FIELD

Aspects provided relate to foundation jacking assemblies. More particularly, aspects herein relate to jacking assemblies using pier systems.

BACKGROUND

When foundations of above-ground structures (e.g., residential houses, and commercial buildings) settle, foundation jacking tool assemblies are used to raise the foundation to a stabilized position. For example, a method of raising the foundation may include digging holes at spaced-apart intervals, exposing the foundation. Then a bracket's horizontal portion may be slid under an edge of the foundation and a vertical portion may be attached to or otherwise positioned alongside of a side of the foundation. Next, a screw anchor or pier shaft may be driven into the ground adjacent the foundation until bedrock or a load-bearing stratum is reached. In some previous systems, a large hydraulic ram was placed in in each of the excavated holes to drive the pier shaft or screw anchor. These large hydraulic rams included a driving portion that extended under the foundation to drive the screw anchor or pier shaft beneath the foundation. Each of the holes dug out, however, must be very large to accommodate the size of these large hydraulic rams. In addition to the inefficient excavation, these large hydraulic rams required additional equipment to be lifted out of one hole and into another.

Other systems have avoided using large hydraulic rams and therefore avoided digging very large holes by using a smaller, hand-held hydraulic driving cylinder. These smaller, hand-held hydraulic driving cylinders are typically placed between a bottom surface of a foundation and a top of a pier shaft. As the driving cylinder extends, the pier shaft is driven beneath the foundation. In order to avoid deep excavation for each hole beneath the foundation each pier shaft comprises a plurality of short segments that are each separately driven. This process requires the smaller, hand-held hydraulic driving cylinder to be removed and repositioned after each individual segment of the pier shaft system is driven into the ground. For example, following excavation this process requires (1) positioning a pier segment at the desired location; (2) positioning the hand-held hydraulic cylinder between the foundation and the pier segment; (3) driving the pier segment with the hand-held hydraulic cylinder; and (4) removing the hand-held hydraulic cylinder. Often, this process must be repeated (in some cases as many as 50-60 times).

SUMMARY

Aspects of the present invention provide a foundation support system and method of installing the foundation support system which advantageously allows for a pier system to be installed directly below and not merely adjacent to the foundation. Specifically, the foundation support system may include a pier system for providing support beneath a foundation, a support member, and a heave plate attachable to a bottom surface of the foundation. The pier system may include a plurality of pier members driven into the ground below the heave plate using a ram removably coupled to the heave plate. The heave plate may have a bottom surface opposite a top surface and may be coupled to the foundation such that the top surface faces the foundation and the bottom surface faces the pier system. The heave plate may further have apertures extending therethrough for communicating a fastener that holds the heave plate to the foundation.

The bottom surface of the heave plate may also have a catch for removably mounting the ram for driving the pier system as well as subsequently mounting the support member therefrom by engaging with a flange of the support member. For example, the catch may include a pair of L-shaped rails spaced apart from each other. Each of the L-shaped rails may have a first portion extending away from the bottom surface of the heave plate and a second portion extending towards the other L-shaped rail.

The support member may have a first end opposite a second end. A flange may extend from the first end to create a lip held by the catch. The support member has an extendable partition that is configured to adjust a length between the first end and the second end. The length of the support member may be adjusted to engage the pier system, bridging the space between the heave plate and the top of the pier system.

In another aspect of the invention, a method of installing a concentric pier system may include the steps of affixing a heave plate to a foundation, removably coupling a ram to a catch of the heave plate, driving a pier system via the ram into ground beneath the foundation, and decoupling the ram from the catch of the heave plate. The method may then include the steps of coupling a support member to the catch of the heave plate above the pier system, lifting the foundation to a desired position, and extending an extendable portion of the support member down to the pier system until the support member engages the pier system. Lifting the foundation may include installing a pier cap and lift platform atop the pier system, placing one or more lifts on the lift platform, and lifting the foundation by extending one or more lifts upward until they have engaged the heave plate and moved the foundation to the desired position.

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

