The foundation under the gate: do it yourself

Gates - face! Your garage, plot, personal territory. They should be beautiful and comfortable to use. Reliable, modern, functional and safe-impregnable.

And never to be denied. Sliding gates already meet all the necessary requirements, since their production technology has advanced far ahead. Removed all problems and design errors.

Вот и вы – тоже их купили, и хотите поставить. С чего начать? Нужно устроить foundation for the gate, иначе после установки они сразу «лягут».

Gate installation is projected from the base for roller bearings. When installing and installing sliding gates or barriers, the main point - high-quality design, drawn on the gate is a retractable foundation pattern - and, in fact, a concrete foundation device, preferably with reinforcement. At the same time, the foundation should be tightly connected to the supporting structure itself, to which all other elements will then be attached.

• 1 Simplest performance

• 1.1 Addition of execution

Simplest performance

Note! An example is given for a specific case, which may not suit all situations. However, the case is typical, therefore it is subject to universal consideration. Take the classic "user" version of the foundation for sliding gates, for which there is an algorithm for the device, the simplest materials, a minimum of work and a low price.

This will be a steel channel, mounted in a reinforced concrete base.

Imagine a process in a simplified form in order to stop being afraid of technology:

1. On the side of the future opening of the gate, where the so-called “recoil zone” will be located, a small trench comes off close to the fence. The parameters are determined by your design, it will be about a meter deep and about 40 cm wide. Calculate the length of the trench on the "tail" of the structure, that is, on the counterweight, it is about 40-50% of the entire width of your gate.
2. A massive steel channel with a width of 16-20 cm is measured in length, sawn to size of the trench. From the bottom to the obtained element, several armaturins or steel bars 8-12 mm in diameter are brewed. This will ensure the “firmness” of the base, since the reinforcement will be tightly embedded in concrete.
3. The finished structure is immersed in an open trench, while it must be leveled to the horizon (strictly!) on the construction level. Otherwise there will be problems with the functioning of the mechanism. It will be problematic to put a comparatively heavy base with your own hands, therefore you need to enlist the support of a neighbor or relative. Use bricks or stones to enclose structures from under them. Keep in mind that the channel with its upper shelf, on which the roller bearings will drive, must be flush with the road surface in the opening itself, whether it be asphalt, tile, etc.
4. Pit or trench with fixed channel level in it, fill with concrete about a centimeter below the top of the channel.

Addition of performance

This design assumes the presence of ready-made boundary fence pillars, to which the gate will be attached with the mechanism.

If you have not yet installed the pillars, it makes sense to consider the option when screw foundations for sliding gates are installed, and then those screwed in pillars can be made important and leading elements. But the tape foundation, nevertheless, will be preferable, even simultaneously with the installation of fence posts.

Tip! Some amateur craftsmen, in addition to the already established pillars, do one more, additional. And then they attach the upper bracket design, which with rollers. This can be considered rational in two cases: when your existing supports from the fence are very flimsy, or when the gates are very massive and need additional reinforcement. And for the future it is good if in the near future it is planned to change the fence along with the pillars.

For all other situations, it is not necessary to put additional posts; this is a waste of money and your own strength. This is a complication of installation and a serious deterioration in the aesthetics of the appearance.

Technical component

The process technology for almost all methods of building the foundation for the gate can be put into a typical algorithm:

1. Determination of the dimensions of the components.
2. Marking trench or pit.
3. Excavation.
4. Preparing components in size.
5. Reinforcement and installation of embedded parts and elements.
6. Actually pouring the foundation, that is, concreting.

Load Compliance Conditions

Note! Be sure to pay special attention to the reliability of fixing the fittings to the mortgage channel. The reinforcement rods that you enter into the concrete foundation will bind the massif and the main carrier channel. This information will give you any instructions for installing load-bearing structures - embedded elements must be properly attached to the place of embedding!

When preparing and installing, take into account that during the maximum opening of the door leaves on a mortgage channel, the load increases as much as possible, therefore the edge should be well installed and secured. The same applies to the loads during the almost complete closing of the valves. Почти – потому что сила до того как кольцевой ролик зафиксируется в ловушке, будет самой большой, а при его спокойном положении в ловушке – минимальной. Для полного понимания действия сил при попадании ролика в ловушку нужно посмотреть соответствующие фото или video.

And even better - go to university and pass the theoretical mechanics. Therefore, it is worthwhile to believe the experts, and to maximally strengthen these particular construction sites.

The greatest load during the operation of the gate will fall on the lower bed of the channel, that is, on the base. Similar efforts will also be made at the point of attachment of the channel to the concrete foundation. In some particular cases, during the opening of a large sash, the discharge roller does not come into contact with the surface of the support, rising under the action of an unevenly distributed mass of the structure.

Then all the power is concentrated on the carrier channel. In this state, the structure is loaded pointwise, the local forces are determined by the leaf material and the length of the sliding gates (width of the opening). (See also Gateway - how to choose)

Why such technical characteristics? For the selection of materials:

• Wire, for example, as bars for reinforcement will not work if its diameter is less than 8 mm;
• As the basic materials for the concrete mass, we use the ready-made mortar of concrete M350, purchased on a production basis;
• Or, for self-mixing - Portland cement brand is not below M500;
• And hard rock, preferably rock, for the filler. Granite rubble is excellent, it can be freely bought from railway workers during dismantling or repair of railway tracks. Only they sell it dirty, because for them this material is secondary. You will need to make him a "bath", that is, rinse with plenty of water.

For even more understanding: the designation (marking) of concrete or cement is an indicator of compressive load withstanding per square centimeter. Granite rubble or gravel as a filler still gives concrete additional high frost resistance rates, which will be very necessary for an open foundation under sliding gates.

After all, this is not the foundation of the house, which is insulated and waterproofed, and from above it is “pressed” by a warm residential building. The concrete foundation under the gate is constantly open, exposed to low temperatures. Low frost resistance will ensure your chipping after the first winter operation.

Why still need high frost resistance? Because in our merry climate, the foundation will be “soaked” through and through, the water doesn’t care that it is concrete. The base, saturated with autumn moisture, with minus winter temperatures will be pulled apart from the inside - for this, and high strength to withstand the internal forces.

It is necessary to choose a cement with a high number F on the labeling, since “F” is the indicator of frost resistance. And an additional selection criterion - the indicator W, denoting the water resistance of hardened cement. Of course, the higher the F and W, the better the material will suit us.