Back to results
US 6,786,477 B1Granted
Actuator apparatus
AssigneeAldridge Piling Equipment (Hire) Company Limited
InventorDavid Coley
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An actuator (10) for use in installing or extracting piles and the like has a common member (12) supported at (14) and having jaws (16) for gripping a pile. Within the block (12) a double-acting piston (18) is located alongside a space (20) for a control valve arrangement which provides hydraulic fluid, in various ways described, to create vibratory or impact forces from the piston (18). The piston and the valve arrangements are both removable and replaceable by alternatives, to modify the mode of operation of the actuator (10).
Claims25
An actuator apparatus comprising:
- a housing member having walls formed with ports for a pressurized fluid,
- a first means housed in the housing member, the first means being a piston means displaceable in the housing member,
- a second means housed in the housing member, the second means being a valve means comprising at least one valve arrangement, the valve arrangement or each valve arrangement being transiently coupled to the piston means and the ports of the housing member, the or each valve arrangement including partitions,
- wherein at least one of the first and second means is removable or replaceable from the housing member to provide alternative combinations for the actuator apparatus,
- the or each valve arrangement being operable to supply the pressurized fluid to the piston means whereby the piston means creates driving forces,
- alternative combinations for the actuator apparatus in use respectively execute a first operation and a second operation,
- the or each valve arrangement in a first position being rotatable within the housing member whereby the partitions alter coupling connection between the ports of the housing member and the piston means in a predetermined sequence, and
- at least one valve arrangement being axially movable to a second position wherein the partitions differently alter the coupling connection between the ports of the housing member and the piston means.
5 more elements
An actuator apparatus comprising:
- a housing member having walls formed with ports for a pressurized fluid,
- a first means housed in the housing member, the first means being a piston means displaceable in the housing member,
- a second means housed in the housing member, the second means comprising a valve arrangement, the valve arrangement being transiently coupled to the piston means and the ports of the housing member and including partitions,
- wherein at least one of the first and second means is removable or replaceable from the housing member to provide alternative combinations for the actuator apparatus,
- the valve arrangement being operable to supply the pressurized fluid to the piston means whereby the piston means creates driving forces,
- alternative combinations for the actuator apparatus in use respectively execute a first operation and a second operation,
- the valve arrangement in a first position being rotatable within the housing member whereby the partitions alter coupling connection between the ports of the housing member and the piston means in a predetermined sequence, and
- the valve arrangement being axially movable to a second position wherein the partitions differently alter the coupling connection between the ports of the housing member and the piston means.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.