Concrete truss
A concrete structural framework comprised of a combination of reinforced steel, including pre-stressed and post-tensioned, with high performance concrete (HPC), for use in construction and other industries. This framework provides a highly fire resistant structure that is also resistant to the forces of nature and maintains a high level of structural integrity. The members of this concrete truss are joined or otherwise secured together by monolithic means, welded with badges, rivets, screws, or the like, in a triangular weblike configuration which provides the ultimate support against forces of compression and tension.
The present application is related to the content of Document Disclosure No. 525632, filed Feb. 7, 2003.
This is a non-provisional application relating to the content of, and claiming priority to, U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/648,847, filed Jan. 31, 2005, which is incorporated by reference herein.
FIELD OF INVENTIONThe present invention relates generally to the field of manufacture and use of Concrete Truss that have a longer time period of fire resistance and thus a high structural integrity. The present invention is also related to methods and the apparatuses for their manufacture within the field of construction, architecture, engineering and the precast and prestressed and post-tensioning industry. The examples presented are shown for purposes of illustration and not limitation.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONAt the present time there are beams (joist) of reinforced concrete, (made in work, prefabricated, prestressed and/or post-tensioned) of various different sections, including I beams (AASHTO), T beams, TT double beams, TY beams, beams in drawer, tubular beams, beams of variable section, beams of section with orifices, and hollowcore slab among others, manufactured by different companies and otherwise commercially available. However, none considers the Concrete Truss, which has a better structural behavior due to the disposition of each one of their elements. With smaller quantity of steel and smaller quantity of concrete, one can obtain the same load capacity and even achieve bigger resistance, (i.e., bigger load capacity due to the disposition of their elements), depending on the design and particularly of the depth of the Concrete Truss.
If the presently available reinforced concrete beams manufactured of constant section, were compared with the Concrete Truss under the same loads, the result would be that the presently available beams would require significantly more steel and concrete volume and also increase the cost and time of production.
Other types of beams that exist at the present time are trusses built and designed only of steel or wood. The disadvantages of these materials are that they are not resistant to fire, have a very high cost of maintenance, and are less durable, in comparison with the Concrete Truss. For the structural design of each piece that are an integral part of the Concrete Truss, they are continued in enunciatively and not limitative form the structural approaches that are used at the present time for concrete and steel.
While there has been a trend to produce more efficient and effective beams, further improvements for fire resistance, effectiveness, and lower costs are desirable, and the present invention addresses and solves the existing problems and provides related benefits.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTIONThe objects of the present invention include the following:
- First.—to develop a Concrete Truss with high resistance to fire.
- Second.—to develop a Concrete Truss with more load capacity and slighter than the current prefabricated beams of concrete, to achieve more structural security.
- Third.—to develop a Concrete Truss formed with a series of right pieces that are joined together by various means, including by means of monolithic unions, welding with badges, rivets or screws so that the external loads applied where joined produce direct efforts on these pieces and that can be used in a great variety of constructions, inclusive in the foundation of any construction.
- Fourth.—to develop a Concrete Truss that allows the achievement of a better structural behavior based on the disposition of their elements.
- Fifth.—to develop a Concrete Truss that provides space inside the same section to place all type of facilities.
- Sixth.—to develop the apparatuses and methods to manufacture the Concrete Truss efficiently, as well as to transport, to place, to vibrate, to carry out the final finish, and to cure the concrete to build it.
- Seventh.—to develop the apparatuses and methods to manufacture efficiently, to cut, to bend, to unite, to shovel, to enable, to prestress and/or to post-tension the necessary steel to build the Concrete Truss.
- Eighth.—to develop the apparatuses and methods to manufacture a Concrete Truss efficiently that includes a system for the protection against the corrosion of the steel in reinforced concrete, as well as in prestressed and/or post-tensioned concrete.
- Ninth.—to develop the apparatuses and methods to manufacture a Concrete Truss efficiently that include systems to know the structural operation of each one of the pieces that form the Concrete Truss throughout its service life.
- Tenth.—to develop the apparatuses and methods to manufacture a Concrete Truss efficiently, with which one can be prestressed, each one or on the whole the elements that compose the Concrete Truss, or only the necessary pieces according to the structural design and calculation.
- Eleventh.—to develop the apparatuses and methods to manufacture a Concrete Truss efficiently, with which one can post-tensioning each one or on the whole the elements that compose the Concrete Truss, or only the necessary pieces according to the structural design and calculation.
- Twelfth.—to develop the apparatuses and methods with which it can be carried out including the mold for the production of a Concrete Truss of a measure and certain section and the molds to manufacture each one of the elements separately.
- Thirteenth.—to develop the apparatuses and methods with which one can manufacture efficiently to unite each one of the pieces that compose the Concrete Truss.
- Fourteenth.—to develop calculation methods and software with which it is possible to design and to calculate a Concrete Truss.
- Fifteenth.—to develop a Concrete Truss that guarantees the smallest vibration possible of each one of their elements and with it that of the floors, being able to make the end user feel more secure during the building's service life.
- Sixteenth.—to develop a Concrete Truss that achieves the in agreement durability to the applicable norms with a low maintenance cost.
- Seventeenth.—to develop a Concrete Truss that has longer time of resistance to fire attack in comparison with the steel truss (joist) or wooden truss.
- Eighteenth.—to develop a Concrete Truss that has a greater resistance to the environmental aggressive attack in comparison with a steel truss (joist) or a wooden truss.
The present invention includes a Concrete Truss integrated by a series of right pieces joined together by various means, including by means of monolithic unions, welding with badges, rivets or screws. The external loads applied on their joints produce direct stress on these pieces. The total stress to be supported is distributed to each one of the pieces. Therefore, each piece is designed to resist the type of stress that corresponds, specifically tension or compression. This is the reason why the group of pieces together provides a bigger resistance in comparison with the concrete beams that are currently manufactured and commercially available. The type of support that a Concrete Truss provides will be simple leaning, embedded, jointed, or in cantilever and any supportive combination thereof. The present invention is a structure that is more resistant to fire and environmental elements than the current available systems. The present invention is also less costly to maintain.
The Concrete Truss is comprised of a bottom chord, top chord and webs. These elements are united by means of monolithic unions, welding badges, rivets or screws. Some work to provide compression and others work to provide tension. The triangle is the figure that constitutes the basic form of the disposition of the elements of this Concrete Truss. The section of each chord or webs contained in the Concrete Truss can be rectangular, cylindrical, triangular, of variable section, of section of any polyhedron, L-shaped, single tee, double tee, inverted tee and it can also be prestressed or post-tensioned.
The union of each one of the elements can be screwed, riveted, welded together with badges, or it can simply be strained monolithically. Connectors can be placed in the top chord of the Concrete Truss to achieve a perfect union with any flagstone type, as well as for the assembly of the same one. The procedure of production of the Concrete Truss can be using an adjustable mold of different lengths and it can be bowled or curved in all the edges.
The casting of the concrete can be manual or done with specialized pumping equipment team that is able to place it in each one of the pieces that are part of a Concrete Truss. When one, some or all pieces are required to be prestressed or post-tensioned, a mold can be used with adaptations in which one can pretension or post-tension the reinforcing steel.
Some separators can be placed during the casting of the concrete that guarantee the design cover, which will be able to retire when the consistency of the concrete is enough to conserve the position of the design steel.
Further objectives and advantages of the present invention will become apparent as the description proceeds and when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. To gain a full appreciation of the scope of the present invention, it will be further recognized that various aspects of the present invention can be combined to make desirable embodiments of the invention.
Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Where a term is provided in the singular, the inventor also contemplates the plural of that term. The nomenclature used herein and the procedures described below are those well known and commonly employed in the art.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. is an illustration of an alternative embodiment in schematic form of the present invention.
The elements that are shown in
Referring now to the
The Concrete Truss can also be classified according to their section which can include configurations of the type in I (AASHTO), in Tee (T), in double Tee (TT), in L-shape, and in inverted Tee. These are illustrated in
The calculation of the Concrete Truss will be according to the current methods of structural design for concrete and steel. It will also comply with the standards of a city's building code where the present invention will be manufactured, stored, transported, and ultimately placed. Should the city or state not have standards in place, compliance occurs at national or international levels as deemed appropriate.
The method of manufacturing the present invention uses form works or molds, preferably metallic. However, it is contemplated that other materials such aluminum, glass fiber, wood, plastics, polyethylene, cardboards or any other suitable material can be used and so fall within the scope of the present invention.
The Concrete Truss will have fixed or temporary fasteners that help to transport the assembly and placement of each one of the pieces according to the current techniques.
The concrete type is substantial and it will be designed according to the applicable standards, for what it will be able to be in charge of the concrete types that the same technology allows us day by day, as high performance concrete (HPC). The reinforced steel, including prestressed and/or post-tensioned, will be designed according to the applicable standards, for what it will be able to be in charge of the steel types that the same technology allows us day by day. It is also contemplated that other new materials may be used as substitute for steel and concrete in the future without losing the basic approach of a mark integrated by a series of willing and united right pieces joined by means of monolithic unions, welded with badges, rivets or screws, so that external loads applied where these pieces meet produce direct stress on these pieces.
All headings are for the convenience of the reader and should not be used to limit the meaning of the text that follows the heading, unless so specified. The present invention has been described generally and with respect to preferred embodiments. It is understood that various changes and modifications may be made of the disclosed invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concept of the present invention.
It is well established that the claims of the patent serve an important public notice function to potential competitors—enabling them to not only determine what is covered, but also what is not covered—by the patent. And a number of Federal Circuit decisions have emphasized the importance of discerning the patentee's intent—as expressed in the specification—in construing the claims of the patent.
But defendants in patent infringement suits—while arguing the importance of this public notice function—often seek strained and uncharitable constructions of the claims that would render them either nonsensical, too narrow to have any significant value, or so broad that the claim is anticipated by the prior art.
Accordingly, I wish to make my intensions clear—and at the same time put potential competitors on clear public notice. It is my intent that the claims receive a liberal construction and be interpreted to uphold and not destroy the right of the inventor. It is my intent that the claim terms be construed in a charitable and common-sensical manner. It is my intent that the claim terms be construed as broadly as practical while preserving the validity of the claims. It is my intent that the claim terms be construed in a manner consistent with the context of the overall claim language and the specification, without importing extraneous limitations from the specification or other sources into the claims, and without confining the scope of the claims to the exact representations depicted in the specification or drawings.
The headquarters building of the World Intellectual Property Organization bears the following inscription: “Human genius is the source of all works of art and invention; these works are the guarantee of a life worthy of me; it is the duty of the State to ensure with diligence the protection of the arts and inventions.” It is my intent that the claims as this patent be construed—and ultimately enforced, if necessary—in a manner worthy of this mandate.
Claims
1. A concrete structural framework comprising:
- a top member;
- a bottom member; and
- a plurality of interlacing members wherein said interlacing members are arranged in diagonal and vertical positions and connect said top member and said bottom member in a webular configuration.
2. A concrete structural framework as recited in claim 1, wherein said top member, said bottom member, and said plurality of interlacing members are further comprised of a first layer of steel within a second layer of a porous material.
3. A concrete structural framework as recited in claim 2, wherein said first layer of steel is made up of at least one steel bar and is reinforced.
4. A concrete structural framework as recited in claim 3, wherein said first layer of steel is pre-stressed.
5. A concrete structural framework as recited in claim 4, wherein said first layer of steel is post-tensioned.
6. A concrete structural framework as recited in claim 2, wherein said porous material is concrete.
7. A concrete structural framework as recited in claim 2, wherein said top member, said bottom member, and said plurality of interlacing members are joined together monolithically.
8. A concrete structural framework as recited in claim 7, wherein said top member, said bottom member, and said plurality of interlacing members are joined together with welded badges.
9. A concrete structural framework as recited in claim 8, wherein said top member, said bottom member, and said plurality of interlacing members are joined together with rivets.
10. A concrete structural framework as recited in claim 9, wherein said top member, said bottom member, and said plurality of interlacing members are joined together with screws.
11. A method of manufacturing a concrete structural framework comprising:
- preparing a mixture of porous material wherein said porous material is concrete;
- placing at least one steel bar in a molding; and
- pouring said mixture of porous material into the molding to encase said at least one steel bar within said porous material.
Type: Application
Filed: Jan 30, 2006
Publication Date: Dec 7, 2006
Inventor: Javier Mentado-Duran (Cuernavaca)
Application Number: 11/343,571
International Classification: E04C 3/02 (20060101);