US3188817A - Manufacture of concrete piling - Google Patents

Description

June 1965 5.1.. MYERS 3,188,817

MANUFACTURE OF CONCRETE FILING Filed April 15, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig. 1

L I Y )I i INVENTOR BIRDIE L. M Y E R S ATTORNEY June 15, 1965 B. L. MYERS 3,188,817

MANUFACTURE OF CONCRETE FILING Filed April 13, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR BIRDIE L. MYERS ATTORNEY United States Patent Ofifice 3,188,817 Patented June 15, 1965 MANUFACTURE OF CGNCRETE PILING Birdie L. Myers, 1612 22nd St., Galveston, Tex. Filed Apr. 13, 1962, Ser. No. 187,275 1 (Ilaim. (Cl. 61-5364) This invention relates to the manufacture of concrete piling. More specifically it relates to a unique method for producing concrete in place. Even more particularly the method has to do with the drilling of holes in the ground and the installation of concrete piling poured in place.

. In construction work where concrete piling is required or desirable, it is conventional practice to drill a hole in the ground to the proper depth with an earth auger and to then withdraw the auger whereupon the pile is formed by pouring concrete into the hole. Where the ground is soft and susceptible to cave-ins, it is common to insert a thin-walled metal sleeve into the hole to eliminate cave-ins before and during the pouring of the concrete. In instances where the ground is swampy or very sandy and this method is not satisfactory, it is necessary to force a thick walled steel vessel closed at the bottom into the ground and then pour it full of concrete. Since concrete piles are used in many different ground formations, many difficulties have been encountered in pouring piles in the first above mentioned manner. This invention is directed toward and does solve the many undesirable aspects of the above-mentioned methods which cause the forming of in-place concrete piles to be expensive, slow and unsatisfactory.

Various means have been devised for stabilizing soil to prevent cave-ins when the auger is withdrawn. Treat- ,ment of the soil with stabilizing chemicals has been suggested. However, these are effective only in certain soil conditions and are expensive and time consuming. Furthermore, the important problem of concrete set-up is aggravated whenever time is lost, and in any method for that matter, since it is generally impossible to mix the concrete on the job-site.

Another problem encountered in the production of inplace concrete piling is segregation of the concrete as it is poured into the hole. From any height above about three feet, concrete will segregate unless the consistency is thick, and the proper strength is unattainable in that case as well as reducing the limited time before set-up. In most cases it is almost impossible anyway to keep the proper mixture from setting-up before being poured into the hole and various retardants used always interfere with the strength.

It is, therefore,the object of this invention to manufacture concrete piling in-place. It is a further object to manufacture concrete piling in-place so as to avoid hole cave-ins. It is also an object to manufacture concrete piling in-place wherein the concrete does not segregate when poured and yet maintains maximum strength. It is finally another object of this invention to manufacture in-place concrete piling which does not set up prematurely before or during the pouring and yet maintains maximum strength. These and other objects of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art by the following description.

According to this invention, concrete pilings are manufactured in-place by the combination of steps which consist of drilling a hole in the ground with a tubular auger open at its lower end and provided with a bit having replaceable angled teeth and an opening in the bit for the passing of fluid, forcing the excavated material upward out of the hole with the special flights of the auger, injecting retarded concrete through the tubular auger into the hole after the bit has drilled to the desired depth, and then simultaneously withdrawing the bit and the auger as the said concrete is pumped into the hole thus filling the hole with non-segregated concrete of the proper strength and consistency which will not set-up because of a unique retardant mixed therein.

In practicing this method, the earth auger is not removed when the drilling is completed and thus the auger forms at all times the wall reinforcing means for that portion of the hole not yet filled with concrete. The concept of slowly withdrawing the auger as the concrete is poured eliminates the need for extra equipment and also reduces the number of steps to be performed in forcing concrete piles into the ground and, therefore, represents a substantial saving in labor, time, and materials while still providing additional strength and efficiency to the finished pile.

The accompanying drawings will illustrate the process but are not to be construed as limiting it.

FIGURE 1 is a view of the drilling apparatus and equipment used to operate the drilling apparatus.

FIGURE 2 is a view of the auger and bit used to drill the earth holes.

FIGURE 3 is a view of the unique bit designed to be used in the practice of this method of drilling holes for concrete piling.

In FIGURE 1, the equipment may include a drilling frame 1 which is attached to and supported by the bed of a truck, tractor or other mobile equipment 2. The tubular auger 3 is shown inside the drilling frame 1 and is complete with flights and attached to the headgear 5 which serves to force the auger into the ground by its weight and also contains the hydraulic drive mechanism to turn the auger. The hydraulic fluid pump to the drive mechanism is located on the bed of the mobile vehicle 2. The head gear is raised by a cable apparatus 9 which is attached to and operated by a drive on the vehicle 2. The bit 4 is shown after a hole 10 has been drilled and just prior to the concrete being pumped through the auger and bit into the hole. After removing the auger and bit as the hole is filled with concrete 11, the completed concrete piling is shown as 20. The concrete is pumped by means of an air driven pump 7, through hose 6, into the auger 3 and thence into the hole. The vibrator chain 8 acts to densify the concrete as it passes through the auger and eliminates any entrained air pumped with the concrete. In addition to lling all voids in the flowing concrete by its vibrating action, vibrator chain 8 also acts to keep the concrete from separating into solid and liquid phases as it flows the length of the auger. This is accomplished by fastening the chain to head gear 5 and allowing it to hang free the length of the auger. The vibrator chain turns and .vibrates with the turning action of the head gear and thereby acts to fill concrete voids and maintain the concrete in a non-segregated condition.

FIGURE 2 simply shows in more detail the construction of the tubular auger 12 and the flights 13. The bit 14 is attached to the bottom of the auger so that the flights of the bit line-up with the flights of the auger. The bit is constructed so that the bit teeth 15 are set in two rows each at approximately 45 with the other so that the drilling is performed in a manner which will push the earth outward and then flow evenly upward to the auger flights.

In FIGURE 3 the bit 116 is shown in even more detail with the bit spirals 17 indicated. The angle of the two rows of teeth 18 can be seen and the hole 1-9 from whence the concrete flows can be easily identified.

When it is desired to manufacture in-place concrete piling in accordance with this method and with this apparatus, the mobile vehicle is merely moved to the desired location and the drilling frame erected in the proper manner. The auger is then rotated by the hydraulic drive mechanism and the hole is drilled by the bit to the proper Idepth. Normally the approximately '30 foot anger is satisfactory for most holes but in swampy and sandy areas and Where large industrial towers or heavy vibrating equipment are to be installed, holes up to 100 feet may be required. In that case, 2 or 3 orpossibly 4 sections of the tubular auger will be required. This is handled in the same manner as oil field drilling wherein 1 .t-he head gear is disconnected from the auger and raised to the top of the frame. Another section of tubular anger is swung into place, attached and the'dril ling continnes. When the hole is drilled to the proper depth, the rotation is stopped and the air operated, concrete pump is started. All during this period and While the hole is filled with concrete, the auger acts as a wall support forthe hole to'prevent cave-ins 'andunder all but extreme conditions is, adequate. The concrete is, then pumped in and the auger and bit are withdrawn from the hole as it fills but at a rate sothat the concreteldoes not fall any further than about one foot and preferably'the tip of the bit is in the concrete at, all times.

, The size of the holes which. may be drilled and'concrete'pilings installed therein -;by.this method varyfrom aboutsix inches in diameter to as high as thirty six inches in diameter although preferably the mosttpractical and most economic size is from about 8 inches in diameter.

7 inches to about '14 Perhaps the most important factor in this method drf manufacturingin-place concrete piling is' the compositionpf the concrete, The particular advantage .of con-' .crete piling is thesuperior strength and non-corrosive surface it possesses over conventional materials such as .wood and steel. 'However, under differing conditions concrete loses its strengthiand does not properly per- :forrnits intended task. Some of these conditions are segregating, excessive. or insufficient water, and premature hardening.

, segregating is when mostof the aggregate falls to the bottom of the hole and ,the top 'portion'consequently has inferior strength. This can .be caused by allowing the concrete to free-fall too far .or by using too" much water. Theme of excessive or insuflicie'nt-water creates separate problems allin themselves. Excessive water causes segregationgas noted-aboveand results .in low. strength. Too much water maybe used,1when' pumping conditions are severe or when premature hardening is imminent. .Insuffi cient Water is a common mistake in poured concrete since of concrete. of thefollowing composition:

stronger than ordinary concrete of the same proportions of cement, sand and water and is, therefore, -a necessary part of the superior concrete piling manufactured by this method. I

The following example is illustrative of the concrete composition of. this invention but should not be construed as limiting it in any manner.

Example I Three concrete cylinders six inches in diameter and twelveinches long were cured, capped and broken in accordance with standard AmericanStandard Testing of .Materials Methods and Specifications. Two beams four inches by four inches by eighteen inches were cured and broken in accordance with standard ASTM specifications. All of these cylinders and beams were constructed 7 Lbs. Trinity Portland cement 1,128 No. 16-Co1oradosand a 2,630 Symentard 12 Water 520 The results showed-that 28 day strength on the cylinders gave average break load of 102,000 lbs. and 7 day'strength gave abreak load of 45,000lbs. The rupture modules on the. beams averaged 700.; It is apparent that these [results show approximately 10%, greater strength than the best concreteused in bridge construction. What is claimed is: V

In a method for manufacturing concrete piling inplace by drilling a :hole in the ground with a tubular auger having-flights to removethe earth and thereafter filling the hole'with concrete'passing through saidtubular auger as said auger -is removed from said hole, the

improvement which consists ofdrilling said hole with a :tubular auger having a bit on its lower end with at least 7 two rows of multiple teeth set at about a 45 angle with the vertical =to drilla holeat least as large as the diameterof said auger, said bit having anopening into said tubular auger-and flights .to' direct drilled material away fromsaid opening and 'ontoiflights on said auger, and

1 thereafter forming said. concrete pilingin place'by air this eliminates segregation but it results in low strength concrete and premature hardening. The separate problem of premature set-up is the most severe in the manufacture of in-place concrete piling. When a concrete truck must travel long distances toan industrial job site, premature hardening nearly always occurs to some extent. It again .is aggravated because the concrete must then be pumped through a pump,-hose,and tubular auger.

All of the above mentioned problems can be elimi-' nated by using a unique retarding densifieri Besides retarding the hardening .of concrete it acts as a densifier vto form alstronger concrete. The specific material used in this method is a compound known to the trade as Symentard, a chemical compound manufactured by the A. .C. Horn Company. This compound is constituted of.

minor proportions, that is, less than 5% 'by Weight each of nitrogen, sulfur, lignin, sulfonic acid, and major pro portions that is, at least 10% by weight. each with the total being greater than 60% by Weight of carbon, glucase, hydrogen and silica. The resulting concrete is pumping through said auger into said' hole concrete containing therein from: 0.1% to 1.0% by weight of the 'concrete of a retarding densifier containing major proportions ofcarbon, hydrogen, glucose and silica and minor proportions' of nitrogen, sulfur, 'lignin and sulfonic 'acid,-. said*pumping'of said concrete through said auger being carried out by 'pouringsaid concrete over arotating and vibrating chain suspended inside the entire length of; said auger, said vibrations being caused by'the withdrawalof said auger-fromsaid hole.

References Cited by the Examiner EARL J. wrrMER, Primary Examiner. JACOB SHAPIRO, Examiner.

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