U.S. patent application number 15/040130 was filed with the patent office on 2016-08-11 for method and apparatus for constructing a concrete structure.
This patent application is currently assigned to Tindall Corporation. The applicant listed for this patent is Tindall Corporation. Invention is credited to Bryant A. ZAVITZ.
Application Number | 20160230386 15/040130 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 56565754 |
Filed Date | 2016-08-11 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160230386 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
ZAVITZ; Bryant A. |
August 11, 2016 |
METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONSTRUCTING A CONCRETE STRUCTURE
Abstract
The present invention broadly comprises a method and apparatus
for constructing a concrete structure, where one embodiment of
apparatus includes a pre-cast concrete component and a poured in
place concrete surface supported by the pre-cast concrete
component.
Inventors: |
ZAVITZ; Bryant A.;
(Dunwoody, GA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Tindall Corporation |
Spartanburg |
SC |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Tindall Corporation
Spartanburg
SC
|
Family ID: |
56565754 |
Appl. No.: |
15/040130 |
Filed: |
February 10, 2016 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
62114219 |
Feb 10, 2015 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E04B 5/38 20130101; E04B
5/17 20130101; E04C 5/0645 20130101; E04B 5/43 20130101; E04C 3/34
20130101 |
International
Class: |
E04B 5/17 20060101
E04B005/17; E04G 21/02 20060101 E04G021/02; E04C 3/293 20060101
E04C003/293; E04C 3/34 20060101 E04C003/34 |
Claims
1. A structure comprising: a pre-cast concrete component; and a
poured in place concrete surface supported by the pre-cast concrete
component.
2. The structure according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus has
isotropic load-bearing strengths.
3. The structure according to claim 1, wherein the pre-cast
concrete component is a column.
4. The structure according to claim 1, wherein the pre-cast
concrete component is a cap on a top of a column.
5. The structure according to claim 4, wherein the pre-cast
concrete component also includes a floor section that is supported
by the cap on the top of the column.
6. The structure according to claim 1, wherein the pre-cast
concrete component is a floor section.
7. The structure according to claim 6, wherein the poured in place
concrete surface is located over the floor section.
8. The structure according to claim 1, wherein the poured in place
concrete surface includes several apertures that extend through the
concrete surface.
9. A method for making a structure comprising: providing a
plurality of pre-cast concrete columns; placing a plurality of
pre-cast concrete column caps on the plurality of columns such that
there is one column cap on each column; placing a plurality of
floor sections on support members of the plurality of column caps;
and pouring a poured in place concrete surface on the plurality of
floor sections.
10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the pouring includes
pouring the poured in place concrete surface on the plurality of
floor sections with a plurality of apertures that extend through
the concrete surface.
11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the plurality of floor
sections are pre-cast concrete floor sections.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C.
.sctn.119(e) to U.S. Application No. 62/114,219, filed Feb. 10,
2015, the entire content of which is incorporated into the present
application by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for
constructing a concrete structure. In particular, the invention
relates to constructing a concrete structure using pre-cast
concrete components.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Natural gas is becoming a greater and greater share of the
U.S. energy supply due to advances in hydraulic fracking. Natural
gas is generally sent through a pipeline to a terminal, where it is
compressed to liquefied natural gas (LNG) before loading it into
tanks for transport. This terminal generally includes a platform to
support 4-7 compressors, each of which weighs several tons. Due to
the increased supply of natural gas, additional terminals are
needed to process the supply. However, the terminals are presently
constructed by pouring concrete in place for all of the structure,
which can take on the order of six months.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] The present invention broadly comprises a method and
apparats for constructing a concrete structure. One embodiment of
the invention may be implemented as an apparatus including a
pre-cast concrete component and a poured in place concrete surface
supported by the pre-cast concrete component.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0005] A full and enabling disclosure of the present subject
matter, including the best mode thereof, directed to one of
ordinary skill in the art, is set forth in the specification, which
makes reference to the appended figures, in which:
[0006] FIGS. 1-8 illustrate a process for making a concrete
structure according to an exemplary embodiment of the present
invention;
[0007] FIG. 9 illustrates several views of one embodiment of a
column and a column cap;
[0008] FIGS. 10 and 11 illustrate perspective views of embodiments
of the column cap with floor portions stacked thereon;
[0009] FIG. 12 illustrates an top view of the floor sections
supported by the column cap;
[0010] FIGS. 13 and 14 show side views of the floor sections
supported by the column cap; and
[0011] FIG. 15 shows a perspective cutaway view of the floor
sections supported by the column cap; and
[0012] FIG. 16 shows close up side section views of the floor
sections supported by the column cap.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0013] Reference is presently made in detail to exemplary
embodiments of the present subject matter, one or more examples of
which are illustrated in or represented by the drawings. Each
example is provided by way of explanation of the present subject
matter, not limitation of the present subject matter. In fact, it
will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various
modifications and variations can be made in the present subject
matter without departing from the scope or spirit of the present
subject matter. For instance, features illustrated or described as
part of one embodiment can be used with another embodiment to yield
a still further embodiment. Thus, it is intended that the present
subject matter covers such modifications and variations as come
within the scope of the disclosure and equivalents thereof.
[0014] FIGS. 1-8 show exemplary process steps for constructing a
structure 10 in accordance with the present invention. FIG. 8 shows
the final structure 10 in one embodiment of the invention.
Structure 10 includes columns 20 to support the main surface 50.
Main surface 50 supports the compressors used to compress the LNG.
Main surface 50 includes apertures 52A, 52B, and 52C. These
apertures allow pipes (not shown) to access the compressors from
below main surface 50. These pipes may link the compressors to each
other, as the compression is done in stages. The pipes may also
connect to storage tanks to pull off components of the natural gas
that liquefy during a particular compression stage.
[0015] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, there are 6 stages to the
compression process. Thus, there are 6 sets of apertures 52A, 52B,
and 52C. The compression process compresses the natural gas from
approximately 5-20 psi to approximately 1,700 psi. Natural gas is
mostly methane, but does include other hydrocarbons. Thus, there
are other components of the natural gas that liquefy before the
methane does. Accordingly, some of the compressors are designed to
pull off these other components as the natural gas is compressed.
In this regard, the two left-most compressors on main surface 50
need three apertures to provide the piping necessary for their
compression stage, while the other four compressors only need two
apertures. However, any number of stages and access apertures are
within the scope of the invention.
[0016] FIG. 1 shows that the first step includes placing columns
20. Column caps 30 are then placed on the columns in FIG. 2. FIG. 9
shows column 20 and column cap 30 in greater detail. FIG. 3 shows
that side portions 40 and floor portions 42 are then placed on the
column caps 20. All of these components are pre-cast concrete
components, so this process can be done relatively quickly.
[0017] FIG. 4 shows that the side portions 40 and floor portions 42
are assembled for the first third of the structure. Floor portions
42 are designed to include the apertures 52A, 52B, and 52C. As
shown in FIG. 5, concrete may now be poured to create the main
surface 50 for the first third of the structure 10. These pours may
be done incrementally, for example breaking each third into 5 pours
as shown in FIG. 1-8. This allows workers to begin constructing the
middle third of the structure, as shown in FIG. 5.
[0018] FIGS. 6 and 7 show the middle and final third of structure
10 being constructed in a similar manner as the first third.
Finally, FIG. 8 shows the completed structure.
[0019] Again, as most of the components are pre-cast components,
construction can be completed much faster than a structure made of
poured in place concrete. The present invention minimizes the used
of poured in place concrete, allowing dramatic time savings over
the present construction techniques.
[0020] FIG. 9-16 provide greater detail of the pre-cast components
20, 30, 40 and 42. Columns 20 may have steel reinforcement members
22, as shown in FIG. 13. Column caps 30 may also have steel
reinforcement members 36, also shown in FIG. 13. Column caps also
include support member 32 and alignment projection 34. Support
member 32 supports the floor portions 40 that are stacked on the
column caps 30. Alignment projections 34 allow the floor portions
40 to be locked into place on the column cap 30. FIG. 15 shows a
perspective view of the floor portions 40 supported by support
member 32 and aligned by alignment projections 34.
[0021] Floor portions 40 may also include steel reinforcement
member 44, as shown in FIG. 15. Floor portions 40 are locked in
place on the column caps by the alignment projections, and may also
be linked to each other. Once main surface 50 is cast over the
floor portions 44, all of the components are locked together by
main surface 50.
[0022] The compressors used to compress the natural gas cause a
reciprocating load on the supporting structure, which requires a
support with isotropic load-bearing properties. As pre-cast
components typically are not isotropic, pre-cast components have
not been used to support these types of compressors before. In this
regard, typical pre-cast components can support 4-5 times the load
in a primary direction as opposed to the load that can be borne in
secondary directions. For example, pre-cast bridge components
typically can support 4-5 times as much load in the traffic
direction as compared to the transverse direction. In contrast, the
disclosed composite structure can support approximately the same
load in all directions. Thus, the present inventors have combined
reinforced pre-cast components with a partial poured in place
surface to create a composite structure that has the isotropic
properties to support the compressors, while being capable of being
constructed using much less time and labor than conventional poured
in place structures.
[0023] The present written description uses examples to disclose
the present subject matter, including the best mode, and also to
enable any person skilled in the art to practice the present
subject matter, including making and using any devices or systems
and performing any incorporated and/or associated methods. While
the present subject matter has been described in detail with
respect to specific embodiments thereof, it will be appreciated
that those skilled in the art, upon attaining an understanding of
the foregoing may readily produce alterations to, variations of,
and equivalents to such embodiments. Accordingly, the scope of the
present disclosure is by way of example rather than by way of
limitation, and the subject disclosure does not preclude inclusion
of such modifications, variations and/or additions to the present
subject matter as would be readily apparent to one of ordinary
skill in the art.
* * * * *