U.S. patent application number 13/219104 was filed with the patent office on 2013-02-28 for pre-fabricated interchangeable trusses.
This patent application is currently assigned to NUCOR CORPORATION. The applicant listed for this patent is Lionel Edward Dayton. Invention is credited to Lionel Edward Dayton.
Application Number | 20130047544 13/219104 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 47741630 |
Filed Date | 2013-02-28 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130047544 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Dayton; Lionel Edward |
February 28, 2013 |
PRE-FABRICATED INTERCHANGEABLE TRUSSES
Abstract
Embodiments of the invention comprise interchangeable
pre-fabricated planar trusses, sections, and structures, and
methods for efficiently creating the interchangeable pre-fabricated
planar trusses, sections and, structures. Embodiments of the method
comprise determining the application needs; designing the
interchangeable pre-fabricated planar trusses for the application
needs; continuously producing the interchangeable pre-fabricated
planar trusses through in-line processing; galvanizing the
interchangeable pre-fabricated planar trusses; transporting the
interchangeable pre-fabricated planar trusses to the assembly site
with reduce transportation costs; and assembling the trusses on
site with a reduced labor costs.
Inventors: |
Dayton; Lionel Edward;
(Norfolk, NE) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Dayton; Lionel Edward |
Norfolk |
NE |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
NUCOR CORPORATION
Charlotte
NC
|
Family ID: |
47741630 |
Appl. No.: |
13/219104 |
Filed: |
August 26, 2011 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
52/634 ; 29/897;
52/653.1; 52/655.1; 52/745.2 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F03D 13/20 20160501;
F05B 2240/9121 20130101; Y10T 29/49616 20150115; E04H 12/10
20130101; H01Q 1/1242 20130101; E04C 2003/0495 20130101; F03D 13/10
20160501; E04H 12/345 20130101; F05B 2240/91521 20130101; Y02E
10/728 20130101; Y02E 10/72 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
52/634 ;
52/745.2; 52/653.1; 52/655.1; 29/897 |
International
Class: |
E04B 1/19 20060101
E04B001/19; B21D 47/00 20060101 B21D047/00; E04B 1/38 20060101
E04B001/38; E04H 12/10 20060101 E04H012/10; E04H 12/00 20060101
E04H012/00 |
Claims
1. A method for manufacturing a structure, the method comprising:
cutting web members and chord members to the requirements of
pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses for the structure at
a cutting station; staging the chord members, web members, and
truss accessories based on the number of the pre-fabricated
interchangeable planar trusses for the structure at a staging
station; rigging the chord members, web members, and the truss
accessories to form at least one of the pre-fabricated
interchangeable planar trusses at a rigging station; welding the
chord members, web members, and truss accessories at a welding
station to assemble the at least one of the pre-fabricated
interchangeable planar trusses; and wherein at least one of the
pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses can be
galvanized.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein cutting the web members comprises
cutting the web members to the required lengths; wherein cutting
the chord members comprises cutting the chord members to the
required lengths; and further comprising creating one or more
assembly holes at each end of the chord members.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein creating one or more assembly
holes comprises using an automated punch machine to punch holes in
the chord members
4. The method of claim 1, wherein cutting comprises sawing the
members.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein cutting comprises shearing the
members.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the chord members comprise two
L-shaped chord support elements.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the web members comprise two
L-shaped web support elements.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the truss accessories comprise
chord spacers, web battens, end brackets, or intermediate
brackets.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein staging the web members, the
chord members, and truss accessories comprises assembling the chord
members, the web members, and truss accessories necessary for
manufacturing a single pre-fabricated interchangeable planar
truss.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein rigging the chord members, the
web members, and truss accessories comprises operatively coupling
the chord members to the web members through the use of a clamp or
a tack weld.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein welding the chord members and
truss accessories comprises welding two L-shaped chord support
elements to one or more chord spacers to form a chord gap in the
chord members.
12. The method of claim 1, wherein welding the web members and
truss accessories comprises welding two L-shaped web support
elements together using one or more web battens to form a weld gap
in the web members.
13. The method of claim 1, wherein welding the chord members and
web members comprises welding toe edges of L-shaped web support
elements of the web members to a surface of L-shaped chord support
elements of the chord members.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least one pre-fabricated
interchangeable planar truss can be galvanized because welding the
toe edges of L-shaped web support elements of the web members to
the surface of the L-shaped chord support elements of the chord
members allows galvanizing fluid to flow in and out of a weld joint
between the chord member and web member.
15. A pre-fabricated interchangeable planar truss comprising: a
first chord member and a second chord member, wherein the first
chord member and second chord member have one or more end assembly
holes used to operatively couple more than one pre-fabricated
interchangeable planar truss together for use in a structure; one
or more web members, wherein the one or more web members are
operatively coupled to the first chord member and the second chord
member through a welded joint; and wherein the pre-fabricated
interchangeable planar truss can be galvanized, such that the
galvanizing fluid covers the surfaces of the pre-fabricated
interchangeable planar truss, including the welded joints.
16. The pre-fabricated interchangeable planar truss of claim 15,
wherein the first chord member and second chord member each
comprise a first chord support element and a second chord support
element operatively coupled through the use of a chord spacer,
wherein the chord spacer creates a chord gap between the first
chord support element and second chord support element, wherein the
surfaces of the chord support elements can be galvanized.
17. The pre-fabricated interchangeable planar truss of claim 15,
wherein the one or more web members comprise a rod.
18. The pre-fabricated interchangeable planar truss of claim 15,
wherein the one or more web members comprise a first web support
element and a second web support element operatively coupled
through the use of a web batten, wherein the web batten creates a
web gap between the first web support element and the second web
support element, wherein the surfaces of the web support elements
can be galvanized.
19. The pre-fabricated interchangeable planar truss of claim 15,
wherein more than one pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses
may be operatively coupled through an end bracket using the one or
more end assembly holes.
20. The pre-fabricated interchangeable planar truss of claim 19,
wherein the end bracket is operatively coupled to cross-bracing
members used for operatively supporting more than one
pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses.
21. The pre-fabricated interchangeable planar truss of claim 15,
further comprising: one or more intermediate assembly holes in the
first chord member or the second chord member; an intermediate
bracket operatively coupled to the first chord member or the second
chord member, through the one or more intermediate assembly holes;
and wherein the intermediate bracket is operatively coupled to
cross-bracing members used for operatively supporting more than one
pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses.
22. The pre-fabricated interchangeable planar truss of claim 15,
wherein the web members comprise of web support elements that are
L-shaped.
23. The pre-fabricated interchangeable planar truss of claim 22,
wherein the L-shaped web support elements are welded to the surface
of the chord members along a surface of the L-shaped web support
elements.
24. The pre-fabricated interchangeable planar truss of claim 22,
wherein the L-shaped web support elements are welded to the surface
of the chord members along a portion of a first toe edge and a
second toe edge of the L-shaped web support elements, such that
heals of the L-shaped web support elements are pointed outward from
the weld.
25. The pre-fabricated interchangeable planar truss of claim 15,
wherein the chord members comprise of two L-shaped chord support
elements.
26. The pre-fabricated interchangeable planar truss of claim 15,
wherein the first chord member and the second chord member are
parallel.
27. The pre-fabricated interchangeable planar truss of claim 15,
wherein the first chord member and the second chord member comprise
of diverging ends and converging ends.
28. A method comprising: creating a plurality of first chord
members and a plurality of first web members; creating a plurality
of first pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses by
operatively coupling one or more first web members to a near first
chord member and a far first chord member; wherein the near first
chord member is operatively coupled to a first end of one or more
first web members and the far first chord member is operatively
coupled to a second end of the one or more first web members;
wherein the plurality of first pre-fabricated interchangeable
planar trusses can be shipped to the assembly site; and wherein the
plurality of the first pre-fabricated interchangeable planar
trusses can be assembled into a structure by operatively coupling
three or more first pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses
together through the use of one or more first end brackets to form
a first section with three or more corners, each corner being
formed from the operative coupling of the near first chord member
of the first pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses to the
far first chord member of other first pre-fabricated
interchangeable planar trusses to form corners with two operatively
coupled first chord members.
29. The method of claim 28, wherein the structure can be formed by
assembling the plurality of first pre-fabricated interchangeable
planar trusses into two or more interchangeable first sections by
operatively coupling three or more first pre-fabricated
interchangeable planar trusses to each other through the use of one
or more of the plurality of first end brackets to form each first
section; and wherein the two or more interchangeable first sections
are operatively coupled to each other through the use of the one or
more of the plurality of first end brackets.
30. The method of claim 28, wherein creating the plurality of first
chord members comprises creating two first chord support elements;
and operatively coupling the two first chord support elements
together to form the plurality of first chord members.
31. The method of claim 28, wherein creating the plurality of first
web members comprises creating two first web support elements; and
operatively coupling the two first web support elements together to
form the plurality of first web members.
32. The method of claim 28, further comprising: creating a
plurality of second chord members and a plurality of second web
members; creating a plurality of second pre-fabricated
interchangeable planar trusses by operatively coupling one or more
second web members to a near second chord member and a far second
chord member; wherein the near second chord member is operatively
coupled to a first end of one or more second web members and the
far second chord member is operatively coupled to a second end of
the one or more second web members; wherein the plurality of second
pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses can be shipped to the
assembly site; wherein the plurality of the second pre-fabricated
interchangeable planar trusses can be assembled into the structure
by operatively coupling three or more second pre-fabricated
interchangeable planar trusses together through the use of one or
more of second end brackets to form a second section with three or
more corners, each corner being formed from the operative coupling
of the near second chord member of the second pre-fabricated
interchangeable planar trusses to the far second chord members of
other second pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses to form
corners with two operatively coupled second chord members; and
wherein the second section is operatively coupled to the first
section to form the structure.
33. The method of claim 32, wherein the near second chord members
and the far second chord members have diverging ends and converging
ends; wherein the diverging ends can be operatively coupled to the
ground and the converging ends can be operatively coupled to the
first section.
34. The method of claim 32, wherein a first section footprint is
smaller than a second section footprint.
35. The method of claim 28, further comprising: creating a
plurality of third chord members and a plurality of third web
members; creating a plurality of third pre-fabricated
interchangeable planar trusses by operatively coupling one or more
third web members to a near third chord member and far third chord
member; wherein the near third chord member is operatively coupled
to a first end of one or more third web members and the far third
chord member is operatively coupled to a second end of the one or
more third web members; wherein the plurality of third
pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses can be shipped to the
assembly site; wherein the plurality of the third pre-fabricated
interchangeable planar trusses can be assembled into the structure
by operatively coupling three or more third pre-fabricated
interchangeable planar trusses together through the use of one or
more third end brackets to form a third section with three or more
corners, each corner being formed from the operative coupling of
the near third chord members of the third pre-fabricated
interchangeable planar trusses to the far third chord members of
other third pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses to form
corners with two operatively coupled third chord members; and
wherein the third section is operatively coupled between the first
section and a second section to form the structure.
36. The method of claim 35, wherein the third section footprint is
smaller than the second section footprint but larger than the first
section footprint.
37. An apparatus comprising: a plurality of first pre-fabricated
interchangeable planar trusses each comprising a near first chord
member, a far first chord member, and a plurality of first web
members that operatively couple the first near member to the first
far member; a plurality of truss accessories, wherein the truss
accessories comprise a plurality of first end brackets; wherein
three or more first pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses
are operatively coupled though the use of one or more of the
plurality of the first end brackets to form a first interchangeable
truss section with three or more corners; wherein each corner of
the first interchangeable truss section comprises the near first
chord member of one of the plurality of the first pre-fabricated
interchangeable planar trusses operatively coupled to the far first
chord member of another one of the plurality of the first
interchangeable planar trusses to form corners with two operatively
coupled first chord members; and wherein two of the first
interchangeable truss sections are operatively coupled through the
use of the one or more of the plurality of the first end brackets
to form a structure.
38. The apparatus of claim 37; wherein the plurality of the first
end brackets are brackets that are used to operatively couple three
or more first pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses for the
first interchangeable truss section and two or more of the
plurality of first interchangeable truss sections.
39. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein the near first member and
the far first member are substantially parallel.
40. The apparatus of claim 37; wherein the structure further
comprises a second truss section; wherein the second truss section
is operatively coupled to the ground; and wherein the second truss
section is operatively coupled to the first interchangeable truss
section through the use of one or more of a plurality of second end
brackets.
41. The apparatus of claim 40; wherein the second truss section
comprises three or more second pre-fabricated interchangeable
planar trusses operatively coupled though the use of one or more of
the plurality of the second end brackets; wherein the three or more
second pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses have a near
second chord member and a far second chord member operatively
coupled by one or more second web members; wherein a first end of
the second truss section is operatively coupled to the ground and a
second end of the second truss section is operatively coupled to
the first interchangeable truss section.
42. The apparatus of claim 41, wherein the structure further
comprises a third truss section comprising three or more third
pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses operatively coupled
though the use of one or more of a plurality of third end brackets,
wherein the three or more third pre-fabricated interchangeable
planar trusses have a near third chord member and a far third chord
member operatively coupled by one or more third web members; and
wherein the third truss section is operatively coupled between the
first interchangeable truss section and the second truss
section.
43. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein the truss accessories
comprise a chord spacer; wherein the first chord members comprise
two L-shaped chord support elements operatively coupled together
with the chord spacer to form the first chord member with a chord
gap between the two L-shaped chord support elements.
44. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein the truss accessories
comprise a web batten; wherein the first web members comprise two
L-shaped web support elements operatively coupled together with the
web batten to form the first web member with a web gap between the
two L-shaped web support elements.
45. An apparatus comprising: a plurality of pre-fabricated
interchangeable planar trusses each comprising a first chord
member, a second chord member, and a plurality of web members that
operatively couple the first chord member to the second chord
member; one or more couplings; wherein three or more pre-fabricated
interchangeable planar trusses are operatively coupled though the
use of the one or more couplings to form a first interchangeable
truss section with three or more corners; wherein three or more
pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses are operatively
coupled though the use of the one or more couplings to form a
second interchangeable truss section with three or more corners;
wherein each corner comprises the first chord member of the first
interchangeable planar truss operatively coupled to the second
chord member of the second interchangeable planar truss to form
corners with two operatively coupled chord members; and wherein the
first interchangeable truss section is operatively coupled to the
second interchangeable truss section through the use of the one or
more couplings to form a structure.
46. The apparatus of claim 45; wherein the one or more couplings
are three or more end brackets that are used to operatively couple
three or more pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses of the
first interchangeable truss section with three or more
pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses of the second
interchangeable truss section.
47. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein the first chord member and
the second chord member of the plurality of pre-fabricated
interchangeable trusses are substantially parallel.
48. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein the structure further
comprises a third interchangeable truss section that is a base
section; wherein the first interchangeable truss section and the
second interchangeable truss section form a top section of the
structure; and wherein the base section is operatively coupled to
the top section through the use of the one or more couplings.
49. The apparatus of claim 48, wherein the base section comprises
three or more pre-fabricated interchangeable planar base trusses
operatively coupled though the use of the one or more plurality of
couplings, wherein the three or more pre-fabricated interchangeable
planar base trusses comprise a first leg truss operatively coupled
to a second leg truss each comprising two or more leg chord members
operatively coupled by leg web members.
50. The apparatus of claim 48, wherein the truss structure further
comprises a fourth interchangeable section that is a mid-section;
wherein the mid-section comprises three or more pre-fabricated
interchangeable planar mid-section trusses operatively coupled
though the use of the one or more couplings; wherein the three or
more pre-fabricated interchangeable planar mid-section trusses
comprises a first mid-section chord member and a second mid-section
chord member operatively coupled by mid-section web members; and
wherein the mid-section operatively couples the base section to the
top section.
51. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein the first chord member and
the second chord member comprise two L-shaped support elements
operatively coupled together through the use of one or more chord
spacers to form a chord gap between the two L-shaped support
elements.
52. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein the plurality of web members
are operatively coupled to the first chord member and the second
chord member though the use of welded joints.
53. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein the plurality of web members
comprise two L-shaped web support elements operatively coupled to
the first chord member and the second chord member by welding toe
edges of the web support elements to a surface of the first chord
member and the second chord member.
54. The apparatus of claim 53, wherein the L-shaped web support
elements are operatively coupled together through the use of one or
more web battens to form a web gap between the two L-shaped support
elements.
55. The apparatus of claim 45, further comprising a support arm
section comprising one or more support arm planar trusses
operatively coupled to the first interchangeable truss section or
the second interchangeable truss section through the use of one or
more arm brackets.
56. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein the plurality of couplings
are substantially L-shaped brackets.
Description
FIELD
[0001] This invention relates generally to the field of trusses,
and more particularly embodiments of the invention relate to truss
structures that can be used in various support applications and
methods of manufacturing such structures.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Trusses are structural components that have one or more
triangular, square, rectangular, etc. units constructed with chord
members and web members that are secured together in various
patterns. Trusses are used as structures for a variety of
applications. For example, trusses can be utilized in structures
such as bridges, buildings, electrical towers, wind towers,
conveyer supports, cellular telephone towers, solar supports,
construction scaffolding, etc. External vertical, transverse,
moment, and torsion forces act on the trusses in the structures and
place the members in tensile and/or compressive stress. The forces
can be caused by wind, ice, heat, gravity, support loading, etc. In
most applications trusses must be specifically tailored to the
application for which the trusses are used. The different forces
applied in each type of application dictate the different types,
sizes, number, etc. of the trusses and members needed for a
particular application. The specialized truss designs increase the
design costs, production costs, transportation costs, assembly
cost, etc., which all significantly increase the overall cost of a
structure that utilizes trusses. Alternatively, specialized truss
designs may lower the material costs in some applications due to
reduced weight and reduced sizes of the members that may be used in
specialized trusses. There is a need to develop truss apparatuses,
and methods of manufacture and assembly, which can be used to build
structures in a cost effective way while maintaining the necessary
support that the structures provide.
BRIEF SUMMARY
[0003] Embodiments of the present invention address the above needs
and/or achieve other advantages by providing apparatuses and
methods that are used to create structures made of one or more
different types of pre-fabricated interchangeable planer trusses
that may be easily and quickly manufactured, transported, and
assembled, while still providing the same, similar, or better
structural performance than structures not made of pre-fabricated
interchangeable planar trusses.
[0004] Embodiments of the invention comprise a method of
manufacturing structures utilizing pre-fabricated trusses that
comprises determining the application needs; designing the
structure for the application needs, manufacturing interchangeable
planar trusses through efficient processing; manufacturing
non-interchangeable trusses, if necessary; transporting the trusses
to the assembly site; and assembling the planar trusses into truss
sections and ultimately the structure at the installation site.
[0005] Embodiments of the invention include manufacturing
interchangeable planar trusses using an efficient processing method
comprising cutting the truss components (i.e. chord members, web
members, cross-bracing) to the proper size; staging the truss
components; rigging the truss components together; welding the
truss components into assembled interchangeable planar trusses;
quality assurance of the assembled interchangeable planar trusses;
and galvanizing the assembled planar truss.
[0006] Embodiments of the invention include interchangeable planar
trusses, each comprising a first chord member and a second chord
member secured together through the use of web members welded to
the first chord member and second chord member. The chord members
and/or web members in some embodiments, comprise a first L-shaped
support element and a second L-shaped support element coupled to
each other through the use of chord spacers or web battens. The web
support elements, in some embodiments, are welded to the chord
members along the toe edges of the L-shaped web support elements at
a flat surface of the L-shaped chord support elements. The gaps
between the L-shaped support elements in the chord members and web
members, as well as the toe-to-surface weld between the chord
members and web member support elements allows the entire assembled
interchangeable planar truss to be galvanized as a whole structure
instead of individual components. Being able to manufacture
pre-assembled planar trusses reduces the costs associated with
punching holes in the members, reduces the costs associated with
sorting members and using couplings (i.e. bolt, nuts) during
assembly, reduces the costs associated with galvanizing individual
members, reduces the costs of transporting the assembled structures
to the site, etc., to name a few.
[0007] The features, functions, and advantages that have been
discussed may be achieved independently in various embodiments of
the present invention or may be combined in yet other embodiments,
further details of which can be seen with reference to the
following description and drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] Having thus described embodiments of the invention in
general terms, reference will now be made to the accompanying
drawings, wherein:
[0009] FIG. 1 provides a process flow for a pre-fabricated truss
structure development process for the design, manufacture, and
assembly of a truss structure, in accordance with one embodiment of
the present invention;
[0010] FIG. 2 provides a process flow for an in-line planar truss
manufacturing process, in accordance with one embodiment of the
present invention;
[0011] FIG. 3 provides a square monopole tower, in accordance with
one embodiment of the present invention;
[0012] FIG. 4A provides a side view of a tapered monopole tower
with a x-shaped web configuration, in accordance with one
embodiment of the present invention;
[0013] FIG. 4B provides a front view of a tapered monopole tower
with a x-shaped web configuration, in accordance with one
embodiment of the present invention;
[0014] FIG. 4C provides a side view of a tapered monopole tower
with a warren web configuration, in accordance with one embodiment
of the present invention;
[0015] FIG. 4D provides a front view of a tapered monopole tower
with a warren web configuration, in accordance with one embodiment
of the present invention;
[0016] FIG. 4E provides a front view of an arm of a tapered
monopole tower, in accordance with one embodiment of the present
invention;
[0017] FIG. 4F provides a side view of an arm of a tapered monopole
tower and associated arm brackets, in accordance with one
embodiment of the present invention;
[0018] FIG. 4G provides a side close up view of an arm of a tapered
monopole tower and associated arm brackets, in accordance with one
embodiment of the present invention;
[0019] FIG. 4H provides a side view of an arm, in accordance with
one embodiment of the present invention;
[0020] FIG. 4I provides a side view an arm bracket, in accordance
with one embodiment of the present invention;
[0021] FIG. 5A provides a side view of a multi-legged tower, in
accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;
[0022] FIG. 5B provides a front view of a multi-legged tower, in
accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;
[0023] FIG. 6A provides a side view of a multi-legged tower, in
accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;
[0024] FIG. 6B provides a side view of a multi-legged tower base,
in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;
[0025] FIG. 6C provides a side view of one leg planar truss of a
multi-legged tower base, in accordance with one embodiment of the
present invention;
[0026] FIG. 6D provides a side view of two assembled leg planar
trusses of a multi-legged tower, in accordance with one embodiment
of the present invention;
[0027] FIG. 6E provides a close up side view of a multi-legged
tower base illustrating the transition between the tower base and a
tapered section, in accordance with one embodiment of the present
invention;
[0028] FIG. 6F provides a top view of the cross-bracing of
multi-legged tower base, in accordance with one embodiment of the
present invention;
[0029] FIG. 7A provides an interchangeable planar truss with a
x-shaped web configuration, in accordance with one embodiment of
the present invention;
[0030] FIG. 7B provides a truss section with a x-shaped web
configuration, in accordance with one embodiment of the present
invention;
[0031] FIG. 7C provides an interchangeable planar truss with a
warren web configuration, in accordance with one embodiment of the
present invention;
[0032] FIG. 7D provides a truss section with a warren web
configuration, in accordance with one embodiment of the present
invention;
[0033] FIG. 8A provides a top view cross-section of a parallel
truss section without cross-bracing, in accordance with one
embodiment of the present invention;
[0034] FIG. 8B provides a top view cross-section of a parallel
truss section with cross-bracing, in accordance with one embodiment
of the present invention;
[0035] FIG. 9A provides a top view of an interchangeable planar
truss with the L-shaped web support elements secured along a
surface, in accordance with one embodiment of the present
invention;
[0036] FIG. 9B provides a cross-section of the interchangeable
planar truss in FIG. 9A with the L-shaped web support elements
secured along a surface, in accordance with one embodiment of the
present invention;
[0037] FIG. 9C provides a side view of the interchangeable planar
truss in FIG. 9A illustrating an L-shaped chord spacer, in
accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;
[0038] FIG. 9D provides a cross-section of the interchangeable
planar truss in FIG. 9A with the L-shaped web support elements
coupled to a web batten, in accordance with one embodiment of the
present invention;
[0039] FIG. 10A provides a top view of an interchangeable planar
truss with the L-shaped web support elements secured along the toe
edges, in accordance with one embodiment of the present
invention;
[0040] FIG. 10B provides a cross-section of the interchangeable
planar truss in FIG. 9A with the L-shaped web support elements
secured along the toe edges, in accordance with one embodiment of
the present invention;
[0041] FIG. 10C provides a provides a cross-section of the
interchangeable planar truss in FIG. 10A with the L-shaped web
support elements coupled to a web batten, in accordance with one
embodiment of the present invention;
[0042] FIG. 11A provides a bottom perspective view of an assembled
truss section with a x-shaped web configuration and cross-bracing,
in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;
[0043] FIG. 11B provides a bottom perspective view of an assembled
truss section with a warren web configuration and cross-bracing, in
accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;
[0044] FIG. 12A provides an end bracket, in accordance with one
embodiment of the present invention;
[0045] FIG. 12B provides a kinked end bracket, in accordance with
one embodiment of the present invention;
[0046] FIG. 13A provides a cross-bracing bracket, in accordance
with one embodiment of the present invention;
[0047] FIG. 13B provides a cross-bracing bracket, in accordance
with one embodiment of the present invention;
[0048] FIG. 14A provides a side view of the connection between a
straight truss section and a tapered truss section, in accordance
with one embodiment of the present invention;
[0049] FIG. 14B provides a side view and two cross-section views of
a corner connection between two parallel truss sections with
different sized members, in accordance with one embodiment of the
present invention;
[0050] FIG. 15A provides a perspective view of a triangular truss
section, in accordance with one embodiment of the present
invention;
[0051] FIG. 15B provides a close up perspective view of a
triangular truss section, in accordance with one embodiment of the
present invention;
[0052] FIG. 16 provides a close up perspective view of a triangular
truss section, in accordance with one embodiment of the present
invention;
[0053] FIG. 17A provides a top view of a triangular truss section,
in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;
[0054] FIG. 17B provides a top view of an arm of a triangular
monopole tower, in accordance with one embodiment of the present
invention;
[0055] FIG. 18 provides a bottom end perspective view of a
triangular truss section with eyelets, in accordance with one
embodiment of the present invention;
[0056] FIG. 19A provides a side view of an installation of a
structure, in accordance with one embodiment of the present
invention;
[0057] FIG. 19B provides a side view of an installation of a
structure, in accordance with one embodiment of the present
invention;
[0058] FIG. 20A provides a side view of an installation of a wind
tower using a mounted drive, in accordance with one embodiment of
the present invention;
[0059] FIG. 20B provides a top view of an installation of a wind
tower using mounted drive, in accordance with one embodiment of the
present invention;
[0060] FIG. 21 provides a side view of an installation of a
structure using a truck mounted drive, in accordance with one
embodiment of the present invention;
[0061] FIG. 22 provides a top view of a plurality of planar trusses
stacked for transport, in accordance with one embodiment of the
invention;
[0062] FIG. 23A provides top view of base attachment assembly, in
accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
[0063] FIG. 23B provides a side view of a base attachment assembly,
in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
[0064] FIG. 24A provides a perspective view of a tower truss
section being assembled utilizing an assembly member, in accordance
with one embodiment of the present invention;
[0065] FIG. 24B provides a top view of a tower truss section being
assembled utilizing an assembly member, in accordance with one
embodiment of the present invention;
[0066] FIG. 25A provides a side view of the dimensional
requirements of a tower needed to design, manufacture, ship, and
assemble the tower, in accordance with one embodiment of the
present invention; and
[0067] FIG. 25B provides a side view of the dimensional
requirements of a tower needed to design, manufacture, ship, and
assemble the tower, in accordance with one embodiment of the
present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
[0068] Embodiments of the present invention will now be described
more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings,
in which some, but not all, embodiments of the invention are shown.
Indeed, the invention may be embodied in many different forms and
should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth
herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this
disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. Like numbers
refer to like elements throughout.
[0069] Large steel structures used in various applications are
typically manufactured off site as individual members, and are
either delivered to the assembly site in bundles of like members
for assembly at a later date, or pre-assembled offsite in
three-dimensional sections which are shipped to a destination, and
thereafter, the sections are assembled into the final structure.
With respect to the bundled configurations, assembly of the final
structure is a labor intensive process that is very expensive due
to the wages of the individuals who erect the final structure.
However, the transportation costs of the bundled configurations are
minimized due to the ability to package two or more of the members
together in compact bundles. With respect to the pre-assembled
three-dimensional truss sections, transportation costs may be
greatly increased because the majority of the area of the load
transported is empty space. However, in these configurations the
assembly costs may be reduced at the installation site because the
individuals assembling the structure need only couple the
pre-assembled three-dimensional truss sections together at the
site, instead of assembling each of the individual members, as
required in the bundled configurations.
[0070] Embodiments of the invention are described herein with
respect to various types of electrical transmission tower
structures, however, it is to be understood that the design of the
trusses and parts thereof, methods of manufacturing the trusses and
parts thereof, and methods of assembling the trusses and parts
thereof may be used for any type of structure in any
application.
[0071] Transmission towers used to support high voltage electrical
transmission lines are typically manufactured by designing
specialized towers for each individual application. In each
application there may be hundreds or thousands of towers used to
support the transmission lines. Therefore, there may be hundreds of
different configurations used in a particular application. One
standard manufacturing process used to produce the towers necessary
for the application would be to manufacture the individual parts of
each of the towers, and thereafter, galvanize the parts
individually at one or more manufacturing sites. The individual
parts of the tower that are alike are bundled together and shipped
to the installation site for assembly by workers who often receive
high wages because of the dangerous and complex nature of
assembling the structures. The individual parts are assembled on
site in stages using couplings, for which the timing is critical,
in that one stage of the tower must be completed before additional
stages of the tower can be secured on top. If mistakes in
fabrication of the towers are made, the mistakes either have to be
corrected in the field or new parts need to be ordered from the
manufacturer. Field fixes or waiting for replacement parts can be
very expensive due to the costs associated with the additional
field work (i.e. field labor and machines) or additional
manufacturing labor costs.
[0072] Another standard manufacturing process used to produce the
towers is that the individual parts are created, galvanized, and
assembled into pre-assembled three-dimensional truss sections at
the manufacturing site or off-site using couplings, and thereafter
transported to the installation site for final assembly. In these
configurations the large pre-assembled three-dimensional sections
greatly increase the cost of transportation from the manufacturing
and assembly site to the final installation site. Furthermore, the
pre-assembled three-dimensional truss sections are specifically
manufactured for final installation, therefore, if mistakes in
fabrication or assembly of the towers are made, the mistakes either
have to be corrected in the field during final assembly of the
sections or new sections need to be ordered from the manufacturer.
Again, field fixes or waiting for replacement sections can be very
expensive due to the labor costs associated with the additional
field rework or additional manufacturing.
[0073] Embodiments of the present invention utilize interchangeable
planar trusses that are designed and manufactured in a way such
that they overcome the drawbacks of assembling the parts of
structures on site with expensive labor costs, and assembling the
three-dimensional truss sections off-site and transporting them to
the installation site for final assembly with expensive
transportation costs. For example, the methods described herein may
be utilized to design and manufacture interchangeable
pre-fabricated planar trusses that can be utilized in structures,
such as, but not limited to, bridges, buildings, electrical towers,
wind towers, conveyer supports, cellular telephone towers, solar
panel supports, construction scaffolding, etc.
[0074] The pre-fabricated planar trusses, as explained in further
detail later, are much easier to manufacture and galvanized because
they utilize multiple common members that are smaller, more
repeatable, and easier to galvanize than the thicker uncommon
members typically used in specially designed structures. If the
chords and webs are of a similar thickness the hot dipped
galvanizing process is accomplished more efficiently. Other
benefits of welding and then galvanizing the pre-fabricated planar
trusses include preventing damaging the galvanized surfaces during
welding, which may remove the galvanized coating, and preventing
dangerous zinc fumes that result from welding galvanized steel.
Furthermore, galvanized bolts and nuts may coat the threads of the
couplings, which reduces the strength of the couplings, thus,
reducing the number of galvanized coupling increases the strength
of the resulting planar trusses and structures.
[0075] The pre-fabricated planar trusses are designed in a way to
create interchangeable planar trusses and in some embodiments
interchangeable assembled truss sections (which are made up of
three or more pre-fabricated planar trusses). The multiple common
pre-fabricated planar trusses can be easily specified for various
applications based on the needs of the applications without having
to specifically design the individual members for each application.
Various common pre-fabricated planar trusses may be interchanged to
develop the structure that meets the requirements of the
application. Furthermore, once specified for a particular
application, the pre-fabricated planar trusses may be cost
effectively manufactured with fewer parts and process steps,
transported with maximized tons per mile shipping, and/or cost
effectively interchangeably assembled at the installation site with
minimal labor costs, as compared to other truss structures designed
and manufactured using traditional processes.
[0076] In some embodiments of the invention the total amount of
steel utilized in creating pre-fabricated interchangeable planar
trusses and truss sections in the present invention may be greater
than the amount of steel typically utilized in the bundled
configurations or pre-assembled three-dimensional truss section
configurations, as explained in further detail later, but the
additional costs are recouped through reduced manufacturing costs,
transportation costs, assembly costs, and other costs. In some
embodiments of the invention the additional steel utilized in the
pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses may provide for
improved structural performance, thus, resulting in a structure
with a smaller footprint, which may actually result in reduced or
negligible differences in material costs when compared with
structures manufactured and assembled in the traditional
manner.
[0077] FIG. 1 illustrates a process flow for a truss structure
development process 100 that results in the production of a
structure using interchangeable planar trusses and truss sections,
which can be cost effectively manufactured, transported, and
assembled on site with combined manufacturing, transportation, and
assembly costs that are lower then the combined costs of
traditional structures. As described in further detail throughout
this application the truss structure development process 100
comprises determining the needs of an application that utilizes a
structure; designing the truss sections and the interchangeable
planar trusses for the structure base on the application needs;
in-line manufacturing and assembly of the pre-fabricated
interchangeable planar trusses; manufacturing of the
non-interchangeable truss sections, if necessary; transporting the
pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses and the
non-interchangeable truss sections to, or near, the installation
site; assembling (i.e. erecting) the pre-fabricated interchangeable
planar trusses and the non-interchangeable trusses into the
three-dimensional assembled truss sections; and assembling the
interchangeable assembled truss sections with each other, as well
as the non-interchangeable truss sections, to form the final
structure.
[0078] As illustrated by block 102 in FIG. 1, a structure needed
for a given application is determined. As illustrated in the
figures and described herein, the structure may be, for example, an
electrical transmission tower. Much of the description and figures
disclosed throughout this specification relate to electrical
transmission towers, but can be similarly applied to any
application in which a structure comprised of truss members is
suitable. For instance, the structure could be a solar power array,
cell phone tower, wind tower, bridge, etc. Moreover, the
description provided herein is directed to planar trusses, which
covers any types of trusses, such as but not limited to pratt
trusses, warren trusses, bowstring trusses, king post trusses,
lenticular trusses, lattice trusses, vierendeel trusses, etc. The
term planer truss relates to any type of two-dimensional truss that
lies in a single plane allowing for improved space saving during
transportation of the planar trusses, as well as interchangeability
of like planer trusses for ease of assembly at the installation
site.
[0079] As illustrated by block 104, a structure is designed for the
needs of the application. For example, in some embodiments an
electrical transmission tower may be a parallel monopole
transmission tower 300 as illustrated in FIG. 3, a tapered monopole
transmission tower 400 as illustrated in FIGS. 4A through 4I, a
multi-leg transmission tower 500 with different types of sections
(i.e. tapered section, parallel section, base section, etc.) as
illustrated in FIGS. 5A and 5B, and 6A through 6F, or any other
type of transmission tower. These types of towers have not been
produced using the interchangeable planar trusses and truss
sections described herein and/or using the manufacturing methods
described herein.
[0080] In one embodiment of the present invention, a parallel
monopole transmission tower 300, as illustrated in FIG. 3, may be
designed, manufactured, and assembled for use as a support
structure. The monopole transmission tower 300 utilizes one or more
parallel monopole truss sections 302, which are each comprised of
interchangeable planar trusses 210, as explained in further detail
later. The parallel monopole truss section 302 may be square,
rectangular, triangular, pentagonal, hexagonal, or any other type
of shape that can be used as structural support. The parallel
monopole transmission tower 300 may have one or more support arms
360 that are used for supporting the weight of the transmission
tower arms, which is described in further detail later.
[0081] As illustrated in FIGS. 4A through 4I, a tapered
transmission tower 400 may also be designed, manufactured, and
assembled, in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.
The tapered transmission tower 400 may be made up of various truss
sections 250, such as tapered truss sections 450, for example a
first tapered section 402, second tapered section 404, third
tapered section 406, fourth tapered section 408, fifth tapered
section 410, sixth tapered section 412, etc. Each tapered section
may have a wider footprint at the base end 420 then at the top end
422. The top end 422 of a first tapered section 402 is operatively
coupled to the base end 420 of the second tapered section 404,
etc., though the use of an end bracket 240 as explained in further
detail later. The towers illustrated in FIGS. 4A and 4B may be the
same as or similar to the interchangeable planar trusses 210 and
truss sections 250 illustrated in FIGS. 7A and 7B. The planar
tapered sections 402, 404, 406, 408, 410, like the truss section
250 in FIGS. 7A and 7B, may have x-shaped configuration web members
216 that cross and are operatively coupled to each other at the web
center 722 of the web members 216, and to the chord members 212,
214 of the planar trusses 210 at the ends of the web members 216.
In other embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in FIGS. 4C
and 4D, the tapered towers may have warren configuration web
members 216 like the truss sections 250 in FIGS. 7C and 7D. The
warren configuration web members 216 do not cross at the center,
and are operatively coupled to each other at their ends and/or to
the planar trusses 210 at the chord members 212, 214. The two types
of web configurations described above, or any other type of web
member 216 configurations, may be used in any transmission tower
embodiments and/or any other structural applications.
[0082] FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate a multi-leg transmission tower
500, which can be made in accordance with another embodiment of the
invention. The multi-leg transmission tower 500 may comprise a
first section 502 (i.e., base section), second section 504 (i.e.,
mid-section), and third section 506 (i.e., top section). The base
section, mid-section, and top section may each comprise of one or
more sections operatively coupled together that are parallel,
tapered, or any other type of shape used in a transmission tower.
Therefore, the base section, mid-section, and top section may
comprise of the same types of tower sections (i.e. all parallel
sections 302 as described with respect to the parallel monopole
tower 300) or one or more different types of sections. For example,
as illustrated in FIGS. 5A and 5B the multi-leg transmission tower
500 has a base section comprising leg truss sections 510, a
mid-section comprising a first tapered section 512 tapered at a
first angle, and a top section comprising a second tapered section
514, a third tapered section 516, a fourth tapered section 518, and
a fifth tapered section 520 which are all tapered at a second
angle. As described with respect to the tapered transmission tower
400, the web members 216 of the multi-leg transmission tower 500
may be in a x-shaped web configuration, a warren shaped web
configuration (i.e., z-shaped web configuration), or any other web
configuration.
[0083] FIG. 6A illustrates another multi-leg transmission tower
600, which may be made in accordance with another embodiment of the
invention. The multi-leg transmission tower 600 may comprise a
first section (i.e., base section 602), a second section (i.e.,
mid-section 604), and a third section (i.e., top section 606). The
base section 602, mid-section 604, and top section 606 may each
comprise of multiple sections operatively coupled together that are
parallel, tapered, or any other type of shape used in a
transmission tower. Therefore, the base section 602, mid-section
604, and top section 606 may comprise of the same types of truss
sections 250 or one or more different types of truss sections 250.
For example, as illustrated in FIG. 6A the multi-leg transmission
tower 600 has a base section 602 comprising leg truss sections 610,
a mid-section 604 comprising a tapered section 612, and a top
section 606 comprising a parallel section 614. As described with
respect to the tapered transmission tower 400 and the multi-leg
transmission tower 500 the web members 216 may be in a x-shaped web
configuration, a warren shaped web configuration (i.e., z-shaped
web configuration), or any other web configuration.
[0084] FIGS. 7A through 7D illustrate one embodiment of
interchangeable planar trusses 210 that are tapered for use in
tapered truss sections 700. As illustrated by FIG. 7B the truss
section 250 may be a tapered truss section 402, 404, 406, 700,
etc., however, in other embodiments the truss section 250 may be a
parallel truss section 302, a base section 602, a mid-section 604,
a top section 606, etc. FIG. 7A illustrates an interchangeable
planar truss 210 that is an interchangeable tapered planar truss
710, however, in other embodiments it may be a parallel
interchangeable planar truss 310. The interchangeable planar truss
210 comprises of chord members 212, 214 and web members 216. The
interchangeable planar truss 210 has a first chord member 212 and a
second chord member 214, which in some embodiments as explained in
further detail later each may comprise of two L-shaped structural
support elements 802, 804. The first chord member 212 and the
second chord member 214 may be any type of member that is typically
utilized in truss applications. The first chord member 212 is
substantially parallel to the second chord member 214 in the
embodiments where the interchangeable planar truss 210 is a
parallel truss section 302. The first chord member 212 and the
second chord member 214 have converging ends and diverging ends in
the embodiments where the interchangeable planar truss 210 is a
tapered truss section 710, as illustrated in FIGS. 7A through
7D.
[0085] The first chord member 212 and the second chord member 214
are operatively coupled to each other through the use of web
members 216. The web members 216 may be of various lengths and may
operatively couple the first chord member 212 and the second chord
member 214 in a number of different ways. For example, the web
members 216 may comprise x-shaped configured web members 720, as
illustrated in FIG. 7A. The x-shaped configured web members 720 are
operatively coupled to each other at the web member center 722 and
to the first chord member 212 and second chord member 214 at the
web member ends 724, 726. In other embodiments of the invention the
web members 216 may comprise warren shaped configured web members
740, as illustrated in FIGS. 7C and 7D. The warren shaped
configured web members 740 are operatively coupled to the first
chord member 212 and second chord member 214 at the web member ends
744, 746. In other embodiments of the invention the web members 216
may comprise of cross-bracing members 730 (i.e., substantially
horizontal cross members) that are operatively coupled at the ends
to the first chord member 212 and second chord member 214. In some
embodiments the web member ends 724, 726, 744, 746 may also be
operatively coupled to the cross-bracing members 730.
[0086] As illustrated in FIGS. 7B and 7D interchangeable planar
trusses 210 may be operatively coupled to each other to form truss
sections 250, such as the four sided tapered truss sections 750
illustrated in FIGS. 7B and 7D. A first tapered interchangeable
planar truss 710 may be operatively coupled to a second tapered
interchangeable planar truss 710 by operatively coupling a first
chord member 212 on the first tapered planar truss 710 to a second
chord member 214 on a second tapered planar truss 710.
[0087] FIG. 8A illustrates a cross-sectional top view of a parallel
truss section 302 of a parallel transmission tower 300, a parallel
truss section 614 incorporated in a multi-leg transmission tower
600, or any other type of parallel structure. The cross-sectional
top view of similar transmission towers, or other structures,
manufactured as described herein, may look the same as or similar
to the truss section illustrated in FIG. 8A, depending on the
number of sides and whether or not the section is tapered. In some
embodiments of the invention, the chord members 212 and 214
comprise of one or more structural support elements 802, 804. The
structural support elements 802, 804 in the chord members 212, 214
could be square shaped, L-shaped, V-shaped, cylindrical, tubular,
oval, or any other shape appropriate to provide structural support.
As illustrated in FIG. 8A the structural support elements 802, 804
of the chord members 212, 214 are L-shaped. In the illustrated
embodiment each chord member 212, 214 has two L-shaped support
elements 802, 804 that are operatively coupled to each other (i.e.
welded, bolted, riveted, etc.). As illustrated in FIGS. 9A, 9B, 9C,
10A, and 10B the L-shaped support elements 802, 804 may be
operatively coupled to each other through the use of chord spacers
910. In some embodiments the chord spacers 910 may be circular rods
that are bent into an L-shape, as illustrated in FIG. 9C, or any
other type of shape. In some embodiments, the chord spacers 910 are
welded into place between the two L-shaped support elements 802,
804 to create a chord gap 810 between the two L-shaped support
elements 802, 804. In other embodiments of the invention the chord
spacers 910 may be any other type of shape, such as but not limited
to bar or flat stock rectangles, squares, etc.
[0088] As illustrated in FIGS. 8A, 8B, 9A, 9B, 9D, 10A, 10B, and
10C and described in further detail below, the web members 216 may
also comprise of one or more web support elements 806, 808. The web
support elements 806, 808 may be any shape used in trusses, but as
described herein the web support elements 806, 808 are L-shaped.
Alternatively, in some embodiments the web support elements 806,
808 may be tubular or cylindrically shaped, as described in further
detail later with respect to FIGS. 15A through 17A. As illustrated
in FIGS. 9A, 9D, 10A, and 10C, the two L-shaped web support
elements 806, 808 may be operatively coupled to each other through
the use of web battens 1010. The web battens 1010 may be any shape
such as bar or flat stock squares, rectangles, cylinders, etc. The
web battens 1010 are welded into place between the two L-shaped web
support elements 806, 808 to create a web gap 820 between the two
L-shaped support elements 806, 808. In the embodiment illustrated
in FIG. 9D the web battens 1010 are L-shaped and welded to the web
support element surfaces 812. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG.
10C the web battens 1010 are rectangular shaped and welded to the
web support heals 814. In some embodiments, the web battens 1010,
like the chord spacers 910, may be circular rods bent into an
L-shape.
[0089] The interchangeable planar trusses 210 can be operatively
coupled together to form the truss sections 250. For example, as
illustrated in FIG. 8A each parallel truss section 302 has a first
chord member 212 and a second chord member 214. The first chord
member 212 of a first interchangeable planar truss 850 may be
operatively coupled to the second chord member 214 of a second
interchangeable planar truss 852 through the use of an end bracket
240. Thus, each corner 860 of the truss sections 250 comprise a
first chord member 212 of a first interchangeable planar truss 850,
a second chord member 214 of a second interchangeable planar truss
852, and an end bracket 240. In other embodiments of the invention,
other connection means could be utilized to operatively couple the
first chord member 212 of the first interchangeable planar truss
850 to the second chord member 214 of the second interchangeable
planar truss 852.
[0090] In some embodiments of the invention, as illustrated by
FIGS. 11A through 12B the end bracket 240 may be a generally
L-shaped standard rolled shape, bent plate, built-up plate, etc.
bracket with four or more bolt holes that line up with
corresponding holes in the chord members 212, 214 of the individual
interchangeable planar trusses 210. In the illustrated embodiments
there are twenty-four (24) total bolt holes, or six (6) bolt holes
for each chord member 212, 214 at the connection ends. The end
bracket 240 not only allows a first interchangeable planar truss
850 to be operatively coupled to a second interchangeable planar
truss 852 in a truss section 250, but it may also allow a truss
section 250 to be operatively coupled to another truss section 250
(i.e. first parallel trust section 302 with a second parallel trust
section 302). Thus, in some embodiments, a single end bracket 240
is used for the connection between the ends of the first chord
member 212 and the second chord member 214 of a truss section 302,
as well as the connection between the end of a first truss section
250 and the end of a second truss section 250 (e.g. the four
corners 860 in a four sided truss section 250 will only need four
(4) end brackets 240 to make the connections). This configuration
reduces the number of brackets necessary to assemble the electrical
transmission towers 300, 400, 500, 600 and thus, reduces the amount
of labor necessary to assemble the electrical transmission towers
300, 400, 500, 600.
[0091] Not only are the parallel truss sections 302 and the tapered
truss sections 402, 404, 612, 750, etc. made from interchangeable
planer trusses 210, but the base truss sections 602 may also be
assembled from interchangeable planar trusses 210, such as base
planar trusses 610. As illustrated in FIGS. 5A, 5B, 6A, and 6B, the
multi-leg tower 600 may include one or more base truss sections
502, 602. In some embodiments, the base truss sections 602 provide
a larger support footprint area for the transmission towers 400,
500, 600. Like the parallel truss section 302 and the tapered truss
sections 402, 612, 750 described above, the base section 602 in
FIG. 6B comprises four base interchangeable planar trusses 610
operatively coupled to each other. However, unlike the parallel
truss sections 302 and the tapered truss sections 204, 612, 750,
the base interchangeable planar trusses 610 comprise of one or more
leg planar trusses 620. In the embodiments illustrated in FIG. 6B
through 6E, the interchangeable planar trusses 610 comprise of two
leg planar trusses 620 that are operatively coupled to each
other.
[0092] As illustrated in FIG. 6C the leg planar base 620 comprises
a first leg chord member 622 and a second leg chord member 624,
which are operatively coupled together through the use of leg web
members 626 as previously described with respect to the chord
members 212, 214 and web members 216 of the interchangeable truss
members 210. As illustrated, the first leg chord member 622 and the
second leg chord member 624 may be converging at a first end 632
and diverging at a second end 634. In some embodiments of the
invention the leg planar base 620 may also include an additional
third base chord member 642 and a fourth base chord member 644 to
provide additional support at the base section 602. The first leg
planar base 620 may be operatively coupled to the second leg planar
base 620 directly through the use of bolts at the junction between
the fourth base chord member 644 of the first leg planar base 620
and the fourth base chord member 644 of the second leg planar base
620, as illustrated in FIGS. 6D and 6E. In other embodiments of the
invention a bracket or other coupling means may be utilized to
operatively couple the second leg planar base 620 to the first leg
planar base 620.
[0093] The first leg chord member 622 and the second leg chord
member 624 are operatively coupled through leg web members 626.
When the leg chord members 622, 624 are non-parallel the leg web
members 626 may be different lengths. As previously described with
respect to the chord members 212, 214 and web members 216 of the
other truss sections 302, 402, 612, 750, the leg chord members 622,
624 and leg web chord members 626 may comprise of one or more
support elements 802, 804, 806, 808 that are rectangular shaped,
square shaped, L-shaped, V-shaped, tubular, oval, coupled
combinations of these shapes, or any other shape appropriate for a
structural support member. Furthermore, as previously discussed
with respect to the web members 216, the leg web members 626 may be
placed in x-shaped configurations, warren shaped configurations,
and/or other shaped configurations. As illustrated in FIG. 6C in
the illustrated embodiment the web members 626 are coupled to the
chord members 622, 624, 642, 644 in both an x-shaped configuration
and a warren shaped configuration. It is to be understood that
different types of leg web members 626 configurations may be
utilized in different embodiments of the base planar trusses
610.
[0094] The interchangeable base planar trusses 610 may be
specifically designed for any type of application. For example, one
of the leg planar trusses 620 may be supported on higher ground and
may have to have shorter dimensions then another leg planar truss
620 that is supported by lower ground. In these cases the some of
the leg planar trusses 620 may not be interchangeable with each
other, however, each leg planar truss 620 having a given length at
each corner of the base truss section 602 is interchangeable. In
other embodiments of the invention, the base planar trusses 610 may
be supported on equal ground, and thus, are all interchangeable
with each other.
[0095] As illustrated in FIG. 6B a first base planar truss 610 may
be operatively coupled to a second base planar truss 610, etc. in
order to form the base section 602. The connection between the
first base planar truss 610 and the second base planar truss 610
may be made through the use of intermediate base brackets 670 and
end base brackets 660. In other embodiments of the invention the
connection between the first base planar truss 610 and the second
base planar truss 610 may be made through any means known in the
art.
[0096] FIG. 6F provides a top view of the bass section 602
illustrating the cross-bracing 690 between the base planar trusses
610. The leg planar truss 620 of a first base planar truss 610 may
also be operatively coupled to the leg planar truss 620 of a second
base planar truss 610 using cross-bracing 690. For example,
cross-bracing 690 may couple the second leg chord member 624 and/or
the fourth leg chord member 644 of a first leg planar truss 620 in
a first base planar truss 610 with the second leg chord member 624
and/or the fourth leg chord member 644 of a second leg planar truss
620 in a second base planar truss 610 in order to provide
additional structural support to the legs of the base section 602,
which supports the rest of the transmission tower 600. The
cross-bracing 690 as explained in further detail later may be made
up of one or more support elements 692, which in one embodiment are
L-shaped, or another shape in other embodiments of the
invention.
[0097] FIG. 6E illustrates the connection between the base section
602 and a mid-section 604, which as illustrated is the same or
similar to the connection between a first tapered section and
second tapered section discussed in further detail below with
respect to FIG. 14A. The base section 602 and the mid-section 604
may be operatively coupled to each other through the use of an
L-shaped standard rolled shape, bent plate, built-up plate, etc
kinked bracket 280, such as a base end bracket 660, as illustrated
in FIGS. 6E and 12B. The kinked bracket 280, as illustrated in
FIGS. 12B and 14A, may have bend angles (i.e. .THETA..sub.1,
.THETA..sub.2) through the center (or other location) of the
L-shaped kinked bracket 280 to operatively couple the two tapered
truss sections together. In other embodiments other types of
brackets may be used to operatively couple the members of the base
planar trusses 610 to each other to form a base section 602, as
well as to operatively couple the base section 602 with another
section in the multi-leg tower 600. In some embodiments, there may
be more than one base section 602, and thus, one base section 602
may be coupled to another base section 602 through the kinked end
bracket 280 or another end bracket 240.
[0098] In some embodiments of the transmission tower 300, 400, 500,
all of the truss sections 250 may have a uniform height, such as
twenty-five (25) feet. A uniform height allows the interchangeable
planar trusses 210 to be prefabricated and utilized with respect to
any number of different structures in the same or different
application, and decreases the production, transportation, and
assembly costs associated with the planar trusses 210 and truss
sections 250. The height for the truss sections 250 can be designed
to any selected height (e.g., 25 to 50 feet, or more or less).
Furthermore, in some embodiment truss sections 250 with different
heights may be used in the same application, depending on the
overall height requirements of the application.
[0099] In order to prevent torsion failure of the transmission
tower 300, 400, 500, 600 the truss sections of the transmission
tower may require cross-bracing members 870. FIG. 8B illustrates
the same view as FIG. 8A, but it includes cross-bracing members
870. The cross-bracing may be a single cross-bracing member 870 or
multiple cross-bracing members 870 that cross each other, as
illustrated in FIGS. 8B, 11A, and 11B. The cross-bracing members
870 may be comprised of single L-shaped cross-bracing support
elements 872. The cross-bracing members 870 can be coupled to each
other at the surfaces of the L-shaped cross-bracing support
elements 872, as illustrated in FIGS. 11A and 11B. In other
embodiments of the invention the cross-bracing members 870 may
comprise of two or more cross-bracing support elements 872 that are
the same as or similar to the support elements 802, 804, 806, 808
in the chord members 212, 214 or the web members 216. The
cross-bracing members 870 can be operatively coupled to an end
bracket 240 that has a support tab 242, as illustrated by FIG. 12A.
The cross-bracing support elements 872 can be fastened to the
support tabs 242, chord members 212, 214 and/or each other through
fasteners, welding, rivets, spacers, battens, etc.
[0100] In some embodiments of the invention cross-bracing members
870 may be added not only at the end connections between truss
sections 250, but also anywhere along middle of the truss sections
250. For example, as illustrated in FIGS. 11A and 11B an
intermediate bracket 260 may be utilized to support cross-bracing
members 870. Holes can be punched along the chord members 212, 214
to allow the intermediate bracket 260 to be secured to the truss
section 250. In other embodiments of the invention, the
intermediate bracket 260 may be coupled to the chord members 212,
214 using other means (welded, rivets, etc.). The support tab 262
on the intermediate bracket 260 allows the cross-bracing members
870 to be secured somewhere along the middle of any of the truss
sections 250. FIGS. 13A and 13B illustrate a four fastener and a
two fastener configuration for the intermediate bracket 260. Again,
the cross-bracing members 870 can be fastened to the support tabs
262 through fasteners, welding, rivets, etc. In other embodiments
of the invention, the cross-bracing members 870 may also be located
at and coupled to the web centers 722 of the web members 216
instead of, or in addition to, being located at an intersection
between the truss sections 250 or along the chord members 212, 214
using the intermediate bracket 260. The cross-bracing members 870
could be secured to the web battens, a bracket with a tab, or
directly to the web members 216 at or near the web centers 722.
[0101] The coupling between the chord members 212, 214 and the web
members 216 may be done in a number of different ways. For example,
as illustrated in FIG. 9B, in one embodiment of the invention the
web members 216 may be welded along the edges of the back surface
of the L-shaped web member 216 to the surface of the L-shaped chord
members 212, 214. This configuration, illustrated in FIG. 9B,
provides a strong weld joint and strong web member 216 orientation
for the L-shaped support elements 806, 808; however, as explained
in further detail later this type of weld configuration prevents
the weld and surfaces of the members from being completely
galvanized, which is important for outdoor applications. FIG. 10B
illustrates another embodiment of welding the web members 216 to
chord members 212, 214. In the illustrated configuration, the
L-shaped web support elements 806, 808 are welded along the toe
edges 816 to the chord surfaces 818 of the chord members 212, 214,
such that the heals 814 of the L-shaped web support elements 806,
808 are pointed outward from the weld. This configuration allows
the surfaces of the web members 216 and the chord members to be
completely galvanized. A planar truss 210 that may be completely
galvanized at once is important to reduce rusting of the final
structure when it is erected in the field.
[0102] FIGS. 11A and 11B illustrate two different web member 216
configurations. As illustrated by FIG. 11B the web members 216 may
be welded to the chord members 212, 214 in a warren shaped
configuration (i.e., z-shaped). In these embodiments the truss
section 250 is easier to install because only one weld (or other
attachment) for each end of the web members 216 needs to be made.
However, this web member 216 configuration may not be able to
support as much loading as an x-shaped configuration, as
illustrated in FIG. 11A. As illustrated in FIG. 11A one web member
216 is a continuous web member 1120 and one web member 216 is a
discontinuous web member 1130 made up of two spliced web members
1132, 1134 operatively coupled to each other, as well as the center
of the continuous web member 1120. As illustrated in FIG. 11A, the
joint at the center of the x-shaped configuration web members 216
may comprises a web batten 1010, to which the L-shaped support
elements 806, 808 of the continuous web member 1120 are welded. The
support elements 806, 808 of the spliced web members 1132, 1134 may
also be welded to the web batten 1010 and/or the continuous web
member 1120 resulting in the x-shaped configuration of the web
members 216 of the interchangeable planar trusses 210.
[0103] FIG. 14A illustrates the connection between a tapered truss
section 612 and a parallel truss section 614, as previously
described with respect to FIG. 6A. In these embodiments a kinked
bracket 280, as illustrated in FIG. 12B is utilized to secure not
only the parallel truss section 614 to the tapered truss section
612, but also secure the parallel interchangeable planar trusses
210 within the parallel truss section 614 to each other, and the
tapered interchangeable planar trusses 210 within the tapered truss
section 612 to each other. Different types and sizes of kinked
brackets 280 may be used whenever a connection is made between two
truss sections 250 that have different tapered angles.
[0104] FIG. 14B illustrates a side view of a bracket 240 between
two parallel truss sections 302 that have different sized chord
members 212, 214, and two corresponding cross-sectional views of
the bracket 240 and chord members 212, 214. In some embodiments of
the invention the chord members 212, 214 of a first parallel planar
truss section 1402 are smaller then the chord members 212, 214 of a
second parallel planar truss section 1404. As the truss sections
250 in the transmission towers 300, 400, 500, 600 are assembled on
top of the truss sections 250 below, it may be advantageous to
reduce the weight of the truss sections 250 near the top of the
transmission towers 300, 400, 500, 600 in order to reduce the cost.
Furthermore, the truss sections 250 near the top of the
transmission towers 300, 400, 500, 600 do not need to support as
much force, thus, they may have reduced member sizes and
thicknesses.
[0105] FIGS. 15A through 18 illustrate another embodiment of the
invention where the transmission tower is a triangular transmission
tower 1500 that has one or more triangular truss sections 1502
comprising three interchangeable planar trusses 1510 as opposed to
four interchangeable planar trusses 210 utilized in the square
truss section 250 configurations previously described herein. As
discussed with respect to FIGS. 15A through 18, the chord members
212, 214, web members 216, brackets 240, 260, 280, and the
configurations of the triangular transmission tower 1500 having
parallel truss sections, tapered truss sections, and base sections,
may be the same as or similar to the configurations previously
described with respect to the parallel transmission tower 300,
tapered transmission tower 400, and multi-leg transmission towers
500, 600. As illustrated in FIGS. 15A through 18 the triangular
interchangeable planar trusses 1510 comprise of a first chord
member 1512 operatively coupled to a second chord member 1514 by
the web members 1516. The triangular transmission tower 1500 web
members 1516 may comprise of two L-shaped support elements 802, 804
or may be rod support elements 1520 that are welded to the chord
members 1512, 1514, or any other type of web member 1516. The web
members 1516 of the triangular transmission tower 1500 of the
present invention illustrated in FIGS. 15A through 18 are bent
cylindrical rods.
[0106] As previously discussed with respect to the other
transmission towers 300, 400, 500, 600 discussed herein the
interchangeable planar trusses 1510 may be operatively coupled to
each other through the use of an end bracket 1530, as illustrated
in FIG. 15B. For example, the end bracket 1530 may have four or
more fastener holes and be bent at an angle of approximately
one-hundred and twenty (120) degrees in order to secure the first
chord member 1512 of a first triangular interchangeable planar
truss 1550 to a second chord member 1514 of a second triangular
interchangeable planar truss 1552, as illustrated in FIGS. 15B and
17B. The illustrated embodiments in FIGS. 15A through 18, show that
the triangular transmission tower 1500 is in the shape an
equilateral triangular, however, the triangular transmission tower
1500 may be in the shape of an isosceles triangle or scalene
triangle, thus the internal angles of the triangular transmission
tower 1500 and end bracket 1530 may have the same or different
angles (i.e. .THETA..sub.10, .THETA..sub.20, .THETA..sub.30).
[0107] In some embodiments of the invention, the transmission
towers 300, 400, 500, 600 have support arms 360, 460, 1760 as
illustrated in FIGS. 3, 4E, and 17B. As illustrated in FIGS. 4E
through 4I, the support arm 460 may be an arm truss section 470
that is made up of one or more arm planar trusses 480. Like the
other truss sections 250 described herein, the arm planar trusses
480 may be made up of a first arm chord member 482 and a second arm
chord member 484 that are operatively coupled by arm web members
486. The arm truss section 470 may be coupled to the transmission
tower 300, 400, 500, 600 through the use of arm support members
230. The arm support members 230 may provide support to arm
brackets 232, 234, which incorporate chord attachment locations
236. The chord members 482, 484 of the arm truss section 470 may be
coupled to the chord attachment locations 236 on the arm brackets
232, 234 to secure the arm truss section 470 to the transmission
tower 300, 400, 500, 600. In some embodiments the chord members
482, 484 may be coupled to the chord attachment locations on the
arm brackets 232, 234 through the use of bolts.
[0108] FIG. 17B illustrates another embodiment of the support arm
1760 for use with a triangular transmission tower 1500. In this
embodiment the triangular transmission tower 1500 comprises arm
brackets 238 that can be operatively coupled to an end bracket 240,
intermediate bracket 260, or kinked end bracket 280. The support
arm planar truss 1760 comprises a first arm chord member 1782 and a
second arm chord member 1784 that may be operatively coupled to the
arm brackets 238, as well as each other, as illustrated in FIG.
17B. The first arm chord member 1782 and the second arm chord
member 1784 may also be coupled to each other through the use of
web members 1786 for extra support.
[0109] The support arms 460, 1760 may be manufactured and assembled
as planar truss support arms 460, 1760 in the same or similar way
as the interchangeable planar trusses 210 and the truss sections
250 are manufactured and assembled, as described throughout this
application and in further detail below with respect to FIGS. 1 and
2.
[0110] As illustrated by block 106 in FIG. 1, the pre-fabricated
truss structure development process 100 includes a step for
manufacturing the pre-fabricated planar trusses 210 through in-line
processing. In standard structure fabrication processes, such as
for a transmission tower, the members of a structure are formed at
a fabrication facility, galvanized individually, the like parts are
grouped together, and thereafter shipped to the assembly site where
they are assembled into the final structure. The pieces of the
structure in these cases, which may include truss members and other
associated components (i.e., brackets, nuts, bolts, etc.), are
often specially made parts and assembly is required to be performed
on site by specialized highly paid workers. As previously discussed
this type of assembly leads to high labor costs. Alternatively, in
other standard structure manufacturing processes the members may be
manufactured, galvanized, and pre-assembled into three-dimensional
complete sections at the manufacturing facility. These complete
sections are then shipped to the final assembly site where they are
assembled into the final structure. As previously discussed, this
leads to high shipping costs because of the space that the
three-dimensional pre-assembled sections occupy during transport,
and thus, there is a lower ton per shipment weight. These
configurations also have high design costs because they are
specifically designed for individual applications. In both of the
standard fabrication processes described herein the structures are
typically assembled using bolts and nuts which increases the
assembly costs because of the additional set-up and punching
required to form the holes in the chord and web members, the high
number of bolts and nuts needed for assemble, and the increased
labor hours needed to assemble the members using the bolts and
nuts. Moreover, these configurations do not have planar trusses
that are interchangeable between different sections and
applications. Consequently, the standard fabrication processes for
structures in the past result in high design, manufacturing,
transportation, and/or final assembly costs that drive up the
overall price of the structures.
[0111] One potential benefit to manufacturing structures utilizing
the standard manufacturing processes described above is that the
costs of the materials may in some cases be reduced. Since the
pieces of the structure are manufactured and shipped to the site
for assembly, or manufactured and assembled then shipped to the
site for final assembly, the trusses do not require as many chord
members as are required in the present invention described herein.
For example, typical three sided structures only require one chord
member at each of the three corners of the structure, which are
supported by interlocking web members in between; and four sided
structures only require one chord member at each of the four
corners, which are also supported by interlocking web members in
between; etc. The drawback of these configurations is that the
specialized trusses are not interchangeable and must be assembled
in a specific manner on site or at the manufacturing facility
before being shipped. Alternatively, in the present invention, each
planer truss 210 has two chord members 212, 214; therefore, a four
sided structure would have eight chord members 212, 214. The
additional chord members 212, 214 are used to allow for the
assembly of structures utilizing interchangeable planar trusses
210, but may result in additional material costs in some
embodiments.
[0112] In some embodiments of the present invention it may be
beneficial to use additional chord members 212, 214 because the
additional chord members 212, 214 at each corner 860 can provide
more support than the standard structures that use a single chord
member at each corner. The improved load capacity may lead to a
smaller structure footprint because a smaller truss section 250
with the additional chord members 212, 214 may be able to support
larger loads. Many of the bolted structures become impractical at
smaller footprints because they cannot handle the loads at the base
with only one chord member at the corners, for example, in monopole
towers 300. In some applications a smaller structure footprint with
increased load capabilities may be necessary. Moreover, in some
embodiments of the present invention the chord members 212, 214 are
inverted (i.e., point inward to the structure), while typical
structures have chords that are extroverted (i.e. point outward
from the structure), thus, the footprint of the structure in the
present invention may be smaller then typical structures.
Therefore, in some embodiments of the present invention the
additional chord members 212, 214 may actually reduce the material
costs of the structure. Furthermore, the additional chord members
212, 214 at each corner keeps the chord member 212, 214 (or chord
support elements 802, 804) thicknesses closer (i.e., the same or
similar to) to the web member 216 (web support elements 806, 808)
thicknesses. Having similar thicknesses aids in the efficiency of
the galvanizing process for a number of reasons, such as the time
it takes to galvanize members with similar thicknesses is
approximately the same, etc.
[0113] To reduce the overall costs associated with manufacturing,
transporting, and assembling structures, one or more of the truss
sections 250 can be manufactured using planar trusses 210 at a
truss manufacturing facility through in-line processing. During
in-line processing the planar trusses 210 may be formed at the
truss manufacturing facility through the use of stations at which
specific operations are performed. In-line processing of the planar
trusses 210 is a vast improvement over the methods of processing
normally used to manufacture components of a structure (i.e.,
sometimes as much as 100 times faster than standard truss
processing) because planar trusses 210 are assembled directly
in-line as the members are produced. Furthermore, welding joints in
the present invention, as opposed securing joints with standard
bolts and nuts, reduces the manufacturing time necessary to
manufacture the pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses 210.
Welding joints is preferred because bolt holes in the members that
are necessary for assembling joints using bolts and nuts during
standard structure manufacturing are no longer necessary in the
present invention. Reducing the number of bolted joints in the
present invention greatly increases manufacturing speeds, and
consequently, reduces manufacturing costs.
[0114] As illustrated in FIG. 2 the in-line fabrication process 120
comprises cutting out the required truss components 122; staging
the truss components based on the total number of interchangeable
trusses used in the structure 124; rigging the components with jigs
to align the components for assembly 126; welding the planer
trusses together 128; performing quality assurance analysis on the
welded planar trusses 130; and galvanizing the assembled trusses
132.
[0115] As illustrated by block 122 in FIG. 2 the members (i.e.
chord members, web members, cross-bracing, etc.) and other
materials (i.e. brackets, spacers, battens, etc.) required for the
interchangeable planar trusses 210 are cut to the required sizes in
the cut-out station. Sawing the members is extremely fast and is
viable where the number of interchangeable members is high, for
example, in the case where parallel chord members 212, 214 and
uniform web spacing for the web members 216 exist. Bundles with
many members can be manufactured at one time using the sawing
process. Shearing the members may take longer than sawing the
members in the embodiments where there are a lot of interchangeable
members; however, where the members are more specialized shearing
the members may be less time consuming. In some embodiments, the
shears may cut up to three or more members at a time.
[0116] In the present invention the members do not require many
holes to be punched during manufacturing. Most of, if not all, of
the web members 216 do not require holes, while holes in the chord
members 212, 214 may only be needed at the chord ends and/or at
specialized locations between the chord ends. In order to
manufacture the holes, the members are sent through an automated
punch machine that punches holes at the required locations. The
holes in the members may be used for ladder studs (i.e. for
attaching ladders to the structures for maintenance purposes), end
bracket 240 connections, intermediate brackets 260 for
cross-bracing 870, etc. The cut members can be stacked together in
groups (i.e. such as near and far chord members, continuous web
members, spliced web members, first chord members, second chord
members, etc.) in the staging area based on the total number of
interchangeable planar trusses needed for an application.
[0117] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the invention the
cut-out station has member splicing capabilities to vary the chord
member 212, 214, web members 216, and cross-bracing 870 sizes along
the length of the members where needed. For example, if the planar
truss is fifty (50) feet long and needs L5.times.5.times.0.75 for
twenty-five (25) feet and only L5.times.5.times.0.5 for the
remainder twenty-five (25) feet, the correct member lengths can be
spliced within the cut-out station. In the cases where planar truss
accessories, such as but not limited to chord spacers, web battens,
end brackets, intermediate brackets for cross-bracing, etc., are
necessary, these truss accessories can be ordered, pre-made, or
made to specification as necessary for use on a specific
structure.
[0118] As illustrated by block 124 of FIG. 2, there is a staging
area for the chord members 212, 214 and web members 216. The
staging area is where the chord members 212, 214, web members 216,
and the truss accessories are ordered in the proper configurations
for ultimately becoming interchangeable planar trusses.
[0119] As illustrated by block 126 of FIG. 2, the staged planar
trusses are sent to the rigging station. At the rigging station
jigs are used to align chord member angles in position to allow the
placement of accessories and web members along the length the
staged planar trusses. For example, the chords spacers 910 are
placed on the first support element 802 of the first chord member
212 of the interchangeable planar truss. Then the second support
element 804 is placed and clamped to the first support element 802
to create the first chord member 212. Thereafter, the second chord
member 214 is clamped in the same way. Then the web members 216 are
aligned and clamped into place between the first chord member 212
and second chord member 214. Furthermore, the web support members
806, 808 of one or more web members 216 may have web battens 1010
clamped in between the web support members 806, 808. Web battens
1010 are not used in all applications, but they may be used in
order to provide additional support to the planar truss 210. In
some embodiments, some of the members are tack welded into place
instead of using clamps to make sure the members and accessories do
not move with respect to each other. In some embodiments the
rigging table has a series of rollers that are lifted into place
under the rigged planar truss after it has been "rigged" (i.e. once
the jigs are in place and the members and accessories are clamped
and/or tack welded). One or more of the rollers may be powered,
such that they can roll the rigged planar truss along the conveyor
system to the welding area.
[0120] As illustrated by block 128 of FIG. 2, the rigged planar
truss is welded together at the welding station in order to form a
completed interchangeable planar truss 210. The conveyer transports
the rigged planer truss from the rigging station to the "welding
pit" in the welding station. In the welding pit, in some
embodiments, five (5) to ten (10) welders (or more or less) are
situated to weld the components together, for example, the chord
support elements 802, 804 are welded to the chord spacers 910, the
web support elements 806, 808 are welded to the web battens 1010
(if applicable), the web support elements 806, 808 of the web
members 216 are welded to the chord support elements 802, 804 of
the chord members 212, 214, etc. The web support elements 806, 808
in some embodiments may be welded to the chord spacers 910 in
addition to, or instead of, being welded to the chord support
elements 802, 808. The welds used in some embodiments may be
downhand/horizontal fillet welds, flare bevel welds, or another
weld type.
[0121] In some embodiments of the invention, other connection
methods can be used in place of the welded joints. For example, in
some situations self drilling bolts may be used to operatively
couple some or all of the web members 216 to the chord members 212,
214. The self-drilling bolts have a tip that allows them to
puncture the steel; however, they are also threaded, thus, allowing
a nut to be placed on the self-drilling bolts in order to
operatively couple two members in the planar truss. Other
connection means may also be used during the in-line processing in
order to secure the members of the truss together, such as, but not
limited to rivets, clamps, or other couplings. Furthermore, these
connection means may be used at the final installation site to
couple the planer trusses 210 and/or the truss sections 250
together.
[0122] As illustrated by block 130 of FIG. 2, the completed
interchangeable planar truss 210 is sent to a quality assurance
station to check the quality of each planar truss 210. At the
quality assurance station, workers, such as workers who are
independent from the production pay and bonuses structure, examine
the chord members 212, 214, web members 216, accessories, and
overall planar truss 210 tolerances, weld quality, and weld
placement. The planar trusses 210 should be within tolerances to be
considered interchangeable, and thus, able to form the required
truss sections 250. Furthermore, the welds should be acceptable
(i.e. without gaps) in order for the planar trusses 210 to be
properly galvanized. Any planar trusses 210 that do not meet
tolerance requirements or do not have proper welds, may be flagged
as non-conforming and sent for rework.
[0123] As illustrated by block 132, the planar trusses 210 that are
conforming are sent for galvanizing. Truss manufacturing facilities
usually do not galvanize large sections of the assembled members of
a structure at one time. Typically, the truss configurations and
welding issues in the past have prevented pre-assembled sections of
structures from being galvanized after assembly. Structures that
are assembled by welding the edges of two flat surfaces together
create weld pockets. Weld pockets are pockets of air that can be
captured between the surfaces that are welded together. When
galvanizing the joints the galvanizing fluid does not properly flow
in and out of the weld pockets. Without being properly galvanized
the joints are prone to rusting after being exposed to the
elements.
[0124] Alternatively, with respect to the present invention, as
explained herein, the chord members 212, 214 and web members 216
are welded to chord spacers 910 to create gaps 810, 820 between the
support elements 802, 804, 806, 808. Furthermore, the toe to
surface welds (see FIGS. 10B and 10D) of the connection between
chord members 212, 214 and web members 216 prevent the presence of
weld pockets that occur when two surfaces are welded to each other.
Therefore, the pre-assembled planar truss 210 may be completely
covered during the galvanizing process. Complete coverage of the
planar truss 210 surfaces and welds are important to prevent
rusting of the planar trusses 210 after installation. Therefore, in
the present embodiment of the invention, instead of galvanizing the
individual members and associated parts of the truss before they
are assembled, the planar truss 210 that is manufactured during the
in-line processing can be galvanized in a tank after it is
assembled (e.g. trusses can be galvanized in lengths of 25 to 50
foot, or more in a hot-dip galvanizing tank). Galvanizing one
assembled planar truss is much more cost effective than galvanizing
individual pieces. Galvanizing individual pieces requires handling
each individual piece in order put in on and take it off of a rack
or support that is used to during the galvanizing process. Handling
each individual piece before and after galvanizing increase the
cost when compared to galvanizing a single pre-fabricated planar
truss 210.
[0125] In some embodiments of the invention, there may be sections
(i.e. the base section truss 206 in some embodiments) that may not
comprise of interchangeable trusses. As illustrated by block 108 in
FIG. 1, the process may include manufacturing non-interchangeable
truss sections. Some specialized structure applications can utilize
interchangeable planer trusses 210 and interchangeable truss
sections 250, as well as non-interchangeable planer trusses and
sections. The non-interchangeable trusses can be manufactured in
the same or similar way as the interchangeable planar trusses 210,
and shipped to the installation site for final assembly; or the
non-interchangeable trusses can be manufactured and pre-assembled
at the manufacturing facility, and shipped as assembled to the
installation site for final installation; or the
non-interchangeable trusses can be manufactured in individual
components and shipped to the final installation site for assembly.
The use of non-interchangeable trusses and sections along with
interchangeable planar trusses 210 and truss sections 250 can
provide structure solutions for various specialized applications
that would typically only use non-interchangeable trusses and
sections. The addition of interchangeable planar trusses 210 and
truss sections 250 in these applications can reduce the overall
combined costs of manufacturing, shipping, and assembling the final
installed structure.
[0126] Once the planar trusses 210 are manufactured using the
in-line processing method the planar trusses 210 can be shipped to
the final installation site, as illustrated by block 110 in FIG. 1.
In structures that are fully assembled on site, the truss members,
brackets, bolts, and other supporting hardware can be packaged in
bundles and transported to the assembly site for final assemble
using cheap transportation. In structures that utilize
three-dimensional truss sections that are completely pre-assembled
during manufacturing and are transported to the final installation
site for final assembly the transportation costs and storage costs
are much higher because of the space occupied by a
three-dimensional pre-assembled truss section during shipping and
storage.
[0127] Transporting the planar trusses 210 is less expensive then
transporting the three-dimensional pre-assembled truss sections,
and in some embodiments, may be the same cost as transporting the
bundled non-assembled parts. As illustrated in FIG. 22, in the
present invention, the planar trusses can be stacked for transport.
The space saved by shipping the stacked trusses as opposed to
three-dimensional pre-assembled trusses reduces the transportation
costs associated with the pre-fabricated interchangeable planar
trusses 210. For example, in some embodiments eight (8) planar
trusses 210 may be stacked or packaged within the same space as
occupied by a single square three-dimensional pre-assembled truss
section 250, which would comprise of only four (4) assembled planar
trusses 210. Stackable planar trusses 210 effectively can cut the
cost of transporting the truss structures by half or more.
[0128] As illustrated by block 112, once the planar trusses 210 are
delivered to, or near, the assembly site they may be assembled into
the truss sections 250 as needed, and the truss sections 250 may be
assembled into the final structure. As opposed to individual
members and associated parts that are assembled from scratch at the
final assembly site, the interchangeable planar trusses 210 can be
assembled though the use of one or more brackets 240, 260, 280 that
operatively couple one planar truss 210 to another planar truss 210
and from one assembled truss section 250 to another assembled truss
section 250. As previously described the truss sections 250 can be
assembled through the use of a relatively small number of bolts and
nuts at the joints between planar trusses 210 and truss sections
250 instead of using bolts and nuts at every joint (i.e. between
the chord members and all the web members). In the present
invention, the employees at the site do not have to identify the
correct parts from piles of like parts at the site and thereafter
assemble each truss section from the various parts obtains the each
of the piles. The employees at the site need only select the number
of planar trusses 210 necessary for the corresponding number of
truss sections 250 of the structure, and connect the planar trusses
210 using the brackets 240, since the planar trusses 210 within one
or more of the individual truss sections 250 (i.e., base section,
mid-section, top section, first section, second section, third
section, etc.) may be interchangeable. The interchangeable planar
trusses 210 reduce the amount of time necessary to assemble the
structure, thus, reducing the labor costs associated with
assembling the structure at the installation site.
[0129] As illustrated by block 114 in FIG. 1, in some embodiments
of the invention the interchangeable truss sections 250 may be
coupled to other truss sections 250 with which they are not
interchangeable to create the structure. For example, in the
electrical transmission towers 400, 500, 600 described herein, the
top sections 606 may have interchangeable top section planar
trusses 210, and the mid-sections 604 may have interchangeable
mid-section planar trusses 210, however the top section 606 planar
trusses 210 and the mid-section 604 planar trusses 210 may or may
not be interchangeable with each other. Furthermore, the electrical
transmission towers 300, 400, 500, 600 may have base sections 606
that are specifically designed for an application and different
from the other bases sections 606 throughout a row of transmission
towers 300, 400, 500, 600. These differences in the bases sections
606 of the electrical transmission towers 300, 400, 500, 600 may be
due in part to the different terrain (i.e. type, slope, height,
etc.) on which the transmission towers 300, 400, 500, 600 are
located. Therefore, in some embodiments of the invention some of
the sections may be shipped and/or assembled in the traditional
manner with which trusses have been shipped in the past (i.e.
non-interchangeable, unassembled to be assembled on site, or
pre-assembled sections, as explained herein), and thereafter, be
assembled with pre-fabricated interchangeable trusses 210 and truss
sections 250 as described herein.
[0130] The transmission towers 300, 400, 500, 600 may be assembled
in a number of different ways at the installation site. In one
embodiment, the transmission towers 300, 400, 500, 600 may all be
assembled section by section in a vertical orientation. For
example, the planar trusses 210 may be assembled into truss
sections 250 and assembled on top of one another through the use of
cranes, pulley mechanisms, helicopters, etc. In another embodiment,
the transmission towers 300, 400, 500, 600 may be assembled in a
horizontal orientation, and thereafter lifted to the proper
vertical orientation.
[0131] As illustrated in FIG. 18, in one embodiment of the
invention the triangular transmission tower 1500 may have eyelet
supports 1802 located at the based of the truss tower. The eyelet
supports 1802 may be integral with an end bracket 240 or they may
be operatively coupled to the end bracket 240 using bolts, welds,
etc. One or more of the eyelet supports 1802 can be pinned to a
structure foundation 1850 while the transmission tower is located
in a horizontal position. Thereafter, as illustrated by FIGS. 19A
and 19B the tower can be raised using a drive and pulley system
1900. The drive and pulley system 1900 may comprise a motorized
drive to extend the transmission tower 300, 400, 500, 600 into a
vertical installed position. As illustrated in FIGS. 19A, 19B, 20A,
and 20B the drive and pulley system 1900 can be utilized to install
any type of transmission tower, or other structure, such as but not
limited to, a wind tower 2000, solar tower, scaffolding, cell
tower, etc. As illustrated in FIG. 21 the drive and pulley system
may be mounted or integral with a truck 2100 or other mobile
machine. In this way the truck 2100 may be moved from site to site
to efficiently help construct the structures, such as the
transmission towers 300, 400, 500, 600, 1500. FIG. 20B illustrates
a top view of the foundation 1850, transmission tower 300, 400,
500, 600, 1500, and drive and pulley system 1900 that may be used
to install the structure from a horizontal to vertical
position.
[0132] In one embodiment of the invention, as illustrated in FIG.
23, the transmission towers 300, 400, 500, 600, 1500 may be
operatively coupled to the ground utilizing a base attachment
assembly 2300. The base attachment assembly 2300 comprises a base
attachment bracket 2310 and a base plate 2320, which are
operatively coupled to each other permanently or removably. For
example, the base plate 2320 and attached bracket 2310 may be
formed together in a mold, welded together, assembled together
utilizing bolts, etc. The base plate 2320, is operatively coupled
to the ground, for example, through high strength threaded anchor
bolts 2334 and anchor nuts 2332. The anchor bolts 2334 are encased
in concrete or other support material. A layer of non-shrink grout
2330 may be used between the concrete and the base plate 2320 to
add surface bearing area for the bottom base plate so the bolts do
not have to carry the entire load. The support elements 802, 804 of
the chord members 212, 214 of the planer trusses 210 may be
operatively coupled to the base attachment brackets 2310 of the
base attachment assemblies 2300 in order to erect the transmission
towers 300, 400, 500, 600, 1500.
[0133] In some embodiments of the invention the planar trusses 210
may be assembled one or more at a time on an erected structure, as
opposed to first being assembled into truss sections 250 (i.e. four
sided monopole truss sections 302), and thereafter, being assembled
to other erected truss sections 250. For example, as illustrated in
FIGS. 24A and 24B the one or more planar trusses 210 can be
assembled on top of another erected truss section 250. The first
chord member 212 of a first planar truss 210 may be operatively
coupled to the second chord member 214 of a second planar truss
210, and a truss section 250 using an end bracket 240, with the aid
of an assembly member 2400, as illustrated in FIGS. 24A and 24B.
One or more assembly members 2400 can be used as a temporary
support member to hold a first planar truss 210 in place with
respect to a second planar truss 210, while a third planar truss
210, fourth planar truss 210, etc. are assembled to the structure.
In some embodiments of the invention, one or more assembly members
2400 may be removed after the planar trusses 210 are assembled into
truss sections 250; however, in other embodiments of the invention
one or more assembly members 2400 me be left on the structure after
installation is completed.
[0134] Interchangeable planar trusses 210 are not only helpful in
manufacturing and assembling new structures in a more cost
effective and timely manner than previous structures, but they are
also useful for repairing or replacing damaged structures. When
structures manufactured and assembled using traditional processes,
such as individual bundled parts and/or pre-assembled
three-dimensional structures, are damaged because of natural
disasters, aging over time, accidents, etc. it may be difficult to
remanufacture the damaged components for replacement. In such
scenarios individual members or replacement sections that need
replacing are identified, and thereafter the individual replacement
members or sections are manufactured. In order to replace the
individual members, or sections of traditional structures, the
entire structure may have to be disassembled and discarded as
scrap. For example, in structures that are manufactured using
bolted configurations the entire structure may have to be
disassembled to reach a damaged member at or near the base of the
structure. Furthermore, it may be time consuming and expensive to
manufacture individual replacement members and thereafter
reassemble the damaged structure.
[0135] In the present invention, if a part or all of a structure is
damaged the structure may be easily disassembled because there are
only a small number of bolts used at the connection between
sections and/or used for cross-bracing connections that need to be
disassembled. The damaged truss section 250 can be replaced in
whole or one or more interchangeable planar trusses 210 can be
replaced within a truss section 250, and thereafter, a replacement
truss section 250 and/or planar truss 210 may be installed. The
fact that interchangeable planar trusses 210 are utilized in the
present invention allows damaged structures to be replaced in a
cost effective and timely manner. In some embodiments of the
present invention damaged structures that did not originally
utilize the interchangeable planar trusses 210 can be retrofitted
for use with the interchangeable planar trusses 210. For example,
if a transmission tower is damaged down to the base. A specialized
transmission truss section may be manufactured to attach to the
base of the tower and thereafter the interchangeable planar trusses
210 can be manufactured and coupled to the base or the specialized
transmission truss section in order to efficiently and quickly
replace the damage portions of the transmission tower.
[0136] Using the embodiments of the present invention, a structure
manufacturer only needs to know the dimensional requirements of the
structure and the loads that the structure will encounter, and
thereafter, the structure manufacturer can efficiently and cost
effectively produce the necessary one or more interchangeable
pre-fabricated planar trusses 210 that can be assembled into the
one or more truss sections 250 to create the erected structure. For
example, as illustrated in FIG. 25A the structure manufacturer may
only need the height (h.sub.b) and width (w.sub.b) of a base
section 2502, and the height (h.sub.g) and width (w.sub.s) of the
straight section 2504, the angle (.THETA.) between the base section
2502 and straight section 2504 (if necessary), and the loading
requirements to design the structure. The structure manufacturer
can determine the how many base sections, and how many straight
sections are needed utilizing common or standard interchangeable
planar trusses 210. Thereafter, the interchangeable planar trusses
210 can be manufactured according to the methods described herein,
and shipped to the customer within a matter of days of receiving
the dimensional and load requirements. In another example, as
illustrated in FIG. 25B, the structure manufacturer may only need
the height (h.sub.b) and width (w.sub.b) of the base section 2502,
the height (h.sub.g) and width (w.sub.s) of the straight section
2504, the height (h.sub.t), first width (w.sub.t1), and second
width (w.sub.t2) of the tapered section 2506, the angle (.THETA.)
between the base section 2502 and tapered section 2506 (if
necessary), and the loading requirements to design another
structure. Again, with only the dimensions and the loading
requirements, the structure manufacturer can efficiently design,
manufacture, ship, and erect the required structure in weeks or
days in a more cost effective manner because of the common
pre-fabricated planar trusses 210 that can be manufactured using
the processes described herein.
[0137] While certain exemplary embodiments have been described and
shown in the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that
such embodiments are merely illustrative of, and not restrictive
on, the broad invention, and that this invention not be limited to
the specific constructions and arrangements shown and described,
since various other changes, combinations, omissions, modifications
and substitutions, in addition to those set forth in the above
paragraphs, are possible. Those skilled in the art will appreciate
that various adaptations, modifications, and combinations of the
just described embodiments can be configured without departing from
the scope and spirit of the invention. Therefore, it is to be
understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the
invention may be practiced other than as specifically described
herein.
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