Apparatus for use in forming piles

Abstract

An apparatus for forming a pile in the ground has an elongate member (12, 112), at least one helical thread flight (16, 116) on the elongate member (12, 112), and a torque transmission device (24, 124) to transmit torque from a drive structure to the elongate member (12, 112) and the at least one helical thread flight (16, 116) thereon. The outer diameter of the transmission device is greater than the outer diameter of the elongate member so that the apparatus can be inserted into the ground through a frustoconical depression (50) in the ground by rotating the torque transmission device (24, 124) in a first direction, and upon the reversal of the direction of rotation, a hole is left in the ground with a diameter which is the same as that of the transmission device, and with helical grooves of substantially the same shape as the at least one helical thread flight (16, 116). Cementitious material (58) can be passed through the apparatus to fill the hole in the ground as most of the apparatus is withdrawn from the ground.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.