Abstract:
A bracket assembly rests upon a pier set adjacent to a foundation and a secondary component elevates the bracket assembly. The bracket provides adjustable engagement to limit rotation of the bracket with respect to an installed pier. The bracket assembly has an housing, a bearing member, load transfer plates, reinforcing means, and an adjusting bolt beneath the bearing member. The housing is either two parallel plates or a tube. In the plates embodiment, two slots receive either a pin, a gate alone, or a gate with a moveable plate. In the tube embodiment, the pier fits snugly within the tube. Further, the bracket permits locating tools over the piers to reduce induced bending moment at the junction of the pier and the bracket. The bracket assembly stabilizes and lifts piers.
Abstract:
The invention basically comprises the addition of a small amount of nanometer sized carbon tubes or fibres grown by high temperature vapour deposition to a meso-phase graphite mixture used for a negative electrode (anode) for a lithium battery. These are referred to herein as “carbon nano-fibres”. According to one embodiment of the present invention, in an anode for a lithium battery having a conductive substrate coated with a pressed compact of spherical graphite and an ion-conducting polymeric binder, an amount of from 1.5 to 12% by weight of carbon nano-fibres is added. The carbon nano-fibres may have an average diameter of around 0.2 μm (200×10−9 m) a length of from 10 to 20 mm and an inner core diameter of from 65-70 nm. The spherical graphite may be meso-phase graphite and more preferably, the carbon nano-fibres are included in amount of from 2 to 9% by weight.