Abstract:
An adjustable support assembly is provided that includes a front left base support, a front left lower elongated support and a front left upper elongated support. Also included are a front right base support, a front right lower elongated support, and a front right upper elongated support. Such supports are designed to be placed in a structural wall, particularly the structural wall of the cooling tower, wherein an opening would be cut in the wall to receive an entry door. The support assembly provides structural integrity from the lower section of the cooling tower to the upper section of the cooling tower, and allows the door opening to be cut out without loss of such structural integrity.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to an adjustable support assembly and, more particularly, to an adjustable support assembly designed to be placed in the wall of a cooling tower to allow an access door opening to be cut into such wall without loss of structural integrity. 
         [0002]    Cooling towers or heat exchangers are typically comprised of fabricated sections made of sheet metal, with such sections typically being stacked on top of each other. For example, a cooling tower could comprise a lower structural section wherein fill would be placed to allow direct evaporation of water passing over the fill. An indirect cooling tower section could be placed on top of the fill containing section and contain a series of coils for indirect cooling of a fluid passing through the coils. Accordingly it is seen that the bottom or lower structural section of such cooling tower must support significant weight. 
         [0003]    It is desirable in cooling towers to have an access door whereby maintenance personnel can enter the cooling tower for access to the internal components such as the fill, the indirect coil section, and the fan and motor assembly whereby air is forced or drawn into and across the fill and coil assembly. Such access door assemblies are restricted in their size and design by the necessary weight supporting needs, especially of the bottom cooling tower section. Further, such cooling towers come in various sizes whereby a bottom section of a cooling tower could be between six and fourteen feet in width, and six and eighteen feet in length, and between six and eight or ten feet in height. With such a large sheet metal structure, and with the necessary weight constraints in the design and construction of a cooling tower, the walls of the cooling tower structure, while comprised on sheet metal, need to be designed to support the necessary weight while being as light as possible. 
         [0004]    With the need for an access door in both newly designed and especially existing cooling towers which may have a relatively small access opening that may not allow equipment to be brought through the access opening and barely allow the access by a maintenance worker, it is desirable to allow the retrofitting of existing cooling towers especially with a larger access door. With the necessary cutting and removal of the structural wall to enlarge the access opening and install an appropriate door, there is an inherent loss of potential structural support in the wall, especially of the lower cooling tower section. 
         [0005]    Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an adjustable support assembly that allows a larger access opening to be placed in an existing cooling tower, or even in a newly constructed cooling tower, while providing necessary support above the lower cooling tower section in which the access door and adjustable support assembly is installed. 
         [0006]    Further it is an object of the present invention to provide an adjustable support assembly that is almost universally applicable to various sizes of cooling tower walls. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    The present invention provides an adjustable support assembly for use in a metal structure to allow the installation of an access door requiring an access opening. 
         [0008]    The adjustable support assembly of the present invention is especially useful in sheet metal structures such as cooling towers or heat exchangers that utilize structural components such as an indirect heat exchange section including coil assemblies and a direct cooling section including a fill material. Typically, the access door is required in the lower of two such cooling tower structural components which would be stacked vertically on top of each other. The access door would typically be in the of lower of such component sections, with the concern being that if an access door is large enough to allow the ready access of the maintenance worker with appropriate replacement equipment such as motors, belts, and fill sections, the size of the access opening would result in a decreased support capability of the lower component section. 
         [0009]    Accordingly, the adjustable support assembly of the present invention allows an adequate size access opening to be retrofit into an existing cooling tower, or placed in a newly constructed cooling tower, and have the lower component of the cooling tower maintain its structural integrity to allow either it to stand of its own accord or indeed to support a second cooling tower component on top of it. 
         [0010]    The adjustable support assembly of the present invention in general comprises two elongated support assemblies, each comprising a base support, a lower elongated support, and an upper elongated support. The upper elongated support would be affixed to the cooling tower structural wall, while the lower elongated support would have its bottom section affixed to the base support. With the interconnecting design of the elongated lower and upper elongated supports, such supports are vertically adjustable in relation to each other. A typical design for such elongated supports would be a channel type design wherein the upper elongated support would fit inside the lower elongated support. Of course other designs of vertical adjusting support components such as closed channels, angles, and other structural components is possible. 
         [0011]    Such elongated supports include a plurality of bolt receiving openings or threaded fastener receiving openings that when the upper support is vertically adjusted within the lower support, such openings can be aligned and threaded fasteners placed therein to provide significant vertical expansion and adjustment to make the support assembly applicable to a large variety of sizes of cooling tower component structures. 
         [0012]    Further, the bottom of the lower elongated support is affixed to a base support in a vertically adjustable fashion, usually by the use of a threaded fastener and nut assembly, such that accurate adjustments of the height of the interacting elongated supports are possible. 
         [0013]    On the inside of the cooling tower structure, a rear hinge support and a rear locking support are installed in cooperation with the elongated supports on the front side of the cooling tower, and on either side of the access opening. A door is hung from hinges placed on the hinge support, and appropriate locking or handle turning mechanisms can be installed on the side of the door adjacent the locking support. 
         [0014]    Further, a front top support extends laterally between both front elongated supports. A rear top support extends laterally between the top of the rear hinge support and the rear locking support. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0015]    In the drawings, 
           [0016]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an adjustable support assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0017]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of an adjustable support assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0018]      FIG. 3  is a front view of an adjustable support assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0019]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of an initial step in installing the adjustable support assembly of one embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0020]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a second step in accordance with installing an adjustable support assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0021]      FIG. 6  is a detailed view of a lower elongated support and an upper elongated support in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0022]      FIG. 7  is a detailed view of threaded fasteners passing through aligned openings in a lower elongated support and an upper elongated support in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0023]      FIG. 8  is a detailed view of a lower elongated support received in a base support; 
           [0024]      FIG. 9  is a detailed view of a lower elongated support received in a base support, with the lower elongated support at an elevated location; 
           [0025]      FIG. 10  is a detailed perspective view of a lower elongated support received in a base support; 
           [0026]      FIG. 11  is a perspective view of the inside of a cooling tower receiving a hinge support and a locking support; 
           [0027]      FIG. 12  is an inside view of a cooling tower having a complete hinge support, locking  105  support, and rear top support and an access door installed. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0028]    Referring now to  FIG. 1-FIG .  3  of the drawings, a cooling tower structural unit is shown generally at  10 . Such structural unit is generally comprised of an upper section  12 , a lower section  14 , which is supported on a bottom section  17 , with a top section  19  on top of upper  110  section  12 . All such sections are usually comprised of sheet metal, which is usually galvanized or possibly even stainless steel. Junctions  16  are located between upper section  12  and lower section  14 , and extend for the entire circumference of cooling tower  10 . Such junction include structural turnouts to allow the component sections to be joined to each other, and generally lend strength and rigidity to the cooling tower structure  10  itself. Cooling tower component section  10  can vary in size from a width of six feet and a length of six feet and a height of approximately eight feet to a unit having a width of up to fourteen feet and a corresponding length, with a height of ten or twelve feet. 
         [0029]    Cooling tower component section  10  can comprise direct cooling components such as fill wherein water is allowed to flow downwardly across such fill and directly evaporate. Such cooling tower or heat exchange sections are generally deemed direct cooling components. A similar cooling tower section  10  can be located on top of cooling tower component section  10  and an indirect cooling section comprised of multiple serpentine tubes wherein a fluid to be cooled flows and is subjected to a flow of water on the outside of such tubes. Such cooling tower component section is generally deemed an indirect cooling section. As expected, such a cooling tower component section can have significant weight, and thereby cooling tower component section  10  is required to provide necessary support for such cooling tower section located on top of cooling tower component section  10 . 
         [0030]    Accordingly, when an access door  42  is located in a structural wall of cooling tower component section  10 , there is need to provide adequate structural support for both cooling tower section  10  itself and any cooling tower section component located on top of cooling tower component section  10 . Accordingly, an adjustable support assembly is provided whereby an access door can be retrofit into an existing cooling tower, or designed into a newly constructed cooling tower. Such adjustable support assembly comprises front left base support  20 , front left upper elongated support  22 , front left lower elongated support  24 , and front left top support  26 . 
         [0031]    Adjustable support assembly also comprises front right base support  30 , front right upper elongated support  32 , front right lower elongated support  34 , and front right top support  36 . 
         [0032]    Door  42  itself is seen to close into door opening  44 . 
         [0033]    Front top support  40  is also seen to extend laterally between an upper portion of front left lower elongated support  26  and front right lower elongated support  34 . 
         [0034]    In the embodiment shown, front left upper elongated support is affixed to upper section  12  being a structural wall of cooling tower  10 , as is front right upper elongated support  32  affixed to the outside of the structural wall of upper section  12  of cooling tower component section  10 . Such joining is usually accomplished by bolting, but can be accomplished by welding or other affixation means. 
         [0035]    Referring now  FIG. 4-FIG .  10 , the retrofitting of an existing cooling tower component section  10  is shown in usual sequential steps, with the understanding that these steps may be modified and still be considered part of the present invention. Front left base support  20  is seen to be affixed in  FIG. 4  to a location downward in as facing left of existing or initial door opening  45 . In this situation, it is desired to expand the initial door opening  45  to a more readily usable and accessible larger opening, which would be equivalent to door opening  44  as shown in  FIG. 1 . Front left upper elongated support  22  is seen to be affixed to upper section  12  of cooling tower  10 . Further, lower elongated support  24  is seen to be fitted around front left upper elongated support  22  in a manner that lower elongated support  24  is movable in relation to front left upper elongated support  22 . Such movement allows the combined elongated support structure to meet and be fitted to virtually any size cooling tower component structure  10 . Front left lower elongated support  24  is seen to extend downwardly and engage front left base support  20 . 
         [0036]    Referring now to  FIG. 5 , the front right upper elongated support  32 , and front right lower elongated support  34 , along with front right base support  30  are seen to be similarly applied to the outer surface of cooling tower component  10  bridging between upper section  12  and lower section  14 . It should be understood that front left upper elongated support  22  and front left lower elongated support  24 , and similarly front right upper elongated support  32  and front right lower elongated support  34  can be comprised of a structural steel channel assembly, or an angle assembly or other structural component to allow a complementary fit between such elongated support components that allows the elongated support components to be extended in relation to each other as the need to fit cooling tower component section  10  depending on its size varies. 
         [0037]    Referring now to  FIG. 6  and  FIG. 7 , a detailed view of front left upper elongated support  22  is shown having plurality of bolt holes  53  therein and front left lower elongated support  24  is shown having a plurality of bolt holes  54  extending there through. As can be seen, front left upper elongated support  22  extends into front left lower elongated support  24  allowing vertical adjustment and extension there between as needed to adapt the support structure to any size cooling tower component  10 . Threaded fastener assemblies  50  and  52  extend between aligned openings  53  and  54  with such threaded fasteners usually comprising machine bolts nuts and washers. 
         [0038]    Referring now to  FIG. 8-FIG .  10 , the connection of front left lower elongated support  24  with front left base support  20  is shown in detail. Front left base support  20  is seen to comprise a front left base support bottom section  60 , having a left wall  62  and a right wall  64  extending transverse and upwardly there from. Front left base support is typically comprised of a steel fabricated unit but could be a single piece cast or otherwise assembled unit. Threaded height adjusting fastener  68  is seen to be comprised of an upper threaded portion and a base portion  66 . Such threaded height adjusting fastener  68  is usually comprised of a machine bolt which extends through an opening in base portion  72  of front left lower elongated support  24 . Adjusting nut  65  is seen to be threaded on the threaded portion of height adjusting fastener  68  to allow the base portion  72  of front left lower elongated support  24  to be raised to an extended position as shown in  FIG. 9  to appropriately fit the combined front left lower elongated support  24  and upper elongated support  22  to meet the size needs of the final door opening  44  desired in the front of cooling tower component section  10 . Further, upper threaded fastener  67  and lower threaded fastener  69  are seen to extend through slotted elongated opening  70  in right wall  64  of front left base support  20 . Such bolts extend through aligned openings  74  in the bottom portion of side walls of front left lower elongated support  24 . 
         [0039]    Referring now to  FIG. 11  and  FIG. 12 , an inside view of cooling tower component section  10  is provided wherein rear hinge elongated support  80  is affixed to an inside wall of upper section  12  and lower section  14 . Such affixing is usually accomplished by bolts fitting through from the combined front right upper elongated support  32  and front right lower elongated support  34 . 
         [0040]    Similarly, rear locking elongated support  82  is affixed to an inside structural wall of upper section  12  and lower section  14 . Such affixation is again typically accomplished by bolts extending through and engaging with the combined front left upper elongated support  22  and the front left lower elongated support  24 . Hinges  43  are present on rear hinge elongated support  80  such that door  42  can be hung there from and locked or fixed in a closed position through the use of door locking handles  46 .