Post-tension cable wall stabilization

Abstract

Provided herein are masonry structures, including walls, which are disposed upon a footing having a re-bar disposed longitudinally therethrough. The masonry structures of the invention include vertical bores disposed along their lengths, and include tensioned cables which extend through a first vertical bore, are spirally wound about the re-bar, and also extend through a second vertical bore such that the end portions are rigidly anchored in position near the top course of masonry units used in constructing the structures, and wherein the tensioned cables are under a relatively high mechanical tension. By staggering a plurality of tensioning cables, structures comprising a plurality of masonry units of enhanced structural stability over structures of prior art are provided.

1 ) An architectural structure comprising: 
 a) a footing portion having a portion which extends in a substantially-linear direction;    b) a re-bar disposed within said footing portion;    c) a plurality of courses of masonry units stacked upon on e another so as to form a wall structure having a top course, bottom course, and a length dimension, said wall structure being disposed above said footing portion,    wherein a portion of said masonry units each include a vertically-oriented bore disposed through them, and are arranged in a manner sufficient to provide, by the alignment of their individual bores, a plurality of vertical bores extending through said wall structure at periodical distances along the length dimension of said wall, said vertical bores extending from said footing portion and through at least the 3 lowermost courses of masonry units of said wall structure,    d) a plurality of tensioning cables, wherein each tensioning cable comprises: a first end portion; a second end portion; and a mid portion, said tensioning cables each further comprising: 
 i) a first vertical portion extending through one of said vertical bores;  
 ii) a horizontal portion; and  
 iii) a second vertical portion extending through a different one of said vertical bores than that of which first vertical portion extends; and  
   e) a plurality of cable anchoring means, with each cable anchoring means disposed within said wall structure at the top of each vertical bore through which a vertical portion of each tensioning cable extends, wherein said first end portion and said second end portion of each of said tensioning cables is securely engaged with one of said cable anchoring means.    
   
   
       2 ) A structure according to  claim 1  wherein said horizontal portion of said tensioning cables include a segment which is spirally-disposed about said re-bar.  
   
   
       3 ) A structure according to  claim 1  wherein said footing is sub-terranean.  
   
   
       4 ) A structure according to  claim 1  wherein said cable anchoring means are disposed within the penultimate course of said structure.  
   
   
       5 ) A structure according to  claim 1  wherein each of said tensioning cables are under a tension which is any level of tension in the range of between about 3000 and 10,000 pounds.  
   
   
       6 ) A structure according to  claim 1  wherein said plurality of tensioning cables includes a first tensioning cable and a second tensioning cable, wherein the first vertical portion of said second tensioning cable is disposed between both the first and the second vertical portions of said first tensioning cable.  
   
   
       7 ) A structure according to  claim 1  wherein said plurality of tensioning cables includes a first tensioning cable, a second tensioning cable, and a third tensioning cable, wherein the first vertical portion of said second tensioning cable and the first vertical portion of said third tensioning cable are disposed between both the first and the second vertical portions of said first tensioning cable.