E Bracket Foundation Support Resisting Pier Buckling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing foundation lifting and leveling assemblies fail to effectively resist buckling loads exerted by heavy building foundations on pier heads, which can lead to catastrophic bending and buckling forces.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of an ‘E’ bracket with a centrally positioned buckling resisting arm that engages the upper end of the pier, providing structural reinforcement and resisting twisting moments, combined with suspension arms and attaching means to secure the foundation support.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the pier head is placed at a peripheral location slightly laterally displaced from the building edge, then the assembly can facilitate downward pier driving and foundation raising, but undesirable bending and buckling forces are exerted on the pier head
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a bracket assembly as an intermediary structure between the pier head and the foundation. This bracket includes a vertical arm that contacts the pier head and horizontal arms that contact the foundation, creating a mechanical mediator that transfers loads while preventing direct lateral displacement of the pier head from the building edge.
Solution Approach 2:
The bracket assembly extends the support structure into the lateral dimension by positioning the pier vertically adjacent to (but not laterally displaced from) the building edge. The bracket's horizontal arms provide the necessary lateral leverage for foundation raising without requiring the pier itself to be laterally displaced, thus eliminating bending moments while maintaining operational capability.
2Reliability
If mechanical means are applied at the pier head to resist buckling loads, then catastrophic failure can be prevented, but the assembly complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The bracket assembly serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides buckling resistance through its vertical arm contact with the pier head, enables foundation raising through horizontal arm leverage, and distributes loads across multiple contact points. This multi-functionality achieves reliable buckling prevention without requiring separate dedicated buckling resistance mechanisms, thereby limiting complexity increase.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the buckling resistance function with the foundation raising function in a single integrated bracket assembly. The same structural elements that provide mechanical leverage for lifting the foundation also provide the necessary support and restraint to prevent pier head buckling, combining multiple protective and operational functions into one unified structure.
Data Source
AI summary
An assembly for supporting a foundation, the assembly including a pier; the assembly further including an “E” bracket having a stem section, a plurality of suspension arms, and a buckling resisting arm, the buckling resisting arm operatively engaging the pier's upper end, and each arm among the suspension and buckling resisting arms having upper and lower ends; the assembly further including first eye and slide stop combinations attaching the upper ends of the suspension arms to the stem section; the assembly further including a weld attaching the upper end of the buckling resisting arm to the stem section; and the assembly further including a quill and foundation supporting foot bracket which is fixedly attached to the lower ends of the suspension arms.