Patent Application Titled “System and Method for Structural Restraint against Seismic and Storm Damage” Published Online (USPTO 20150322671)

By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Politics & Government Week -- According to news reporting originating from Washington, D.C., by VerticalNews journalists, a patent application by the inventor LICHTENFELD, Gerry Edward (Campbell River, CA), filed on April 20, 2015, was made available online on November 19, 2015.

No assignee for this patent application has been made.

Reporters obtained the following quote from the background information supplied by the inventors: "Much of the world's population is located along seismic fault lines or in the paths of powerful storms such as hurricanes, monsoons, floods and tornadoes. The buildings in such areas are at risk of structural damage from seismic and storm events. As these population centers grow, the risk of loss of life and damage to structures will only increase.

"During powerful seismic and storm events, prior art wood framed construction techniques do not adequately hold the structural building components together. Although such wood framed structures are among the safest currently available, powerful seismic and storm events may result in the failure of their structural integrity through the failure of the structural wood fasteners. The primary reason for structural failure is the inability of the structural fasteners to keep the structural wood sheathing firmly attached to the structural wood framing. As structural fasteners primarily are designed to be static devices, they are likely to fail when subjected to dynamic forces.

"Many jurisdictions are seeking ways to mitigate the effects of these powerful seismic and storm events through the upgrading of building codes. To date, nothing has been available to solve the problems associated with these events. Governments, as well as construction, insurance and forest industries and the general population, all have a great deal to benefit from a solution to these damaging effects.

"As powerful seismic and storm events act on a structure, the three dimensional dynamic forces compromise the structural wood fasteners, causing them to work their way loose or out of the members in which they are embedded or, if they remain in place, they may tear their way through the structural wood sheathing or simply break off. The result is the weakening or complete loss of structural integrity of the wood framed building as the structural forces no longer are able to be transferred safely down to the structural foundations.

"During powerful seismic and storm events failure points occur primarily along structural wood fastener strips of structural wood sheathing. These failure points may be at corners, at intersections, around door, window and other openings, at vertical joints, and along horizontal joints at floor and ceiling edges.

"Presently there are no systems or structural wood fasteners which can prevent these failures. Existing prior art solutions use a form of building restraint consisting of a complex engineered system of steel rods, anchors, plates and straps requiring extensive notching, drilling and additional structural reinforcement. Installation of such a system may interfere significantly with construction schedules in that electrical, plumbing and other sub-trades will have their work suspended while the required building modifications are carried out. This form of restraint system fails to provide a solution to the problem of structural wood fasteners breaking off or pulling loose, out or through the structural wood sheathing, putting at risk the structural integrity of the wood framed structure.

"The restraint system of the present invention provides a solution which maintains the integrity of the structural wood fasteners. This results in the structural wood sheathing remaining firmly attached to the structural wood framing and the structural foundations. The integrity of the entire wood framed structure is maintained and the structural loads are able to be transferred safely down to the structural foundation."

In addition to obtaining background information on this patent application, VerticalNews editors also obtained the inventor's summary information for this patent application: "There is provided a system for structural restraint of wood framed structures against seismic and storm damage, the system comprising a plurality of structural wood framing components; a plurality of structural wood sheathing components; a plurality of structural wood fasteners; one or more structural foundations; and a structural bonding agent.

"The structural bonding agent may be a thermoset polyurea elastomer having a tensile strength of at least 15 MPa (2000 psi) and may have an elastomeric flexural strength of at least 300%. The structural bonding agent may remain flexible to temperatures as low as -40.degree. C. (-40.degree. F.).

"There is further provided the use of a structural bonding agent to reinforce wood framed building structures against seismic and storm damage by preventing egress of structural wood fasteners from structural wood framed building components. The structural bonding agent used may be a thermoset polyurea elastomer.

"The invention further comprises a method of reinforcing a wood framed structure against seismic or storm damage comprising the steps of wood framing a desired structure; applying a structural flexible bonding agent to completely cover over structural wood fasteners and be in direct contact with the external end of each fastener at selected locations of the wood framed structure to achieve a desired thickness.

"The bonding agent may be applied by spraying. The flexible bonding agent may be applied to an area of between 100 mm (4'') and 255 mm (10'') wide centered over the structural wood fastener components.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

"A detailed description of the preferred embodiments is provided by way of example only and with reference to the following drawings, in which:

"FIGS. 1A and 1B are cross-sectional views of two exterior walls of a building extending between structural foundation wall and roof truss, one (1B) of which depicts door and window openings, according to one embodiment of the present invention;

"FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the assembly of a wall stud, floor joist and structural foundation wall, according to one embodiment of the present invention;

"FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an assembly of a wall stud, floor joist and structural foundation wall including a door opening, according to one embodiment of the present invention;

"FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of an assembly of a lower level wall stud, floor joist, and upper level wall stud above a door opening, according to one embodiment of the present invention;

"FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of an assembly of a lower level wall stud, floor joist, and upper level wall stud, according to one embodiment of the present invention;

"FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a wall stud adjacent a window opening, according to one embodiment of the present invention;

"FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a wall stud and roof truss, according to one embodiment of the present invention;

"FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a wall stud and roof truss above a window opening, according to one embodiment of the present invention;

"FIG. 9 is a front plan view of sections A, B and C of a structural wall, according to one embodiment of the present invention;

"FIGS. 10A, 10B, and 10C are cross sectional views of corresponding wall sections A, B, and C of FIG. 9, according to one embodiment of the present invention;

"FIG. 11A depicts a top view cross section of a wall configuration consisting of a 90 degree framed exterior corner;

"FIG. 11B depicts a top view cross section of a wall configuration consisting of a 90 degree framed exterior corner, two 45 degree framed exterior corners and a 90 degree framed interior corner; and

"FIG. 11C depicts a top view cross section of a wall configuration consisting of two typical 45 degree framed interior corners; according to one embodiment of the present invention.

"In the drawings, one embodiment of the invention is illustrated by way of example. It is to be expressly understood that the description and drawings are only for the purpose of illustration and as an aid to understanding, and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention.

"For the purposes of clarity the structural wood fasteners have not been shown as specific locations may be different from what would be shown. It is understood through description that the structural bonding agent may be applied to an area of between 100 mm (4'') and 255 mm (10'') wide centered over top of the structural wood fastener components."

For more information, see this patent application: LICHTENFELD, Gerry Edward. System and Method for Structural Restraint against Seismic and Storm Damage. Filed April 20, 2015 and posted November 19, 2015. Patent URL: http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-adv.html&r=4754&p=96&f=G&l=50&d=PG01&S1=20151112.PD.&OS=PD/20151112&RS=PD/20151112

Keywords for this news article include: Patents.

Our reports deliver fact-based news of research and discoveries from around the world. Copyright 2015, NewsRx LLC