Untitled record

Application filed October 23, 1S2i9. Serial No. 401,864.

My invention relates to the driving of piles and has for its primary object the removal of obstructions encountered by. the pile in its driven path, and generally to facilitate the. 0 lowering of the pile, by the introduction oi water under pressure.

A further object is to provide a pipe of suitable construction, to be lowered with the pile as it is driven, whereby water under pres10 sure may be carried to and ejected at a given location in relation to the lower end of the pile, so as to assist in creating a path of lesser resistance to the driven pile.

A still further object is to provide the end 15 of the pipe with a nozzle for the ejection of water with force, the construction of the nozzle being such as to permit its movement within a limited spherical path.

A further object is to provide a separate 20 air supply within the water pressure pipe to augment the force of the water under pressure.

For the purpose of illustrating my invention! have shown in the accompanying draw25; ings one form thereof which is at present preferred by me, since the same has been found in practice to give satisfactory and reliable results, although it is to be understood that the various instrumentalities of which my 30 invention consists can be variously arranged and organized and that my invention is not limited to the precise arrangement and organization of the instrumentalities as herein shown and described.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts,

Figure 1 represents an elevation of a pile being driven, and my improved device in its associated working position thereto, and 40 Figure 2 represents a vertical section through the center of my improved device.

In.carrying out my invention I provide a suitable pipe 3 for conveying the water to within proximity of the lower end of the 45 pile 5. The pipe 3 has mounted on its lower end a nozzle 8, the upper end 9 of which is spherical in shape and adapted to. ride within a fastening nut 10 threaded on the lower end of the pipe 7. A nozzle socket 11 is in50 terposed between the lower end of the pipe

-ahd tile upper sph'eiical face 9 bf thib ΐϊόζzle 8. . .. -

Ih the form of my invention shown in the drawings, an Mr pipe is positioned in fhe . center .of the main pipe 3 and held in its 55 proper relation by a series of spiders 13. ..,

In Operation,: the pilb .-5 Is driven in the usual manner, and the pipe 3 is lowered therewith, in . 'suitable parallel sphcbd relatibn ,, thereto ; the nozzle -8 being kept in 'clb&e/fe1 at ion tb the lower tend bf the pile· Water under pressure is introduced into the pipe 3 through any suitable connection at its top (not shown in the drawings) and ejected,with sufficient fbrce to wash away, the e^:ajfth th its path and also partly in the path of the pile 5, thereby lessening the resistarrcb in the path of the driven pile. ...

Thb force bf 'the water ejected from the pipe 3 can be controlled from any suitable source·, increased Wheh thfe hatur'e bf the sbil: presents greater resistance to the pile and decreased when lesser ^resistance is present, or

TO in some instances in the case of very light . sandy soils, shut off entirely. In other cases ⁷⁵it is possible that rocks or other debris may be encountered, and when this condition is met with, the pile driver is stopped and the water given full force. »

The spherical portion 9 of the nozzle is ⁸⁰normally held loosely within the nut 10 and socket 11, and the stream of water ejected from the nozzle coming into close contact with hard matter as illustrated at 6 Figure 1,. will cause the nozzle to assume a different °® angle or to swivel around in a circular path and thereby create a cavity such as shown at A. . When sufficient space · has thus been formed about the vicinity of the obstruction, ... the pile is again driven downward, and the ⁰debris 6 will easily move out of its path and into the cavity formed at A, allowing a further free passage of the pile through the earth. tfS

The length of time for the application of water pressure alone, and the force of the water pressure from the nozzle are determined by the nature of the soil and its resistance to the driven pile.

I have shown an air pipe 12, introduced

1,852,903 through the center of the water pipe 3 for the purpose of augmenting the water pressure when that is found insufficient for the purpose. The structure of the pipe 3 remains ® the same whether it carries the auxiliary air line or not, the sole difference being the introduction of the air pipe and the spiders to hold it in its proper place. The agitation of the jet of water by this auxiliary air supply, 1° introduced right into the nozzle, augments the action of the water.

I am aware that the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes ¹⁶ thereof, and I therefore desire the present embodiment to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, reference being had to the appended claims rather than to the foregoing description to indicate the 20 scope of the invention.