WO2007060291A1

WO2007060291A1 - Foundation arrangement

Info

Publication number: WO2007060291A1
Application number: PCT/FI2006/050509
Authority: WO
Inventors: Marko Moisio
Original assignee: Rautaruukki Oyj
Priority date: 2005-11-23
Filing date: 2006-11-22
Publication date: 2007-05-31
Also published as: FI20055620A; FI20055620A0

Abstract

The invention relates to a foundation arrangement for a structure or building, in which columns (4) of the structure or building are supported on piles (2) set in the ground. According to the invention, the foundation arrangement comprises a column (4), a pile group comprising two or more piles (2), and support means (6) extending between each pile (2) and the column (4) in the vertical direction or at an angle relative to the vertical direction for supporting the column (4) on the piles (2), and connecting means (8) for supporting two or more piles (2) in the pile group to each other.

Description

FOUNDATION ARRANGEMENT

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The invention relates to a foundation arrangement of a structure or building, and to a method of making a foundation. The present invention relates in particular to a foundation arrangement of the preamble of claim 1 for a structure or building in which one or more columns of the structure or building are supported on piies set in the ground. The invention also relates in particular to a method of the preamble of claim 17 for making a foundation of a structure or building, in which method piles are set in the ground and one or more columns of the structure or building are supported on them.

[0002] Conventionally, the foundations of buildings are made by installing piles in the ground to carry the load of the building. These piles are installed in the ground in accordance with the load-bearing capacity of the ground and the load of the building. Thus, the size, number and material of the piles vary depending on the conditions. The top ends of the piles are left to project from the ground. The building in turn comprises substantially vertical columns that form the load-bearing structure of the building. The columns are supported on the piles in accordance with the prior art by casting between the piles and columns a concrete sole in which the top ends of the piies are. For fastening the columns, fastening parts are cast in the concrete sole. It is also possible to support the columns directly to the piles without the concrete sole.

[0003] A problem with the arrangement described above is that the casting of the concrete sole takes a long time, which in turn increases construction costs. In addition, the casting of the concrete sole is a complex work phase that contains many phases. Further, since the location of each column in the building in exactly defined, fastening parts need to be positioned in the concrete sole very accurately, which is extremely difficult. When supporting the columns directly to the piles, the piles need to be installed exactly below the columns, which due to rocks or other obstacles in the ground and installation tolerances is not always possible. The piles then cannot always be directly at the location of the column, which means that adaptation pieces need to be made to support the column satisfactorily on the pile.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0004] it is thus an object of the invention to develop a foundation arrangement and a method for providing a foundation arrangement in such a manner that the above-mentioned problems can be solved. The object of the invention is achieved with the foundation arrangement of the characterising part of claim 1 , which is characterised in that the foundation arrangement comprises a column, a pile group comprising two or more piles, and support means extending separately between the column and each pile in the pile group to distribute the load of the column on the piles of the pile group. The object of the invention is further achieved with the method of the characterising part of claim 17, which is characterised in that the method comprises the following steps:

- forming a pile group by setting two or more piles in the ground at predefined locations;

- mounting support means on each pile;

- setting a column at a predefined location and fastening the support means mounted on the piles to the column in such a manner that they extend in the vertical direction or at an angle relative to the vertical direction between the column and each pile of the pile group so as to distribute the load of the column on the piles of the pile group.

[0005] Preferred embodiments of the invention are disclosed in the dependent claims.

[0006] The invention is based on the fact that the vertical columns of the building are supported directly on two or more piles, whereby the load of each column is distributed on two or more piles. A pile group comprising two or more piles is then provided for each column. The column is supported separately to each of the piles of the group by mounting between the column and each pile support means that distribute the load of the column to the piles. As support means, steel beams are preferably used, whose length can be adjusted according to one embodiment of the invention in such a manner that the length is adaptable according to the distance between the pile and column. In addition to this, each of the piles in the group can be connected with connecting means to one or more piles of the same pile group to increase the rigidity and support of the foundation arrangement. The connecting means can be similar to the support means, and they can also be adjustable in length. The support means are fastened to the top ends of the piles extending from the ground and extend obliquely upward toward the bottom end of the column located in the middle of the pile group. [0007] An advantage of the method and system of the invention is that firstly, no concrete sole needs to be cast, and the foundation can be made fully in steel. This speeds up the building of the foundation and, thus, saves costs considerably, because the work stages related to the making of the concrete sole can be left out. In addition, the column can always be supported exactly in the predefined spot without alignment problems, because the support means are set in place between each pile of the pile group and the column separately and according to the distance between them. Also, the top ends of the piles need not be cut or set exactly level, because the support means and connecting means can be set and adjusted as necessary in the required position between the column and pile or between the columns. Concreting can further be performed around the support and connecting means to provide corrosion protection for them and to help carry the loads during use.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0008] The invention will now be described in greater detail by means of preferred embodiments and with reference to the attached drawings, in which

Figure 1 is a schematic side view of an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a schematic top view of the embodiment of Figure 1 ; and

Figure 3 is a schematic general view of a second embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Figure 1 is a schematic side view of an embodiment of the present invention. The embodiment of Figure 1 is shown from the top in Figure 2. According to Figure 1 , piles 2 are set in the ground 50, there are four piles in this exemplary embodiment and the piles form a group of piles. The piles can be steel piles, wood piles, concrete piles, bored piles, or any other corresponding piles on which a building or structure is supported. The piles 2 are preferably steel piles with a round cross-section whose diameter may vary as necessary between 60 to 1 ,000 mm, for instance.

[0010] According to Figure 1 , a column 4 belonging to the load- bearing structure of a building is set exactly at a predefined location and supported on the piles 2 of the pile group in such a manner that the load of the column 4 is distributed on the piles of the pile group. According to Figure 1 , the bottom end of the column 4 is preferably located above the top ends of the piles 2 in the vertical direction. The piles 2 of the pile group are in turn positioned substantially around the column 4 in the horizontal direction, as shown in Figure 2. In addition, if necessary, it is also possible to position one of the piles 2 in the group substantially directly below the column 4 as an extension to it. The relative distances of the piles 2 may vary according to the foundation depending on the load directed by the column 4 to the piles 2, the number of the piles 2, the size of the piles 2, the quality of the soil 50, etc. To mount the pile in the ground, a positioning plate with positioning openings for the piles can be used, whereby each pile group of the structure or building can be made similar, and the positioning simple and fast without needing to determine the exact position of each pile separately.

[0011] According to the present invention, the column 4 is supported separately on each pile 2 of the pile group in such a manner that the load directed by the column 4 to the piles 2 is distributed between the piles 2 of the pile group. To distribute the load of the column 4, the column 4 is supported with support means 6 separately to each pile 2 of the pile group. This means that the foundation arrangement of Figures 1 and 2 comprises four support means 6, one between each pile 2 and the column 4. In the embodiment of Figures 1 and 2, the support means 6 is an elongated beam that is preferably made of steel, but may also be made of wood or some other corresponding metal, or some other material. These support means are mounted to extend separately between the column 4 and each pile 2 such that the column 4 is supported directly and separately on each pile 2 of the pile group. Thus, the support means 6 transfer the load of the column 4 to the piles 2. In other words, each pile 2 of the pile group comprises support means 6 with which it is connected separately to the column 4. The support means extend either directly vertically or at an angle to the vertical direction between the pile and column. This angular position refers to a direction in which the support means extend substantially obliquely upward, as shown in Figure 1. No bending forces are then exerted to the support means, only compressive forces.

[0012] The support means 6 can be fastened to the column 4 and piles 2 as desired in such a manner that this fastening withstands the load directed to them by the column 4 and the support means 6 connect the column 4 and piles to each other. To fasten the support means 6 in place, a fastening part 10 is mounted on the top ends of the piles 2 and can be for instance a sleeve-like part that can be fastened to the top end of the pile 2 with a threaded joint. Both the fastening part 10 and the top end of the pile 2 then have matching threads. The fastening part 10 can afso serve as a pile extension with which the top ends of the piles 2 in the group can be set to be at substantially the same height or level from the ground. This is simple to achieve with the above-mentioned threaded joint. The fastening parts 10 can naturally also be fastened to the piles in some other alternative manner, such as by welding or crimping to steel piles. The fastening parts 10 may also vary in structure and shape in a desired manner as long as they enable the fastening of the support means 6 to the piles 2. As shown in Figure 1 , the fastening parts 10 also have lugs 14 to which the support means 6 are fastened with bolts, by welding, or in some other corresponding manner. The lugs 14 are preferably metal flanges that extend from the fastening part 10. There may be on or more lugs 14 and they can also be fastened directly to the piles 2 without any fastening parts 10. The iugs 14 then serve as the fastening parts. The fastening parts 10 can also be adjustable, whereby they can be turned relative to the pile 2 so as to position them correctly for fastening the support means 6. Alternatively the fastening lugs 14 can be made adjustable so that their position can be changed relative to the pile 2. This adjustability of the fastening parts 10 and/or lugs 14 is preferably provided by mounting the lugs 14 turnably to the fastening part 10, whereby they can move along the circumference of the fastening part 10. The lugs can further be locked in place after they have been set in a suitable position for fastening the support means 6. The locking can be done with mechanical fasteners or by welding, for instance.

[0013] The column 4 is correspondingly equipped with a fastening part 16 that is fastened to the bottom end of the column 4. The same features apply to the fastening part 16 as to the fastening part 10 described above. The fastening part 16 may be fastened to the column 4 with a threaded joint, or for instance by welding, or with mechanical fasteners. This fastening part 16, too, has lugs 18 to which the support means 6 can be fastened with mechanical fasteners, such as bolts, or by welding or in some other corresponding manner. The fastening part 16 and/or lugs 18 can be made adjustable so that they can be set in a desired position relative to the column 4 and piles 2 for fastening the support means 6. The fastening part 16 can also be adjusted in the vertical direction by means of a threaded joint, for instance, in such a manner that the fastening point of the support means 6 to the column 4 can be adjusted in the vertical direction.

[0014] In the embodiment of Figure 1 , the piles 2 are further also connected to each other by means of connecting means 8 that may be similar to the support means 6. The connecting means 8 are preferably elongated steel beams or corresponding support parts that connect the piles 2 in the pife group to each other. According to Figure 2, adjacent piles 2 of the pile group are connected to each other with connecting means 8. Piles 2 at the opposite corners of the pile group can also as necessary or alternatively be connected to each other with the connecting means 8. The connecting means 8 are fastened to the piles 2 in the same manner as the support means 6, in other words, to the fastening parts 10 at the ends of the piles. According to Figure 1, the fastening parts are equipped with lugs 12 to which the connecting means 8 can be fastened. The adjustability of the fastening part 10 also makes it possible to fasten the connecting means 8 in the desires position that varies according to the relative positions of the piles 2 in the pile group. The same can be achieved by making the lugs 12 adjustable in such a manner that they can be turned on the horizontal plane around the fastening part 10. The lugs 12 may alternatively be mounted directly to the pile 2, in which case no separate fastening part 10 is needed. There may be one or more lugs 12 in each pile 2 or fastening part 10.

[0015] The lugs 12, 14, and 18 may be provided as metal flanges either on the pile 2 or fastening part 10. In addition, these lugs can also be made adjustable in other ways than being made turnable around the pile 2 or fastening part 10 on the horizontal plane. Instead of the lugs, the fastening part 10 and/or 16 may also have slots, recesses or other means for fastening the support means 6 and/or connecting means 8.

[0016] The support means 6 and connecting means 8 are preferably made of steel and they are elongated rods or beams that can transfer the load of the column 4 to the piles 2. However, it should be noted that the present invention is not restricted to the material or specific structure of the support means 6 and connecting means 8, and their material may be wood, plastic, or some other corresponding material with a sufficient load-bearing capacity. They can also be closed or tubular, or they may have a specific profile. According to Figures 1 and 2, both the support means 6 and the connecting means 8 are made adjustable in length. This adjustability is achieved by making the support and connecting means 6, 8 in two parts. These two parts are joined together by an adjuster part 22 extending between them. In the embodiment of Figure 1, this adjuster part 22 is for instance a threaded bar, and the support and connecting means have threaded openings for receiving the adjuster part 22. The adjuster part 22 can then be driven into a desired depth in the openings of the support and connecting means 6, 8 to achieve a desired length for the support and connecting means. This adjustment can be done before the support and/or connecting means 6, 8 are fastened to the piles 2 and column 4. The adjustability of the length of the support and connecting means 6, 8 can also be achieved with some other alternative means, such as with two pipes positioned inside each other and forming the support and connecting means 6, 8 in a telescopic structure. The tubular support and connecting means can then be adjusted in a nested manner and they may also be threaded to fasten them adjustably to each other. The inner part need not be hollow, but may be closed. The outer part may also be partly closed as long as it is capable of receiving the inner part to a sufficient depth. The nested parts can also be fastened to each other after the adjustment by welding or with a mortised or bolted joint. Alternatively, the distance between the piles 2 and the distance between the bottom end of the column and the top ends of the piles can be measured and the support and connecting means 6, 8 can be dimensioned correctly by cutting them on site or during their manufacture without the adjustment means. The support and connecting means 6, 8 may also comprise lugs with which they are fastened to the column 4 and/or piles 2. The lugs of the support and connecting means are preferably fastened to the lugs 12, 14, 18 of the fastening parts 10, 16 with a bolted or mortised joint, by welding or in some other corresponding known manner. These lugs of the support and connecting means 6, 8 are preferably metal flanges, but they may also be parts of other type that facilitate the fastening of the support and connecting means.

[0017] Figure 2 shows the solution of Figure 1 from the top. The figure shows that four piles 2 are mounted around a column 4 and the column 4 is separately supported to each pile 2 with support means 6. In addition, adjacent piles 2 are supported to each other with connecting means 8. This provides a grid-like structure in which the load of the column is distributed directly on the piles of a pile group and the piles also support each other separately. It should be noted that the support between the piles is independent of the support of the column on each pile. [0018] Figure 3 shows another embodiment of the present invention, in which two columns 4 are supported each on a pile group formed by three piles 2. One pile 30 is common to the two pile groups, whereby both columns 4 shown in the figure are supported on this common pile 30 with support means 6. In other words, the pile 30 belongs to both pile groups. The piles 2 of the pile groups are further connected with connecting means 8 to each other. According to the invention, one or more of the piles 2 in the pile group may be common to two or more pile groups, i.e. one or more columns 4 can be directly supported on one pile.

[0019] The aim is to set the piles of a pile group in the ground around a predefined site of the column in the horizontal direction. One pile of the group may, however, be located substantially directly below the column in the vertical direction. It is then possible to place between the column 4 and the underlying pile 2 adapter means, such as eccentric plates, with which the column 4 and pile can be fastened to each other. In a normal case, as shown in Figure 1 , the top ends of the piles in the group are placed at a distance from the bottom end of the column in the vertical direction, whereby the support means extend obliquely upward at an angle that depends on the location and distance of the bottom end of the column and the top ends of the piles. The pile group can further comprise two or more piles. The distance between the piles is typically in the range of 1 to 3 m, but may also be more or less than this. The distance between the columns is typically 6 to 12 m, but it too may vary depending on the structure or building.

[0020] The foundation arrangement of the present invention may also have connecting means for connecting two or more columns directly to each other. An intermediate column can then also be mounted on these connecting means to distribute the load to the pile groups supported by the connected columns. In addition, one pile group may have one or more raking piles that may also be common to two or more pile groups.

[0021] According to the invention, a column of a building or structure is supported on a pile group comprising two or more piles in such a manner that the column is supported separately directly on each of the piles in the group. The piles are also supported to each other to form an as rigid and solid structure as possible.

[0022] It is apparent to a person skilled in the art that as technology advances, the basic idea of the invention can be implemented in many differ- ent ways. The invention and its embodiments are thus not restricted to the examples described above, but may vary within the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A foundation arrangement for a structure or building, in which one or more columns (4) of the structure or building are supported on piles (2) set in the ground, characterised in that the foundation arrangement comprises a column (4), a pile group comprising two or more piles (2), and support means (6) extending in the vertical direction or at an angle relative to the vertical direction between the column (4) and each pile (2) in the pile group to distribute the load of the column on the piles (2) of the pile group.

2. A foundation arrangement as claimed in claim 1, character- is e d in that it also comprises connecting means (8) for connecting two or more piles (2) of the pile group to each other.

3. A foundation arrangement as claimed in claim 1 or 2, character i s e d in that it comprises two or more columns (4) and each of the columns is supported in a corresponding manner on a pile group comprising two or more piles (2).

4. A foundation arrangement as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that at least one of the piles (2) in the pile group belongs to two or more pile groups.

5. A foundation arrangement as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 4, characterised in that at least one of the piles (2) in the pile group is connected with connecting means (8) to at least one pile (2) of one or more other pile groups.

6. A foundation arrangement as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, characterised in that at least some of the piles (2) in the pile group are set around a predefined site of the column (4) in the horizontal direction.

7. A foundation arrangement as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, characterised in that one of the piles (2) in the pile group is positioned substantially directly below the column (4) in the vertical direction.

8. A foundation arrangement as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, characterised in that the top ends of the piles (2) in the pile group are set at a distance below the bottom end of the column (4) in the vertical direction.

9. A foundation arrangement as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, characterised in that each support means (6) is fastened to the column (4) and one of the piles (2) in the pile group and extends between them.

10. A foundation arrangement as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9, characterised in that each connecting means (8) is fastened to two piles (2) of the pile group and extends between them.

11. A foundation arrangement as claimed in claim 9 or 10, characterised in that the top ends of the piles are equipped with first fastening parts (10) and/or the bottom end of the column (4) is equipped with second fastening parts (16) to which the support means (6) and/or connecting means (8) are fastened.

12. A foundation arrangement as claimed in claim 11, characterised in that the fastening parts (10, 16) and/or support means (6) and/or connecting means (8) comprise lugs (12, 14, 18) to which the support means (6) and/or connecting means (8) are fastened.

13. A foundation arrangement as claimed in claim 11 or 12, characterised in that the fastening parts (10, 16) and/or lugs (12, 14, 18) are made adjustable for fastening the support means (6) and/or connecting means (8) to a desired position.

14. A foundation arrangement as claimed in any one of claims 1 to

13, characterised in that the support means (6) and/or connecting means (8) are elongated steel beams.

15. A foundation arrangement as claimed in any one of claims 1 to

14, characterised in that the support means (6) and/or connecting means (8) are made adjustable in length for adjusting them according to the distance between the column and pile or correspondingly between two piles.

16. A foundation arrangement as claimed in any one of claims 1 to

15, characterised in that the foundation arrangement also comprises connecting means for connecting two or more piles directly to each other.

17. A method for providing a foundation for a structure or building, in which method piles are set in the ground and one or more columns of the structure or building are supported on the piles, characterised by the method comprising the following steps:

- mounting support means on each pile;

- setting a column at a predefined location and fastening the support means mounted on the piles to the column in such a manner that they extend between the column and each pile of the pile group in the vertical direc- tion or at an angle to the vertical direction to distribute the load of the column on the piles of the pile group.

18. A method as claimed in claim 17, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that it comprises a step in which adjacent piles in a pile group are connected to each other with connecting means,

19. A method as claimed in claim 17 or 18, c h a ra c t e r i s e d in that the method is used on one or more columns of the structure or building.

20. A method as claimed in any one of claims 17 to 19, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that two or more columns are supported on one or more piles, whereby the piles on which two or more columns are supported correspondingly belong to two or more pile groups.

21. A method as claimed in any one of claims 17 to 20, c h a r a c - t e r i s e d in that the step for setting piles of a pile group in the ground comprises setting the piles around a predefined site of the column in the horizontal direction.

22. A method as claimed in any one of claims 17 to 21 , c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the step for setting the piles of a pile group in the ground comprises setting the top ends of the piles in the group at a distance below the bottom end of the column in the vertical direction.

23. A method as claimed in any one of claims 17 to 22, c h a r a c - t e r i s e d in that the method also comprises a step in which at least one of the piles in a pile group is connected with connecting means to at least one pile of one or more other pile groups.

24. A method as cfaimed in any one of claims 17 to 23, c h a r a c - t e r i s e d in that prior to or while connecting the connecting means, the length of the connecting means is adjusted according to the distance between the piles being connected and/or prior to or while connecting the support means, the length of the support means is adjusted according to the distance between the pile and column being connected.

25. A method as claimed in any one of claims 17 to 24, c h a r a c - t e r i s e d in that the support means and/or connecting means are connected to the piles and/or columns with mechanicals fasteners.

26. A method as claimed in any one of claims 17 to 25, c h a r a c - t e r i s e d in that the method also comprises a step in which two or more columns are coupled to each other with connecting means.

27. A method as claimed in any one of claims 17 to 26, c h a r a c - t e r i s e d in that the method also comprises a step in which concrete is cast around the support and/or connecting means.