GB2422856A - Shuttering supports - Google Patents

Abstract

A device used in shoring up a trench has a clip 1 to enable the device to hang from a sheet pile. The device also includes brackets 6 and 7 which in use receive horizontal planks. The brackets 6 and 7 are formed from a channel section which enables them to also receive adjustable props. The brackets are slidable on the device and can be locked in position with a pin. The space between the planks and sheet piles can be filled with wedges (8, fig 7).

Description

Shuttering Supports This invention relates to a devise that makes it

easier, safer and quicker to put shuttering up in an excavated hole that is unsafe to work in without the shuttering When a hole is dug and is either deep or the sides look unsafe as if it is going to collapse you need to use shuttering to support the sides from collapsing Once the shuttering is in place it is safe for workmen to go into the hole to carry out the work The normal way to shutter a hole is quite a slow way and needs three people to put it up properly You can do it with two people but it is a real struggle to hold everything while putting it up.

The invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accopanying drawings in which Drawing I shows the side of the shuttering support Drawing 2 shows the front of the shuttering support Drawing 3 shows the back of the shuttering support Drawing 4 shows a close up of the brackets on the shuttering supports Drawing 5 shows the shuttering supports hanging on the sheet piles with the wood being dropped in It is now ready for the acrows Drawing 6 shows the shuttering supports in place. The wood in the brackets and the acrows holding it acc together. The pipe at the bottom is what the workmen will be Drawing 7 shows an above view looking down on the shuttering supports with the wood and acrows in place It also shows the wooden wedges in place after the acrows are tightend up After a hole is dug sheet piles are placed on the sides of the excavation. They are either steel or plastic sheet piles The steel sheet piles are toed into the ground to make it safer With plastic sheet piles you cannot do it. The sheet piles now need to be supported to make the hole safe You have to support the top of the hole first before getting into the hole. The next step is to hold a length of 4 inch by 2 inch wooden plank against the sheet piles near the top of the excavation. If steel sheet piles are used there are holes at the top of each sheet pile so that you can tie a piece of rope around the 4X2 wooden plank and through the hole of the sheet pile and the wood will then be held in place. There are no holes in plastic sheet piles so the length of 4X2 has to be held in place by a person either side of the excavation. The next step then is to put in an acrow. The men either side of the excavation who are holding the lengths of 4X2 wooden planks if using plastic shuttering hold the acrow in place and one of them turns the acrow until it is secure Holding the 4X2 length of wood and acrow and then trying to turn the acrow is very difficult when using plastic shuttering. Thats when you need an extra man Four acrows are used. Two on the bottom and two on the top. Once the two on the top are safe the workmen can get into the hole to put the bottom two on. The acrows on the top are then tied to the sheet piles just in case they do fall off. With plastic sheet piles you cannot tie them to anything. The workmen then get into the hole and place a short bit of 8inch by 2inch wooden plank flat in each corner of the excavation. The other lenghts of 4inch by 2 inch wooden planks are then held in place near the bottom of the excavation against the sheet piles Like the top was done. A short bit of 4inch by 2 inch wooden plank is now needed from the top of the 8inch X 2inch wooden plank to the bottom of the 4inch by 2inch wooden plank that is being held against the sheet piles. It is put in vertically to make the shuttering safe Once that is done in the four corners the bottom two acrows are put in place and tightend The gap is then measured between the top length of 4 inch by 2 inch wooden plank and the bottom length of 4 inch by 2 inch wooden plank. Another length of 4 inch by 2 inch wooden plank is now cut and hammerd in vertically in each corner to make it secure Wooden wedges are now used in between the sheet piles and lengths of 4 inch by 2 inch wooden planks which the acrows are holding in place to make it safer. This is quite a lengthy process.

The new device just hangs on the top of the sheet piles as shown in drawing I I is attatched to 2 1 hooks over the back of the sheet piles. 3 and 4 are the brackets with holes in which can be set before the device is hung on the sheet piles Brackets 3 and 4 slide up and down over part 2 There are holes in part 2 from top to bottom so that brackets 3 and four can be set at any height The brackets are held in place by pins and an R clip as shown in drawing 4. There is a thin wire rope attatched to the pin and to the bottom of the bracket 5 as shown in drawing 4 This is not to loose the pin when the supports are not being used just in case the R clip gets lost. Part 6 is attatched to part 3 and part 7 is attatched to part 4 Part 8 is to stop the brackets from sliding off completely Drawing 5 shows the device hanging on the sheet piles with the lengths of 4 inch by 2 inch wooden planks in place.

Drawing 6 shows the acrows in place. Drawing 7 is an overhead view showing the wedges in place parts 8

Claims (4)

1. claims 1 The shuttering supports will make the job of shuttering a hole

   lot easier, it can now be done by one person
2. 2 The job can be done quicker because you do not have to cut any vertical bits of wood to support the horizontal lengths of wood because the brackets hold the wood in place
3. 3 It is a lot safer because there is no way the acrow will slip out of position.
4. 4 The job looks a lot tidier with the supports. No need to use rope to hold things in place