Pre-cast Concrete Wall Segments with Integrated Footer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Pre-cast concrete foundation wall sections lack a footer, making them prone to instability and requiring precise site preparation, which can lead to delays and increased costs due to weather conditions and difficulties in section-to-section connections, allowing moisture infiltration.
Innovation Solution
The development of pre-cast concrete wall segments with a ground-engaging footer and a vertical wall, featuring a tongue-and-groove design and embedded connection brackets for stability and secure interlocking, allowing for freestanding installation and improved connection reliability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If pre-cast wall sections are used without a footer, then installation speed is improved, but stability and reliability deteriorate due to proneness to cracking and failing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the footer and vertical wall into a single monolithic pre-cast concrete body. This integration ensures that the footer and wall act as a unified structural unit, eliminating the instability and cracking issues associated with separate components while maintaining rapid installation capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The footer is pre-formed as an integral part of the pre-cast wall section during manufacturing. This preliminary action eliminates the need for separate footer installation and curing steps on-site, maintaining installation speed while ensuring structural stability through factory-controlled quality.
2Reliability
If pre-cast wall sections require precise site preparation, then installation reliability is improved, but construction time and cost increase due to delays from weather conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the structural parameters of the pre-cast section by adding an integrated footer with extended longitudinal portions that create overlapping connections between adjacent sections. This design change allows for more flexible site preparation tolerances while maintaining installation reliability through the overlapping connection geometry.
3Ease of manufacture
If traditional connection methods are used between sections, then ease of manufacture is improved, but connection reliability deteriorates due to separation and moisture infiltration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extends the footer longitudinally beyond the vertical wall boundaries, creating an overlapping connection zone that spans the joint between adjacent sections. This dimensional extension from a simple butt joint to an overlapping configuration prevents separation and blocks moisture infiltration paths while maintaining manufacturing simplicity.
Data Source
AI summary
Herein disclosed are pre-cast concrete wall structures, and processes for manufacturing and installing the same. Wall structure may be wall segments and may comprise a pre-cast concrete monolithic body including a ground-engaging footer and a vertical wall supported by the footer and extending upwardly from the footer. Methods of making wall segments may comprise the steps of providing an initial casting mold, pouring an initial portion of concrete, installing a final casting mold, pouring a final portion of concrete, allowing the initial and final portions of poured concrete to cure to a final hardened state, and removing the initial and final casting molds. Methods of installing wall segments may comprise the steps of excavating the construction site, grading a ground surface at the construction site, positioning a plurality of pre-cast concrete wall segments, interconnecting adjacent wall segments, and backfilling adjacent an exterior side of the foundation wall.