Combination Plate and Lateral Stabilizers for Post Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Soil conditions such as freezing, thawing, and water accumulation can cause the soil around post spikes to become loose, leading to instability of posts like fence or telephone posts, which existing securing methods fail to adequately address.
Innovation Solution
A combination of a plate with a central opening to receive a post spike, paired with diagonal struts and blades that secure the plate into the ground, providing lateral stability by connecting to the post and anchoring into the soil.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a post spike is hammered deep into the ground to stabilize the post, then the post stability is improved, but the soil around the spike becomes loose over time due to freezing, thawing, and water accumulation
Solution Approach 1:
The stabilizing system is divided into separate functional components: a plate component that distributes load, and blade components that anchor into the soil. This segmentation allows each component to address specific aspects of the stability problem independently, with the plate providing structural support and the blades providing soil anchoring that resists loosening from environmental factors.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from a single-point anchoring approach (hammering the post spike vertically) to a distributed anchoring system that extends in multiple dimensions. The plate provides horizontal load distribution while the blades extend vertically into the soil at different depths, creating a three-dimensional stabilizing structure that resists soil loosening more effectively.
2Strength
If a steel or wooden post is planted into a soft concrete base, then the post is secured, but this method does not adequately prevent soil loosening around the spike over time
Solution Approach 1:
The plate is positioned locally at the surface level to provide immediate structural support and load distribution, while the blades extend locally into the soil at specific depths to provide anchoring. This localized quality approach ensures that each component performs its specific function optimally at its designated position, addressing both initial securing strength and long-term reliability against soil loosening.
3Force
If the post spike is mechanically fastened to the base of a post, then the post is strongly secured, but lateral stability is insufficient when soil becomes loose
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the plate component with the blade components into an integrated stabilizing system. The plate provides vertical load support and structural connection to the post, while the blades provide lateral anchoring into the soil. This merging of components creates a unified system that simultaneously addresses both vertical securing force and lateral stability, preventing soil loosening from compromising post stability.
Data Source
AI summary
A combination of a plate and lateral stabilizers is provided. The present invention's main use is in conjunction with a regular fence post spike to support a fence installation so as to add strength against high wind or when the fence is installed in soggy alluvial soils, but the same invention can also be used on sign posts, telephone posts and the likes. This is accomplished by the shape of the device transferring lateral wind forces into vertical downward force to the ground. The lateral stabilizer are so efficient that it can even support a surface mounted post that has no ground embedded spike. The present invention could even allow for a post to simply rest on the ground without any in ground spike, all depending upon the intended use of the post.