Durable, fire resistant, energy absorbing and cost-effective strengthening systems for structural joints and members

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10100542-B2
Application number	US-201715446022-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 1, 2017
Priority date	May 5, 2015
Publication date	Oct 16, 2018
Grant date	Oct 16, 2018

Abstract

The disclosed technology is a system and a method for strengthening one or more joints of a structure having a plurality of structural members forming a vacuous area at each joint. The method includes computing limit load bearing capacity for the structure, at a joint, securing a filler module to the joint, at the vacuous area, the filler module having a plurality of surfaces so that when secured within the vacuous area, some of the surfaces are tangential to the members of the structure at its joint, and one or more of the surfaces are non-tangential to the members of the structure, and applying at least one layer of continuous fiber reinforced polymer wrap about the filler module and the members at the joint. The filler module of the disclosed technology is designed and configured to dissipate energy from a load applied to the structure, and at least doubling the load bearing capacity for the structure, at the joint.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A filler module for strengthening a vacuous area of a joint comprising two or more structural members defined by a certain thickness, tensile strength, compressive strength, and stiffness;
wherein the filler module comprises two or more legs joined at a throat and extending to extremities,
wherein the legs each have a tangential side intended to be positioned against a member,
wherein a side of the legs opposing the tangential sides form a non-tangential side of the module, extending between the extremities of the legs,
wherein the filler module is made from a material selected from the group consisting of concrete, fiber reinforced polymers, polymer foams, natural fibers, wood, metals, ceramics, glass beads and combinations thereof, and
wherein the material selected for the filler module has a stiffness of within 20% of the stiffness of the members, a tensile strength of at least 50% of the tensile strength of the members, damping of 2-20% of critical damping, and a compressive strength of between 160-200% of the compressive strength of the members.

2. The filler module of claim 1 , wherein the module is formed from a plurality of materials having varying densities, and wherein denser material is positioned relative to an area of high stress on a member.

3. The filler module of claim 1 , wherein the module has a decreasing thickness from the throat to the leg extremities to absorb energy and load dissipation.

4. The filler module of claim 3 , wherein the thickness of the module is profiled to follow stress concentration reduction trends of the joint.

5. The filler module of claim 3 , wherein the module is shaped as a wedge.

6. The filler module of claim 1 , wherein the module is formed, molded, cast, vacuum infused, foam sprayed or printed such that two tangential sides of the module fit securely within the vacuous area of the joint and receive any surface deformations of the members.

7. The filler module of claim 1 , wherein the module is manufactured in-situ, after photographing the joint with a 3D camera and electronically or physically replicating the angles and surfaces thereof to form the surfaces and configuration of the filler module, and wherein the filler module is shaped to fill or receive surface deformations of the members.

8. The filler module of claim 1 , wherein the legs are defined by a length of at least 2 times the thickness of the members; and wherein the throat is defined by a thickness of at least the thickness of the members.

9. The filler module of claim 1 , wherein the nontangential side of the module is concave.

10. The filler module of claim 1 , wherein the nontangential side of the module has a smooth angular transition increasing from its ends to its throat to at least 45 degrees.

11. The filler module of claim 1 , wherein the nontagential side comprises a plurality of rounded edges.

12. The filler module of claim 1 , wherein the filler module comprises an engineered fiber-based material.

13. A system for reinforcing a structural joint comprising two or more structural members defined by a certain thickness, stiffness, tensile strength, and compressive strength, the system comprising:
a. a filler module having a stiffness of within 20% of the stiffness of the members, a tensile strength of at least 50% of the tensile strength of the members, damping of 2-20% of critical damping, and a compressive strength of between 160-200% of the compressive strength of the members; and
b. a plurality of dowels for incorporation into the members of the joint and the filler module.

14. A system for reinforcing a structural joint having two or more structural members defined by a certain thickness, tensile strength, compressive strength, load capacity, energy absorption and stiffness, the system comprising:
a. a filler module designed and configured to secure to the members of the joint, the filler module having a stiffness within 20% of the stiffness of the members, a tensile strength of at least 50% of the tensile strength of the members, damping of 2-20% of critical damping, and a compressive strength of between 160-200% of the compressive strength of the members; and
b. one or more strips of wrap material of sufficient length to apply about the filler module and the members of the joint, wherein the wrap material comprises fiber reinforced polymer.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the fiber reinforced polymer wrap material is produced by in-situ saturation with resin.

16. The system of claim 14 , wherein the fiber reinforced polymer wrap material comprises an orientation selected from the group consisting of uniaxial, biaxial, quadriaxial, or quasi isotropic orientations.

17. The system of claim 14 , wherein the filler module comprises two or more legs joined at a throat and extending to extremities, wherein the legs each have a tangential side intended to be positioned against a member, and wherein a side of the legs opposing the tangential sides form a non-tangential side of the module, extending between the extremities of the legs, the system further comprising a cap having lateral side walls perpendicular to the tangential and non-tangential sides of the legs to contain the module, wherein the cap is made of a composite material, a polymeric material, carbon, glass or a natural or engineered fiber-based material.

18. The system of claim 14 , further comprising an outer layer fabric with an anisotropic-heat dissipative material oriented along the surface of the fabric to diffuse heat along the fabric plane.

19. The system of claim 18 , wherein the outer layer fabric comprises nano-carbon materials.

20. The system of claim 14 , wherein when the filler module is secured at a joint, and when the filler module and the members are wrapped with the wrap material at the joint, the resulting energy absorption of the joint is increased by at least two times the original energy absorption of the joint, and the load capacity of the joint is increased by a factor of at least two times the load capacity of the joint.

Assignees

• Univ West Virginia

Inventors

• Gangarao Hota V S
• Majjigapu Praveen K R

Classifications

• E04G23/0203

  Arrangements for filling cracks or cavities in building constructions · CPC title

• E01D19/00

  Structural or constructional details of bridges · CPC title

• E01D22/00

  Methods or apparatus for repairing or strengthening existing bridges {(electrochemical desalination or re-alkalisation C04B41/00); Methods or apparatus for dismantling bridges} · CPC title

• E04G2023/0251

  by using fiber reinforced plastic elements · CPC title

• E04G23/02

  Repairing, e.g. filling cracks; Restoring; Altering; Enlarging {(compositions of filling material C04B; strengthening, widening, repairing of bridges E01D22/00; drying damp layers by temporary mechanical ventilation E04B1/7092)} · CPC title