Abstract:
An acoustic wall has vertical support posts which seat within hollow spikes in the ground, but only to the level of an above-ground-level (or near ground) support post cuff in the hollow spike. When such vertical support posts are used to support a plurality of acoustic panels, the combination allows wind to pass between the panels but, in excessively heavy winds, the entire wall safely flattens on site, due to the vertical support posts&#39; not extending below ground level.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention is an easy-to-install, modular, outdoor acoustic wall for industrial applications, such as perimeter acoustic shielding of Marcellus Shale gas well installations. 
         [0003]    2. Description of Related Art 
         [0004]    In Western Pennsylvania at this writing, as well as in other geographic areas of the United States, shale gas drilling is a thriving and growing industry. Concerns regarding shale gas wells include, without limitation, fears of groundwater contamination by naturally occurring radioactive materials (and other contaminants) that return in the flowback or produced water from the well, and also excessive noise from truck traffic and the well operation itself Regarding the latter, extensive regulations have already been enacted which limit, for example, the amount of noise a shale gas well may transmit as measured at the property line. 
         [0005]    “Noise pollution” and its control is not a new phenomenon, but outdoor industrial noise attenuation walls that are truly easy to install with a minimum of equipment have not been tenable before now. Noise reduction installations can be prohibitively costly to construct as permanent architectural build-outs. Temporary or deployed-type noise reduction panels can pose hazards much greater than merely their own potential ineffectiveness in the event of wall failure, if pieces of such installations become projectiles during high winds or bad storms. A rogue sound-reduction panel or one or more of its supporting structures, flying at high speed in a storm or hurricane, clearly pose a real danger to life and limb. Therefore, a need remains for a system of outdoor acoustic walls which can be easily erected with a minimum of components and equipment, is adaptable for sloped terrains where necessary and—most importantly—is designed so that in high winds or other bad weather, the wall is both designed to accommodate wind but can still fold flat in the event of weather failure, rather than launching any of its components as deadly projectiles. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    In order to meet this need, the present invention is a modular acoustic wall which contains at least one of each of the following components: a hollow spike; a vertical support post with a cuff thereon to engage the top of the hollow spike; an S-hook atop the vertical support post; at least one engineered beam—having a generally horizontal orientation—with struts and flanges designed to seat within the S-hook during wall construction; a bolted flange for weld joining of two engineered beam in a generally horizontal orientation; at least two hanging acoustic panels fitted with grommets and Velcro or equivalent loop-and-latch connectors and suspended from the engineered beam via carabiners; and an optional cable which runs through chain links on the vertical support post or posts to provide some loose-tethering-type placement assurance for the two or more hanging acoustic panels. In combining all of the above components, two key features (among others) inhere both in the dimensions and gravity between the hollow spike and the vertical support post, and also in the single-horizontal-support vertical deployment of the hanging acoustic panels, and the first of these two features is the most important of all. First, the hollow spike is vibrationally driven or pounded into the ground, but because the spike itself extends both below and above ground and the vertical support post fits only into the above-ground portion of the hollow spike, the entire vertical support post remains in a position above ground. This means that in a high wind or severe weather scenario, the vertical support post is not itself directly anchored in the earth and will therefore likely simply disengage and flatten to ground level, with its associated structures, upon any failure. Having said that, however, the wall is designed to allow air to pass through it with a self-healing function discussed below, so wall failure likelihood is minimized. Second, because a single span of an engineered beam is secured between vertical support posts (with the inventive S-hook) full-length acoustic panels (such as 16′6″ in length) need only to be be clipped to the engineered beam via their grommets at their upper edges, using carabiners, to provide a secure and safe acoustic wall that is easy to erect, involves minimized structural framework and therefore conserves both weight and expense while being extremely easy to install. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
         [0007]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a vertical support post of the present invention. 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  is an engineered beam according to the present invention. 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a bolted flange optionally used in conjunction with some embodiments of the invention. 
           [0010]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a hollow spike according to the present invention. 
           [0011]      FIG. 5  is a sectional view showing the seating of the vertical support post in the hollow spike. 
           [0012]      FIG. 6  is a side elevational view of an acoustic panel of the present invention. 
           [0013]      FIG. 7  is a side elevational view of a second acoustic panel of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S) 
       [0014]    Acoustic panels for indoor or outdoor noise attenuation are not new. However, the present system of deploying acoustic panels in specially engineered walls, particularly for large outdoor applications, is novel and nonobvious. Acoustic panels such as are useful in the present invention are reinforced vinyl having a mass, typically, 1 pound per square foot of area. The reinforcement material incorporated within or laminated onto the vinyl is generally—but need not necessarily be—a woven fabric. The present acoustic panels may be used as a single thickness of acoustic material or, alternatively, bonded or otherwise secured adjacent quilted-type acoustic products such as SOUND SEAL quilted acoustic panelling, available from United Process, Inc. The present invention allows for multiple panels, typically 16′6″ in length (and typically 54″ in width) to hang securely from a single horizontal support, namely the present engineered beam, using carabiners clipped through grommets near the upper edge of each acoustic panel. When 16′6″ by 54″ panels are used, they are hung so that they overlap 3″ or 4″ with the adjacent panel on each side. For 16′6″×54″ panels, each of five carabiners should be rated to handle up to a 400 lb load. When using 16 foot, 10-inch-wide engineered beams affixed 16 feet up (held atop vertical support posts with S-hooks as described herein), 16′6″ by 54″ panels need be clipped only at the top edge, in order to create a stable acoustic wall. Only one vertical support post is required between each two engineered beams, due to a bolted flange that is welded between each engineered beam. The side-by-side hanging acoustic panels are loosely harnessed by two additional devices. First, halfway up their verical length, an optional cable loosely tethers the panels in position. Cable such as 1/16″ or ⅛″ standard aircraft cable threads through a chain link approximately halfway up each vertical support post herein, so that a vertical length of cable running the entire length or perimeter of the wall tends to contain the hanging acoustic panels to counteract any significant displacement of the panels from the wind. Second, lengths of Velcro or other loop-and-latch fasteners are provided at intervals along the facing surfaces of the partially overlapping panels, so that when wind force reaches a level that would otherwise severely displace the panels and stress the wall, the Velcro releases and allows the wall to breath by releasing air from between the panels. After Velcro release and expulsion of air, the individual panels naturally to fall back into vertical position by force of gravity, and when the panels position back in their overlapping array the Velcro fasteners automatically re-seal the overlapping vertical panels back together. Between the cable tethering and the Velcro, the hanging panels are both self contained (by the cable), and any wind ruptures are temporary and self-healing (by the Velcro), as part of the design of the present system. The invention is therefore not just an acoustic panel in a certain configuration, or a particular clip for an engineered beam: the present invention is a conjunction of components that creates, for the first time, an effective, modular acoustic walling system that minimizes cost and material and maximizes the safety, self-correction and ease of installation that current outdoor noise management applications demand. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0015]    Referring now to the Figures,  FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a vertical support post  10  of the present invention, having affixed to its open tubular end  12  in its vertical support post upper region  11 , an S-hook  4  which fits over the wall of the support post at the tubular end  12  as shown. The S-hook  14  is optionally affixed to the tubular end  12  by a set screw  16 . In the vertical support post middle region  18 , a chain link  20  is positioned at approximately the vertical midpoint along the entire length of the vertical support post  10 . (The purpose of the chain link is discussed further, below.) The S-hook is designed to secure, by seating within an outer trough  15  thereof, the imler flange of an engineered beam shown in  FIG. 2 , which engineered beam constitutes the sole horizontal fixed support structure of the present system of acoustic wall placement. 
         [0016]    Referring now to  FIG. 2 , an engineered beam  30  includes a number of components, and approximates the structures of bar joists known in the art except that the engineered beam of the present invention is typically on the order of 16 feet in length (a much longer length than is typical for what would otherwise be a bar joist). The engineered beam  30  includes a top inner beam flange  32 , a lower inner beam flange  34 , a top outer beam flange  36 , a lower outer beam flange  38 , and a plurality of struts  40  that interconnect all of the flanges  32 ,  34 ,  36 , and  38 . At least the top outer beam flange  36  bears a plurality of top outer bean  1  flange apertures  37 , typically evenly spaced along the length of the flange. It is within the scope of the invention for any flange of the engineered beam to contain apertures or holes, but the critical apertures  37  are those on the top outer beam flange  36 , because carabiners secure the acoustic panels to the engineered beam via these holes. In practice, the top inner beam flange  32  of  FIG. 2  is placed physically over the outer trough  15  of the S-hook  14  of  FIG. 1 , and the engineered beam thus sits atop the S-hook held (in the most preferred embodiment) either by gravity only or with an optional spot weld. Because the engineered beams are carbon steel beams with air dried waterborne enamel paint finish, and because the beams are typically 16 feet in length and 10 inches in height, the ponderous mass of the engineered beam prevents it from popping out or otherwise dislodging from the S-hook even when it is secured only by gravity and even under very high wind conditions. In fact, because the vertical support post  10  of  FIG. 1  is seated in a hollow spike (see below) but does not itself extend past the surface of the ground where it is installed, the vertical support post itself will fail and flatten, if at all, before any applicable wind forces can dislodge the engineered beam  30  from the S-Hook  14 . 
         [0017]    One of the realities of installing acoustic panels in a large outdoor setting requires recognition that not all terrain is flat. In order to accommodate adjustments to the deployment of horizontal engineered beams when the underlying ground is not itself horizontal, the present invention builds into the present system two features that allow for adjustments relative to horizontal and vertical. The first of these two features is the bolted flange  50  shown in  FIG. 3 . The bolted flange  50  is a simple conjunction of two tabs  52  that are held together by a bolt  54 . The proximal portions of the tabs are adjoined by the bolt, and the distal ends are welded atop the uppermost surfaces of the engineered beams  30  of  FIG. 2 , to join the engineered beams together. Rather than the inflexibility that would occur, were the engineered beams simply welded together in horizontal alignment, the bolted flange  50  provides a connector in which angled correction to horizontal can be applied to each engineered beam, as the engineered beams are welded together on site and the play in the positioning of the tabs provides desired levelling adjustment. Moreover, by welding the two engineered beams together by joining them atop the uppermost surfaces, the top inner beam flange  32  of each engineered beam  30  remains free to engage an adjacent S-hook on the respective vertical support post. Accordingly, every joint between two adjacent engineered beams  30  requires only 1 vertical support post  10  and only one S-hook  14 . In other words, for every four 16′6″×54″ acoustic panels of the present invention, only one vertical support post, one S-hook and one engineered beam is required for the four panels PLUS one final vertical support post with S-hook to terminate the wall at the end of its span. Four 54″ wide panels are suspended from the engineered beam and overlap by approximately 4 inches on each of their sides, which means that four panels can be suspended from each 16′ length engineered beam. No prior art acoustic panel arrangement of any kind has ever been designed with so little hardware to achieve such large and stable dimensional construct that is easy to build at the desired industrial or well pad site. 
         [0018]    Referring now to  FIG. 4 , the hollow spike  60  is the component of the invention which is vibrated or driven into the earth or ground as the lowermost foundation of the wall. The hollow spike  60  is typically fabricated of galvanized steel by cutting the end of a galvanized steel pipe by removing generally triangular shaped wedges of metal so that the remaining integral metal points can be pushed and converged to a point.  FIG. 4  shows not only the hollow spike pointed tip  62  but also the weld lines and weld reinforcements  64  that provide strengthening to the spiked structure. Typical dimensions for the hollow spike  60  include a length of 12 feet, eight of which are vibrated or pounded into the ground, leaving a hollow construct above ground of about 4 feet. This above-ground portion of the hollow spike  60  is designed to receive the lowermost part of the vertical support post  10 , without the vertical support post&#39;s extending into the hollow spike  60  to any length greater than 4 feet, thus keeping all of the span of the vertical support post above-ground. 
         [0019]    Referring now to  FIG. 5 , a partial sectional view of the upper, open annular area of hollow spike  60 , shown as  72  in  FIG. 5 , shows how a cuffed area of the vertical support post keeps the vertical support post from extending below ground level. The cuffed coupling  70  between the vertical support post and the hollow spike comprises a support post cuff  76  on a cutaway portion of vertical support post middle region  18 , shown as  74  in  FIG. 5 , such that the cuff on the vertical support post creates a physical stop to the extent of the insertion of the vertical support post into the cavity of the hollow spike. Typically, the support post cuff is placed at about 4 feet from the bottom portion of the vertical support post, so that when the bottom portion of the vertical support post is placed within the hollow spike, after the hollow spike has already been driven into the ground, the vertical support post extends into the hollow spike but only down to the ground level or just above ground level, and not to below ground level. For an approximately 16 foot vertical support post, this means that the vertical support post will extend vertically upward to a height of 16 feet, because the base of the vertical support post does not extend into the ground. 
         [0020]    It is no accident that the vertical support post height reaches about 16 feet, typically, whereas the typical panels are 16′6″ in length. The reason for the extra six inches in panel length, relative to the vertical support post, means that the installed pan will drape, or puddle, on the ground to the extent of about six inches. This overlapping of the acoustic panel and the ground increases the acoustic shielding afforded by each panel and by the wall as a whole. 
         [0021]    Referring now to  FIGS. 6 and 7 , the actual acoustic panels hung from the engineered beam on the vertical support posts are shown in side elevational view. An acoustic panel  80  has a plurality of grommets  82 -usually five per 54″ wide panel, but could be 4-6 or so-present near the upper edge. The acoustic panels of  FIGS. 6 and 7  are not drawn to scale, in order better to show structural details. As an alternate embodiment to the basic acoustic panel shown in  FIG. 6 , in the alternative embodiment panel of  FIG. 7  an array of extra grommets  82  may be provided in a generally descending pattern, to provide hanging flexibility for installations in which the engineered beam cannot be installed in a perfectly horizontal position. If some of the lower grommets are used instead of the upper edge grommets, to orient the panel to vertical, the extra acoustic panel portion above the grommets actually used can just be folded over at the top without consequence. Also provided at intervals along the overlapping edges of the acoustic panels are one, two or three arrays of Velcro  84 . The Velcro strips are positioned on the mating surfaces of the overlapping panels at a 90 degree orientation to one another, as shown. The 90 degree orientation maximizes the likelihood that the Velcro will automatically refasten itself should the wind temporarily dislodge the hanging panels and gravity brings them back together in their original, partially overlapping configuration. Notwithstanding all of the above discussion of Velcro or other loop-and-latch fasteners, it should be understood that the presence of the Velcro is strictly optional because the forces of gravity on the acoustic panels provide a self-healing function and therefore, when the wind is not blowing, the panels return to their vertical orientation without the strict need for the presence of the Velcro. 
         [0022]    Although the invention has been described with particularity above, with specific disclosure of components, materials, methods and dimensions, the invention is only to be limited insofar as is set forth in the accompanying claims.