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US 7,354,224 B2Granted
Adjustable pile splicing apparatus, system, method, and product-by-process
OwnerJohn V. Cinquanoinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Piles are spliced using a first splicer element comprising a first splicer face and a cross-section sized and contoured to mate with and press firmly against first faces of a pair of piles to be spliced; together with a second splicer element comprising a second splicer face and a cross-section sized and contoured to mate with and press firmly against second faces of said pair of piles to be spliced; together with an inter-facial connection and distance-adjustment apparatus for connecting said first and second splicer faces together firmly about said first and second faces of said pair of piles to be spliced, and for increasing or decreasing an interfacial distance between said first and second splicer faces at will.
Claims21
A system for splicing piles, comprising:
- i) a first splicer element comprising:
- a first splicer face;
- and
- a non-planar cross-section sized and contoured to mate with and press firmly against first faces of a pair of piles to be spliced and, via said sizing and contour, to bring said piles into proper longitudinal alignment for subsequent permanent attaching;
- ii) a second splicer element comprising:
- a second splicer face;
- and
- a non-planar cross-section sized and contoured to mate with and press firmly against second faces of said pair of piles to be spliced and, via said sizing and contour, to bring said piles into proper longitudinal alignment for subsequent permanent attaching;
- and
- iii) an inter-facial connection and distance-adjustment apparatus for connecting said detachable and separable first and second splicer faces together firmly about said first and second faces of said pair of piles to be spliced, and for increasing or decreasing an interfacial distance between said first and second splicer faces at will;
- wherein:
- said first splicing element is detachable and separable from said second splicer element sized and contoured to mate with and press firmly against second faces of said pair of piles to be spliced;
- and
- said inter-facial connection and distance-adjustment apparatus is positioned upon said first and second splicer faces such that when said pair of piles is spliced, it does not pass entirely circumscribed through either pile, but only passes through at least one open notch at the very end of one or both piles.
11 more elements
A method for splicing piles comprising:
- connecting a first splicer face of a first splicer element with a second splicer face of a second splicer element using an inter-facial connection and distance-adjustment apparatus, wherein said first and second splicing elements are sized and contoured, with a non-planar cross-section, to mate with and press firmly against respective first and second faces of a pair of piles to be spliced and, via said sizing and contour, to bring said piles into proper longitudinal alignment for subsequent permanent attaching;
- adjusting an interfacial distance between said first and second splicer faces such that said connected first and second splicer elements can readily slide over a top end of a lower member of said pair of piles to be spliced and such that a bottom end of an upper member of said pair of piles to be spliced can readily slide between said connected first and second splicer elements, using said inter-facial connection and distance adjustment apparatus, wherein said inter-facial connection and distance-adjustment apparatus is positioned upon said first and second splicer faces such that when said pair of piles is spliced, it does not pass entirely circumscribed through either pile, but only passes through at least one open notch at the very end of one or both piles;
- sliding said connected first and second splicer elements over said top end of said lower member of said pair of piles to be spliced;
- sliding said bottom end of said upper member of said pair of piles to be spliced between said connected first and second splicer elements;
- decreasing said interfacial distance between said first and second splicer faces until said first and second splicer faces press tightly against said respective first and second faces of said pair of piles to be spliced, using said inter-facial connection and distance-adjustment apparatus;
- permanently attaching together, said first and second splicer faces and said pair of piles to be spliced.
3 more elements
A structural pile-based product, constructed using a process for splicing piles, said process comprising:
- connecting a first splicer face of a first splicer element with a second splicer face of a second splicer element using an inter-facial connection and distance-adjustment apparatus, wherein said first and second splicing elements are sized and contoured, with a non-planar cross-section, to mate with and press firmly against respective first and second faces of a pair of piles to be spliced and, via said sizing and contour, to bring said piles into proper longitudinal alignment for subsequent permanent attaching;
- adjusting an interfacial distance between said first and second splicer faces such that said connected first and second splicer elements can readily slide over a top end of a lower member of said pair of piles to be spliced and such that a bottom end of an upper member of said pair of piles to be spliced can readily slide between said connected first and second splicer elements, using said inter-facial connection and distance-adjustment apparatus, wherein said inter-facial connection and distance-adjustment apparatus is positioned upon said first and second splicer faces such that when said pair of piles is spliced, it does not pass entirely circumscribed through either pile, but only passes through at least one open notch at the very end of one or both piles;
- sliding said connected first and second splicer elements over said top end of said lower member of said pair of piles to be spliced;
- sliding said bottom end of said upper member of said pair of piles to be spliced between said connected first and second splicer elements;
- decreasing said interfacial distance between said first and second splicer faces until said first and second splicer faces press tightly against said respective first and second faces of said pair of piles to be spliced, using said inter-facial connection and distance-adjustment apparatus;
- permanently attaching together, said first and second splicer faces and said pair of piles to be spliced.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.