Utility Anchor Bracing With Adjustable Ground Leveling
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Solution Overview
Problem
The installation of sub-surface utility anchors is labor-intensive and costly due to the need for trial-and-error adjustments to achieve precise alignment, requiring heavy machinery and materials like concrete, which is difficult to remove and transport, leading to high labor and equipment costs.
Innovation Solution
A bracing apparatus that allows for the lifting and leveling of utility anchors from a horizontal to vertical orientation, using a leveling mechanism that adjusts to achieve a plumb or near-plumb orientation, with visual or digital indicators and automated control for precise alignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If poured concrete is used for utility anchor installation, then the foundation provides vertical load bearing and moment-load support, but it requires multiple heavy trucks and equipment, and concrete is costly, heavy to transport, and provides a limited window for use
Solution Approach 1:
The utility anchor system is segmented into modular components: a prefabricated utility anchor with mounting flange, a separate bracing apparatus with adjustable legs, and optional concrete alternatives (no concrete required). This segmentation eliminates the need to transport and pour large volumes of concrete, as each component can be independently manufactured and transported, then assembled on-site.
Solution Approach 2:
The utility anchor and bracing apparatus are prefabricated off-site before installation. The mounting flange is pre-attached to the utility anchor, and the bracing apparatus legs are pre-configured with adjustment mechanisms. This preliminary preparation eliminates the need for on-site concrete mixing and pouring, reducing both material weight and installation time.
2Strength
If poured concrete is used for utility anchor installation, then the foundation provides moment-load support, but proper installation of the mounting flange into the concrete is problematic and time consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting flange is pre-attached to the utility anchor during manufacturing, ensuring precise alignment and secure connection before installation. The bracing apparatus is also pre-assembled with adjustable legs and connection mechanisms. This eliminates the time-consuming process of embedding flanges into wet concrete and waiting for curing.
Solution Approach 2:
The bracing apparatus serves as an intermediary component between the utility anchor and the ground surface. It provides temporary support and alignment during installation, allowing the mounting flange to be properly positioned without requiring complex concrete forming and pouring operations.
3Ease of manufacture
If prefabricated steel or precast concrete utility anchors are used, then installation is simpler, but the mounting flange must be within 0.5 degrees or less of level to ensure above-ground infrastructure is within 0.5 degrees of plumb, requiring repeated adjustment through trial and error
Solution Approach 1:
The bracing apparatus incorporates adjustable legs with mechanisms that allow dynamic adjustment of the mounting flange orientation. The legs can be independently adjusted in length and angle, enabling real-time modification of the flange's levelness and plumbness during installation, eliminating the need for trial-and-error adjustments.
Solution Approach 2:
The system includes leveling indicators or measurement tools that provide feedback on the mounting flange's orientation relative to horizontal and vertical planes. This feedback allows installers to make precise adjustments to the bracing apparatus legs until the flange achieves the required 0.5 degrees or less of levelness, ensuring accurate alignment without repeated trial and error.
4Manufacturing precision
If utility anchor installation requires repeated adjustment to achieve acceptable alignment, then the mounting plane can be within specification, but extended lengths of time are required, resulting in unnecessarily high labor costs
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustable bracing apparatus allows installers to quickly modify the utility anchor's orientation by adjusting leg lengths and angles, rather than removing and repositioning the entire anchor. This dynamic adjustment capability significantly reduces the time required to achieve proper alignment while maintaining precision.
Solution Approach 2:
Leveling indicators provide immediate visual feedback on the mounting flange's alignment status, allowing installers to make rapid, informed adjustments. This eliminates guesswork and repeated trial-and-error cycles, enabling quick achievement of the required 0.5 degrees alignment specification and reducing overall installation time.
5Reliability
If utility anchor installation errors occur, then rework is required, but this results in unnecessarily high labor costs, equipment costs, and consumables costs
Solution Approach 1:
The utility anchor, mounting flange, and bracing apparatus are manufactured with precision tolerances and pre-assembled to ensure correct geometry and alignment features. This preliminary quality control reduces the likelihood of installation errors and the need for costly rework.
Solution Approach 2:
Leveling indicators and alignment tools provide continuous feedback during installation, allowing immediate detection and correction of misalignment issues before they become permanent errors. This real-time monitoring prevents installation mistakes that would require expensive rework.
Data Source
AI summary
A bracing apparatus, system, and method for the installation of sub-surface utility anchors as used for utility poles, and other infrastructure which requires a sub-surface foundational element is disclosed. The bracing apparatus may be configured to interconnect to a mounting flange or mounting surface of a utility anchor, wherein the bracing apparatus allows the lifting of a utility anchor from a horizontal orientation to a suspended vertical orientation for placing the utility anchor vertically into a hole prepared for the installation of the utility anchor. The bracing apparatus comprises a leveling means wherein the bracing apparatus resides above grade and the leveling means bears on the surrounding ground surface, is adapted to raise or lower the utility anchor in relation to the grade level, and is adapted to achieve a level configuration of the mounting flange or mounting surface of the utility anchor and thus achieve a plumb or near-plumb orientation of an above-ground infrastructure mounted to the utility anchor.