Swimming Pool Foundation Using Modular Stabilizing Elements
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Solution Overview
Problem
The production of concrete foundations for swimming pools is time-consuming, expensive, and requires specialized equipment, making it difficult to set up pools partially or fully buried in the ground, especially in cramped conditions, and the concrete's setting time necessitates multiple workers and longer construction times.
Innovation Solution
A swimming pool design that eliminates the need for a concrete foundation, using a peripheral edge with a supporting wall and a foundation composed of bulk materials like gravel or sand, along with individual stabilization and insulation elements that can be easily connected and transported, allowing for faster and more flexible installation by a single person.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a concrete foundation is used to support the swimming pool, then the pool achieves stability and structural strength, but the construction becomes time-consuming, expensive, and requires specialized equipment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the permanent concrete foundation with a temporary earth anchor system consisting of movable earth anchors, tension bands, and connecting elements. These components are inexpensive, easily installable, and provide sufficient support during the pool's initial use, eliminating the need for time-consuming concrete pouring and curing processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the essential function of foundation support from the concrete structure and isolates it into separate, removable earth anchoring components. This allows the stabilizing function to be achieved independently without requiring a permanent concrete base, thereby reducing construction time and complexity.
2Stability of the object's composition
If a concrete foundation is used, then the pool structure is stabilized, but specialized equipment and multiple workers are required
Solution Approach 1:
The foundation system is divided into discrete, independent components: earth anchors, tension bands, and connecting elements. Each component can be handled and installed separately using simple hand tools, eliminating the need for heavy specialized equipment and large crews required for concrete foundation work.
Solution Approach 2:
The earth anchor system is designed to be self-installing through straightforward mechanical assembly. The components naturally engage with the ground and pool structure without requiring complex machinery or skilled labor, enabling installation by minimal personnel with basic tools.
3Reliability
If concrete is used for the foundation, then the pool achieves durability, but the cost of materials and construction increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses inexpensive earth anchors made from simple materials like steel bars or pipes, combined with affordable tension bands. These replace costly concrete materials and reduce construction expenses while providing reliable temporary stabilization that meets the pool's support needs.
4Productivity
If the pool is set up quickly without concrete curing time, then construction time is reduced, but foundation stability may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The earth anchor system achieves immediate stability upon installation through direct mechanical engagement with the ground. The anchors are inserted into the earth and secured with tension bands, providing instant structural support without requiring curing time, thereby enabling rapid pool installation while maintaining foundation stability.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a swimming pool with a surrounding edge comprising a retaining wall and a foundation terminating this surrounding edge at the bottom. The foundation comprises a leveling layer consisting of loose material such as gravel, crushed stone and/or sand for leveling any soil present below the foundation, as well as a stabilizing layer extending over this, which consists of individual stabilizing elements that can be connected to one another, in particular those that can be plugged together and/or glued together.