Concrete pile cutter
OwnerLeon B. Trudeauinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and apparatus are described for preparing an end of a reinforced concrete pile (68). Excessive lengths of the driven pile are cut off using a shear blade (22) that is driven through the concrete and reinforcing steel (102) of the pile. Concrete is then removed down to a certain level below the cutoff position using a pair of blades (62) that engage the surface of the pile and penetrate the surface while wedging the upper pan of the pile up away from the main body of the pile. This cracks the concrete through at the desired position. At the same time, concrete breakers (88) engage the concrete pile above the blades to fracture the concrete from the reinforcing steel. This eliminates the need for cutting of the piles with explosives and the removal of concrete using pneumatic hammers.
Claims24
A method of preparing an end of a pile comprising a concrete matrix and elongate reinforcement therein, said method comprising:
- providing a plurality of blades, oriented transversely of the pile at a selected position along the pile;
- transversely breaking the concrete matrix at the selected position by driving the plurality of blades into the surface of the concrete matrix around the periphery of the pile, without engaging the reinforcement;
- providing a concrete breaker means adjacent the pile and extending between the end of the pile and selected position;
- fracturing the concrete matrix between the end of the pile and the selected position along the pile by driving the breaker means into engagement with the concrete matrix;
- and
- removing the fractured concrete to expose the reinforcement.
Apparatus for preparing an end of a pile comprising a concrete matrix and longitudinal reinforcement embedded therein, said apparatus comprising:
- pile fracturing means for fracturing the concrete matrix transversely of the pile at a selected location along the pile, said fracturing means comprising:
- a plurality of blades having respective cutting edges;
- means for mounting the blades around the pile and at a selected position along the pile with the cutting edges confronting the pile;
- and
- means for driving the cutting edges of the blades into the surface of the concrete matrix around the periphery of the pile;
- concrete breaker means;
- means for mounting the breaker means adjacent the pile and between the end of the pile and the selected position;
- and
- means for driving the breaker means into engagement with the concrete matrix.
Apparatus for preparing an end of a pile comprising a concrete matrix and longitudinal reinforcement embedded therein, said apparatus comprising:
- a frame with an open centre adapted to receive the pile therethrough;
- cutoff means comprising:
- an anvil,
- means for mounting the anvil on the frame at one side of the open centre,
- a shear blade,
- means for mounting the shear blade on the frame for movement across the open centre of the frame towards the anvil, and
- means for driving the shear blade through the pile to sever the pile,
- breaking means comprising:
- a plurality of fracturing blades having respective cutting edges;
- means for mounting the blades around the pile and at a selected position along the pile with the cutting edges confronting the pile;
- means for driving the cutting edges of the blades into the surface of the concrete matrix around the periphery of the pile;
- concrete breaker means;
- means for mounting the breaker means adjacent the pile and between the end of the pile and the selected position;
- means for driving the breaker means into engagement with the concrete matrix.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.