US1958889A

US1958889A - Railway supporting tower

Info

Publication number: US1958889A
Application number: US516460A
Authority: US
Inventors: Gilbert D Fish
Original assignee: FRANK S LYON
Current assignee: FRANK S LYON
Priority date: 1931-02-17
Filing date: 1931-02-17
Publication date: 1934-05-15
Anticipated expiration: 1951-05-15

Description

May 15, 1934. Q D, MSH' 1,958,889

RAILWAY SUPPORTING TOWER Filed Feb. 1'7, v1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l ATTCRNEY May 15, 1934. G. D. FISH 1,958,889

RAILWAY SUPPORTING TOWER Filed Feb. 17. 1951 2 sheets-sheet 2 ZZ INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented May 15, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RAILWAY SUPPORTING TOWER Application February 17, 1931, Serial No. 516,460

11 Claims. (Cl. 18S-21) Among the objects of my invention are to provide a new and improved tower for supporting an overhead railway structure and to provide a method for the construction of such a tower. Another object is to provide for advantageously assembling certain parts of the tower structure at the shop and completing the assembly of the tower as a whole in the eld. Other objects relate to securing the base of the tower in a reinforced concrete footing, providing suitable resistance in the footing for bending stresses in the tower, and fastening the lower end of the tower to the reinforcing parts in the footingl in a practicable and convenient manner. All these iobjects and other objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent on consideration of a specic example of practice in accordance with the invention, which will be disclosed in the following specification. It will be understood that this disclosure relates principally to this particular example of the invention and that the scope of the invention will be indicated in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings: Figure 1 is an elevation of a tower looking lengthwise along the railway structure which it supports; Figure 2 is an elevation looking in a direction at a right angle to that of Figure 1 Figure 3 is an elevation, partly in section, of the lower end of a tower looking in the same direction as in Figure 2; Figure 4 is a horizontal section on the line 4--4 in Figure 3; Figure 5 is a vertical section showing the tower footing; and Figure 6 is a section on the line 6-6 of Figure 5, showing the footing reinforcement elements.

The towers, such as shown in Figures 1 and 2 and indicated generally by the reference numeral 11, stand in a row, each supporting a tower arm 12, with longitudinal girders 13 at its ends, and on these girders rest the track rails 14. Cars such as 16 are suspended through the goosenecks 15 and wheels 17 on this rail 14. Secured to the sides of the towers 11 are longitudinal guide rails 18 engaged by members 19 which project from the bottom of each car 16.`

Each tower l1 stands in a footing for which a corresponding pit 20 is dug in the ground. A- mat of reenforcing members 2l, shown at the right of Figure 6, is assembled by welding in vthe shop, and a flat steel plate 22 is welded across this mat in the shop. The mat 21 with its attached plate 22 is carried from the shop to the pit 20, and blocked up in a horizontal position slightly above the bottom of the pit 20. Before placing the mat 21, some concrete is put in the bottom of the pit 20 where it will ll the space under the plate 22.

The steel tower 11 consists principally of a. center web 24 whose plane is perpendicular to the direction of the track rails 14, and two plates 23 with the edges of the web 24 welded thereto, as shown in section in Figure 4. vAlong the edges of the plates 23 angle shapes 25 are Welded, and between the plates 23 the horizontal stiifening plates 10 are introduced.

For engagement with the footing Vto be described presently, a framework is built around the base of the tower, as will now be described. The vertical transverse plates 30, substantially parallel with the web 24, are welded across the outer faces of the angles 25, at their lower ends. Short horizontal angles 26 are then welded to the plates 30, and at the same level the horizontal plates 27 have their edges welded to the web 24 and other smaller plates 27 are attached similarly at a higher level. Other

horizontal plates

28 and 28 are welded along one edge of each to the vertical outside faces of the tower plates 23, and these

plates

28 and 28 are braced by the intermediate blocks 29, all welded together. Also the horizontal plates 31 have one edge of each Welded to the flat plates 30. Vertical plates 32 are also welded across the ends of the horizontal plates 31.

The towers 11 built in the manner described and with the elements designated by the reference numerals 26 to 32, inclusive, are all assembled by welding in the shop. Having placed the reenforcing mat 21 in the pit 20, as described heretofore, the tower 11 is brought from the shop and stood up with its lower end resting on the plate 22. This lower end of the tower is then welded to the plate 22 and a further reenforcing net work is prepared at a higher level than the reenforcing mat 21. This upper reenforcing net work comprises the bars 33 which are threaded through holes 34 in the side plates 23 of the towerv and in the plates 32. Also two additional reenforcing bars 33 are placed across beyond the plates 32. All these

bars

33 and 33 are bent down a little on each side of the tower, as shown in Figure 5. Cross bars 35 are added and fastened with wire and stirrups 36 are hooked under certain intersections of the reenforcing mat 21 and passed up and their ends bent over the

bars

33 and 33 and 35 of the upper reenforcing net work, as shown in Figure 5.

Having assembled the tower and the reenforcing elements for the footing in the manner that has been described, concrete is poured into the pit 2o so as to nu completely under the mat 11 21, and above this mat, and all around the upper net work 33-33-35 as shown at 38 in Figure 5. Then earth is filled in over the toes of the footing as shown at 39, so as to restore the ground level over the entire footing.

, The towers that have been described are well adapted for apportioning the work of assembly between the shop and the eld. It will be seen that the bottom reenforcing mat 21 and its overlying central steel plate 22 can all be assembled readily by welding in the shop, whereas it would be awkward or impossible to assemble them in this way in the pit 20. Also the tower structure and its attachments around the lower end are assembled in the shop, the parts being unitedV :practically completes. the job of erecting the 25 tower.

Obviously, the tower must be made to resist lateral bending stresses due t-o the weight of cars 16 on one side or the other, and to resist bending stresses due to lateral wind pressures on the track supporting structure and on cars hanging therefrom. Consider a bending moment to the right applied to the tower 11, as viewed in Figure 1. This may be looked upon as resisted i in the right hand half of the footing by a tension in the bottom of the footing and a thrust in the upper part thereof. The said tension in the bottom part of the footing is along the transverse reenforcing bars of themat 21, thence into the plate 22 welded thereto, and thence into the bottom end of the tower which is welded to the said plate 22., more particularly, into the vertical

transverse plates

30 and 29. The thrust communicated by the upper part of the footing is applied by the body of concrete facing against the plates 32 and the part of the plate 23 lying between plates 32. The thrust against the plates 32 goes into the plates 31 and the plates welded thereto, and thence to the plates 30 and the web 24 parallel therewith. Thus the thrust along the whole extent of the shoulder of concrete is distributed and communicated against the part of the tower at the level of the upper part of the concrete footing. In the part of the tower where the bending stress is greatest, that is, in its bottom end, this stress is resisted by the three plates all parallel with the plane of said stress, namely, the two plates 30 and the web plate 24. The tension in the bottom part of the footing and the thrust in its upper part, due to a lateral bending moment in the tower, sets up a shearing stress in the footing. This is suitably resisted by the stirrups 36 distributed in the footing and extending vertically therethrough.

The tower is built securely to resist stresses that j might tend to pull it up from the footing; in other words, the bottom end of the tower is securely anchored into the footing. This is accomplished by the welded connection of the bottom plate 22 between the underlying reenforcing mat 21 and the overlying bottom end of the tower and its reenforcing plates 30; also by the angle irons 26. plates 27 and the plates 28 and other elements at the same level, all welded to the bottom of the tower and embedded in the concrete; also by the i reenforcing rods 33 threaded through the holes in the bottom of the tower and embedded in the concrete.

I claim:

1. In combination, a tower and a reenforced concrete footing connected therewith and adapted to resist a side bending stress in the tower, said footing comprising a horizontal mat and said mat comprising tensile reenforcing bars, the bottom end of said tower being securely fastened to said mat, and concrete extending below and above said mat and around the lower end of the tower and up to form a thrust resisting shoulder for the tower at a level somewhat above said mat.

2. In combination, a tower and a reenforced concrete footing connected therewith and adapted to resist a side bending stress in the tower, said footing comprising a horizontal mat and said mat comprising tensile reenforcing bars, the bottom end of said tower being fastened by a secure connection to said mat, said connection comprising an extensive welded connection, and concrete extending below and above said mat and around the lower end of the tower and up to form a thrust resisting shoulder for the tower at a level somewhat above said mat.

3. In combination, a tower and a reforced concrete footing connected therewith and adapted to resist a side bending stress in the tower, said footing comprising a horizontal mat of tensile reenforcing bars each extending parallel toy the plane of said bending stress, an overlying horizontal steel plate welded to said mat, the bottom end of said tower standing on said plate and having an extensive welded connection therewith, and concrete extending below and above said mat and around the lower end of the tower and up to form a thrust resisting shoulder for the tower at a level somewhat above said mat.

4. In combination, a tower, and a reenforced concrete footing for the tower adapted to resist 118 a bending moment on the tower, said footing consisting of a bottom mat of reenforcing bars, an overlying central steel plate welded thereto, the bottom end of the tower being welded to said plate, and concrete extending under and through and 120 above said mat and forming shoulders against the tower on each side at a level somewhat above said mat.

5. In combination, a tower and a reenforced concrete footing connected therewith and adapted to resist a side bending stress in the tower, said footing comprising a horizontal mat of tensile re-enforcing bars, the bottom end of said tower having an extensive welded connection thereto, shear resisting reenforcing bars attached to said mat and extending up therefrom, and concrete extending below and above said mat and around the lower end of the tower and up to form a thrust resisting shoulder for the tower at a level somewhat above said mat.

6. In combination, in a pit in the ground, a horizontal mat of reinforcing bars spaced a little above the bottom of the pit, and a tower standing on said mat and being fastened by a secure connection to said mat, said connection comprising a welded connection, a thrust resisting collar welded to the tower a little above said mat, and a concrete footing filling the pit and around said mat and offering resistance to tension at the bottom of the tower and to thrust at the said collar due to a bending moment on the tower.

'7. In combination, a tower, and a footing for the tower to resist a bending moment on the tower, said footing consisting of a bottom mat of reenforcing members, the bottom end of the l5@ Cil tower being fastened by a secure connection to said mat, said connection comprising a welded connection, thrust resisting plates welded to the tower a little above its bottom end, and a mass of concrete below said mat and extending throughout and up to the level of said thrust resisting Vmembers, whereby the said bending moment is resisted as a tension in the bottom of the mass of concrete and a thrust in its upper part.

8. In combination, a bottom mat of reenorcing bars, a central metal plate overlying them and welded to them, a tower standing on said plate and welded thereto, a network of reenforcing bars at a higher level than said mat, said tower having horizontal holes therethrough with some of the last mentioned bars threaded through these holes, a collar welded to the tower at the level of said upper network, vertical members connecting the bottom mat and the upper net work, and a mass of concrete extending continuously below said mat and between it and said net work and above said network and through and around the lower end of said tower.

9. In combination, a tower subject to bending moments in either of two opposite directions, and a footing for said tower, consisting of a horizontal bottom mat with tensile reenforcing bars extending parallel with said directions, a central horizontal plate welded to said bars, the bottom end of said tower standing on said plate and being welded thereto, and concrete extending below and through and above said mat and up to form a shoulder on each side of said tower at a level somewhat above said mat, whereby the bending moments on either side are resisted by tensile stress in the said bars and by thrust in the said concrete shoulders.

10. The method of building a steel tower with a reenforced concrete footing adapted to resist a bending moment in the tower, which consists in assembling at the shop a welded bottom reenforcing mat with an overlying central steel plate welded thereto, also assembling at the shop the steel tower with a collar structure welded around it slightly above its base end, then digging a suitable pit, placing the mat in the pit blocked slightly above its bottom, standing the base end of the tower on said plate and welding it thereto, placing a reenforcing network across the pit at the level of said collar, placing vertical shear resisting members between said mat and said network, and pouring concrete to ll the pit and surround said mat and network and collar and the lower end of said tower.

11. The method of building a steel tower with a reinforced concrete footing which consists in making up a complete welded bottom reenforcing mat at the shop, also making up at the shop a complete tower with thrust resisting members welded thereto a little above its bottom end, digging a pit and blocking said mat up a little from its bottom, standing said tower on said mat and establishing a welded connection between them, and filling in concrete to resist a tension stress at the bottom end of the tower and a thrust stress at the level of the said thrust resisting members.

GILBERT D. FISH.