Telescoping pier foundation

Abstract

A telescoping pier foundation system comprises generally an outer shell preferably made of a tough and high-strength material, such as, a suitable polymer or a metal alloy, having an internal cavity for receiving a filler material. The outer shell comprises a stationary portion and at least one longitudinally telescoping member in longitudinal alignment with one another and connected to one another to achieve a given height, length or depth for forming a pier foundation. After the telescoping member is adjusted to the height necessary to support a building structural member, a fastener, whose anchor portion extends into the internal cavity of the telescoping member, is secured to the structural member and the internal cavity of the outer shell is filled with the filler material that hardens to form a composite pier foundation.

1 . A pier foundation for supporting a building structure from the ground and for providing resistance to uplift and lateral forces exerted on the building structure, the pier foundation comprising: 
 a base stationary portion forming an internal cavity substantially filled with hardened filler material; and    a ground anchor having a top portion embedded in the hardened filler material and a shaft portion extending from the top portion and having a bottom end embedded in the ground.    
   
   
       2 . The pier foundation of  claim 1 , further comprising one or more concrete reinforcement bars embedded in the hardened filler material and extending from the internal cavity of the pier foundation and into the ground.  
   
   
       3 . The pier foundation of  claim 2 , wherein the concrete reinforcement bars are in longitudinal orientation to the base stationary portion.  
   
   
       4 . The pier foundation of  claim 1 , wherein the base stationary portion having a top end opening and further comprising at least one telescoping member of a hollow structure having a top open end and a bottom open end, in longitudinal alignment with the base stationary portion, residing within and longitudinally movable within the top end opening of the base stationary portion and extendable through the top end opening.  
   
   
       5 . The pier foundation of  claim 4 , further comprising at least one fill port for receiving a filler material provided in the telescoping member.  
   
   
       6 . The pier foundation of  claim 4 , wherein the pier foundation further includes a fastening system for securing the telescoping member to a structural member of the building.  
   
   
       7 . The pier foundation of  claim 6 , wherein the fastening system comprises one or more brackets for engaging the structural member of a building.  
   
   
       8 . The pier foundation of  claim 7 , wherein the fastening system further comprises a connector for securing the one or more brackets to the telescoping member.  
   
   
       9 . The pier foundation of  claim 7 , wherein the fastening system comprises an anchoring portion for anchoring the fastening system to the hardened filler material filling the internal cavity.  
   
   
       10 . The pier foundation of  claim 4 , wherein the stationary portion comprises: 
 a base; and    a column portion, wherein the top end opening is provided on the column portion.    
   
   
       11 . The pier foundation of  claim 10 , wherein a plurality of reinforcement ribs are provided joining the base and the column portion.  
   
   
       12 . The pier foundation of  claim 6 , further comprising a lateral brace connecting the base stationary portion to a second structural member of the building, the lateral brace having one end configured and adapted to connect to the base stationary portion and a second end configured and adapted to be secured to the second structural member of the building.  
   
   
       13 . The pier foundation of  claim 6 , further comprising a sidewall strap attached to a sidewall of the building at one end and attached to the base stationary portion of the pier foundation at the opposite end.  
   
   
       14 . The pier foundation of  claim 6 , further comprising a sidewall strap that extends over the roof of the building from one side of the building to the other side of the building, wherein one end of the sidewall strap is attached to the base stationary portion of the pier foundation.  
   
   
       15 . A pier foundation for supporting a building structure from the ground and for providing resistance to uplift and lateral forces exerted on the building structure, the pier foundation comprising: 
 a rigid structure defining an internal cavity substantially filled with hardened filler material; and    a fastener having an anchoring portion embedded in the hardened filler material and a shaft portion extending from the anchoring portion and being adapted for attachment to a structural member of the building structure.    
   
   
       16 . The pier foundation of  claim 15 , further comprising one or more concrete reinforcement bars embedded in the hardened filler material and extending from the internal cavity of the rigid structure and into the ground.  
   
   
       17 . The pier foundation of  claim 16 , wherein the concrete reinforcement bars are in longitudinal orientation to the rigid structure.  
   
   
       18 . The pier foundation of  claim 15 , wherein the rigid structure comprising a top end opening and further comprising at least one telescoping member of a hollow structure having a top open end and a bottom open end residing within and longitudinally movable within the top end opening of the rigid structure and extendable through the top end opening.  
   
   
       19 . The pier foundation of  claim 18 , further comprising a fill port for receiving a filler mixture is provided near the top end of the telescoping member.  
   
   
       20 . The pier foundation of  claim 15 , further comprising at least one ground anchor for anchoring the pier foundation to the ground.  
   
   
       21 . The pier foundation of  claim 20 , wherein the ground anchor is a helical anchor.  
   
   
       22 . The pier foundation of  claim 18 , wherein the anchoring portion of the fastener extends into the telescoping member.  
   
   
       23 . The pier foundation of  claim 15 , wherein the rigid structure comprises: 
 a base; and    a column portion, wherein the top end opening is provided on the column portion.    
   
   
       24 . The pier foundation of  claim 23 , wherein a plurality of reinforcement ribs are provided joining the base and the column portion.  
   
   
       25 . The pier foundation of  claim 15 , further comprising a lateral brace connecting the rigid structure to a second structural member of the building, the lateral brace having one end configured and adapted to connect to the rigid structure and a second end configured and adapted to be secured to the second structural member of the building.  
   
   
       26 . The pier foundation of  claim 15 , further comprising a sidewall strap that is attached to a sidewall of the building structure at one end and attached to the base stationary portion at the opposite end.  
   
   
       27 . The pier foundation of  claim 15 , further comprising a sidewall strap that extends over the roof of the building from one side of the building to the other side of the building, wherein one end of the sidewall strap is attached to the base stationary portion of the pier foundation.  
   
   
       28 . A rigid structure for forming a composite pier foundation in a system for supporting a building structure from the ground and for providing resistance to uplift and lateral forces exerted on the building structure, the rigid structure comprising: 
 a hollow base defining a first interior space;    a first hollow column member non-movably attached to the hollow base, the first column member forming a generally upwardly oriented shaft defining a second interior space in communication with the first interior space of the base, the base having a lateral dimension larger than the lateral dimension of the first column member; and    a second hollow column member telescopingly received within the first column member, the second column member forming a generally upwardly oriented shaft defining a third interior space in communication with the first and second interior spaces.    
   
   
       29 . The rigid structure of  claim 28 , further comprising a fill port adapted to receive a filler material from external of the rigid structure and being in communication with the interior spaces of the base and the shafts formed by the first and second columns for substantially filling the interior and shafts with a filler material.  
   
   
       30 . The rigid structure of  claim 28 , wherein the second hollow column member comprises a fastener for securing the second hollow column member to a structural member of a building.  
   
   
       31 . The rigid structure of  claim 30 , wherein the fastener comprises one or more brackets for engaging the structural member of a building.  
   
   
       32 . A system for supporting a building structure from the ground and for providing resistance to uplifting and lateral forces on the building structure, the system including a composite pier foundation comprising: 
 a rigid structure comprising: 
 a hollow base defining a first interior space;  
 a first hollow column member non-movably attached to the hollow base, the first column member forming a generally upwardly oriented shaft defining a second interior space in communication with the first interior space of the base, the base having a lateral dimension larger than the lateral dimension of the first column member; and  
 a second hollow column member having a top and bottom ends telescopingly received within the first column member, the second column member forming a generally upwardly oriented shaft defining a third interior space in communication with the first and second interior spaces, wherein the first, second and third interior spaces collectively defining an interior space of the rigid structure;  
   a fastener connecting the top end of the second column member to a structural member of the building structure; and    a hardened filler material substantially filling the interior space of the rigid structure.    
   
   
       33 . The system of  claim 32 , further comprising one or more concrete reinforcement bars embedded in the hardened filler material and extending from the internal cavity of the rigid structure and into the ground.  
   
   
       34 . The system of  claim 33 , wherein the concrete reinforcement bars are in longitudinal orientation to the rigid structure.  
   
   
       35 . The system of  claim 32 , further comprising a fill port for receiving a filler material provided near the top end of the second column member, said filler material hardening into said hardened filler material.  
   
   
       36 . The system of  claim 35 , further comprising at least one ground anchor for anchoring the system to the ground.  
   
   
       37 . The system of  claim 36 , wherein the ground anchor is a helical anchor.  
   
   
       38 . The system of  claim 32 , wherein the fastener comprises an anchoring portion that extends into the second column member and embedded in the hardened filler material and configured and adapted to connect to the structural member of the building structure.  
   
   
       39 . The system of  claim 32 , further comprising a lateral brace connecting the rigid structure to a second structural member of the building structure, the lateral brace having one end configured and adapted to connect to the hollow base of the rigid structure and a second end configured and adapted to be secured to the second structural member of the building structure.  
   
   
       40 . The pier foundation of  claim 32 , further comprising a sidewall strap that is attached to a sidewall of the building structure at one end and attached to the rigid structure at the other end.  
   
   
       41 . A method of installing a pier foundation for supporting a building structure from the ground and for providing resistance to uplift and lateral forces exerted on the building structure, the method comprising: 
 positioning a rigid structure beneath a structural member of the building, the rigid structure defining an internal cavity substantially filled with hardened filler material;    securing a fastener to the structural member of the building, wherein the fastener comprises an anchoring portion for anchoring the fastener to a filler material filling the internal cavity;    filling the internal cavity of the rigid structure substantially fully with the filler material; and    allowing the filler material to harden forming a composite pier foundation.    
   
   
       42 . The method of  claim 41 , wherein the rigid structure comprising a top end opening and at least one telescoping member of a hollow structure having a top open end and a bottom open end residing within and longitudinally movable within the top end opening of the rigid structure and extendable through the top end opening, and further comprising a step of raising the telescoping member until the anchoring portion of the fastener extends into the telescoping member before filling the internal cavity of the rigid structure substantially fully with a filler material.  
   
   
       43 . The method of  claim 41 , further comprising a step of first driving at least one ground anchor having a top portion into the ground beneath the structural member of the building, wherein when the rigid structure is positioned beneath the structural member of the building, the rigid structure covers the at least one ground anchor and the top portion of the ground anchor extends into the internal cavity of the rigid structure.  
   
   
       44 . The method of  claim 41 , further comprising: 
 attaching a connecting member to the rigid structure before filling the internal cavity of the rigid structure with the filler material;    connecting one end of a lateral brace to the connecting member; and    connecting a second end of the lateral brace to another structural member of the building, wherein the two connecting steps involving the lateral brace are conducted after the filler material is hardened.    
   
   
       45 . The method of  claim 44 , wherein the rigid structure is configured and adapted to receive a sidewall strap that is attached to a sidewall of the building structure at one end and further comprising a step of connecting the opposite end of the sidewall strap to the rigid structure.