Apparatus for and method of constructing a sheet piling shoring structure
AssigneeBurkemper Methods, Inc.
InventorWerner W. Burkemper
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system or apparatus for constructing a shoring structure of elongate, interlocking sheet piling members is disclosed which includes a workman support platform controllable by the workman thereon so as to position the workman near the upper end of a vertical piling member partially imbedded or "tacked" in the ground for guiding another piling member hoisted vertically thereabove into interlocking, threading engagement with the previously tacked piling member. A guide for aiding the alignment or threading of the interlocking piling members is disclosed. A method of constructing such a shoring structure is also disclosed.
Claims14
A system for the construction of a shoring structure having a substantially vertical wall formed of a plurality of interlocked, elongate piling members driven into the ground, each of said piling members having means along its sides for interconnection with adjacent piling members, said shoring structure being constructed by positioning at least one of said piling members generally vertically and by at least partially imbedding this one piling member into the ground, the next piling member is then hoisted above the upper end of said one vertical piling member and the interconnection means of the one piling member and the hoisted piling member are engaged and the hoisted piling member is lowered relative to said one piling member, said system comprising apparatus for supporting a workman at a desired position adjacent the upper end of said one piling member so as to enable him to guide said hoisted piling member into endwise interlocking relation with said one piling member, said workman support including a base, a spud pile adapted to be imbedded in the earth, said base being removably securable to said spud pile whereby said workman support may be readily attached to and readily removed from said spud pile, a boom coupled to the base and extending upwardly therefrom, a workman support platform carried by the outer end of said boom, said boom including means for selectively positioning said workman support platform at substantially any desired position along said partially imbedded piling members thereby to enable said workman to aid in the interconnection of said piling members.
A system for the construction of a shoring structure having a substantially vertical wall formed of a plurality of interlocked, elongate piling members driven into the ground, each of said piling members having means along its sides for interconnection with adjacent piling members, said shoring structure being constructed by positioning at least one of said piling members generally vertically and by at least partially imbedding this one piling member into the ground, the next piling member is then hoisted above the upper end of said one vertical piling member and the interconnection means of the one piling member and the hoisted piling member are engaged and the hoisted piling member is lowered relative to said one piling member, including a template to aid in the construction of said shoring structure, said template including one or more rings and means for supporting said rings, said piling members being positionable on said rings for vertical and circumferential alignment of said piling members relative to said template, said template having an interior structure within said rings, said system comprising apparatus for supporting a workman at a desired position adjacent the upper end of said one piling member so as to enable him to guide said hoisted piling member into endwise interlocking relation with said one piling member, said workman support including a base, a boom coupled to the base and extending upwardly therefrom, a workman support platform carried by the outer end of said boom, said boom including means for selectively positioning said workman support platform at substantially any desired position along said partially imbedded piling members thereby to enable said workman to aid in the interconnection of said piling members, said workman support being mounted on said template interior structure.
A guide for aiding the vertical threading of a piling member to another, previously positioned vertical piling member, each of said piling members having interlocking means along the lateral edges thereof and extending the length thereof with the interlocking means of one of the piling members being adapted to receive the interlocking means of the next adjacent piling member when the interlocking means of the piling members are endwise threaded together, said piling member being slidable lengthwise relative to one another upon threading of the interlocking means thereof together, said guide having a body with a blind slot in one side thereof extending from one end of the guide body and terminating a distance from said one end of said guide body, said blind slot being adapted to receive a portion of the upper edge of said at least partially driven piling member thereby to align said guide body with the longitudinal axis of said interlocking means of said previously positioned piling member, said guide body further having a guide opening extending therethrough, said guide body further having a slot extending longitudinally through said guide body on the side of the guide body opposite from said blind slot for providing communication between the other side of the guide body and the guide bore and for receiving a portion of the lower end of said next adjacent piling member and for aligning the interconnecting means of the next adjacent piling member to the interconnecting means of the said previously positioned piling member so that upon lowering the next piling member, the interconnecting means of said piling members will be endwise threaded together.
A guide for aiding the vertical endwise threading of interlocking piling members which are adapted to be driven in substantially vertical direction into the ground, each of said piling members being an elongate member having a main body section with interconnecting means at each lateral side thereof, said interconnecting means comprising means defining a groove along one side of one of said piling members and tongue means on the next adjacent piling member adopted to be received endwise in said groove so as to substantially prevent sidewise and lateral relative movement between the interlocked piling members, said guide comprising a guide body having a first end and a second end, a guide bore extending longitudinally through said guide body from one end thereof to the other, said guide body having a blind slot therein along one side thereof extending longitudinally of said guide body from said one end thereof and terminating a distance from said one end, said blind slot providing communication through said guide body from one side thereof to said guide bore, a longitudinal slot in said guide body on the side opposite thereof from said blind slot and extending longitudinally of the body from one end thereof to the other for providing communication from said other side of said guide body to said guide bore, said guide bore having guide surfaces therein, said guide body being installable on the top of a first piling member with said blind slot receiving the upper top portion of said first piling member and with said interlocking means of said first piling member being in line with said guide bore of said guide body, the lower inner edge of a next adjacent piling member being received from above in said guide bore and in said longitudinal slot with the interlocking means of said next adjacent piling member being received in said guide bore and with the main body section of said next adjacent piling member being received in said longitudinal slot and extending from the guide bore to the outside of said guide body, said guide surfaces in said guide bore being engageable with said next adjacent piling member as the latter is lowered with respect to the guide and with respect to said one piling member so as to align said interlocking of said piling members with one another thus permitting the endwise threading of the interlocking means of the piling members.
A method of constructing a shoring structure, the latter being formed from a plurality of elongate piling members interlocked along their adjacent side edges and being at least partially imbedded in the ground, each of said piling members have interfitting interlock means along their side edges with the interlock means of one piling member being threadable endwise with the interlock means of the next adjacent piling member, a structure for serving as a template during construction of the shoring structure, said method comprising the steps of:
- installing a selectively movable workman support means on said template support means;
- at least partially inserting one end of a first piling member into the ground;
- positioning a workman on said workman support means adjacent the upper end of said first piling member, said workman being positioned on a selectively movable work platform movable to substantially any desired position along the piling members being installed;
- installing a piling member guide on the upper end of said first piling member;
- selectively moving said work platform to a desired position so that said workman may conveniently aid in the guiding of one piling member into interlocking relation with another piling member;
- hoisting a second piling member above the level of said guide with said second piling member extending vertically;
- lowering said second piling member and guiding at least a portion of the lower end of said second piling member into said guide thereby to facilitate the alignment of the interlocking means of said first and second piling members into endwise threaded engagement with one another;
- and
- lowering said second piling member with respect to said first piling member.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.