Patents
The following US Patents have been issued to date on various techniques and products for repair of marine infrastructure:
By Ehsani, M.
Disposable cardboard formwork for casting columns is very inefficient, bulky to ship and store and must be discarded after one use! This patent offers a green and sustainable reusable formwork for casting new columns or repair/strengthening existing corroded columns. These unique laminates, called MoTubes are available in rolls up to 10-ft (3m)wide. The laminate can be wrapped around itself to create a tube of any shape and size for forming a new column or footing. Once the concrete sets, the laminate can be removed, washed, and saved for future use. In repair applications, MoTubes laminate can be wrapped around the existing column at a distance defined by our patented spacers. The annular space is filled with concrete. Once the concrete hardens, the laminate can be removed and saved for future use. A video of this product can be watched here.
US Patent #11286632 – Shear Transfer Ring and Clamp
By Ehsani, M. and Towfighi, S.
In repair of steel piles, there is not significant shear transfer between the steel surface and the reinforced concrete column that is being cast. Engineers often use welded shear studs to transfer the loads from the column to the pile. Welding under water is challenging and costly; some sites do not allow any welding. ShearWrap is a specially-designed steel band that is placed around the pile (like a belt) and it is torqued to a specific value. Each ShearWrap is capable of transferring a certain force through friction mechanism. We offer a similar device called ShearClamp for repair of steel H-piles.
US Patent #10968631 – Structure Reinforcement Partial Shell (SPiRe)
By Ehsani, M.
This patent is being marketed as Sheet Pile Repair (SPiRe) system for repair of seawalls or decks of bridges and piers which cannot be accessed all around (i.e. 360 degrees). The custom-made SPiRe shells are secured to the structure such that an annular space is created between the shell and the host structure. Reinforcing bars can also be placed in the annular space before its ends/edges are sealed and it is filled with grout or resin. The SPiRe shell will remain in place permanently, keeping moisture and oxygen away from the host structure and providing a long service life for the host structure.
US Patent #10808412 – Spacers for Repair of Columns and Piles
By Ehsani, M.
Placement of longitudinal bars or creating a well-defined annular space thickness are challenging in repair of columns and piles. This patent covers spacers of various shapes and sizes that can be attached to a pile or column. Reinforcing bars can also be inserted into and supported by these spacers. When the PileMedic laminate is wrapped around the pile, it touches the outside edges of the spacers, this defining an exact thickness for the annular space.
US Patent #9890546 – Reinforcement and Repair of Structural Columns
By Ehsani, M.
This patent shows how a column or pile can be strengthened with the PileMedic laminates. But it has the additional feature of adding longitudinal reinforcing bars in the annular space and embedding these bars in the floors above and below. This allows the creation of continuous (moment resisting) connections at the ends of the pile or column.
US Patent #9719255 – Buckling Reinforcement for Structural Members
By Ehsani, M.
Buckling Restrained Braces (BRB) have gained popularity in recent years. This patent shows a technique whereby PileMedic laminates can be wrapped around existing ordinary braces in buildings and bridges to convert them to Buckling Restrained Braces. One of the primary applications of this patent is in seismic retrofit of existing structures.
US Patent #9376782 – Repair and Strengthening of Piles and Pipes with FRP Laminates
By Ehsani, M.
This patent is for the use of PileMedic laminates to repair a column or pile. The semi-rigid laminates sheets are wrapped around a pile in one or more wraps and epoxy-bonded to themselves to create a well-defined annular space between the laminate and the pile. Once the jacket or shell is constructed, the annular space is filled with resin or grout including expansive grouts. Reinforcing bars can also placed in the annular space for further strengthening of the pile.
US Patent #8650831 – Reconstruction Method for Structural Elements
By Ehsani, M.
This patent shows how to build a seamless structural shell around a deteriorated pile. A flexible sheet of any material is placed around a pile such that there is an intentionally-created space between the pile and that sheet. Resin-saturated FRP fabric is wrapped around that sheet to create a strong seamless shell that can provide significant confinement for the pile. The intentionally-created annular is filled with resin or grout so the shell and the pile work together in resisting loads.