Telescopic Segmented Foundation Pile with Nested Sleeve Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Segmented piles are vulnerable to compressive load reduction due to radial misalignment caused by ground shifting, which can lead to failure, as they lack effective mechanisms to maintain coaxial alignment and resist soil intrusion.
Innovation Solution
A segmented support product with telescopically assembling segments, where each segment has an outer sleeve and inner plug, ensuring coaxial alignment and resistance to radial movement, and an outer sleeve that enhances compressive load-bearing capacity and prevents soil intrusion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If segmented piles are used to support foundations, then installation flexibility and adaptability to ground conditions are improved, but the piles become vulnerable to radial misalignment and compressive load reduction
Solution Approach 1:
Each segment comprises an outer sleeve with an inner plug nested inside it. The inner plug of one segment is inserted into the outer sleeve of the adjacent segment, creating a telescopic connection. This nested structure maintains coaxial alignment between segments and prevents radial misalignment, thereby preserving load-bearing capacity while allowing flexible installation.
Solution Approach 2:
The pile is divided into multiple removable segments that can be assembled in sequence. Each segment has standardized outer sleeve and inner plug components that enable telescopic connection. This segmentation allows the pile to be installed in stages and adapted to varying ground conditions while maintaining structural integrity through the telescopic connection design.
2Stability of the object's composition
If segments are assembled telescopically to maintain coaxial alignment, then resistance to radial misalignment is improved, but the complexity of segment assembly increases
Solution Approach 1:
The telescopic connection design with outer sleeves and inner plugs provides self-aligning features that guide segments into coaxial position during assembly. The tapered or fitted interface between the inner plug and outer sleeve naturally centers the components, reducing the need for complex alignment procedures while maintaining stable coaxial arrangement.
Solution Approach 2:
The outer sleeve and inner plug are designed as integrated components that combine multiple functions: structural support, alignment maintenance, and connection between segments. This merging of functions into unified components simplifies the overall assembly process compared to using separate alignment devices and connection elements.
3Strength
If outer sleeves surround inner plugs to enhance compressive strength, then resistance to compressive failure is improved, but the quantity of material and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
Each segment combines an outer sleeve and an inner plug made of different materials or structural configurations to create a composite structure. The outer sleeve provides confinement and lateral support, while the inner plug carries the majority of the compressive load. This composite arrangement achieves enhanced compressive strength without requiring a completely new design, as it builds upon conventional pile segment concepts.
Solution Approach 2:
The inner plug is designed with specific local properties (higher strength, smaller cross-section) concentrated at the regions where compressive loads are transmitted between segments. The outer sleeve provides local confinement where needed rather than uniformly throughout. This localized optimization of material properties and structure reduces overall material usage while maintaining necessary strength.
4Ease of operation
If segments are made relatively small for minimal excavation, then installation ease is improved, but the number of segments required increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pile is divided into multiple small segments that can be easily handled and installed through minimal excavation openings. Each segment is designed with standardized dimensions and telescopic connection features that enable quick assembly. The small segment size facilitates manual or mechanical installation in confined spaces, and the modular nature allows the pile to be extended by adding segments sequentially.
Solution Approach 2:
Each segment is designed as a universal module with identical outer sleeve and inner plug configurations, allowing any segment to connect to any other segment in the sequence. This universality means that while more segments are needed, each segment is simpler in design and can be pre-fabricated and stored, reducing on-site assembly complexity. The standardized design enables efficient inventory management and installation procedures.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention is a sleeved, segmented support product for supporting a foundation, for example a building foundation. The product comprises support segments that can assemble together into a variable-length pile. The segments assemble together telescopically so that adjacent segments are held in coaxial relation and resist radial misalignment and other misalignments that can reduce a load-bearing capacity of the support product.