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US 12,686,985 B2Granted
Methods and apparatus for building expanded shaft augured foundation elements
AssigneeGeopier Foundation Company, Inc.
InventorsAugust Beck, Kord J. Wissmann
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus for building expanded shaft augured foundation elements, comprising: a dual-section drilling augur having a lower section and an upper section, wherein the lower section and the upper section are configured to rotate relative to each other.
Claims19
An apparatus for building expanded shaft augured foundation elements, comprising:
- a dual-section augur having a lower section and an upper section, wherein the lower section and the upper section are configured to rotate relative to each other;
- and,
- an augur conveyance restriction element disposed between the lower section and the upper section.
A method for building expanded shaft augured foundation elements, comprising:
- aligning a lower section and an upper section of a dual-section drilling augur to achieve an open configuration to allow for augur spoil conveyance.;
- advancing the dual-section drilling augur in to a subsurface ground material, wherein as the dual-section drilling augur cuts into the subsurface material, cuttings are conveyed upwards on flights of the dual-section drilling augur, enabled by the open configuration;
- placing backfill material into the dual-section drilling augur when design depth has been achieved;
- raising the dual-section drilling augur to allow the flow of the backfill material out of the dual-section drilling augur at the design depth;
- re-advancing the dual-section drilling augur downwardly into the backfill material until the backfill material forms cuttings on augur flights of the lower section;
- reversing rotation direction of the dual-section drilling augur causing the upper section to swivel relative to the lower section and placing the dual-section drilling augur into a closed configuration which prohibits the upward conveyance of cuttings;
- and,
- creating an expanded shaft, augured foundation element through a combination of downwardly movement and the reverse rotation of the dual-section drilling augur forcing the backfill material cuttings that are on the augur flights of the lower section to move down and outward relative to the dual-section drilling augur.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.