Pole Sleeve Box Reinforcement for Ground-Line Rot Repair
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for reinstating poles using bridging beams face challenges in effectively identifying and addressing damage, particularly at the ground level where rot and decay occur, leading to potential failures that disrupt utilities and pose safety risks.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a bridging beam construction with a sleeve and secondary member forming a box section reinforcement, where the sleeve is abutted against the pole with the secondary member slid into reinforcing engagement, secured using strapping, bolts, and ferrules, to provide enhanced strength and stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a heavy gauge steel sleeve is used to form a bridging beam, then the strength and reliability of the pole reinforcement is improved, but the weight and cost of the reinforcement increases
Solution Approach 1:
The bridging beam is divided into two separate components: a sleeve that fits over the pole and a secondary member that slides into the sleeve. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently and assembled on-site, reducing the need for excessively heavy single-piece construction while maintaining overall structural strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The bridging beam combines the sleeve and secondary member into a composite structure where the secondary member (potentially lighter material) is contained within the sleeve (steel structure). This composite approach allows the use of lighter gauge steel for the sleeve while the secondary member provides additional strength, reducing overall weight while maintaining required strength levels.
2Device complexity
If a simple steel sleeve is used as a bridging beam, then the device complexity is reduced, but the strength and stability of the reinforcement is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The reinforcement system is segmented into a simple sleeve component and a separate secondary member. The sleeve provides the basic structural framework with reduced complexity, while the secondary member slides into the sleeve to provide additional strength. This segmentation allows the simple sleeve to be easily manufactured and installed, while the combined structure achieves the required strength levels.
3Loss of time
If the bridging beam is installed only at ground level, then the installation time and cost are reduced, but the pole reinforcement is insufficient because rot and decay spread vertically
Solution Approach 1:
The bridging beam is extended vertically in the dimension along the pole, with the sleeve and secondary member forming a structure that extends both above and below ground level. This vertical extension along the pole dimension ensures coverage of the rot-prone zone and provides continuous reinforcement as rot spreads vertically, while the modular design keeps installation time reasonable.
4Strength
If drilling holes through the pole is used to secure the bridging beam, then the attachment strength is improved, but the pole structure is further weakened and installation becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of drilling holes through the pole to attach the bridging beam, the approach is inverted: the sleeve and secondary member are assembled into a box section structure that encloses and reinforces the pole, then the entire assembly is secured using external fastening methods like strapping or clamps. This inversion avoids creating holes through the already compromised pole while maintaining strong attachment.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for reinstating a pole standing in ground comprising, abutting an inner surface of a sleeve against an outer surface of the pole so as to have a lower portion of the sleeve penetrating the ground and an upper portion of the sleeve projecting above the ground, and sliding a secondary member against an outer surface of the sleeve so that the secondary member locates against the sleeve and projects above the ground and into the ground, wherein the construction is such that the sleeve and secondary member located against the sleeve jointly form a bridging beam incorporating a box section reinforcement of the bridging beam. The formation of this box section substantially improves the strength of the bridging beam above what would be expected from the strength of the individual components.