U.S. patent application number 10/061405 was filed with the patent office on 2003-08-07 for working pole foundation and method.
Invention is credited to Young, Robert A..
Application Number | 20030145556 10/061405 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 27658414 |
Filed Date | 2003-08-07 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030145556 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Young, Robert A. |
August 7, 2003 |
Working pole foundation and method
Abstract
A working pole such as a luminaire pole is mounted on a steel
cylindrical sleeve extending upwardly from a concrete portion of a
foundation member. The foundation member is placed in a hole
provided therefor and the luminaire pole or other working pole is
placed over the sleeve in contact with the concrete portion of the
foundation member; grout is poured between the exterior surface of
the upwardly extending steel sleeve and the interior surface of the
luminaire pole.
Inventors: |
Young, Robert A.; (Phoenix,
AZ) |
Correspondence
Address: |
WILLIAM C. CAHILL
CAHILL, SUTTON & THOMAS P.L.C.
155 Park One
2141 E. Highland Avenue
Phoenix
AZ
85016
US
|
Family ID: |
27658414 |
Appl. No.: |
10/061405 |
Filed: |
February 4, 2002 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
52/296 ;
52/741.14; 52/745.18 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E04H 12/2269
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
52/736.1 ;
52/741.14; 52/745.18; 52/296 |
International
Class: |
E04H 012/22 |
Claims
What is claimed:
1. A working pole foundation for supporting a hollow working pole
having a predetermined principal inside cross-sectional dimension
comprising: (a) a foundation member for insertion into a ground
hole provided therefor, said foundation member including an opening
therein to receive a sleeve; (b) a sleeve extending into said
opening and secured to said foundation member and extending above
ground when said foundation member is mounted in said hole; and (c)
said sleeve member having a maximum cross-sectional dimension less
than said principal inside cross-sectional diameter to permit a
working pole to be positioned over said sleeve.
2. The combination set forth in claim 1 wherein said foundation
member is cylindrical and formed of concrete.
3. The combination set forth in claim 1 wherein said sleeve
comprises a cylindrical steel sleeve.
4. The combination set forth in claim 1 wherein said foundation
member is formed of cement coated on said sleeve.
5. A working pole foundation for supporting a hollow working pole
having a predetermined inside diameter comprising: (a) a
cylindrical concrete foundation member for insertion into a ground
hole provided therefor, said foundation member including an axial
opening therein to receive a sleeve; (b) a steel cylindrical sleeve
extending into said opening and secured to said foundation member
and extending above ground when said foundation member is mounted
in said hole; and (c) said sleeve having a maximum outside diameter
less than said predetermined inside diameter to permit a working
pole to be positioned over said sleeve.
6. A method for mounting a working pole comprising the steps: (a)
providing a ground hole; (b) inserting a foundation member having a
sleeve extending therefrom into said ground hole with said sleeve
extending above ground; (c) back filling around said foundation
member; (d) sliding a working pole over said sleeve to form a
vertically extending space between said pole and said sleeve; and
(e) securing said working pole to said sleeve.
7. A method for mounting a working pole comprising the steps: (a)
providing a ground hole; (b) inserting a foundation member having a
cylindrical sleeve extending therefrom into said ground hole with
said cylindrical sleeve extending above ground; (c) back filling
around said foundation member; (d) sliding a working pole over said
sleeve to produce a vertically extending space between an interior
surface of said pole and an exterior surface of said cylindrical
sleeve; and (e) securing said working pole to said sleeve by
pouring grout into said space between the pole and the sleeve.
8. A working pole system comprising: (a) a hollow working pole
having a predetermined principal cross-sectional inside dimension;
(b) a foundation member mounted in a ground hole provided therefor;
(c) said foundation member including an opening therein to receive
a sleeve; (d) a sleeve extending into said opening and secured to
said foundation member and extending above ground; (e) said sleeve
having a maximum outside dimension less than said principal inside
cross-sectional dimension, said sleeve extending into said working
pole; and (f) said working pole secured to said sleeve by grout
positioned between said principal inside cross-sectional dimension
and said outside dimension of said sleeve.
9. A luminaire pole system comprising: (a) a vertically extending
hollow working pole having a principal inside cross-sectional
dimension; (b) a foundation member mounted in a ground hole
provided therefor; (c) said foundation member including an opening
therein to receive a sleeve; (d) a sleeve extending into said
opening and secured to said foundation member and extending
vertically above ground; (e) said sleeve having a maximum outside
dimension less than said principal inside cross-sectional
dimension, said sleeve extending into said working pole to form a
vertically extending space between an inside surface of said pole
and an outside surface of said sleeve ; and (f) said working pole
secured to said sleeve by grout positioned in said vertically
extending space and contacting said inside surface of said pole and
said outside surface of said sleeve.
10. The combination set forth in claim 9 wherein said luminaire
pole and said sleeve are cylindrical.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The invention relates to a method and apparatus for
providing a foundation for and erecting working poles and the like.
More specifically, the invention is directed to a foundation method
and apparatus for providing support to a working pole, such as a
luminaire pole, flag pole, utility poles, and the like.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Working poles, such as luminaire poles for street and area
lighting, traditionally have been installed by extending the pole
several feet into a hole in the ground followed by backfilling the
hole around the pole to thereby make firm contact between the
ground and the pole. This type of luminaire pole support is
sometimes referred to as "direct burial poles". Typically, the
portion of the pole that is buried in the ground is protected from
corrosion by a coating of asphaltic paint, by wrapping with PVC
tape, or by other means. This type of supporting luminaire pole is
initially economical; however, poles that are buried in this manner
have a limited life span as a result of the inevitable corrosion
that ultimately attacks the buried portion of the pole. Another
significant drawback of the technique of supporting luminaire poles
by direct burial technique is that on new construction
developments, to facilitate installation of the poles, most
contractors would prefer not to install the poles until after the
project is near completion. However, since the ditches in which the
electrical conduits are buried to provide electricity and power for
the luminaries must be dug before concrete work, such as street
paving, etc., the poles have heretofore been required to be
installed so that electrical connections can be made thereto before
the ditches containing the electrical conduits are filled in and
are paved.
[0003] The present invention obviates these problems by permitting
the luminaire poles to be mounted after construction is completed;
that is, the trenches for underground electrical conduits are dug
in the usual fashion and at the usual time. Luminaire pole
foundations are then positioned at the desired locations along the
conduit without the erection of luminaire poles. At a later desired
time, the contractor can thereafter erect the luminaire poles and
connect the poles to the electrical conductors extending from the
electrical conduit. Further, the present invention protects the
luminaire poles from the otherwise inevitable corrosion that would
otherwise result by the contact of the ground with the buried
portion of the luminaire pole. Some prior art attempts have been
made to utilize foundation members with tapering sleeves extending
upwardly therefrom that conform to and are inserted into
corresponding tapering hollow luminaire poles; however, these
foundations must be inserted and maintained perfectly vertical so
that when the poles are placed thereon the poles themselves are
vertical. Further, no horizontal rotational adjustment can be made
concerning the angular positioning of the pole for directing
illumination or placement of luminaries once the pole is placed on
the tapered or conical sleeve.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
[0004] It is therefore an object of the present invention to
provide a working pole foundation and a method for erecting working
poles.
[0005] It is another object of the present invention to provide a
method for erecting working poles by eliminating ground-to-pole
contact.
[0006] It is another object of the present invention to provide a
novel working pole foundation to permit the working pole to be
installed after its foundation has been placed in the desired
location at a construction site.
[0007] It is still another object of the present invention to
provide a method for erecting working poles to allow the poles to
be erected in a two-step process wherein the foundation is first
located at the desired location and the pole is subsequently
erected at a later time.
[0008] These and other objects of the present invention will become
apparent to those skilled in the art as the description thereof
proceeds.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] The present invention may more readily be described by
reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0010] FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a luminaire pole system
extending from a foundation and constructed and erected in
accordance with the teachings of the present invention.
[0011] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view, partly in section, of a portion
of the luminaire pole and foundation of FIG. 1.
[0012] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 2, taken along line
3-3.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0013] Referring to FIG. 1, a side elevational view of a luminaire
pole system 10 extending from a foundation 11 and constructed and
erected in accordance with the teachings of the present invention
is shown. The luminaire pole 10 is a typical steel cylindrical
hollow pole for supporting a luminaire 12 and luminaire arm 14 at
the top thereof. The pole extends from a foundation member 11
which, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, comprises a concrete
cylindrical foundation member 11 having an axial opening in the top
thereof to receive a cylindrical steel sleeve 18. The luminaire
pole 10 includes an inspection hole 28 and a removable covering
plate 30 therefor. When the luminaire pole 10 is to be installed in
a new construction development, it is appropriate to provide the
utility ditches for receiving electrical conduits 26 (not shown in
FIG. 1) and to position the respective luminaire poles 10 by
digging a receiving hole 17 in the ground at the prospective
luminaire pole 10 location. Rather than install the entire
luminaire pole 10, the apparatus and method of the present
invention permits the contractor to install only a foundation
member 11 in the hole 17 provided for the luminaire pole 10.
[0014] Referring to FIG. 2, it may be seen that the foundation
member 11 is formed of a cylindrical concrete hollow member 15 that
may utilize reinforcing members such as rebar 16 therein to provide
structural strength to the bending forces applied thereto by the
weight and by the wind forces impinging on the luminaire pole 10.
The reinforcing bars may be positioned vertically as shown in FIG.
2 and placed 90.degree. about the interior of the concrete
foundation member 11 as most clearly shown by the cross-sectional
view of FIG. 3. The foundation member 11 includes a steel
cylindrical sleeve 18 that is attached or secured to the concrete
portion 15 of the foundation member 11 in any convenient manner
such as by tack welding to the rebar 16 or simply secured by the
adhesion of the concrete and is in contact with the concrete of the
cylindrical sleeve member 18 between the reinforcing members. In
some applications, it may be possible to form the foundation member
by coating the cylindrical sleeve with cement although it is
believed that the concrete foundation member has more universal
appeal. As used herein the term "cylindrical sleeve" is intended to
include sleeves that may have other than a cylindrical
cross-section; for example, the sleeve may be hexagonal or square
or any other convenient cross-sectional shape. The circular
cross-section of the cylinder is of course the most convenient and
represents a typical cross-section of a working pole. The
cross-section of the sleeve should generally conform to the
interior cross-section of the working pole such that when the pole
is mounted on the sleeve the opposing surfaces form a vertically
extending space to receive grout.
[0015] The cylindrical concrete foundation member 11 is inserted
into the hole 17 provided therefor and the hole is backfilled to
securely embed the foundation member 11 in the soil. It should be
noted that the concrete portion 15 of the foundation member 11
extends above grade level 20 to insure that moisture from the
ground does not contact the luminaire pole 10. An electrical
conduit 26 is provided in the hollow interior of the foundation
member 11 to receive the necessary electrical wiring for subsequent
connection to the luminaire 12 at the upper end of the luminaire
pole 10. Thus having installed the foundation members 11 at the
desired locations throughout the construction development, the
contractor may then proceed with other phases of the construction
including, if necessary, paving around the foundation members
11.
[0016] The luminaire poles 10 may then subsequently be installed by
placing the hollow luminaire pole 10 over the upwardly extending
cylindrical steel sleeve 18 until the bottom edge 29 of the
luminaire pole 10 contacts the concrete portion 15 of the
foundation member 11 forming a space bounded by the opposing
surfaces of the pole and sleeve. Grout 22 is subsequently inserted
into the space between the outside diameter of the sleeve 18 and
the inside diameter of the luminaire pole 10; in the general case
including non-circular cross-sections of sleeve and pole the grout
is inserted into the space between the principal inside
cross-sectional dimension of the pole and the principal outside
cross-sectional dimension of the sleeve. The grout 22 is inserted
through the inspection hole 28 that is provided as a standard
feature of luminaire poles 10. The grout 22 thus occupies the
circumferential space between the sleeve 18 and luminaire pole 10.
It may be noted here that while the foundation member is placed
such that the sleeve is essentially vertical, slight variations or
modifications can be corrected in the system of the present
invention by permitting slight variations in the vertical alignment
of the working pole. That is, when the luminaire pole is installed
over the sleeve, the pole may subsequently be aligned in a
perfectly vertical orientation and held in that position until the
grout is inserted into the space between the sleeve and the
luminaire pole. In this manner, slight deviations from vertical of
the foundation that may have resulted from settling of the earth
and the like can be corrected by the subsequent vertical alignment
of the working pole prior to the insertion of the grout in the
space between the sleeve and the pole. It is important to note that
the opposing surfaces resulting from the positioning of the pole
over the sleeve form a vertically extending circumferential space
to receive grout. Prior to the insertion of the grout, the pole may
be rotated to an appropriate orientation with respect to the
earth's surface to align a luminaire with a desired illuminated
area while the pole may also be slightly "tilted" with respect to
the sleeve to insure that the pole is absolutely vertical even
though the sleeve may deviate slightly from vertical. Once the
grout 22 has set, the luminaire pole 10 is maintained in its
erected position without further action by the contractor. The
grout 22 that is used in the present invention may be typical
standard non-shrink grout; it is believed that grout conforming to
ASTM 1107 would be appropriate, such grout is low viscosity when
initially mixed and is readily pourable into the space between the
sleeve 18 and the pole. When the grout 22 sets, it bonds to the
external surfaces of the sleeve 18 as well and the internal
surfaces of the pole, thus creating a strong joint structure
connecting the pole to its foundation member 11. Electrical
connections to the luminaire 12 may then be made in the
conventional manner by accessing the electrical wiring extending
through the electrical conduit 26 in the foundation member 11 and
provided within the luminaire pole 10; these connections are made
through the inspection hole 28 provided in the luminaire pole
10.
[0017] It is important to note that the rotational alignment of the
luminaire 12 and supporting luminaire arm 14 can be made at the
time that the pole was mounted on the sleeve 18; that is, the
rotational alignment will place the luminaire 12 in the appropriate
position above the street or intersection or other area that it is
intended to illuminate. It may be noted that there are no
rotational limitations on the angular positioning of the luminaire
12; that is, unlike the prior art, there is no required alignment
of luminaire base mounting holes with concrete imbedded bolts
extending upwardly from a foundation. The luminaire 12 may thus be
precisely positioned with regard to the area that it is intended to
illuminate without regard to angular positioning of bolt holes at
the base of the pole.
[0018] Another significant advantage of the system of the present
invention lies in the ability of the foundation members 11 to be
constructed off site; that is, the pouring of the concrete
foundation members 11 and the positioning of the cylindrical steel
sleeve 18 therein may be performed at a location remote from the
construction site. In this manner, the foundation members 11 can
efficiently and consistently be formed and subsequently transported
to the construction site for insertion in the ground holes 17
provided therefor.
[0019] The present invention has been described in terms of
selected specific embodiments of the apparatus and method
incorporating details to facilitate the understanding of the
principles of construction and operation of the invention. Such
reference herein to a specific embodiment and details thereof is
not intended to limit the scope of the claims appended hereto. It
will be apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications may
be made in the embodiments chosen for illustration without
departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
* * * * *