Reinforced foundation, and method of constructing the same

Abstract

A reinforced substrate is provided, so that the substrate is better able to withstand compression forces imposed on it by a structure bearing upon it. An anchor is embedded in the substrate, below the structure, the anchor having an upper portion, a long shank that extends into the substrate and a bottom portion where the anchor is structured to mechanically interlock with the substrate, the anchor further having a flange with a top surface, the flange being supported by and positioned on the upper portion of the anchor such that the top surface of the flange is disposed at or near the contact surface of the substrate, and a lateral restraint which is also embedded in the substrate and which is attached to the anchor along the shank of the anchor

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a reinforced cementitious member that is specially adapted to bear compression loads, and in particular, a cementitious member, having an elongated member that is embedded in the cementitious member that better transmits compression forces to the substrate in which the elongated member is received, and a method of embedding the elongated member in that substrate.

The present invention improves on current methods for forming a foundation or other cementitious member that will receive compression forces as a result of a structure bearing upon the cementitious member. The present invention has particular use where the design of the structure already requires an anchor to be embedded in the cementitious member and connected to the structure to work in tension to hold the structure to the cementitious member. The present invention allows an anchor that is designed to receive tension loads also help the cementitious member bear compression loads imposed on the cementitious member by the structure.

The present invention has particular utility in connecting shear walls, or shear resisting systems, to the foundation of a building.

All structures must be designed to resist lateral forces. Prior methods for improving the lateral resistance of light-frame construction walls focused on adding components to a wall built according to conventional practices. In light-frame construction, the simplest such wall consists of a bottom plate, studs resting on and connected to the bottom plate, and a top plate resting on and connected to the studs. Openings for windows and doorways may be incorporated into the light-frame wall.

One of the earliest methods for bracing a wall against lateral forces was to incorporate bracing into the frame of the wall in the form of diagonal bracing members. Another simple means of providing lateral resistance was to provide sheathing to the frame. Plywood sheathing and Oriented Strand Board are common sheathing materials used today in conventional light-frame construction.

As light-frame construction design became more sophisticated, foundation anchors were added to connect the bottom plate of the wall to the foundation to prevent the wall from slipping off the foundation. Later on it was realized that certain walls were light enough to lift up under moment reactions caused by lateral forces and so needed to be further anchored with brackets called holdowns, which attach to the studs of the wall and to bolts set into the foundation.

With proper design and installation, these conventional methods of providing lateral resistance by applying sheathing, foundation anchors and anchored holdowns to conventional walls can provide acceptable resistance to most lateral forces. However, proper construction and installation can be a problem when the shear walls of the structure are built on site from component materials. The division of labor on job cites can result in improper connections. Furthermore, the installer may cut corners and sacrifice resistance to lateral forces in return for ease of installation or aesthetic considerations.

Thus, it was realized that there was a need to minimize the possibility of variation in the construction and installation of the component that will be responsible for providing lateral resistance. One solution to this problem was to build prefabricated shear wall systems in factories and then ship them to the building site where they need only be incorporated into the structure. An early example of such a shear wall system is U.S. Pat. No. 5,706,626, granted to Lee Mueller on Jan. 13, 1998. Another such example is found in Publication US 001-0002529A1, application Ser. No. 08/975,940, published Jun. 7, 2001.

Concurrent with the development of factory-built shear resistance systems, has been the development of more rigorous testing and evaluation procedures for light-frame construction. Modern procedures test the entire shear resistance system. The tests simulate the loads that would be imposed on a shear resisting system, during the cyclic (reversing) lateral forces that would occur during an earthquake.

Among other variables, the tests are designed to measure the stiffness of the shear-resisting assemblies. Stiffness is measured in terms of the force that is required to displace the top of the shear resisting assembly a given lateral distance. Other variables evaluated are the ability of the shear resisting system to dissipate the energy imparted to it.

Testing of full shear resisting systems under cyclic loading has shown that as the shear resisting systems or walls have gotten stronger and better able to resist displacement under lateral loads, the overturning forces imposed have increased, putting stress on the connections of the walls to their foundations, such that failure of the anchorage or the foundation itself has become a limiting factor in the performance of these systems.

The present invention provides an improved relatively incompressible substrate for a structure, which is generally a cementitious member, and specifically a foundation when the structure is supported by the cementitious member) and method of making the improved substrate, so that the substrate can better withstand compression forces imposed on it.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a reinforced substrate for a structure, so that the substrate is better able to withstand compression forces imposed on it by the structure bearing upon it.

This object is achieved by redistributing the bearing or compression forces that the structure imposes on the structure, by incorporating a specially shaped reinforcing member into the structure.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method of making a connection between a cementitious member or masonry member and a structure adjacent or over the cementitious member that imposes compression forces on the cementitious member.

The present invention allows the same anchor in a cementitious member to both hold a structure, such as a shear resisting system, to the cementitious member, as when the structure tries to lift away from the cementitious member, and to also better transmit compression forces to the cementitious member, as when the structure is pressed against the cementitious member.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a pair of anchors are partially embedded in a cementitious member, a concrete foundation. Upper portions of the anchors protrude from the top surface of the foundation and these portions or attachments thereto are received by a shear resisting system and are connected to it.

Typically, and in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the upper portions of the anchors that protrude from the top surface of the foundation are threaded to receive a nut, preferably a heavy nut, openings are created in the shear resisting system, and the upper portions of the anchors are received through these openings and, in particular, are received through a horizontally disposed member that is part of the system which provides a sufficiently strong bearing surface against which a nut threaded onto the top of the anchor can be tightened against and bear upon. The bearing of the nuts on the bearing surfaces of the shear resisting system connects the shear resisting system to the anchors and prevents the shear resisting system from lifting off of the anchors.

The improvement of the present invention comprises adding a flange—in the preferred form, a second heavy nut—to each anchor, and the top surface of the flange is set flush with of just below the top surface of the foundation, such that the portions of the base of the shear wall immediately surrounding the anchors either rests upon the nuts or flanges of the anchors or the base of the shear wall immediately surrounding the anchors can transmit compression forces to the flange, and that component of the bearing forces received by the flange and imposed by the shear resisting system are distributed or carried into deeper parts of the cementitious member by the anchor.

In this particular embodiment of the present invention, because the shear wall bears upon the flanges or is able to transmit compression forces to the flange because of its nearness to the top surface of the foundation, compression forces are not just borne by the foundation around the anchor but also by the anchor itself. The presence of the flange or nut allows the anchor to receive the compression forces, and the anchor which is embedded deep in the foundation distributes the compression forces to the deeper parts of the foundation.

In the preferred embodiment of this particular embodiment of the invention, the foundation near the upper portion of the anchor is formed from a single pouring of concrete, such that there are no breaks or discontinuities in the upper portion of the foundation, and the anchor and the flanges attached to the anchor are positioned in a form for the foundation before the concrete is poured and then the concrete of the cementitious member sets around the anchor and the flange. In this manner, a stronger anchor is provided for the structure, yet the designer need not make any special allowances for installing the structure on the cementitious member and the anchor, because the anchor once properly set in the foundation, is no different from a typical anchor without the flange.

However, it may be desirable to improve anchors that have already been set in concrete by adding flanges or nuts to them, in which case, the preferred method of adapting an existing anchor is to remove the hardened material of the cementitious member from the upper portion of the anchor until sufficient space is made for a heavy nut or flange to be placed on and connected to the anchor with the top surface of the nut or flange flush, or substantially flush, with the top surface of concrete. After this is done, any voids in the concrete can be filled with a high strength epoxy-based adhesive or other suitable filler material. By breaking away the hardened substrate and placing the flange below the top surface of the substrate, the structure will be able to sit or contact the top surface of the substrate as is generally intended by the designer of the structure, and therefore other accommodations will not have to be made for a structure sitting above where it was originally intended.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a connection and method of making a connection between a structure and a cementitious member that is adjacent or supporting the structure that is stronger than present connections made according to present methods, but is easy and economical to construct.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is sectional, elevation view of a connection formed according to the present invention. The anchors, flanges and latera restrating of the present invention are shown embedded in a concrete foundation. The structure is a prefabricated shear resisting system

FIG. 2 is a sectional, elevation view similar to FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a sectional, side view of a concrete foundation having an anchor formed according to the present invention embedded in it.

FIG. 4 is a top view of a substrate having an anchor formed according to the present invention embedded in it. The flanges are shown as they would be when set flush with the tops surface of the substrate.

FIG. 5 is a sectional, elevation view similar to FIG. 2, except that the material of the foundation originally poured around the anchors has been broken away, flanges according to the present invention have been added and a second material injected into the voids.

FIG. 6 is a sectional, side view similar to FIG. 3, except that the material of the foundation originally poured around the anchors has been broken away, flanges according to the present invention have been added and a second material injected into the voids.

FIG. 7 is a sectional, elevation view similar to FIG. 5.

FIG. 8 is a top view similar to FIG. 4, except that the material of the foundation originally poured around the anchors has been broken away, flanges according to the present invention have been added and a second material injected into the voids.

FIG. 9 it a top view of an anchor embedded in a substrate having a lateral restraint of the present invention attached to it.

FIG. 10 it a top view of a pair of anchors embedded in a substrate each having lateral restraints of the present invention attached to them. The view is taken below the flanges which are attached to the anchors.

FIG. 11 is a sectional, elevation view of a pair of anchors embedded in a substrate, each having lateral restraints of the present invention attached to them. The flanges are shown attached to the anchors.

FIG. 12 is a sectional, side view of a substrate having an anchor and lateral restraint, as shown in FIG. 9.

FIG. 13 is a sectional, side view of a substrate, having an anchor according to the present invention and a lateral restraint embedded in it. The flange is shown below the contact surface of the substrate.

FIG. 14 is a sectional, side view of a substrate, having an anchor according to the present invention and a lateral restraint embedded in it. The substrate is comprised of two layers to create a top surface for the substrate that is just above the top surface of the flange.

FIG. 15 is a sectional, top view of an anchor embedded in a substrate, showing the lateral restraint attached to the anchor below the top surface of the substrate.

FIG. 16 is a sectional, side view of an anchor embedded in a substrate, showing the lateral restraint attached to the anchor, and a flange attached to the anchor.

FIG. 17 is a sectional, top view of an anchor embedded in a substrate, showing the lateral restraint attache to the anchor below the top surface of the substrate.

FIG. 18 is a sectional, side view of a foundation with a form defining the side wall of the foundation and a anchor bolt holder attached to the form, from which an anchor is suspended.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

As shown in FIG. 1, in the preferred embodiment of one arrangement of the present invention, a structure, in the particular case shown, a shear resisting system 1, rests upon a substrate—a concrete foundation 2 as shown in FIG. 1, and a pair of anchors 3 which are embedded in the substrate or cementitious member 2 and which have upper portions 4 that protrude from the foundation 2 are received by and attached to the structure 1 in such a manner that the anchors 3 prevent the shear resisting system 1 from substantially lifting off of the foundation 2 when the shear resisting system 1 is subject to uplift forces.

As is shown in FIG. 2, also in the preferred form of the invention, the anchors 3 that are attached to the structure 1 are formed with or are modified to have a flange 5 or other similar member which can transfer compression loads from the structure 1 to the anchor 3 or, as in the preferred embodiment, upon which the lowermost or base member 6 or members of the structure 1 can rest.

In the preferred embodiment of this arrangement of the present invention shown in FIG. 2, the anchors 3 are positioned in such a manner that the top surfaces 7 of the flanges 5 are flush with the top surface 8 of the cementitious member 2. In this manner, the flanges 5, along with the top surface 8 of the cementitious member, receive compression forces imposed by the structure 1.

While in the preferred embodiment of the invention, the top surface 7 of flange 5 is flush with the top surface 8 of cementitious member 2, the top surface 7 of the flange 5 can also be below the top surface 8 of the cementitious member 6, as is shown in FIG. 13, such that the portions of the base member 6 immediately around the anchor 3 do not rest directly on the flange 5 and the flange 5 can still function to carry compression forces form the structure 1 into the anchor 3. When the flange 5 is a heavy nut threaded onto an anchor 3, it is believe the nut 5 can be as low as 0.5 inches below the top surface 8 of the substrate 2 and still act to effectively transfer compression forces into the anchor 3.

As is shown in FIG. 2, in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the relatively incompressible substrate 2 has a contact surface 8 upon which the structure 1 imposes compression loads, and the structure 1 has a base member 6 which bears against the contact surface 8 of the substrate 2.

As is best shown in FIG. 13, further, an anchor 3 is embedded in the substrate 2, below the base member 6 of the structure 1. The anchor 3 has an upper portion 4, and the upper portion 4 of the anchor 3 has an embedded section 13 which is disposed at or near the contact surface 8 of substrate 2. The anchor 3 also has a long shank 14 that extends into the substrate 2 and a bottom portion 11 where the anchor 3 is structured to mechanically interlock with the substrate 2.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the anchor 3 further has a flange 5 with a top surface 7, and the flange 5 is further supported by and positioned on the upper portion 4 of the anchor 3 so that the top surface 7 of the flange 5 is disposed at or near the contact surface 8 of the substrate 2.

In an alternate embodiment of the invention, the upper portion 4 of the anchor 3 can be formed with an exposed section 12 protruding above the contact surface of the substrate 2, and the structure 1 can be attached to the exposed section 12 so that compression loads can be transmitted to the anchor 3 through the exposed section 12 of upper portion 4 of the anchor 3, as by welding the structure 1 to the anchor 3 or by having the anchor 3 fitted with a flange 5 above the contact surface 8 of the substrate 2 on which some part of the structure 1 can effectively transmit compression loads of the structure 1 to the anchor 3.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 3, and 9 through 17, in the preferred embodiment of the invention, one or more lateral restraints 101, which are also embedded in the substrate 2, are attached to the anchor 3 along the shank 14 of the anchor 3. If the anchor 3 has a flange 5 which is set at or near the level of the contact surface 8 of the substrate 2, as is the case in the preferred embodiment, the lateral restraint 101 is set below the flange 5.

As shown in FIG. 9, in the preferred embodiment, the lateral restraint 101 has a connection section 102 where the lateral restraint 101 attaches to the anchor 3. The lateral restraint 101 also has one or more spacing, transitional sections 103, attached to the connection section 102, and one or more anchoring tabs 104 attached to the transitional sections 103 and separated from the anchor 3 by the spacing, transitional sections 103.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the lateral restraints 101 are especially useful when the substrate 2 is a vary narrow foundation and the anchor 3 is placed particularly close to one or more side walls 120 and 121 of the foundation wall 18. In the preferred embodiment, the position of the lateral restraint 101 is optimized to prevent movement of the shank 14 of the anchor 3 toward the side walls 120 and 121 of the foundation wall 18 that are closest to the particular anchor 3. This is done by positioning the connection section 102 between the anchor 3 and the closest side wall 120 and disposing the transitional, spacing section 103 and the anchoring tab 104 in an area of the substrate where the distance between the anchoring tab 104 and the side wall 120 closest to the anchor 3 is farther than the distance between the anchor 3 and the side wall 120 closest to it.

Where the foundation wall 18 is only 6 or 8 inches wide along its narrowest dimension, in order for the lateral restraint 101 to be embedded in the foundation wall 18, the distance between an anchoring tab 104 and its closest connection section 102 will only be from 2 to 6 inches long.

In the preferred embodiment, the lateral restraint 101 is made from galvanized sheet steel, but could be made from steel wire, plastic, fibrous materials, or any materials that can resist tension forces and withstand being embedded in a cementitious member 2. Where the lateral restraint 101 is only attached to one anchor 3, the lateral restraint 101 has two spacing, transitional sections 103, attached to the connection section 102, and an anchoring tab 104 is attached to each of the transitional sections 103 and separated from the anchor by the spacing, transitional sections 103.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 15, in the preferred embodiment, the connection section 102 of the lateral restraint 101 has first and second ends 105 and 106, and a central portion 107 that wraps around at least a portion of the anchor 3, and the spacing, transitional sections 103 are attached to the ends 105 and 106 of the connection section 102 . Further, the connection section 102 of the lateral restraint 101 is formed to grab and hold the anchor 3 between the ends 105 and 106 of the connection section 102, and the connection section 102 of the lateral restraint 101 is formed with a wrapping surface 108 that contacts the anchor 3 and the wrapping surface 108 is formed to hold onto the anchor 3 where it has threads.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 15, also, in the preferred embodiment, the spacing, transitional section 103 is formed with an embossment 109 to stiffen the spacing, transitional section 103, and the anchoring tab 104 of the lateral restraint 101 is formed with an embossment 110 to stiffen the anchoring tab 104, and the embossments 109 and 110 are preferably connected.

As shown in FIGS. 15 and 16; in an alternate embodiment of the lateral restraint 101, the connection section 102 of the lateral restraint 101 has an opening 111 that receives the anchor 3, and this opening 3 in the connection section 102 is dimensioned to closely receive the anchor 3, and preferably is formed to thread onto a threaded portion of the anchor. Further, this opening 111 in the connection section 102 is preferably a drawn opening 111.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 17, when two anchors 3 in close proximity are used, as when the anchors 3 are attached to a narrow shear resisting system 1, the preferred lateral restraint 101 is connected to both the anchors 3, and the lateral restraint 101 is formed with a second connection section 112 to which one or more spacing, transitional sections 103 are attached, and anchoring tabs 104 are attached to the opposite ends of each transitional section 103, and the second connection section 112 is attached to the first connection section 102 by means of a spacer 113. Such a lateral restraint 101 also helps position the anchors 3 during the pour, keeping the in alignment with each other.

In this particular lateral restraint 101, the first and second connection sections 102 and 112 have first and second ends 105 and 106, and a central portion 107b that wraps partially around each anchor 3, and the spacing, transitional sections 103 are attached to one of the ends 105 or 106 of each of the connection sections 102 and 112. Also, in this particular lateral restraint 101, the connection sections 102 and 112 of the lateral restraint 1010 are formed to grab and hold the anchor 3 between the ends 105 and 106 of the connection sections, and the spacer 113 is formed with an embossment 114, as shown in FIG. 17.

As shown in FIG. 2, in the preferred form of the invention, the foundation 2 has an upper or top surface 8 which supports the shear resisting system 1, and the shear resisting system 1 has a base member 6 with a lower surface 9, and substantially all of the lower surface 9 of the base member 6 rests upon the top surface 8 of the foundation 2.

As shown in FIG. 3, in the preferred form of the invention, the pair of anchors 3 embedded in the foundation 2 have upper portions 4, a middle portion 10 and a bottom portion 11. The upper portion 4 of each anchor 3 is divided into an exposed section 12 which protrudes from the top surface 8 of the foundation 2 and is received by the shear resisting system 1. The upper portion 4 of each anchor 3 also has and embedded section 13 which lies immediately below the level of the top surface 8 of the foundation 2. In the preferred embodiment, the middle portion 10 of the anchor 4 is important for the long shank 14 that extends deep into the foundation 2 to the bottom portion 11 where the anchor 3 is structured to mechanically interlock with the foundation 2.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the preferred form of the invention, the anchors 3 are attached to the structure 1 by way of tension force couplers 15 which are attached to the exposed sections 12 of the upper portions 4 of the anchors 3 and which bear upon bearing surfaces 16 in the structure 1, such that the structure or shear resisting system 1 is substantially prevented from moving past the tension force couplers 15 and moving upwardly in relation to the upper portions 4 of the anchors 3.

In the preferred form of the invention, the flanges 5 are formed with substantially planar upper or top surfaces 7 , which are supported by and positioned on the embedded sections 13 of the upper portions 4 of the anchors 3 in such a manner that the top surfaces 7 of the flanges 5 are level with the top surface 8 of the foundation 2 such that the portions of the base member 6 of the shear resisting system 1 immediately surrounding the exposed sections 12 of the upper portion 4 of the anchors 3 can rest on the top surfaces 7 of the flanges 5.

As show in FIG. 2, in the preferred form of the invention the cementitious member 2 is made, at least in part, of curable material 17 and was formed from material 17 in such a manner that the material 17 that forms all or a substantial portion of the top surface 8 of the foundation 2 on which all of the base member 6 of the shear resisting system 1 sits extends a substantial portion down the anchors 3 below the embedded section 13 of the upper portion 4 of the anchor 3, forming a foundation wall 18 for supporting the shear resisting system 1. In the preferred embodiment, the material that forms the top surface 8 of the foundation 2 on which substantially all of the base member 6 of the shear resisting system 1 sits extends to a level at least 6″ inches down the top surface 8 of the foundation 2.

The cementitious member 2 can be made from concrete poured and set in a foundation form. It can comprise concrete masonry units in which grout or concrete is poured to fill in the voids, or it can include foundations made from insulated foam forms.

In the preferred form of the invention, the foundation 2 is made of curable cementitious material 17 and was formed from this material 17 in such a manner that the material 17 that forms the top surface 8 of the foundation 2 and is on the same level as the embedded section 13 of the upper portion 4 of the anchor 3 was poured and set at the same time as the material 17 on the same level as that portion of the anchor 3 that is next below the embedded section 13 of the upper portion 4 of the anchor 3 along the shank 14 of the anchor 3.

The material 17 that makes up the cementitious member 2, has a first semi fluid state that allows it to be molded and shaped and pushed or flow, but upon curing or setting, it becomes a hardened mass that is substantially incompressible by any forces that the structure 1 could impose on it under regularly occurring conditions.

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the upper portions 4 of the anchors 3 that protrude from the top surface of the foundation 2 are threaded to receive a heavy nut or tension force coupler 15. However, the upper portions 4 of the anchors 3 need not be threaded and the tension force couplers 15 can take many forms including welds, adhesives, deformations of the upper portion 4 of the anchor 3, or any connection between the anchor 3 and the structure 1 that restrains the structure 1 from moving longitudinally with respect to and away from the anchor 3.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the upper portions 4 of the anchors 3 are received in openings created in the base of the shear resisting system 1, because the shear resisting system 1 overlies the anchors 3. In certain shear resisting systems 1, the shear resisting system 1 can fit between the anchors 3 at the ends of the shear resisting system 1 used to anchor it against uplift forces and the anchors 3 are attached to members placed on the outside edges of the shear resisting system 1. In such instances, a base plate 6 or similar member could be added to the shear resisting system 1 to extend the foot print or bearing surface of the shear resisting system 1 so that compression forces could be transferred to the anchors 3 at the level of the top surface 8 of the foundation 2.

In the preferred embodiment, the upper portions 4 of the anchors 3 are received through openings in the base member 6 of the shear resisting system 1, and the base member 6 in which these openings are formed also serves as the horizontally disposed member 16 or bearing surface against which a nut 15 threaded onto the upper portion 4 of the anchor 3 can be tightened against and bear upon to anchor the shear resisting system 1 without significant displacement of this connection against uplift forces.

In the preferred form of the invention the base member 6 of the shear resisting system 1 is made from a substantially incompressible material with respect to the compression loads that will be exerted on the base member 6 where it overlies the anchors 3.

In the preferred form of the invention, the flange 5 through which the shear resisting system 1 transfers compression forces to the anchor 3 is a heavy nut threaded onto the threaded upper portion 4 of the anchor 3. In another embodiment of the invention, the flange 5 consists of a heavy nut threaded onto the threaded upper portion 4 of the anchor 3, supporting a washer or similar plate.

In the preferred form of the invention, the shear resisting system 1 is a corrugated shear wall as described in pending U.S. application Ser. No. 10/734,870, filed Dec. 12, 2003, the specification and claims of which is incorporated herein by reference.

It certain installations, the protruding portion or exposed section 12 of the upper portion 4 of the anchor 3 may not reach high enough for the shear resisting system 1 to be attached to the particular portion of the anchor 3 protruding from the foundation 2. In such cases the protruding portion of the anchor 3 can be extended by attaching an extension coupler to a first portion in a releasable manner and then attaching a second portion to the extension coupler.

As shown in FIG. 18, the preferred connection of the present invention is made by creating a form for a foundation 2. An anchor bolt template 19 is then attached to the side of the form. The preferred template 19 is formed in accordance with pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/868,722, the specification and claims of which are incorporated herein by reference. The anchor bolt template 19 suspends the anchors 3 in the form and keeps them aligned and plumb during the pouring of the un-cured foundation material 17. The anchors are releasably attached the to the anchor bolt template 19, and positioned such that the heavy nut that makes up the flange 5 abuts against a spacing surface 20 on the anchor bolt template 19 for positioning the upper surface 7 of the flange 5 at what will be the level of the top surface 8 of the foundation 2. The nuts that will serve as the tension force couplers 15 are attached to the upper portions 4 of the anchors 3 so that the anchor bolt template 19 is compressed between the lower surface 21 of the nut that serves as the tension force coupler 15 and the upper surface 7 of the flange 5. Any lateratal restraints 101 are attached to the anchors. The concrete 17 is then poured and allowed to set. Once the concrete 17 has sufficiently set, the nut that serves as the tension force coupler 15 is removed from the anchors 3 as is the anchor bolt template 19 and the shear resisting system 1 is mounted on the cured foundation 2 by inserting the base member 6 over the anchor bolts 3. The tension force couplers 15 are then reattached to the upper portions 4 of the anchors 3 such that they bear upon bearing surface 16 of the shear resisting system 1, and substantially all of the lowermost surface 9 of the base member 6 of the shear resisting system 1 rests upon the top surface 8 of the foundation 2 and portions of the lower surface 9 of the base member 6 bear upon the top surface 7 of the flanges 5.

As shown in FIG. 5, as mentioned above, it may be desirable to retrofit existing anchors 3 with flanges 5 after a foundation 2 has been poured and set. In such instances, the portions of the foundation 2 immediately surrounding the embedded section 13 of the upper portion 4 of the anchor 3 are removed, flanges 5 are attached to the anchors 3 so that the top surface 7 of the flange 5 is level with the top surface 8 of the foundation 2 and any spaces are filled in with a second material 22, preferably a high strength, non-compressible material, such as Epoxy-Tie® SET—High Strength Epoxy, sold by Simpson Strong-Tie Company, or other material with similar characteristics.

When the anchors 3 will be positioned before the material 17 for the foundation 2 is poured it is preferred to sell the anchors 3 with the flanges 5 pre-attached and positioned correctly. If the flanges 5 are nuts, they can be welded to the anchors or the threads on the anchors 3 can be disturbed to prevent movement of the nuts or flanges 5. The flange 5 can be a washer or plate attached to or formed in the anchor or any member that can transmit compression forces imposed from above the anchor 3 to the anchor 3.

The present invention has been tested in a laboratory where an actuator provided cyclic lateral loading to the top of multiple shear resisting system 1 of varying dimensions made according to patent application Ser. No. 10/734,870. One such shear resisting system 1 was seven feet tall and 18 inches wide. A simulated foundation 2 was poured, and the anchors 3 were connected at their bottom sections 11 to the test bed of the apparatus. Testing showed that the connection of the present invention is superior to a connection made according to the prior art where the anchors 3 were not formed with flanges 5.

As shown in FIG. 3, for the testing and for the preferred manner of making the invention, the foundation 2 is made from concrete having a minimum compression strength of 2500 psi, the anchors 3 are made from all-thread rod having a material grade of ASTM A449 (or equivalent), and a minimum size of ¾″ for walls that are 2″ wide or less and 1″ for walls or shear resisting systems 1 that are larger than 12″ wide. The flange 5 is preferably a heavy hex nut, ASTM A563, Grade DH A194, Grade 2H. The nut that serves as the tension force coupler 15 is of the same grade as the flange nut 5, as are nuts 23 at the bottom portion of the anchor that sandwich a plate washer 24 in between them for preventing pull-out of the anchor 3. The plates 24 for preventing pull-out of the bolts 3 are steel plates made from ASTM A36 grade material and are either 1.75″×1.75″×0.25″ for smaller shear resisting systems 1 using the ¾″ anchors 3, or are 2.25″×2.25″×0.375″ for larger shear resisting systems 1 using 1″ anchors 3. The simulated foundation 2 used in testing contained standard #4 rebar 25 to reinforce the foundation 2.

As is shown in FIG. 14, when the flange 5 is positioned above the contact surface 8 of the substrate 2, a high strength relatively incompressible material such as grout 26 can be added around the flange to create a level bearing surface for the structure 2.

Claims

1. A connection between a structure and a relatively incompressible substrate in contact with the structure, the connection comprising:

a. the relatively incompressible substrate, having a contact surface upon which the structure imposes compression loads;

b. the structure, having a base member which bears against the contact surface of the substrate;

c. an anchor, embedded in the substrate, below the base member of the structure, the anchor having an upper portion, the upper portion of the anchor having an embedded section which is disposed at or near the contact surface of substrate, the anchor also having a long shank that extends into the substrate and a bottom portion where the anchor is structured to mechanically interlock with the substrate, the anchor further having a flange with a top surface, the flange being supported by and positioned on the upper portion of the anchor such that the top surface of the flange is disposed at or near the contact surface of the substrate; and

d. a lateral restraint which is also embedded in the substrate and which is attached to the anchor along the shank of the anchor and below the flange, the lateral restraint having a connection section where the lateral restraint attaches to the anchor, one or more spacing transitional sections, attached to the connection section, and one or more anchoring tabs attached to the transitional sections and separated from the anchor by the spacing, transitional sections.

2. The connection of claim 1, wherein:

the lateral restraint has two spacing, transitional sections, attached to the connection section, and an anchoring tab attached is attached to each of the transitional sections and separated from the anchor by the spacing, transitional sections.

3. The connection of claim 2, wherein:

the connection section of the lateral restraint has first and second ends, and a central portion that wraps around at least a portion of the anchor, and the spacing, transitional sections are attached to the ends of the connection section.

4. The connection of claim 3, wherein:

the connection section of the lateral restraint is formed to grab and hold the anchor between the ends of the connection section.

5. The connection of claim 4, wherein:

the connection section of the lateral restraint is formed with a wrapping surface that contacts the anchor and the wrapping surface is formed to hold onto the anchor where it has threads.

6. The connection of claim 5, wherein:

the spacing, transitional section is formed with an embossment to stiffen the spacing, transitional section.

7. The connection of claim 6, wherein:

the anchoring tab of the lateral restraint is formed with an embossment to stiffen the anchoring tab.

8. The connection of claim 7, wherein:

the embossments in the anchoring tab and the spacing, transitional section are connected.

9. The connection of claim 8, wherein:

the upper portion of the anchor has exposed sections which protrude from the foundation.

10. The connection of claim 9, wherein:

the structure is a shear resisting unit operatively attached to the anchor.

11. The connection of claim 1, wherein:

the connection section of the lateral restraint has an opening that receives the anchor.

12. The connection of claim 11, wherein:

the opening in the connection section is dimensioned to closely receive the anchor.

13. The connection of 12, wherein:

the opening in the connection section is formed to thread onto a threaded portion of the anchor.

14. The connection of claim 13, wherein:

the opening in the connection section that receives the anchor is a drawn opening.

15. The connection of claim 12, wherein:

the opening in the connection system that receives the anchor is a drawn opening.

16. The connection of claim 1, wherein:

a. two such anchors are embedded in the substrate, and

b. the lateral restraint is connected to both the anchors, and the lateral restraint is formed with a second connection section to which one or more spacing, transitional sections are attached, and anchoring tabs are attached to the opposite ends of each transitional section, and the second connection section is attached to the first connection section by means of a spacer.

17. The connection of claim 16, wherein:

the first and second connection sections have first and second ends, and a central portion that wraps partially around each anchor, and the spacing, transitional sections are attached to one of the ends of each of the connection sections.

18. The connection of claim 17, wherein:

the connection sections of the lateral restraint are formed to grab and hold the anchor between the ends of the connection sections.

19. The connection of claim 18,

wherein the spacer is formed with an embossment.

20. A method of making a connection between a shear resisting system and a foundation on which the shear resisting system rests, comprising:

a. suspending a plurality of anchors, each having a flange, the flange having a top surface, in one or more voids which will receive a cementitious material that will cure to form a relatively incompressible material that will be part of the foundation;

b. injecting the material for the foundation into the one or more voids and allowing the material to set around the anchors and the flanges on the anchors, such that the anchors are embedded in the foundation, the anchors having upper portions, the upper portions having exposed sections which protrude from the foundation and which can be received by the shear resisting system, the upper portions of the anchors also having embedded sections which lie immediately below the level of the top surface of the foundation, the anchors also having long shanks that extend into the foundation and bottom portions where the anchor is structured to mechanically interlock with the foundation, and the top surfaces of the flanges, which are supported by and positioned on the upper portions of the anchors, are disposed at substantially the same level as the top surface of the foundation;

c. mounting the shear resisting system on a top surface of the foundation, the shear resisting system having a base member which bears upon the top surface of foundation, and positioning the shear resisting system such that portions of the base member of the shear resisting system immediately surrounding the exposed sections of the upper portion of the anchors can transfer compression forces to the top surfaces of the flanges; and

d. attaching the upper portions of the anchors to the shear resisting system, such that the shear resisting system is substantially prevented from moving upwardly in relation to the upper portions of the anchors.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein:

there is attached to the anchor, one or more lateral restraints which will also be embedded in the substrate and which will be attached to the anchor along the shank of the anchor and below the flange, each lateral restraint having a connection section where the lateral restraint attaches to the anchor, one or more spacing transitional sections, attached to the connection section, and one or more anchoring tabs attached to the transitional sections and separated from the anchor by the spacing, transitional sections.

22. A method of making a connection between a shear resisting system and a foundation made of a cementitious material having anchors embedded therein, the shear resisting system being designed to rest on the foundation, the method comprising:

a. removing portions of the material for the foundation immediately around the embedded anchors, the anchors having upper portions, the upper portions having exposed sections which protrude from the foundation and which can be received by the shear resisting system, the upper portions of the anchors also having embedded sections which lie immediately below the level of the top surface of foundation, the anchors also having long shanks that extend into the foundation and bottom portions where the anchor is structured to mechanically interlock with the foundation, the material being removed in such a fashion that at least portions of the embedded sections of the upper portions of the anchors are removed;

b. attaching flanges, the flanges having top surfaces, to the upper portions of the anchors such that the top surfaces of the flanges will lie flush with or close to the top surface of the foundation;

c. filling any voids that remain from removing material from the foundation with a second substantially incompressible material;

d. mounting the shear resisting system on a top surface of the foundation, the shear resisting system having a base member which bears upon the top surface of foundation, and positioning the shear resisting system such that portions of the base member of the shear resisting system immediately surrounding the exposed sections of the upper portions of the anchors can transfer compression forces to the top surfaces of the flanges; and

e. attaching the upper portions of the anchors to the shear resisting system, such that the shear resisting system is substantially prevented from moving upwardly in relation to the upper portions of the anchors.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein:

there is attached to the anchors, one or more lateral restraints which will also be embedded in the substrate and which will be attached to the anchors along the shanks of the anchors and below the flanges, each lateral restraint having a connection section where the lateral restraint attaches to the anchor, one or more spacing transitional sections, attached to the connection section, and one or more anchoring tabs attached to the transitional sections and separated from the anchor by the spacing, transitional sections.

24. A connection between a shear resisting system and a foundation, the connection comprising:

a. the foundation which has an upper surface which supports the shear resisting system,

b. the shear resisting system which has a base member with a lower surface, and substantially all of the lower surface of the base member rests upon the top surface of the foundation;

c. a plurality of anchors embedded in the foundation, the anchors having upper portions, the upper portions having exposed sections which protrude from the foundation and are received by the shear resisting system, the upper portions of the anchors also having embedded sections which lie immediately below the level of the top surface of foundation, the anchors also having long shanks that extend deep into the foundation and bottom portions where the anchor is structured to mechanically interlock with the foundation;

d. tension force couplers which are attached to the exposed sections of the upper portions of the anchors and which attach to the shear resisting system, such that the shear resisting system is substantially prevented from moving past the tension force couplers and moving upwardly in relation to the upper portions of the anchors;

e. flanges, having upper surfaces, which are supported by and positioned on the embedded sections of the upper portions of the anchors in such a manner that the top surfaces of the flanges are at substantially the same level as the top surface of the foundation such that portions of the base member of the shear resisting system immediately surrounding the exposed sections of the upper portion of the anchors can transfer compression forces to the top surfaces of the flanges; wherein

f. the foundation is made of a flowable material that cures to become a non-compressible material and the foundation was formed from the material in such a manner that the material that forms the top surface of the foundation on which substantially all of the base member of the shear resisting system sits extends a substantial portion down the anchors below the embedded section of the upper portion of the anchor.

25. The connection of claim 24, wherein

the portions of the foundation immediately surrounding the embedded section of the upper portion of the anchor and the flange are made up of a second material which was poured after the material that makes up substantially all of the material underneath the shear resisting system was poured and upon which the substantial weight of the shear resisting system bears.

26. The connection of claim 24, wherein one or more of the upper portions of the anchors that protrude from the foundation comprises:

a. a first section that is partially embedded in the foundation and partially protrudes from the foundation,

b. an extension coupler that is releasably attached to the first portion above the top surface of the foundation, and

c. a second portion that is releasably attached to the first portion by means of the extension coupler.

27. A connection between a structure and a relatively incompressible substrate in contact with the structure, the connection comprising:

a. the relatively incompressible substrate, having a contact surface upon which the structure imposes compression loads;

b. the structure, having a base member which bears against the contact surface of the substrate;

c. an anchor, embedded in the substrate, below the base member of the structure, the anchor having an upper portion, the upper portion of the anchor having an exposed section protruding above the contact surface of the substrate, the structure being attached to the exposed section so that compression loads can be transmitted to the anchor, the anchor also having an embedded section which is disposed at or near the contact surface of substrate, the anchor also having a long shank that extends into the substrate and a bottom portion where the anchor is structured to mechanically interlock with the substrate; and

d. one or more lateral restraints which are also embedded in the substrate and which are attached to the anchor along the shank of the anchor, each lateral restraint having a connection section where the lateral restraint attaches to the anchor, one or more spacing transitional sections, attached to the connection section, and one or more anchoring tabs attached to the transitional sections and separated from the anchor by the spacing, transitional sections.