AU599333B2

AU599333B2 - Base for posts or the like

Info

Publication number: AU599333B2
Application number: AU63130/86A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Lars Svensson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1985-09-27
Filing date: 1986-09-25
Publication date: 1990-07-19
Anticipated expiration: 2006-09-25
Also published as: SE449767B; GB2180865B; GB2180865A; AU6313086A; GB8623121D0; SE8504487L; SE8504487D0

Description

1 Asa i KALIA PATENTS ACT 1952 993 33 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION

(ORIGINAL)

FOR OFFICE USE: Application Number: Lodged: 3 3 0 Class Int. Class Complete Specification Lodged: Accepted: PuBlished: Priority: Related Art: This clu.wrnentr wraMIUs th a~eateandnt (le Mnd Section 4 1- L q r toen'_ sa M horrct for pritinga -w o 0 00 onteo*of Applicant(s): 0 o 0 Addfeoss of Applicant(s): 00000E o o aao o 0 0 4 0 Addtess of Applicant(s): no o 0 0 AccttiAl Inventor(s): LARS SVENSSON Vikingavagen 112, S-186 00 VALLENTUNA,

SWEDEN.

APPLICANT

o## o 04 0.4 4 Address for Service: 0 0 0 04 0 04 Kelvin Lord Co., 4 Douro Place, WEST PERTH, Western Australia 6005.

Complete Specification for the invention entitled: "BASE FOR POSTS OR THE LIKE" The following statement is a full description of this irvention includingthe best method of performing itknown to meus -la BASE FOR POSTS OR THE LIKE The present invention relates to a base for posts or the like comprising a base member of concrete or like material and fixing means for the post.

As bases for posts, especially lamp posts, use is currently made of precast concrete bodies provided with a recess in which the lower end portion of the post is inserted and fixed, optionally rigidly, to the upper concrete part of the base by the intermediary of a foot-plate on the post.

Prior art bases of this type which normally are cylindrical and have a widened lower part, have a weight in the order of 700-1000 kg for post lengths of above 10m. The weight and shape of conventional bases make the costs of transportation substantial, which of course adds to the total installation costs. Despite their considerable weight and large volume, conventional post bases are not capable of withstanding major loads.

The object of the present invention is to provide a base of substantially reduced weight which is easier to transport than conventional bases, but yet ensures an at least equally good anchorage as the known bases.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention there is provided a base for posts or the like comprising a base member of concrete or like material and fixing means for the post, characterised in that the base member has at a lower portion thereof obliquely upwardly extending corn4ex surfaces of a vertical extent corresponding to approximately half the height of the base member, and an j overall height which is considerably less than the distance lbfrom the bottom surface of the base to the fixing means, i.e. than the depth by which the base is lowered into the ground before fixing the post, and in that the base member has connected thereto a number of rod means comprising pairs of rods which at their upper ends are rigidly connected to the fixing means for the post and at their lower ends are embedded in the base member in spaced apart relationship.

1 I; x i- i 1 lt 1 C~UrY-ercs~~ their lower ends are embedded in m e in spaceda ionship.

The invention will be described in more detail hereinbelow with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which: Fig. 1 is a side view of a complete base according to the invention; Fig. 2 shows the same base as seen from above and in a section taken along the line A-A in Fig. 1; Fig. 3, on a larger scale, shows a broken-apart corner portion of the base as seen from above; .Fig. 4, on a larger scale, shows one of the rod means being part of the finished base as seen from the side; and Fig. 5 shows the same rod means from above.

The base according to the invention consists of a ,o base member 1 and rod means 2 having fixing means 3 for the post (not shown).

In the illustrated embodiment, the base 1 is of square cross-section and has a lower portion 4 with 0 oblique surfaces, and an upper portion 5 with vertical surfaces. The bottom surface 6 and the top surface 7 are planar. At the top surface 7 there are provided a number of downwardly extending holes 8, suitably four, which have been formed during casting of the

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base member by means of mandrels and are so positioned in relation to a reinforcement 9, provided at least at the upper end of the base membe, that the reinforcement will externally enclose the holes 8. The base members i can be supplied in this state from the concrete plant and may then, due to their shape, be suitably loaded so as to occupy a minimum of space, for instance with

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every other base memberlturned upside down, and be transported to a suitable place in the vicinity of the site of use, for purposes of completion.

The holes 8 have been given such a tolerance that 3 rod means/ provided with fixing means( for posts of T r 3 varying base dimensions can be passed into the holes 8.

Similarly, the same base member 1 of concrete can be used for posts of highly varying size. The dimension and length of the fixing means 3 and the rod means 2 determine the strength and stability of the finished base 1.

In the illustrated embodiment, each of the four rod means 2 of the base 1 comprises two rods 10 which at the top are welded to a sleeve 11 forming the actual fixing means 3.

The two rods 10 which are bent to promote their capacity of taking up torsional stresses, torques, are intended with their straight lower end portions 12 to be inserted in a o..0 respective one of two adjacent holes 8 in the base member 1 in the manner shown in Figure i.

~l'en the rods 10 of all the rod means 2 have been inserted in their respective holes 8, these are filled with concrete which upon hardening will solidly anchor the rod means 2 in the base member 1.

Thus, the finished base 1 has four fixing means 3, i.e.

sleeves 11, each of which is anchored by means of two rods 10 in two holes 8.

The base 1 is placed in a hole (not shown) prepared in the ground, and the hole is filled to about the level of the sleeves 11.

The post to be used together with the base 1 is provided with bolts 13 the number of which corresponds to the number of sleeves 11 and which are suitably fixed in a bottom plate on the post and can be inserted in the sleeves 11 and tightened. Suitably, the bolts 13 are provided with a nut IA4 14 with a washer 15 which is disposed at some distance _NT 0*° L7> 4from the free end of the bolt 13 and which will rest on the top face of the sleeve 11, while a locking nut 16 with a washer 17 is provided on the bolts 13 below the sleeve 11.

Thus, it will be possible readily to adjust the vertical position of the post by means of the upper 14 and lower 16 nuts. The sleeves 11, independent of each other before the post is mounted, will be fixed in relation to each other by the bottom plate or the lower end of the post.

The power portion of ihe post, together with the rods anchored in the corner holes 8 of the base member 1, will form a rigid basket-like unit having very high strength with regard to load stresses.

44rt By using a base 1 having a lower base portion 4, with 44P (4.

obliquely upwardly extending surfaces, very high resistance is obtained to upsetting and extraction of the base 1 if the post, especially in the case of "soft" posts, is hit by a vehicle because the oblique surfaces then act as extended passive sliding surfaces. The absence of a continuous circumferential or outer surface at the upper portion 5 of 20 the base 1 facilitates cable pulling. As opposed to the 1: case of conventional bases, it is thus not necessary to 4 Co provide the base member 1 with through ducts for cables, thus overcoming the problems of making the base 1 proof oo against water and frost.

It may seem surprising that the base 1, despite the absence of a continuous circumferential or outer surface at the top, yet affords good stability. However, the thing is that beyond each separate rod 10 as seen in the direction Lof action on the rod 10 there is created, figuratively Y L Ij ,6 I _i ll--e 5 00 04.9 00 o a 00 0 O a .2? speaking, a counteracting wedge-like soil body, the area of which increases with the distance. This means that the base 1 which e.g. when hit by a vehicle or likewise acted on, apart from the normal forces would be so affected as to turn about an axis extending transversely of the direction of impact at a certain distance below the top surface 7, of the base 1 will prevent such torsional movement thanks to the rods 10 cooperating with the surface layers and the base member 1 cooperating with the surrounding soil.

A further advantage of the base 1 according to the invention is that, after being run into by a vehicle, it can be readily repaired by straightening any rods 10 that may have been deformed by the impact on the post.

It goes without saying that several modifications of the 15 invention are conceivable. Thus, instead of sleeves 11 joining the rods 10 of the rod means 2, it is possible to weld the two rods 10 to a threaded bar or bolt projecting above the rods 10. The post may then be provided with an annular foot-plate with holes. It is of course possible to embed the fixing means 3 in their entirety, i.e. the rod means 2 with sleeves 11 or threaded bars, in connection with the casting of the concrete base member 1, instead of embedding them at a later stage in the preformed holes 8.

Also in this case, it is possible by using double nuts to permit adjusting the vertical position of the post.

In the preferred embodiment, the rods 10 are bent, but they may also be straight, especially in the case of minor posts.

_C

Although the square cross-section is the most convenient in most cases, other cross-sectional shapes may be used.

Also, it is possible to provide the base member 1 with fewer or more holes 8 than stated above and adjust the number or rod means 2 to the number of holes 8.

Hence, the invention should not be considered restricted to the embodiment described above and shown in the drawing but may be modified in several different ways within the spirit and scope of the accompanying claims.

o o 0'4 4 0 4

Claims

2. Base as claimed in Claim 1, characterised in that the base member is provided during casting with holes the number of which agrees with the number of rod means and in which the lower ends of rods included in the rod means are inserted and seclired, the pair of rods of each rod means being inserted and secured in respective adjacent holes, "uch that each hole receives one rod from each of two rod means.
3. Base as claimed in claim .1 or 2, characterised in that each of the fixing means connected to the two rods of each rod means comprises a sleeve for receiving a fixing bolt provided on the post.
4. Base as claimed in claim 1. or 2, characterised in that of said fixing means connected to the two rods of each i-- i l-C.UPI~ULii~~ -7 rod means comprises a threaded bolt or the like to be inserted in bores of a flange provided on the post, and connected to said flange by means of nuts. Base as claimed in any one of claims 1-4, characterised in that the rods of the rod means are so bent that a lower portion thereof is parallel to a hole in the base member, while an upper portion thereof obliquely connects to the fixing means.
6. Base as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the height of the base member is approximately half the overall height of the base as determined from the bottom portion thereof to the fixing means.
7. A base for posts or the like substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. DATED AUGUST 3, 1989 LARS SVENSSON By Their Patent Attorneys KELVIN LORD AND COMPANY PERTH, WESTERN AUSTRALIA sg c~