiment of, and manner of practicing, the invention are illustrated and described herein in the setting of a full-moment structural building frame of the type described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,837,016. While this issued-patent context for description herein has been chosen as useful setting for disclosing the present invention, it should be understood that the structure of the invention is usable to deal with upright columns in other types of structural building frames.

Precision positioning, in lateral, vertical and tilt senses, of an upright, elongate, building-frame column is an important consideration in construction of a plural-story building. Especially, such positioning is central to enabling the assembly of a building frame wherein the various components in the frame have themselves been pre-assembly prepared, for example in an off-construction-site setting, to have precision small-tolerance configurations conceived and implemented to promote speed, accuracy and simplicity of subsequent on-site assembly. Preferably, such positioning can be made quickly and easily, and through structure and practices which are relatively simple and inexpensive in nature, and performable in a reliable, intuitive, and relatively low-skill-level manner.

As will be learned from the description which follows below, the structure and method of this invention take into account all of these considerations in a very practical and satisfactory manner.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, the proposed plinth structure includes (a) a first load-reaction structure embeddable in a pre-cured (i.e., wet, and not yet fully cured) pour of concrete which will cure/harden to form a building-frame supporting slab, (b) a second load-reaction structure disposed above the mentioned first such structure, anchorable to the base of a column, and including at least one depending retention element which extends downwardly toward the first load-reaction structure so as to be embeddable in the same still-wet concrete pour, and (c) adjustable, differential, load-reaction-interaction structure which is operatively interposed the first and second load-reaction structures, with plural, laterally spaced adjusters which are manipulable from above, selectively, to shift the two load-reaction structures relative to one another in both elevational and tilting senses.

The manner of practicing the invention includes (a) placing a precision, position-adjustable plinth in an intended slab zone, (b) pouring concrete into that zone so as effectively to engage, in an embedding fashion, the placed plinth, (c) adjusting, as desired, the position of the plinth in three-dimensional space before full curing of the poured concrete, and (d) affixing/locking the plinth the “adjusted” position thereof through curing of the poured concrete.

The various important and useful features and advantages of the present invention will become more fully apparent as the description which now follows is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a simplified and fragmentary, downwardly looking, isometric representation of a building frame structure which is under construction effectively on the upper side of a poured-concrete podium slab. The bases of the columns (only one of which is fragmentarily shown) in this frame structure are to be anchored to the illustrated slab through plinth anchoring structures which are made, and which perform, in accordance with a preferred and best mode embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged and fragmentary, side/cross-sectional view illustrating generally the key features of the plinth anchoring structure of the invention.

FIG. 3 presents an isolated and fragmentary, top plan view of a plinth which forms part of one of the plinth anchoring structures pictured in FIG. 2.

FIGS. 4 and 5 show details of two different precision adjustment mechanisms which are employed in the plinth anchoring structure of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Turning now to the drawings, and referring first of all to FIG. 1, indicated generally at 10 is the emerging structure of a plural-story building, wherein the bases of columns, such as the base 12a of a column shown fragmentarily at 12, are each, effectively, to be anchored to upper surface of a poured-concrete slab, such as that shown fragmentarily at 14, through what is referred to herein as precision-adjustable plinth anchoring structure, or plinth structure, such as the three plinth structures shown generally at 16 in FIG. 1. In the particular illustration which is presented in FIG. 1, the building frame in construction 10, for illustration purposes herein, is considered to be one which is being made in accordance generally with the teachings of the above-referenced '016 U.S. patent, wherein the involved, elongate, upright columns are hollow or tubular in nature, and are generally square in cross section, with each column including an elongate axis, such as axis 12b shown for column 12 in FIG. 1, which is intended to end up in a precision, gravity-upright condition once the associated column is appropriately anchored to slab 14. Additionally, and just for the purpose of illustration herein, slab 14 takes the form of what is known as a podium slab which is formed by appropriately pouring uncured (i.e., not yet fully cured), flowable, wet concrete, referred to herein as a concrete pour, into and within a defined (as by appropriate forms) slab region 18, which region is defined, inter alia, by an upper plane which is represented in FIG. 1 by dash-double-dot lines 18a. A typical depth for region 18 might be about 12-inches, though it should be understood that this slab depth dimension is entirely a matter of designer and builder choice.

It should be understood that, while concrete is the material which is specifically referred to herein as a suitable, wet-pourable, curable material, the term “concrete” is intended, and should be interpreted, to cover any structurally like, wet-pourable, curable and hardenable, structural flow material

Within slab region 18, plinth structures 16 are disposed each in an appropriately defined slab zone, such as the three slab zones shown generally at 18b in FIG. 1.

As will now become more fully apparent with respect to a more detailed description of two different embodiments proposed for plinth structures 16, precision adjustment is made possible in these structures, in both elevational and tilt (or angular) senses, so as to provide support platforms which essentially reside at the level of plane 18a to furnish accurate vertical and tilt-angular dispositioning for the building-frame columns, such as for column 12. Elevational adjustment, as permitted by structures 16, is represented very generally by double-ended arrow 20 in FIG. 1, and tilt-angular adjustment is represented by two, generally orthogonally intersecting, curved, double-headed arrows 22, 24 in FIG. 1.

Considering now FIGS. 2 and 3 along with FIG. 1, and still describing plinth structures 16 in a somewhat general sense, each plinth structure includes upper and lower plates, or plate structures, 26, 28, respectively, which are operatively interconnected herein through four, laterally spaced, screw-adjustable devices, or adjusters, 30 deployed as generally indicated in these three figures. Plate 26 is also referred herein as a plinth, as a mount, and as a second load-reaction structure, possessing a central axis 26a with respect to which adjusters 30 are substantially equally angularly distributed. Plate 28 is also referred to herein both as a base, and as a first load-reaction structure. It possesses a central axis 28a which is generally aligned with axis 26a.

Adjusters 30 are also referred to herein as adjustable, differential load-reaction-interaction structure. These adjusters operatively engage plate 26 herein through four, quadrature-disposed, outrigger ears, such as ears 32 seen in FIG. 3, which are suitably joined to the sides of plate 26 as illustrated for two of these quadrature-related ears in FIG. 3. Ears 32 are not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The upper surface of plinth 26 is referred to herein as a planar upper plinth surface, and is shown at 26b in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3.

Joined to the undersurface of plinth 26 are four downwardly extending (depending), elongate retention elements 34 which, as can probably best be seen in FIG. 2, each have a somewhat inverted, T-shaped configuration. Very specifically, these depending retention elements extend toward plate 28 in the region between plates 26, 28. From the point of view of the structure of this invention as such is shown in FIG. 3, three small X-marks are presented, and labeled 34, to illustrate the distributed locations of the four depending elements 34.

Returning to adjusters 30, and still speaking in general terms only, these adjusters include base tubes 30a which are suitably anchored to the top surface of plate 28. Received within tubes 30a, and extending upwardly therefrom to accommodate operative “engagement” of the adjuster with plate 26 through ears 32, are elongate, threaded shafts 30b, the upper ends of which are provided with cross-slots 30c (see FIGS. 3, 4 and 5). The upper ends of these shafts are received either freely (version shown in FIG. 4) or threadedly (version shown in FIG. 5) in bores 32a which are furnished in ears 32. More will be said about this shortly.

With the components of plinth structure 16 associated with one another as shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the upper ends of shafts 30b, and thus slots 30c, are fully accessible from above, and in two different representative manners which will be described shortly, reversible turning of these shafts about their longitudinal axes, as illustrated by doubled-headed curved arrow 36 in FIG. 2, causes the “associated” ear 32 and side of plate 26 to raise and lower relative to plate 28. Through appropriate turning, which may include differential turning, of shafts 30b, plate 26 may be raised and lowered uniformly as a whole, as suggested by arrows 38 in FIG. 2, or the plate may be angulated in different directions relative to base plate 28, as is suggested by angle (x shown in FIG. 2. It is thus the case that plates 26, 28, in a precision (in this case screw-adjustable) manner, are moveable relative to one another in both translational and angular manners so as to establish an appropriate spatial relationship between them as a focus of the practice and contribution of the present invention.

Turning attention now to FIGS. 4 and 5, and beginning with FIG. 4, here there is illustrated one appropriate and representative manner in which adjusters 30 operatively interconnect plates 26, 28 through ears 32. In this approach, and as was mentioned earlier, the lower ends of shafts 30b are freely received within tubes 30a with the top of each tube 30a having joined to it an internally threaded device, such as the nut shown at 40 in FIG. 4. The internal threads in nuts 40 mesh appropriately with the threads in shafts 30b.

Anchored to each shaft 30b above the associated nut 40 is an element 42 which moves as a unit with the associated shaft 30b, and which bears on the underside of an ear 32. The upper end of associated shaft 30b extends upwardly beyond element 42 to be received freely within a bore 32a in an ear 32, as shown in FIG. 4.

In the arrangement of FIG. 4, turning of each shaft 30b about its long axis through engagement with slot 30c through the upper end of bore 32a will cause shaft 30b and element 42 to raise or lower relative to tube 30a, thus to change the “related” vertical spacing in the nearby regions of plates 26, 28. It is, of course, through turning of all of shafts 30b utilizing the arrangement of FIG. 4 which provides for a wide range of different kinds of differential adjustments which can be made relatively between plates 28, 30.

FIG. 5 illustrates another interconnection approach employed through adjusters 30 between plates 26, 28. In this arrangement the lower end of shafts 30b extend freely into the hollow interiors of tubes 30a, with threads in the shafts engaging complementary threads (see the illustration in FIG. 5) furnished in bores 32a provided in ears 32.

In this arrangement, and referring to the singular arrangement shown in FIG. 5, turning of shaft 30b causes, through the threaded engagement which exists between this shaft and an ear 32, the associated regions of plates 26, 28 to move toward or away from one another in a relative sense. Thus, one can readily see how the arrangement pictured in FIG. 5, while specifically different from that shown in FIG. 4, provides the same sort of precision spatial disposition adjustability which is permitted in structure 16 between plates 26, 28.

Describing now the practice of this invention, prior to the pouring of slab 14, at the appropriate slab-zone regions 18b in overall slab region 18b, adjustable plinth structures 16 are put into place, and are preliminarily stabilized in any appropriate manner. At about this same time, the volume of space where slab concrete will be poured is appropriately “lined” with conventional rebar elements, such as the two rebar elements shown at 44, 46 in dashed lines in FIG. 1. Very specifically, these elongate rebar elements are distributed in such a fashion that some of them pass at different angles relative to one another through the spaces existing between plates 26, 28 in each of the plinth structures. Elements 44, 46 (only fragmentarily shown) are so illustrated in FIG. 1.

At this point in time, and preferably, plates 26, 28 in each of the plinth structures are initially organized so that their planes of occupancy are substantially parallel to one another, with the upper plinth surfaces 26b, generally speaking, lying substantially in plane 18b which defines the upper boundary of slab region 18.

With these conditions in place, wet, pourable (not yet cured, or “pre-cured”) concrete is appropriately poured into region 18 in accordance with conventional practice, and this pour of concrete thus substantially fills region 18, and also substantially fills slab zones 18b in a manner which effectively immerses all but the upper surfaces 26b in the adjustable plinth structures.

Once this pour of liquid concrete has taken place, and utilizing any conventional tools/instrumentation conventionally employed to check elevations and levels during building construction, and employing an appropriate tool from above to make adjustments of a precision nature in screw adjustable devices 30, all of the plinths are adjusted, as needed, both translationally and angularly to place surfaces 26b as exactly as possible equally level, and within plane 18b. The differential distribution of adjusters 30 readily permits such adjustments to be made to take into account any out-of-planeness which might, at this point in time, exist for plinth surfaces 26b either because of the manner and disposition with which they were originally placed in region 18, and/or because of settling or other positional changes which may take place in the plinth structures following the pouring of concrete.

For example, in the case of pouring a podium slab, once a pour has occurred, some concrete-weight-induced sagging may take place in the pour-form structure which has been created to define the spatially elevated slab, and to contain and support the poured concrete. As can be readily understood from the description of the invention which has been given so far, the structure and methodology of the invention uniquely and effectively “handle” this situation.

Especially to be noted is that the plinth adjustments just above described are made while the poured concrete is still in a wet and flowable, not yet cured state. With all appropriate plinth adjustments made, nothing further is done until the slab concrete has appropriately cured and hardened. At this point in time it will be evident that the various plinth structures become effectively locked in place within the poured concrete slab, with depending elements 34 positively anchoring plinths 26 in their correct, adjusted-to dispositions.

It will be evident that either one of the two preferred embodiments of adjusters 30 illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 readily enables the kinds of adjustments just described.

With appropriate curing of the poured concrete slab, and with locking and embedded stabilization now existing for plinth structures 16, the bases of upright columns, such as base 12a for column 12 seen in FIG. 1, are appropriately lowered downwardly, as indicated by arrow 46 in FIG. 1, to come into contact with an underlying plinth surface 26b, with this lowered column base then having its perimeter edges, for example, welded to plinth 26. All such columns will be correctly elevationally and angularly positioned in the emerging building frame structure.

Considering now the methodology of this invention, it can be described, in one way, as a method for providing, in relation to a poured concrete slab, a precision-leveled support for receiving, for anchoring purposes, the base of an elongate, upright building-frame column, including the steps of (a) placing an adjustable plinth structure in a predetermined slab zone which opens to and extends beneath the intended upper plane of a slab region which is to be filled with poured and curable concrete, where the plinth structure includes a base, a plinth which is spaced above the base possessing a planar upper plinth surface, and at least one depending element which extends downwardly from the plinth toward the base, and precision adjustment mechanism operatively interconnecting the base and the plinth, which mechanism is operable from above to produce precision translational and angular motion between the plinth and the base, (b) following the pouring of concrete into the slab region and the slab zone, and before full curing of such poured concrete, operating the adjustment mechanism so as to achieve selected, precision, adjusted leveling of the plinth's upper plinth surface, and (c) then capturing the plinth's so-adjusted condition (its adjusted-to condition) through trapping the plinth's at least one depending element via locked engagement of that element with cured concrete.

Another way of characterizing the methodology of this invention is to say that it includes the steps of (a) placing a column base mount (such as a plinth structure 16) in a region into which concrete is to be poured to create a slab for supporting a building frame, (b) after concrete has been poured into this region, and before the poured concrete cures to hardness, manipulating the mount to adjust its position in space to receive the base of a column, and (c), capturing, via concrete curing, the mount in its adjusted-to position.

Still another way of describing the overall methodology proposed by this invention is to describe it as including the steps of (a) placing a precision, position-adjustable plinth in an intended slab zone, (b) pouring concrete into that zone so as effectively to engage the plinth, (c) adjusting, as desired, the position of the plinth in three-dimensional space before full curing of the poured concrete, and (d) locking the adjusted position of the plinth through curing of the poured concrete.

It will thus be apparent that by employing and practicing the structure and methodology of this invention, a very powerful and satisfactory solution is provided for precision placement and anchoring of the bases of upright columns in a building structure which is to sit above and on the upper surface of a poured concrete slab, such as a podium slab. By providing multi-directional and angular adjustability of upwardly deployed plinths in plinth structures which become locked into properly adjusted positions following curing of concrete, it is possible to prepare a poured slab for the precision reception of upright columns in a building frame.

Once adjustment has been made, and concrete in the pour has hardened, the column-supporting plinth structures precisely and robustly maintain their proper positions in space.

Accordingly, while preferred and best mode embodiments of, and manners of practicing, the present invention have been illustrated and described herein, it is appreciated that other variations and modifications may be made which will come to the minds of those generally skilled in relevant art, and which are considered to come within the scope and spirit of the present invention.

Claims

1. Precision-adjustable, plinth structure for anchoring the base of an elongate, upright building-frame column to a poured concrete slab comprising

a first load-reaction structure embeddable in a pour of wet and flowable concrete which will cure to form such a slab,

a second load-reaction structure disposed above said first load-reaction structure, anchorable to the base of a column, and including at least one depending retention element which extends downwardly toward the first load-reaction structure so as to be embeddable in the same concrete pour, and

adjustable, differential, load-reaction-interaction structure load-transmissively and operatively interposed said first and second load-reaction structures, and offering plural, laterally spaced adjusters which are manipulable from above selectively to shift said first and second load-reaction structures relative to one another in both elevational and tilting relative motions.

2. The plinth structure of claim 1, wherein said adjusters take the form of screw-adjustable devices.

3. The plinth structure of claim 2, wherein said first and second load-reaction structures have substantially aligned central axes will also become substantially aligned with the long axis of the column whose base becomes anchored to said first load-reaction structure, and wherein said adjusters are four in number, and are distributed substantially equally angularly about said axes.

4. The plinth structure of claim 1, wherein said first and second load-reaction structures take to form of plates, and said adjusters take the form of screw-adjustable devices.

5. The plinth structure of claim 1, wherein said adjusters are designed for manipulation during curing of such a wet and flowable pour of concrete, thus to enable adjustment relative motions during pour curing.

6. A method for providing, in relation to a poured concrete slab, a precision-leveled support for receiving, for anchoring purposes, the base of an elongate, upright, building-frame column, said method comprising

placing a precision, position-adjustable plinth in an intended slab zone,

pouring concrete into that zone so as effectively to engage the placed plinth,

adjusting, as desired, the position of the plinth in three-dimensional space before full curing of the poured concrete, and

locking the adjusted position of the plinth through curing of the poured concrete.

7. A method for providing, in relation to a poured concrete slab, a precision-leveled support for receiving, for anchoring purposes, the base of an elongate, upright, building-frame column, said method comprising

placing an adjustable plinth structure in a predetermined slab zone which opens to, and extends beneath, the intended upper plane of a slab region which is to be filled with poured and curable concrete, where the plinth structure includes a base, a plinth spaced above the base possessing a planar, upper plinth surface, and at least one depending element which extends downwardly from the plinth toward the base, and precision adjustment mechanism operative interconnecting the base and the plinth, which mechanism is operable from above to produce precision translational and angular motion between the plinth and the base,

following the pouring of concrete into the slab region and the slab zone, and before full curing of such poured concrete, operating the adjustment mechanism so as to achieve selected, precision, adjusted leveling of the plinth's upper plinth surface, and

then capturing the plinth's so-adjusted condition through trapping of the plinth's at least one depending element via locked engagement of that element with cured concrete.

8. A method for providing, in relation to a poured concrete slab, a precision-leveled support for receiving, for anchoring purposes, the base of an elongate, upright, building-frame column, said method comprising

placing a column base mount in a region where concrete is to be poured to create a slab for supporting a building frame,

after concrete has been poured into this region, and before the poured concrete cures to hardness, manipulating the mount to adjust its position in space to receive the base of a column, and

capturing, via concrete curing, the mount in its adjusted-to position.