EP3705629B1 - Ramming apparatus and method for driving piles into ground - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a device for driving a pile into a ground by means of vibrations or pulses, with a drive unit which is designed to generate vibrations or pulses and which is arranged to be vertically movable and has a clamping device for tensioning and holding the pile, and a flexible one Securing element, in particular a securing chain, with which the pile can be connected to the drive unit before tensioning, according to the preamble of claim 1.

The invention also relates to a method for ramming, shaking or pulling piling material into or out of a ground, the piling material being clamped and held on a drive unit by means of a clamping device and the piling material being connected to the pile driving unit by means of a flexible securing element, in particular a securing chain is, according to the preamble of claim 9.

Such a ramming device and such a method are based on the DE 36 02 609 A1 emerged. In this known method, a sheet pile pile is initially loosely attached to a vibration device, for example in a lying arrangement on the ground, by means of a chain anchorage. A safety chain is passed through a through hole in the upper end area of the screed and attached to a vibration device. By moving the vibration device upwards along a mast, the sheet pile wall is held by the chain anchorage and pulled upwards until it is oriented approximately vertically and hangs on the safety chain. The vibration device is then moved down a certain amount until a lower end of the sheet pile pile rests on the ground and an upper end of the sheet pile pile enters a receiving slot of the vibration device between two clamping jaws.

The sheet pile pile is then clamped to the vibration device between the two clamping jaws, so that the clamped sheet pile pile can then be driven or rammed vertically into the ground by means of the vibration device. However, it can happen that the sheet pile tilts out of the vertical before it is received in the receiving slot.

After civil engineering work has been completed, it is often necessary or desirable to remove the sheet piles from the ground again. The known ramming device can also be used for this purpose, the safety chain also being passed through a through opening on the sheet pile before the sheet pile pile is pulled and the sheet pile pile is thus additionally secured to the vibration device. Before or afterwards, the upper end of the screed is clamped in again and pulled out of the ground by means of the vibration device. The safety chain serves as an additional mechanical fall protection so that the screed does not fall to the ground in an uncontrolled manner if the hydraulic tensioning device fails.

A similar arrangement of a piling device is from U.S. 5,332,047 famous. In this known device, a pile-shaped pile is driven into the ground, and a safety chain can also be arranged between the pile and the pile-driving device. Due to the large number of different shapes and dimensions of the pile, especially sheet piles, adaptation to the respective size can be problematic.

From the DE 10 2010 023 216 A1 shows a ramming device with a hammer head, in which a gripper is also provided for gripping the pile-shaped pile-driven material. The gripper comprises two gripping claws with which a pile can be clamped and held along side edges.

A generic device is from the DE 93 18 190 U1 famous. In this known ramming device, a ram is also gripped laterally by means of guide pliers and fixed until the ram is clamped to the ram.

The invention is based on the object of specifying a device for driving a pile into a ground and a method for this, with which a particularly efficient and safe handling of the pile is made possible.

According to the invention, the object is achieved by a device with the features of claim 1 and a method with the features of claim 9. Preferred embodiments of the invention are given in the dependent claims.

The device according to the invention is characterized in that a pressure element is provided which is mounted so as to be movable relative to the drive unit and is designed to apply a pressure force to an upwardly directed face of the pile before clamping. Because the pressure element acts on an upwardly directed face of the pile, the position and dimensions of the pressure element are largely independent of the lateral dimensions of the pile and do not have to be specially adapted when the pile is changed.

With the invention a particularly safe handling of piling is made possible. In particular, the invention prevents accidents at work in which piling material which is not properly secured or not properly tensioned is released from the drive unit and falls to the ground. Loosening and falling sheet piles, which can have a length of over 10 m and a weight of up to a ton or more, can lead to serious accidents on construction sites with personal injury and property damage.

According to the invention, a secure clamping of the pile is ensured in the clamping device. The invention is based on the knowledge that when the pile is pulled up, the flexible securing element is tensioned until the pile is vertically aligned and placed on the ground. When the drive unit moves downwards and an upper end of the pile is inserted into the tensioning device, the tension on the flexible securing element is released. Until it is brought into the clamping position on the clamping device, there is no securing of the position of the vertically directed pile for a certain period of time, which can take a few seconds. This can then tilt out of the vertical position and thus make correct insertion into the clamping device difficult or prevent it altogether. The tilting pile can be caught by the flexible securing element. However, the pile must then be aligned again by moving the drive unit upwards and the threading process are repeated in the clamping device, which means additional expenditure of time. In addition, the flexible securing element is exposed to considerable stress and wear and tear when the tipping pile is caught in this way. If there is insufficient maintenance of a safety chain, for example, there is a risk that it will tear and the pile will fall over in an uncontrolled manner.

According to the invention, a pressure element is provided which is mounted so as to be movable relative to the drive unit. The pressure element can thus be approached to the pile before the tension of the flexible securing element is released and hold it in a vertical position before tensioning by means of the tensioning device by applying a defined compression force when the drive unit moves downwards for tensioning. The pile can thus be reliably held in a vertical position. In this vertical position, the pile can be safely inserted into the clamping device by simply moving the drive unit downwards. This enables the pile to be clamped efficiently and safely on the drive unit without the securing element being exposed to heavy loads.

A preferred embodiment of the invention consists in that the pressure element is designed with a passage through which a clamping of the pile is made possible by the clamping device when the pressure element is in contact. The pressure element does not cover the entire upper area of the pile. Rather, with the passage, a partial area of the pile remains free, at which the pile is then clamped to the drive unit by means of the clamping device, which has at least one movable clamping jaw.

In principle, the pressure element can be designed as desired to achieve this function. A preferred embodiment is that the pressure element is fork-shaped. With a fork-shaped pressure element, a pile, in particular a sheet pile, can be reliably pressed downwards with a vertical force in its outer areas almost regardless of the size and shape of the pile, while the clamping device can reliably clamp the pile in a central region at the upper end.

In a further development of the invention, the pressure element is designed so that the pressure arms pressing on the pile can also be adjusted in a horizontal plane in addition to the vertical displacement of the entire pressure unit, so that the upper end of the pile can be rotated and / or moved horizontally. This makes it possible to align the pile particularly easily and reliably so that it can be reliably passed over and clamped by the clamping device of the drive unit. The invention makes use of the knowledge that a long pile such as. B. a sheet pile, which can have a length of 10 m or more, is so flexible in itself that the upper end can also be rotated or shifted when the lower end is pressed onto the ground and, to a certain extent, fixed in position. The clamping process takes place quickly, safely and reliably, which enables an economical way of working.

In principle, the pressure element can be moved and pressed against the pile-driven material in any suitable manner for exerting a necessary pressure force. According to a further development of the further development according to the invention, it is particularly expedient that the pressure element can be moved by means of an actuating cylinder which is arranged between the drive unit and the pressure element. The adjusting cylinder is preferably hydraulically driven and in particular designed as a double-acting hydraulic cylinder.

The pressure element can be mounted so as to be movable in any desired manner. According to a variant according to the invention, it is particularly advantageous that the pressure element can be moved along a linear guide which is arranged on a mast or the drive unit. In the case of an arrangement on a vertical mast, the pressure element can in particular be moved along the same linear guide along which a working slide of the ram drive unit can also be moved along the mast. Alternatively, a linear guide can be formed on the drive unit itself, which is directed downwards and along which the pressure element is movably mounted. In this case, the linear guide can preferably be formed by one or more cylinder guides. Such a linear guide on the drive unit is particularly useful when the drive unit is freely suspended from a rope.

The drive unit is used to drive a pile, in particular a pile, a girder or a sheet pile, into the ground by means of vibrations or pulses. It is preferred that the drive unit is designed as a vibrator with rotatable unbalance elements or as a ram hammer with a linearly reversing impulse element. The vibrator can have one or more pairs of rotatable imbalance elements, which are mounted so as to be adjustable in relation to one another in a known manner in order to generate a directed imbalance force. Alternatively, the drive unit can be a pile hammer. The ramming movement can trigger impact pulses in which the reversing driven pulse element strikes a striking surface. Alternatively, the pulse element can also be driven in a reversing manner without impact contact, so that a targeted vibration movement is generated and transmitted to the pile.

According to a further development of the invention, an increase in operational reliability is achieved in that a test unit is provided which is designed to determine that the flexible securing element is attached between the pile and the drive unit. This test unit can determine whether the flexible securing element is connected to one or two anchoring points on the drive unit in particular by establishing an electrical contact even before the pile is moved. Particularly when a pile is pulled out of the ground, it is ensured that this process does not take place without an additional mechanical securing of the pile on the drive unit.

In a further embodiment of the device according to the invention, it is advantageous that a mobile carrier device is provided on which the mast is arranged. The carrier device can in particular have a caterpillar chassis on which a rotatable superstructure with a vertical mast, in particular a telescopic leader or a boom with a support cable, is mounted.

The method according to the invention is characterized in that a pressure element is provided, which moves relative to the drive unit on the pile and thereby a pressure force is applied to an upwardly directed face of the pile.

The method according to the invention can in particular be carried out by the device described above. The advantages described above can be achieved in this case.

A preferred variant of the method of the invention is that the pile is held in a clamping position by the pressure element, that the drive unit is then driven to the pile and that the pile is clamped by means of the clamping device and held on the drive unit for ramming. By means of the pressure element, a pressure force is applied to the pile, so that it is fixed in the vertical position and cannot tilt before the flexible securing element is released or relaxed. In this position, the ramming material can be clamped efficiently, safely and gently by the clamping device when the clamping device is moved into position by moving the drive unit downwards. Then ramming can take place.

This method is preferably developed in that the pressure element for ramming is subsequently released from the pile and spaced apart. In particular, the pressure element can be moved from the pressure position back into a standby position by means of an adjusting cylinder, in which the pressure element is spaced apart from the pile. The drive unit can then be put into operation so that the pile can then be driven into the ground without direct loading of the pressure element.

According to a development of the method according to the invention, it is preferred that a position of the pile is adjusted by means of the pressure element and brought into a clamping position. The pressure element can itself be adjustable in one or more directions of movement transverse to the vertical axis of travel, so that a certain alignment of the pile is made possible by the pressure element. Alternatively, various adjustable parts or sections can be arranged on the pressure element itself, which can be adjusted to align the pile with respect to a base carrier of the pressure element.

A further advantageous variant of the method of the invention consists in that the ram drive unit opens when the pressure force is applied by the pressure element the pile assumes a test position in which the flexible securing element is stretched between the pile and the drive unit, and that a test unit determines whether the flexible securing element is located between the pile and the drive unit in the test position.

In this variant of the method, the device can automatically determine whether the flexible securing element, in particular a securing chain, is attached between the pile-driven material and the drive unit for additional positional and accident protection. If the pile is held in a vertical position by the pressure element, the drive unit can be moved upwards in this position and the flexible securing element tensioned, which is attached to the pile on the one hand and to the drive unit on the other. If the securing element is correctly attached, when the drive unit moves upwards, a tensile force will build up between the pressure element, which holds the pile in the vertical position, and the drive unit due to the tensioned flexible securing element. This can be determined, for example, by a pressure or force measuring device, for example on the pressure element, an actuating cylinder of the pressure element or the drive unit.

When a certain tensile force value is reached, a test or evaluation unit can reliably determine that the flexible securing element is correctly attached. If, on the other hand, such a tensile force is not determined, this can be interpreted as an indication that the flexible securing element is not attached or not attached correctly. The testing can take place before driving in or before or after pulling the pile through the test unit. When testing, a defined test force is applied by which the flexible securing element is not overstressed.

According to a variant embodiment of the method according to the invention, it is provided that the test unit emits a warning signal when it is established that there is no flexible securing element between the pile and the drive unit. The warning signal can in particular be emitted optically and / or acoustically to a machine operator or also to the environment of the device. In particular, in such a case, the pile is held by the clamping device, which is locked in the clamped state.

According to a further development of the invention, it is preferred that the test unit prevents the ramming or pulling of the ramming material if it is determined that there is no flexible securing element between the ramming material under the ramming drive unit. The ramming can only be continued if, for example, the missing securing element is attached. In particular, if there is no flexible securing element, the pressing force on the pile can be maintained until, after a specified safety procedure, the pile is secured sufficiently or a possible danger area has been cleared of people by unsecured pile.

Fig.1

eine schematische Seitenansicht einer erfindungsgemäßen Vorrichtung mit vertikalem Mast beim Aufnehmen eines Rammguts;

Fig.2

eine schematische Detailansicht einer erfindungsgemäßen Rammvorrichtung beim Aufziehen des Rammguts;

Fig.3

eine schematische Detailansicht der erfindungsgemäßen Vorrichtung von Fig. 2 bei vertikal angeordnetem Rammgut;

Fig. 4

eine schematische Detailansicht der Vorrichtung der Figuren 2 und 3 beim Einspannen des Rammguts;

Fig. 5

eine schematische Detailansicht der Vorrichtung nach den Figuren 2 bis 4 mit einem Lösen des Andruckelementes;

Fig.6

eine schematische perspektivische Ansicht der erfindungsgemäßen Vorrichtung gemäß den Figuren 2 bis 5 in einer Prüfposition;

Fig.7

eine vergrößerte perspektivische Detailansicht einer Andruckeinheit gemäß der Erfindung;

Fig. 8

eine schematische Seitenansicht einer weiteren erfindungsgemäßen Vorrichtung mit Seilaufhängung der Rammantriebseinheit;

Fig. 9

die Antriebseinheit von Fig. 8 beim Einspannen des Sicherungselementes und anliegendem Andruckelement; und

Fig. 10

die Antriebseinheit von Fig. 9 mit rückgezogenem Andruckelement.

The invention is further described below with reference to preferred starting examples, which are shown schematically in the drawings. In the drawings show:

Fig. 1

a schematic side view of a device according to the invention with a vertical mast when picking up a pile;

Fig. 2

a schematic detailed view of a piling device according to the invention when pulling up the piling;

Fig. 3

a schematic detailed view of the device according to the invention from FIG Fig. 2 with vertically arranged piling;

Fig. 4

a schematic detailed view of the device of FIG Figures 2 and 3 when clamping the pile;

Fig. 5

a schematic detailed view of the device according to the Figures 2 to 4 with a release of the pressure element;

Fig. 6

a schematic perspective view of the device according to the invention according to the Figures 2 to 5 in a test position;

Fig. 7

an enlarged perspective detail view of a pressure unit according to the invention;

Fig. 8

a schematic side view of a further device according to the invention with rope suspension of the ram drive unit;

Fig. 9

the drive unit of Fig. 8 when clamping the securing element and the contact pressure element; and

Fig. 10

the drive unit of Fig. 9 with retracted pressure element.

The basic structure of a device 10 is in connection with Fig. 1 explained. The device 10 has a mobile carrier device 12 which comprises a crawler track 13. A superstructure 14 is rotatably mounted on the crawler track 13. The superstructure 14 has a control cabin and the drive units of the device 10 in a basically known manner. A mast 18, which is designed as a telescopic leader in the exemplary embodiment shown, is mounted on the upper carriage 14 so as to be adjustable via an adjusting mechanism 16. A linear guide 19, along which a drive unit 20 is mounted so as to be linearly displaceable, is arranged on a front side of the essentially vertically directed mast 18. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the drive unit 20 is designed as a vibrator, in whose housing rotationally driven unbalance elements are mounted.

To pick up a pile 5, which can in particular be a sheet pile wall or a steel girder, the drive unit 20 is moved along the mast 18 into a lower pick-up position, which in Fig. 1 is shown. By means of a flexible securing element 30, which is in particular a securing chain, the pile 5 is first connected to a receptacle 22 at the lower end of the drive unit 20. The flexible securing element 30 can be guided through a securing hole 6 on the pile 5. The flexible securing element 30 is secured to the receptacle 22 in a basically known manner by a lock.

To pull up and clamp the pile-shaped pile-driven material 5, the drive unit 20 is moved upwards along the mast 18 with the linear guide 19 via a cable drive (not shown) or a hydraulic cylinder, as illustrated in FIG Fig. 2 is shown. Due to the connection of the pile 5 to the receptacle 22 of the drive unit 20 via the flexible securing element 30, the pile 5 is from the lying position according to FIG Fig. 1 raised and pulled to a vertical position. At the receptacle 22 is in principle known

Way a clamping device 24 with at least one hydraulically adjustable clamping jaw. Furthermore, according to the invention, a pressure unit 40 according to the invention with a pressure element 42 in a standby or retracted position is arranged on the lower region of the drive unit 20. In this standby position, the pressure element 42 is located above the receptacle 22 and the clamping device 24.

The drive unit 20 with the attached pile 5 is moved upward until the rod-shaped pile 5 is raised or erected vertically, with a lower end of the pile 5 standing on the ground. In this in Fig. 3 In the position shown, the schematically shown flexible securing element 30 is stretched between the erected vertical pile 5 and the drive unit 20. In this position with a tensioned flexible securing element 30, the vertical position of the pile 5 is secured. In order to maintain this secure position, according to the invention, the pressure element 42 of the pressure unit 40 is moved downward relative to the drive unit 20 by means of actuating cylinders (not shown) until lower contact sections 43 of the pressure element 42 are in contact with an upper end face 7 of the pile 5 and thus the pile 5 with it press down against the floor with a defined pressure. In this position, the vertically directed pile 5 is secured in position by the pressure element 42 which is applied under pressure, as in FIG Fig. 3 is shown. This position or fall protection is independent of a width or side contour of the pile 5.

Now, as in Fig. 4 shown, with the pressure element 42 resting on the ram 5, the drive unit 20 is moved downward relative to the pressure element 42, an upper end region of the ram 5 being inserted into the receptacle 22 with the inclined insertion surfaces. Subsequently, the ramming material 5 can be firmly clamped on the drive unit 20 via a hydraulic clamping cylinder of the clamping device 24, which is directed transversely to the vertical direction. When the drive unit 20 moves downwards along the linear guide 19, the tension of the flexible securing element 30 is released, but the pile 5 continues to be held in the vertical position by the pressure element 42 which is applied under pressure. Overall, according to the invention, a reliable introduction of the pile 5 into the receptacle 22 and clamping by means of the clamping device 24 of the drive unit 20 take place.

According to Fig. 5 the pressure element 42 can now be moved upwards again relative to the drive unit 20 along the linear guide 19 of the mast 18 and thus released from the upper end face 7 of the pile 5. The pile 5 is still clamped by the clamping device 24 of the drive unit 20 and thus fixed in position. After the fork-shaped pressure element 42 has been spaced apart from the pile 5 by moving back into the retracted standby position, the actual driving process can now begin. In principle, the rotating unbalance units within the drive unit 20 are set in rotation in a known manner, with a targeted, downwardly directed unbalance force being generated. By simultaneously driving the drive unit 20 downwards, the elongated pile 5 can be driven into the ground. After driving into the ground, the flexible securing element 30 is released from the pile 5 again, so that a new pile 5 can then be picked up with the device 10 and the driving process can be repeated.

Conversely, the device 10 can also be used to pull the pile 5 out of the ground. Here, an upper end of the pile 5 protruding from the ground is clamped by means of the clamping device 24 of the drive unit 20, the flexible securing element 30 being attached between the receptacle 22 of the drive unit 20 and the pile 5 at the same time or at a time for reasons of occupational safety. In particular, by generating targeted vibrations, the piling 5 can thus be reliably withdrawn from the ground by moving the drive unit 20 upwards. The clamping device 24 is then released so that the pile 5 is then again connected to the drive unit 20 exclusively via the flexible securing element 30.

For reasons of occupational safety, it is essential that when the tensioning device 24 is released, there is security that the pile 5 is actually still secured to the drive unit 20 via the flexible securing element 30, as illustrated in FIG Fig. 6 is shown.

In order to check this admissibly, a test unit (not shown) is provided in the device 10 according to the invention. Via this, the fork-shaped pressure element 42 of the pressure unit 40 is moved downward relative to the drive unit 20 before the clamping device 24 is released from the retracted standby position until the pressure element 42 rests on the upper end face 7 of the pile 5. As a result, the pressure element 42 exerts a defined holding force on the pile 5 downwards, so that it is secured in position in the vertical position. The tensioning device 24 can now be released and the drive unit 20 can be moved upwards by a defined path and / or with a defined retraction force until the flexible securing element 30 again reaches a tensioned state. With a correctly attached flexible securing element 30, a defined tensile stress builds up, which can be determined by means of the test unit.

If there is a corresponding tensile stress, this represents a reliable indication that the flexible securing element 30 is correctly attached and thus the pile 5 is reliably connected to the drive unit 20 via the flexible securing element 30. If the tensile stress or tensile force is not determined by the test unit, this can be an indication that correct securing of the pile 5 is not guaranteed by the flexible securing element 30. A warning signal can then be output by the test unit and a security procedure or further operation can be blocked. In particular, in such a case, the pressure element 42 for securing the position of the piling 5 remains pressed against the end face 7 of the piling 5 in the vertical position until, for example, sufficient additional securing is attached between the drive unit 20 and the piling 5.

This check can of course also be carried out before a pile-driven material located in the ground is pulled.

The pressure unit 40 according to the invention with the pressure element 42 is shown in FIG Fig. 7 shown in more detail. The pressure element 42 has a base body 44 with two parallel pressure arms 45. The pressure element 42 is thus formed with a fork shape, a central passage 46 being formed between the two parallel pressure arms 45. The passage 46 allows the pile to be clamped by means of the tensioning device on the drive unit, which can pass through the pressure element 42 along the passage 46.

The two pressure arms 45 are preferably mounted on the base body 44 so as to be pivotable about a vertical axis. In addition, the pressure arms 45 have contact sections 43 on their undersides for contacting the pile. The contact sections 43 are preferably mounted displaceably along the pressure arms 45. A guide shoe 48, which interacts with the linear guide 19 on the mast 18, is formed on a rear side of the base body 44 of the pressure element 42.

In Fig. 7 two adjusting cylinders 50 are also indicated schematically, with which the pressure element 42 can be moved relative to the drive unit 20, with the defined pressure force being able to be applied to the pile by means of the adjusting cylinder 50.

In the Figures 8 to 10 an alternative embodiment of a device 10 according to the invention is shown, in which a drive unit 20 with a base frame 21 is freely suspended by means of a crane hook 17 and a support rope 15.

To erect the pile 5, which in the exemplary embodiment is a sheet pile pile, the flexible securing element 30 is first guided through a securing hole 6 with the pile 5 lying down. The flexible securing element 30, which in the exemplary embodiment is a steel cable, is fastened with its two ends to a receptacle 22 of the drive unit 20. The pile 5 can now be pulled up vertically by the drive unit 20 being pulled up by means of the crane hook 17, which is attached to a crane, in particular a crawler crane, until the pile 5 rests vertically on the ground. In this state, a bow-shaped pressure element 42 of a pressure unit 40 can then be extended downward from a retracted position on the drive unit 20. This can be done by means of two lateral adjusting cylinders 50 which are arranged between the base frame 21 and the pressure element 42.

In this case, transversely displaceably mounted contact sections 43 on the underside of the pressure element 42 come into contact with an end face 7 of the pile 5 and thus press the pile 5 against the ground with a defined force. This will A reliable position or tilt protection for the pile 5 is guaranteed regardless of a lateral outer contour, as in Fig. 8 is shown. In order to reliably pick up the pile 5 in the receptacle 22 with a clamping device 24, the contact sections 43 can be moved essentially horizontally by a certain amount in order to align the end face 7 of the pile 5 with the receptacle 22.

According to Fig. 9 Then, with the pressure element 42 still in contact with the end face 7 of the pile 5, the receptacle 22 can be approached by retracting the actuating cylinder 50 while simultaneously lowering the crane hook 17 onto the pile 5, the end face 7 of the pile 5 in the receptacle 22 between the clamping jaws of the hydraulic clamping device 24 is added, as illustrated in Fig. 9 is shown. In this state, the picked up pile 5 can then be firmly clamped on the drive unit 20 by closing the clamping device 24.

Before the actual driving-in process begins, the adjusting cylinders 50 are retracted further, the pressure element 42 moving into a retracted position, the contact sections 43 being spaced from the end face 7 of the pile-driven material 5. To achieve a sufficient propulsive force, a corresponding load weight can be provided on the base frame 21 of the drive unit 20. Due to the total weight of the drive unit 20 in combination with the generated vibration movement, the pile 5 can thus be driven into a ground.

Claims (15)

1. Device for driving a driving material (5) into a ground by means of vibrations or pulses, having

   - a power unit (20) which is designed to generate vibrations or pulses and which is arranged in a vertically movable manner and has a clamping means (24) for clamping and holding the driving material (5), and

   - a flexible securing element (30), in particular a securing chain, with which the driving material (5) can be connected to the power unit (20) prior to a clamping,

   characterized in that

   - a pressing element (42) is provided which is supported in a displaceable manner relative to the power unit (20) and is designed for applying a pressing force onto an upward-directed front face (7) of the driving material (5) prior to the clamping.
2. Device according to claim 1,
   characterized in that
   the pressing element (42) is designed with a passage (46), through which clamping of the driving material (5) by the clamping means (24) is enabled when the pressing element (24) is in abutment.
3. Device according to claim 1 or 2,
   characterized in that
   the pressing element (42) is of fork-shaped design.
4. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
   characterized in that
   the pressing element (42) is displaceable by means of a positioning cylinder (50) which is arranged between the power unit (20) and the pressing element (42).
5. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
   characterized in that
   the pressing element (42) is displaceable along a linear guide (19) which is arranged on a mast (18) or the power unit (20).
6. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
   characterized in that
   the power unit (20) is designed as a vibrator with rotatable imbalance elements or as a pile-driving hammer with a pulse element capable of being driven in a linearly reversible manner.
7. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
   characterized in that
   a test unit is provided which is designed to establish if the flexible securing element (30) is attached between the driving material (5) and the power unit (20).
8. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
   characterized in that
   a mobile carrier implement (12) is provided, on which the power unit (20) is arranged in a vertically movable manner by means of a carriage on a mast (18) or by means of a support rope (15).
9. Method for driving, vibrating or extracting driving material (5) into or from a ground, in particular by way of a device (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
   wherein the driving material (5) is clamped and held by means of a clamping means (24) on a power unit (20) and the driving material (5) is connected by means of a flexible securing element (30), in particular a securing chain, to the power unit (20),
   characterized in that
   a pressing element (42) is provided which is displaced relative to the power unit (20) towards the driving material (5) and, in doing so, a pressing force is applied onto an upward-directed front face (7) of the driving material (5).
10. Method according to claim 9,
    characterized in that
    the driving material (5) is held by the pressing element (42) in a clamping position, in that subsequently the power unit (20) is moved towards the driving material (5) and
    in that the driving material (5) is clamped by means of the clamping means (24) and held on the power unit (20) for driving-in.
11. Method according to claim 10,
    characterized in that
    subsequently, for driving-in, the pressing element (42) is released and spaced apart from the driving material (5).
12. Method according to any one of claims 9 to 11,
    characterized in that
    by means of the pressing element (42) a position of the driving material (5) is adjusted and brought into a clamping position.
13. Method according to any one of claims 9 to 12,
    characterized in that
    with pressing force being applied by the pressing element (42) onto the driving material (5), the power unit (20) assumes a test position, in which the flexible securing element (30) between the driving material (5) and the power unit (20) is tensioned, and
    in that a test unit establishes if the flexible securing element (30) is located between the driving material (5) and the power unit (20) in the test position.
14. Method according to claim 13,
    characterized in that
    the test unit issues a warning signal if it is established that no flexible securing element (30) is located between the driving material (5) and the power unit (20).
15. Method according to claim 13 or 14,
    characterized in that
    the test unit prevents a clamping by means of the clamping means (24), a driving-in or an extraction of the driving material (5) if it is established that no flexible securing element (30) is located between the driving material (5) and the power unit (20).

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