Hydraulic and earth engineering – Foundation – Columnar structure
Reexamination Certificate
2002-07-08
2003-12-09
Pezzuto, Robert E. (Department: 3671)
Hydraulic and earth engineering
Foundation
Columnar structure
C052S169900
Reexamination Certificate
active
06659691
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of The Invention
The present invention relates to apparatus, methods and assembly systems for utilizing various types of pile and grouting members to provide a special patterning and array of such members for reduced soil liquefaction in the event of earthquake or other seismic disturbance.
2. Background Information
Although no references were found specifically relating to the vast improvements that the present invention discloses and teaches in this technology; some of the references which disclose aspects of the general technology in an experimental or theoretic sense, include United States Patents to Ringsten, U.S. Pat. No. 4,832,533; Taki, U.S. Pat. No. 5,118,223; Asayama, U.S. Pat. No. 3,975,917; Sato, U.S. Pat. No. 4,707,956; Spanovich, U.S. Pat. No. 3,464,215; and Turzillo, U.S. Pat. No. 3,886,754, and published references including Finn et al., “Liquefaction in Silty Soils: Design and Analysis,” ASCE, GSP 44, October, 1994, pp. 51-78; Yourman et al., “Quality Control of Stone Columns in Variable Soils,” ASCE Geotechnical Special Publication n. 90, pp.96-110; Liu and Dobry, “Seismic Response of Shallow Foundation on Liquefiable Sand,” ASCE, Journal G&GE, June, 1997, pp. 557-567; Galsworthy and El Naggar, “Analysis of R/C Chimneys with Soil-Structure Interaction,” ASCE, GSP 70, October, 1997, pp 23-35; Han and Cathro, “Seismic Behavior of Tall Buildings Supported On pile Foundations,” ASCE, GSP 70, October, 1997, pp. 36-51; Kagawa et al., “Soil-Structure-Pile Interaction in Liquefying Sand From Large-Scale Shaking-Table Tests and Centrifuge Tenst,” ASCE, GSP 70, October, 1997, pp. 69-84; Kaynia, “Earthquake Induced Forces in Piles in Layered Soil Media,” ASCE, GSP 70, October, 1997, pp. 85-95; Ivanetich et al., “Compaction Grout: A Case History of Seismic Retrofit,” ASCE, Proceedings of the Geo Denver Conference, August, 2000, pp. 83-93; Desai, “DCS Constitutive and Computer Models for Soil-Structure and Liquefaction Analysis,” ASCE Geotechnical Special Publication no. 110, pp. 99-116; Davis and Berrill, “Pore Pressure and Dissipated Energy in Earthquakes Field Verification,” ASCE Journal G&GE, March, 2001, pp. 269-274; Ashford et al., “Comparison of Deep Foundation Performance in Improved and Non-Improved Ground Using Blast-Induced Liquefaction,” ASCE Geotechnical Special Publication no. 107, pp. 20-34; Bonita et al., “In Situ Liquefaction Evaluation Using a Vibrating Penetrometer,” ASCE Geotechnical Special Publication no. 107, pp. 191-206; Helwany et al., “Seismic Analysis of Segmental Retaining Walls, I: Model Verification,” ASCE JG&G, September, 2001, pp. 741-749; and Tebesh and Paulos, “Pseudostatic Approach for Seismic Analysis of Single Piles,” ASCE JG&G, September, 2001, pp. 757-765. Perhaps the most important place for publication of earthquake and related technology articles and other information has been considered to be the Journal of Geotechnical and Environmental Engineering, a publication of the ASCE.
The Ringesten '533 patent reference discloses a process having as it principal teaching the removal of some of the soil below the foundation of a structure and replacing the soil with a ‘lighter material’ such as a foamed plastic or such matter as hollow plastic balls; to theoretically provide a soil layer which will distribute the loads from the structure foundations over a broader and deeper soil layer where support will be adequate while at the same time providing some buoyancy to the structure. Although drawings are disclosed in Ringesten which appear to result in an array having some similarity in relation to the present invention; the drawings, in fact, illustrate ‘drill casings’ which, in accordance with Ringesten, are subsequently removed when the ‘light material’ is being placed.
The Taki '223 reference discloses an insitu process to form columns by a ‘soil mixing’ process. It is disclosed in this regard that when the soil is not amenable to jet grouting, that the Taki process may be utilized. Large auger shaped drills are bored into the soil. What appears to look like ‘augers’ are, in fact, ‘half auger’ sections which act as mixers by alternately lifting and dropping the soil around the blades. While this is going on, cement grout is injected to mix with the soil, as is also the case in ‘jet grouting.’ The Taki process is, however, useable with a great many more types of soil than is jet grouting. In the technology, however, it is important to note that neither jet grouting nor soil mixing is really grouting, as applied in the present invention, at all.
Asayama '917 describes a process which involves placement of piles which have a horizontally fluted exterior profile. It has little connection to the present invention.
The Sato '956 reference relates to the installation of pile elements connected to a foundation in which movement of the top part of the pile is insulated from the soil directly under the foundation, with the deeper section of the pile carrying support down to deep soil strata. This invention appears to embrace the theory about decreasing the damage from earthquake shock, which says that the soil close under the foundation of a structure should not be compacted. However, this theory is debated and now discounted by most earthquake design engineers. Whether such support, disclosed in Sato, should be utilized, or designed in, is probably a site specific decision involving the types of soil encountered, their density, and the layering present in the formation. The Sato invention has little comparison to the broadly applicable array, and support superiority, of the present invention.
The Spanovich '215 Patent concerns a method of filling voids while preventing cement grout from escaping endlessly into such voids. Spanovich applies almost exclusively to voids in rock although it could possible apply to very stiff soils which act, or have similar properties, much like rock. This invention has almost no connection with settlement or damage due to liquefaction of soil; and, therefore, does not reasonably relate to the structural or functional purposes of the present invention.
Lin '736 discloses the construction of pile which has larger diameter areas where the soil of a site is soft and smaller diameter areas where the soil is dense. As disclosed, the horizontally fluted exterior profile, structurally, can assist in support of foundation loads in some soils. Lin teaches that additional support can be created by making the bottom section a ‘belled’ section.
The Takahashi '316 patent reference describes what is known in the geotechnical field as ‘lense grouting.’ As disclosed and illustrated, a cement slurry grout is pumped into loose soil for the purpose of ‘fracturing’ such soil. Because soil is usually laid down in horizontal layers, the ‘fractures’ are usually horizontal along the weak zones. This process leaves a web of cement grout channels, or ‘lenses’; hence the derivation of its name. The soil on site, exposed to such a process, is not materially changed. Lense grouting is the opposite, conceptually, from compaction grouting, utilized in the present invention, where the bulk of the soil on site is densified. The creation of the lenses can be made somewhat more uniform by starting the grout flow into a hole at a high rate to create a lense; and, then, slowing the rate to expand the lense in thickness. It is possible that the stronger soil mass with its irregular web of lenses could deflect earthquake shock waves in some random fashion, but it would not lend itself to predictability. The Takahashi process appears unrelated to the compaction pile concepts, utilization and configurational positioning and arrays of the present invention.
The Turzillo '754 patent reference discloses a process used to hold a drilled hole open while cement grout is pumped in, for the purpose of creating an insitu pile. The process is widely utilized today, conventionally, to install mini-piles. The resulting pile, however, in and of itself, has no specific characteristics and the s
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