Angled Forms and Subsurface Elements Redirecting Soil Forces
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing foundations are prone to damage from soil forces, particularly in expansive soils, leading to cracking and structural instability.
Innovation Solution
The use of forms to construct subsurface structural elements with specific designs that redirect soil forces vertically, incorporating features such as angled walls and filling materials to displace foundations rather than allowing soil forces to cause damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional foundation designs are used, then construction is simpler, but the foundation is prone to cracking and damage from soil forces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs asymmetric wall angles in the foundation structure, where walls are configured at different angles (e.g., first wall at a first angle, second wall at a second angle) to optimally redirect soil forces. This asymmetric design allows the foundation to better interact with surrounding soil, converting lateral soil pressure into vertical displacement, thereby improving reliability without requiring overly complex additional components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies geometric parameters of the foundation structure, specifically wall angles and cross-sectional shapes (e.g., triangular, trapezoidal configurations). By changing these parameters, the foundation's interaction with soil forces is optimized to redirect lateral pressures vertically, enhancing stability while maintaining a relatively simple structural form that can be constructed with standard materials and methods.
2Reliability
If foundations are designed to resist soil forces directly, then structural integrity is maintained, but cracking and damage still occur in expansive soils
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful lateral soil forces into beneficial vertical displacement. By designing walls at specific angles, the foundation allows soil pressure to push the structure vertically rather than laterally, transforming the damaging effect of expansive soil into a mechanism that maintains structural integrity. The soil forces that would normally cause cracking are redirected to produce vertical movement, preventing damage.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of designing the foundation to directly resist and oppose soil forces (traditional approach), the patent inverts the approach by allowing the foundation to yield vertically in response to soil forces. The angled wall configuration causes lateral soil pressure to be converted into vertical displacement, reversing the traditional resistance paradigm and eliminating cracking caused by direct force opposition.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If subsurface structural elements are shaped to redirect soil forces vertically, then foundation damage is prevented, but the formwork design becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The formwork is divided into multiple wall forming portions, each configured to create a specific wall segment at a predetermined angle. This segmentation allows the complex angled geometry to be constructed using modular, manageable formwork components rather than requiring a monolithic complex design. Each portion can be independently designed and assembled, reducing overall formwork complexity while achieving the desired force-redistributing geometry.
Solution Approach 2:
The formwork is designed and positioned in advance to create the precise angled wall geometry required for force redirection. By preparing the formwork structure beforehand with the correct angular configurations, the complex geometry is achieved through pre-planned positioning rather than complex on-site adjustments, simplifying the construction process while maintaining the protective geometric features.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments described herein relate to construction of subsurface structural elements that are configured to redirect soil forces. For instance, a form may be used to construct a subsurface structural element such that the subsurface structural element redirects soil forces to vertically displace a foundation rather than have the soil forces crack or otherwise damage the foundation.