Patent Publication Number: US-11655651-B2

Title: Installing a wire fence to a post

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The invention relates to a method of installing a wire fence to a post, particular for residential purposes. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     Wire fences like chain link fences are popular in the market. Chain link fences are relatively easy to install but they require an upper bar upon which the chain link fence is hung. This upper bar makes the whole more expensive. 
     In wire fences with horizontal wires, the stretching or tensioning very often forms a problem. In an attempt to alleviate this problem some wire fences have horizontal wires with crimps or undulations. In spite of this, installing a wire fence where all horizontal wires are equally stretched and where the installed wire fence exhibits a flat surface often requires experienced and professional skills. 
     Another problem is the fixation of the posts. A hole must be dug in the ground and the post must be anchored in a cementitious matrix while being positioned perfectly vertically. Here again a novice fence builder experiences difficulties to get this done in the right way. 
     DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION 
     It is a general object of the invention to avoid or at least to mitigate the problems of the prior art. 
     It is a particular object of the invention to provide a method of installing a wire fence that is straightforward, quick and simple. 
     It is another object of the invention to provide a method of installing a wire fence that can be applied by a novice fence builder. 
     According to a general aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of installing a wire fence to a post. The wire fence comprises horizontal and vertical wires. The horizontal wires have horizontal wire ends. The installation method comprises the following steps: 
     a) providing horizontal wires; 
     b) providing vertical wires; 
     c) connecting the vertical wires to the horizontal wires to form a wire fence; 
     d) providing a post to form a termination of the wire fence; 
     e) providing holes in the post, one hole for each horizontal wire; 
     f) driving the post into the ground; 
     g) providing sufficient length at the horizontal wire ends to allow termination and tensioning of the horizontal wires; 
     h) inserting the horizontal wire ends through the holes in the post; 
     i) attaching wire tensioning devices to some of the horizontal wire ends, one wire tensioning device per horizontal wire end; 
     j) stretching the horizontal wires by means of the tensioning devices; 
     k) keeping the tensioning devices on the horizontal wire ends, whereby the tensioning devices keep the horizontal wires attached to the pole; 
     l) placing a cover plate to the post to cover the tensioning devices and the horizontal wire ends. 
     The horizontal wires and the vertical wires may be metal wires and are preferably steel wires. The horizontal wires may have a higher breaking load than the vertical wires in order to allow stretching, for example the horizontal wires may be somewhat thicker than the vertical wires or may have an equal diameter but a higher tensile strength. 
     In step i) wire tensioning devices may be attached to all of the horizontal wire ends. 
     The vertical wires may be connected to the horizontal wires in step c) in any way, for example by welding or by twisting or wrapping part of the vertical wires around the horizontal wires. 
     Preferably, the vertical wires are connected to the horizontal wires by means of an additional piece of wire that forms a knot at the crossing points between the horizontal wires and the vertical wires. The wire fence created in this way is called a knotted wire fence. 
     Most preferably, the piece of wire that is forming the knot is made of a metal wire or steel wire that is more ductile than the horizontal and vertical wires in order to allow the bending needed for knot formation. 
     Sufficient length in step g) is created by removing one or more vertical wires. This can be more easily done in case of a knotted fence in comparison with fences where horizontal wires are welded to vertical wires. 
     In a preferable embodiment of installing the wire mesh and, more particularly, the post, a bottom plate is attached to the post. The bottom plate divides the post in an upper part, intended to stay above the ground level, and a lower part, intended to be driven into the ground. 
     Most preferably, the bottom plate is reinforced. 
     Step f) of driving the post into the ground can be done by exercising force on the bottom plate. The use of the bottom plate as drive plate is much safer and easier than to try and hit the top of the post. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES IN THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    is a side view of post; 
         FIG.  2    is another side view of part of the same post; 
         FIG.  3    illustrates a wire fence when being installed to the post 
         FIG.  4    illustrates the working principle of a wire tensioner. 
     
    
    
     MODE(S) FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION 
       FIG.  1    is a side view of a post  10  and  FIG.  2    is a view from another side of part of the same post  10  to be used in the installation method of the invention. 
     Post  10  is made of an aluminium or steel plate material and has an L-shaped cross-section. Post  10  can be made out one planar plate that has been bent or out of two planar plates that are welded together. 
     A bottom plate  12 , which can also be made of aluminium or steel, divides the plate  12  over its length in two parts: One part is the upper part  14  intended to stay visible and above the ground and the other part is the lower part  16  intended to be driven into the ground. The bottom plate  12  can be welded to the elongated L-shaped body. 
     Holes  18  are provided in the upper part  14  of the post, at least one hole  18  per horizontal wire. The distance between two successive holes  18  matching substantially the distance between two neighbouring horizontal wires in the wire fence. 
     In a preferable embodiment of the invention, the holes may be offset with respect to each other in order to avoid interference between two neighbouring wire tensioners. 
     Triangular brace plates  19  can be fixed, e.g. welded, to the post  10  to further reinforce the post  10 . 
     As mentioned, post  10  can be driven into the ground without making use of a cementitious matrix material as mortar or cement. A vertical downward force is exercized on the bottom plate  12 . In order to receive these impact forces the bottom plate  12  is preferably reinforced by means of a reinforcing brace  20  which brings additional support to the bottom plate  12 . 
       FIG.  3    illustrates a wire fence  30  when being installed to a post  10 . The wire fence  30  has horizontal wires  32  (including an upper horizontal wire  32 ′ and a bottom horizontal wire  32 ″) that are connected to vertical wires  34 . Except for the upper horizontal wire  32 ′ and the bottom horizontal wire  32 ″, the horizontal wires  32  are connected to the vertical wires  34  by means of a knot  36 . The vertical wires  34  are connected to the upper horizontal wire  32 ′ and the bottom horizontal wire  32 ″ by wrapping, i.e. the ends of the vertical wires  34  are wrapped a number of times around the upper horizontal wire  32 ′ and the bottom horizontal wire  32 ″. 
     The horizontal wires  32 ,  32 ′,  32 ″, the vertical wires  34  and the pieces of wire making the knot  36  are preferably metal wires, most preferably steel wires. 
     The steel wires may be low carbon steel wires with a carbon content ranging between 0.04 weight percent and 0.40 weight percent. An example of a typical low carbon steel composition is a carbon content of 0.06 wt %, a silicon content of 0.166 wt %, a chromium content of 0.042 wt %, a copper content of 0.173 wt %, a manganese content of 0.382 wt %, a molybdenum content of 0.013 wt %, a nitrogen content of 0.006 wt %, a nickel content of 0.077 wt %, a phosphorus content of 0.007 wt %, a sulphur content of 0.013 wt %, the remainder being iron and unavoidable impurities. 
     The steel wires may also be medium carbon steel wires. Medium carbon steel wires may have a steel composition with a carbon content ranging from 0.40 wt % to 0.55 wt %, a manganese content ranging from 0.25 wt % to 0.65 wt %, a sulphur content below 0.05 wt % and a phosphorus content below 0.04 wt %. 
     The steel wires may be covered with a corrosion resistant coating such as a polymer coating or a metal coating or a combination of both. 
     The polymer may be PVC or polyester. The polymer coating is preferably applied by means of an extrusion process. 
     The metal coating is preferably a zinc coating or a zinc alloy coating. 
     A zinc alloy coating may be a zinc aluminum coating that has an aluminum content ranging from 2 percent by weight to 12 percent by weight, e.g. ranging from 3% to 11%. 
     A preferable composition lies around the eutectoid position: Al about 5 percent. The zinc alloy coating may further have a wetting agent such as lanthanum or cerium in an amount less than 0.1 percent of the zinc alloy. The remainder of the coating is zinc and unavoidable impurities. 
     Another preferable composition contains about 10% aluminum. This increased amount of aluminum provides a better corrosion protection then the eutectoid composition with about 5% of aluminum. 
     Other elements such as silicon (Si) and magnesium (Mg) may be added to the zinc aluminum coating. With a view to optimizing the corrosion resistance, a particular good alloy comprises 2% to 10% aluminum and 0.2% to 3.0% magnesium, the remainder being zinc. 
     An example is 5% Al, 0.5% Mg and the rest being Zn. 
     A zinc or zinc alloy coating is preferably applied to the steel wire by means of a hot dip operation. 
     A wire drawing operation can be applied both before, after or before and after the hot dip operation. 
     The weight of zinc or zinc alloy on the steel wire is preferably above 100 g/m 2 , e.g. above 110 g/m 2 , in order to guarantee the required corrosion resistance. 
     The diameter of the steel wire may range from 1.5 mm to 4.0 mm, e.g. from 2.0 mm to 3.5 mm. The height of the knotted wire fence may range from 1 meter on to about 2 meter. Examples of fence heights are 122 cm (48 inch), 152 cm (60 inch) and 183 cm (72 inch). 
     The width of an opening or mesh may be about 5 cm (2 inch) in horizontal direction and 10 cm (4 inch) in vertical direction. 
     As mentioned, in some embodiments the horizontal steel wires may have a breaking load that is higher than the breaking load of the vertical steel wires, since the horizontal steel wires are under tension, once installed. For example, the horizontal steel wires may have a diameter of 2.5 mm while the vertical steel wires may have a diameter of 2.0 mm. 
     In other preferable embodiments the steel wires that are used to make the knot are more ductile than the horizontal steel wires and the vertical steel wires. An increased degree of ductility may be expressed by a higher elongation at break or by a higher number of bends around a radius of curvature before fracture occurs. 
     Removing some of the vertical wires makes available sufficient length  38  in the horizontal wires  32 ,  32 ′,  32 ″ to connect the horizontal wires  32 ,  32 ′,  32 ″ to the post  10 . A table or graph may be provided to indicate the number of vertical wires to be removed based upon the total length to be tensioned. 
     The horizontal wire ends are inserted through the holes  18  of post  10 . Once inserted through the holes  18 , a wire tensioner  39  is attached to each horizontal wire.  FIG.  3    illustrates such a wire tensioner  39  attached to some, but not all, horizontal wires  32 . 
     An example of a tensioner  39  is illustrated in  FIG.  4   . Such a tensioner  39  may have a body  42  with a first passage  44  through which a horizontal wire  32  passes. There is also a second intersecting passage  46  that carries a ball  48  or disc which is spring-biased  49  towards the intersection and rolls in the second passage  46  in a position locking the horizontal wire  32  under tension. Since the horizontal wires  32  are preferably steel wires, the tensioner  39  is preferably made of metal, most preferably of steel. This metal or steel of the tensioner  39 , particularly the metal or steel of the inner side of the passage  44  and of the ball  48  are in direct contact with the horizontal steel wire  32 . 
     In a next step each horizontal wire  32 ,  32 ′,  32 ″ is tensioned so that the wire fence  30  has a regular and planar appearance without undulations. This esthetical appearance may be reached without providing an undulation or crimp in the horizontal wires  32 ,  32 ′,  32 ″. 
     Finally, a cover plate  40  may be attached to the post thereby hiding the various horizontal wire ends and the tensioners  39 . A cap (not shown) may be provided on top of the post  10  and cover plate  40 . 
     The following alternative installation method may be provided. 
     All poles are installed into the ground, at least one pole at the start and one pole at the end. Guidelines or tables are provided on how many poles are required in between. 
     Optionally, a table is provided which indicates the required length of the fence as a function of the area to be covered (taking into account elastic behavior during tensioning). 
     At both ends of the wire, the following steps are performed: 
     a) At least one of the stay wires is removed from the line wire. This exposes a free length of line wire, at least the length of the grid or mesh opening. 
     b) The free length of the line wire is folded over the knot of the first stay wire. It is folded at least 180° but preferably more. 
     c) The mesh is connected to the first pole. 
     d) At this first end of the fence, a piece of rod with the length at least equal to the height of the fence (further called a tensioning bar) is woven into the fence: in between the first (fixed) and the second stay wire and alternating at the front side and at the back side of the horizontal line wires. 
     e) A horizontal line wire is connected to the first pole. This may be done either by winding a horizontal wire around pole or by fixing this horizontal wire to a clip that is connected to the pole. 
     f) Thereafter, the fence may be tensioned at a first end. 
     The same procedure may be repeated at the other end of the fence. A tensioning bar is connected to the second end of the fence. 
     At a distance of around two meter from the end of the mesh, a tensioning device is connected to the mesh. 
     The tensioning device can be two bars (preferably square, the length at least equal to the height of the fence) that are positioned on either side of the fence and pushed together, thereby squeezing the line wire in between. 
     The fence can then be tensioned by connecting any type of pulling system to the tensioning device and the end pole (or a temporary pole installed only for the purpose of tensioning). 
     The mesh can be connected to the end pole by connecting the tensioning bar to the pole as before. 
     The following digital tool may be provided to facilitate installation. 
     A customer experience platform is provided on which: 
     a) The consumer can design a fence by selecting the fence size, wire diameter, pole design and color. 
     b) The consumer can visualize and measure the length of a fence by the use of a maps system (e.g. Google Maps). 
     c) The consumer can select an installer from the list of approved installers or select the self-installation option. 
     The self-installation option makes any necessary tools available either for purchase or for renting. 
     Once all input has been given, all materials required to install the selected fence are shipped to the consumer (in case of self-installation) or to the selected installer. 
     LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS 
     
         
         
           
               10  post 
               12  bottom plate 
               14  upper part of post 
               16  lower part of post 
               18  hole 
               19  reinforcing brace for post 
               20  reinforcing brace for bottom plate 
               30  wire fence 
               32  horizontal wire 
               32 ′ upper horizontal wire 
               32 ″ bottom horizontal wire 
               36  knot 
               37  wrapping of vertical wire 
               38  length to attach horizontal wires to post 
               39  tensioner 
               40  cover plate 
               42  body of tensioner 
               44  first passage in tensioner 
               46  second passage in tensioner 
               48  ball 
               49  spring