Reduced skin friction driven pile
AssigneeFoundation Technologies, Inc.
InventorsFrankie A. R. Queen, Jimmy D. Sailors
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A reduced skin friction driven pile which reduces the downward frictional force applied to the pile by the settling of compressible soils surrounding the pile after the pile is driven, comprising a pile which may include a friction reduction coating located about a portion of the exterior of the pile which is expected to have soils settling relative to it. Additionally, a friction reduction collar may be placed at a location along the pile which will create a void between the soil and the portion of the pile above the collar when the pile is driven, so that soils may settle relative to the pile with the void providing reduced contact between the settling soils and the pile so that the downward force of settling soils is reduced.
Claims16
A reduced skin friction driven pile for application in soils having hard soil and soft soil more compressible than said hard soil disposed above the hard soil, and where said pile is configured to extend downwardly through the soft soil into the hard soil, said pile comprising:
- a pile having a longitudinal axis, a first predetermined length corresponding to the depth the pile is to be extended into a hard soil for extending into a hard soil and a second predetermined length corresponding to the depth the pile is to extend into a soft soil for extending into a soft soil and an exterior surface extending along both said first and second lengths of said pile such that said exterior surface and the adjacent soils into which said pile is disposed define coefficients of friction;
- and
- a friction reduction coating adheringly engaging said exterior surface of said pile along said second predetermined length such that said friction reduction coating contacts a soft compressible soil into which said pile is to be disposed and decreases the coefficient of friction between said second predetermined length of said pile and a soft soil;
- thereby reducing the effect of the soft soil settling downwardly about the pile without changing the coefficient of friction between the first length of the pile and the hard soil.
A reduced skin friction driven pile for driving into soils having a hard soil and a soft more compressible soil disposed above a hard soil, comprising:
- a pile having a longitudinal axis and an exterior surface such that said exterior surface and the soils into which said pile is driven define a coefficient of friction;
- a friction reduction collar fixedly engaging said pile, said friction reduction collar adapted and arranged to form a void between said pile and a soft soil while said pile is driven into the soils, whereby said void reduces contact between a soft soil and said exterior surface of said pile;
- and
- a friction reduction coating disposed on a portion of said exterior surface of said pile, said coating being in contact with a soft soil after said pile is driven into a soft compressible soil and a hard soil;
- wherein the coefficient of friction is decreased between the pile and a soft soil adjacent the pile subsequent to the pile being driven, thereby reducing the effect of settling soft soil and the coefficient of friction is unchanged between the pile and a hard soil.
A method of reducing skin friction on a driven pile for application in soils having a hard soil and a more compressible soft soil layer disposed above a hard soil layer comprising the steps of:
- providing a pile having a predetermined length;
- determining a depth to which said pile will be disposed into the soils and determining the portion of the pile to contact a soft compressible soil;
- applying a friction reduction coating to the external surface of said portion of said pile to contact said soft compressible soil;
- and
- driving said pile into the soils.
A method for reducing skin friction on a driven pile for application in soils having a hard soil and a more compressible soft soil layer disposed above a hard soil layer comprising the steps of:
- determining the depth of a hard layer of soil below the surface of the ground;
- providing a pile having a longitudinal axis;
- providing a friction reduction collar which fixedly engages a portion of said pile to be adjacent a soft soil;
- and
- driving said pile into the soils;
- wherein the pile is driven into a soil such that the collar forms a void between said pile and a soft soil while said pile is driven into the soils, and said void reduces contact between a soft soil and said exterior surface of said pile.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.