US3279195A

US3279195A - Driving and/or extraction of piles and similar structural members

Info

Publication number: US3279195A
Application number: US143453A
Authority: US
Inventors: Taylor Reginald Sidney
Original assignee: Taylor Woodrow Construction Ltd
Current assignee: Taylor Woodrow Construction Ltd
Priority date: 1960-10-07
Filing date: 1961-10-06
Publication date: 1966-10-18
Anticipated expiration: 1983-10-18
Also published as: GB966094A; DE1484577B1

Description

Oct. 18, 1966 R. s. TAYLOR 3,279,195

DRIVING AND/OR EXTRACTION OF FILES AND SIMILAR STRUCTURAL MEMBERS 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed 001'. 6. 1961 In f @MW BZQLMME HIV! Oct. 18, 1966 R. s. TAYLOR 3,2

DRIVING AND/OR EXTRACTION OF FILES AND SIMILAR STRUCTURAL MEMBERS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 6. 1961 FIGZ FIG]

Get. I8, 1966 R. s. TAYLO R 3,279,195 DRIVING AND/ TRACTION OF PILES AND SIMILAR UCTURAL MEMBERS 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Oct. 6. 1961 Oct. 18, 1966 R. s. TAYLOR AND SIMILAR STRUCTURAL MEMBERS DRIVING AN OR EXTRACTION 0F FILES 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Oct. 6, 1961 United States Patent 3 279 195 nan/mo AND/OR nrrrnhorrora on runs AND SIMILAR STRUCTURAL MEMBERS Reginald Sidney Taylor, Gerrards Cross. England, assignor to Taylor Woodrow Construction Limited, Southall, Middlesex, England, a British company Filed Oct. 6, I961, Ser. No. 143,453 Claims priority, application Great Britain, Oct. 7, I960, 34,488/60 7 laims. (Cl. 61-535) This invention is concerned with a method of and means for driving and/or extracting piles or other structural members into or out of the ground and has for its chief object to evolve means whereby the noise and vibration associated with the conventional percussive methods hitherto employed for pile driving may be very considerably reduced if not entirely eliminated. A further object of the invention is to enable piles or other similar structural members to be driven into the ground or extracted in such a manner that their subsequent resistance to downward, upward or other forces is directly determined as the member is driven or extracted. Whilst this invention rel-ates to any structural member which may be driven into or extracted from the ground the following description is given for simplicity with reference to piles only. Accordingly in the following specification and claims the term piles is to be considered as embracing any structural member capable of being driven into the ground.

Broadly in accordance with the invention it is proposed to drive piles by arranging for the dead weight or resistance to extraction or both dead weight and resistance to extraction of one or more piles of a group of piles provide a resistance or reaction to the force exerted by one or more jacks so that actuation of the latter will result in driving one or more of the remaining piles of such group. In driving piles the dead weight of any apparatus or rig employed may also be utilised and provision may be made for adjusting or varying such weight. It is also envisaged that extraction of piles may be elfected by developing the resistance to driving of one or more of a group of driven piles and transferring it through the medium of the jacks to the remaining pile or one or more of the remaining piles of such group thereby to effect extraction of the latter. These processes of driving or extracting are capable of continuous sequential operation if desired.

In further accordance with the invention it is proposed to provide an apparatus for driving or extracting piles arranged in a group of at least two such apparatus comprising a rigid support or crosshead adapted to be positioned in proximity to the group of piles, a plurality of jacks carried by said support or crosshead, means whereby the thrust or pull of each jack may be transmitted to an individual pile or subgroup of piles within the group, and means whereby any selected jack or jacks may be operated to exert either a thrust or pull while the remaining jack or jacks are locked or restrained from extension or retraction.

In accordance with yet a further aspect of the invention it is proposed to provide an apparatus for driving or extracting piles arranged in a group of at least two, such apparatus comprising a rigid support or crosshead adapted to be positioned in proximity to a group of piles, at least one jack carried by the support or crosshead, means whereby the jack may be coupled to an individual pile or sub-group of piles within the group and means whereby on operation of the jack the deadweight or resistance to extraction or driving of the other pile or piles of the group will be effective to provide a resistance or reaction to the force exerted by the jack.

In order that the said invention may be clearly under- "ice stood and readily carried into effect the same will be here inafter more fuHy described with reference to the accompanying drawings which show certain aspects by way of example and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view illustrating one form of pile driving and extracting apparatus,

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the apparatus shown in FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3 of FIG- URE 1,

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 of FIG- URE 1,

FIGURE 5 is a diagrammatic view of an hydraulic control system of the apparatus of FIGURES 14,

FIGURE 6 is a diagrammatic elevational view of a modified form of pile driving and extracting apparatus,

FIGURE 7 is a plan view of the apparatus shown in the FIGURE 6,

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary perspective view of the upper portion of a pile with an attached pile plate structure.

Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to FIGURES 1-4, 10 denotes a reaction member formed as a crosshead on which a plurality of double acting hydraulic jacks 11 are fixedly mounted. In the embodiment illustrated eight such jacks are shown but that is purely exemplary. The jack means are spaced in the crosshead to suit the pitch and type of piles upon which the apparatus is required to operate. In the drawings, sheet metal piles are illustrated with the piles being designated by the numeral 12. The piston rod ll3-of each jack is adapted to be connected to a separate pile and to that end each such rod carries a fork connector 14 which is adapted to be coupled by means of a pin. 15 to a pile plate 16 which is bolted to the pile. The connections between the jacks and the piles are designed to transmit both thrust and pull loads from the jacks so that driving or extraction of the piles may be effected.

Fixedly attached to the crosshead 10 are two guide supporting units 17 each serving to support a pair of depending guide legs 18, the legs of each pair being disposed at opposite sides of the row of piles. The guide legs 18 serve to support guide walings 19 which are attached thereto by means of brackets 20 and bolts 21. The walings 19 are so supported as to be adjustable inwardly and outwardly relatively to each other in horizontal planes on actuation of adjusting screw mechanisms 22 the arrangement being such that said walings may be brought to bear against the sides of the piles. Upon adjustment of the walings the longitudinal axes of the jacks will be maintained in the same or substantially the same vertical plane as that of the piles so that the equilibrium of the apparatus relatively to the piles will be maintained. It will be appreciated that the adjustment of the walings 19 will be such that they will not positively grip the piles but will allow for longitudinal movement of the latter under the action of the jacks.

The crosshead 10 also serves to support an electric motor 23 which is adapted to drive submersible pumps 24 disposed in oil reservoirs 25 also mounted on said crosshead the arrangement being such that on operation of the motor 23 oil will be pumped from the reservoir tank-s 25 through an appropriate hydraulic control system to the jacks Ill.

The apparatus is adapted to be lifted into position over any group of piles to be operated on by means of a crane or the like which will be connected to lifting chains 26 attached to eyes 27 carried by the crosshead.

In FIGURE 5 one convenient hydraulic control system is indicated and referring now to that figure it will be seen that four oil pumps 24 are provided such pumps,

which are located in pairs in the reservoir tanks 25, being driven from the motor 23 and the pumps of each pair being adapted to serve four jacks Ill. 28 denotes directional control and exhaust valves each of which is solenoid operated, such valves, of which there is one in respect of each jack, serving to control the movement of the jacks. 29 denotes the solenoid pilots for effecting operation of the valves 28 while 30 denotes two amplifiers which are provided for the purpose of loading the pumps 24 and which will normally be open when the apparatus is not in operation. 31 denotes two metering valves adapted to provide speed control for the jacks while 32 denotes two combined relief valves and pressure switches for controlling the maximum working pressure. In order to prevent any undesirable build up of pressure in the jacks, relief valves 33 are incorporated. 35, 36 and 37 denote groups of non-return valves while 38 denotes a further group of non-return valves incorporating orifices and adapted to control the rate of fall of the crosshead when all of the valves 28 are in the return position i.e. when oil is being returned from the jacks II to the reservoirs 25. 39 denotes a choke cut-out assembly for providing a pilot pressure while 40 denotes a low pressure reducer valve for controlling such pilot pressure. In order to allow for servicing of the equipment a low pressure stop valve 41 is provided, such valve, which will normally be open, being adapted on closure to isolate the reservoir tanks 25.

The control system illustrated in FIGURE 5 will be operated through the medium of manually operated electrical control devices which may be mounted in a control desk or panel at ground level or in any other con venient position.

It will be appreciated that the system illustrated in FIGURE 5 is such that pressure fluid can be directed to either the pull or thrust side of any jack with any combination of jacks in operation simultaneously. The atrangement is also such that any combination of jacks can be hydraulically balanced at known and controlled pressures i.e. prevented from extension or retraction thereby to apply known and controlled reactive forces to their associated piles whilst the other jacks, if any are in operation.

It may be mentioned here that instead of mounting the motor, pumps, reservoir and control system on the crosshead as illustrated in FIGURES l4 and operating the system from a remote control panel it may be desirable to locate the hydraulic control system at ground or any other convenient level and to connect the same to the jacks through the medium of flexible hoses or the like. With such an arrangement the operation of the various control valves, apart from pressure relief and check valves may be manual. Alternatively the control system may be such, whether mounted on the crosshead or located at some other point, that the jacks may be caused to operate automatically or semi-automatically in a predetermined sequence following closure of a switch or switches or of a master valve or the like.

The apparatus indicated above is adapted to be operated in the following manner:

Initially the sheet steel piles will be positioned in an appropriate manner and held in a convenient guide frame or the like. Then by means of a crane the apparatus will be positioned over the top of a group of piles, the walings 19 will be adjusted and the lower ends of the piston rods will be coupled one to each pile as indicated in FIGURE 1. Driving of the piles may now be effected in either of two ways i.e. by what may be termed thrust driving or pull driving.

In the case of thrust driving" one or more piles of the group will be driven a convenient distance by hydraulically locking all of the other jacks so as to connect the associated piles to the reaction member lit in a manner to prevent relative vertical movement between the so connected piles and the reaction member. Consequently, the deadweight or the deadweight and resistance to extraction of the piles connected to the crosshead, together with the deadweight of the apparatus, will provide a resistance or reaction force enabling thrusting said one or more piles downwardly by means of the jacks connected thereto. FIGURE 1 illustrates the initial stage of a thrust driving operation, the two centre piles of the group having been thrust downwardly while remaining jacks having been hydraulically locked. If, as is the case in FIGURE 1, two piles are to be driven simultaneously they are preferably selected so that they are an equal distance on either side of the transverse centre line of the group. With the first pile or piles driven to a convenient distance, similar operations will be repeated successively on one or more piles of the group until all of the piles of the group have been driven approximately the same distance. Such a series of operations may be termed a cycle and after the completion of one such cycle during which the crosshead 10 has remained stationary said crosshead will be lowered by appropriate operation of all of the jacks whereupon another similar cycle may be initiated. Such cycles will be repeated until the piles have been driven the required distance.

In the case of pull driving the apparatus will be operated so that one or more piles of the group will be driven a convenient distance by virtue of the locking of their jacks and pulling down the crosshead 10 by appropriate operation of the remaining jacks. With the pile or piles so driven the crosshead will be raised by appropriate operation of all of the jacks and a similar operation will be performed for the next pile or piles which are selected as in the case of thrust driving indicated above. Such operations will be repeated until all of the piles have been driven approximately the same distance and a cycle of operations thus completed. It should be mentioned here that upon completion of a cycle i.e. upon driving of the last pile or piles of the group to the level of the others, the crosshead need not necessarily be raised. The appropriate number of cycles will be carried out until all of the piles have been driven the required depth.

The apparatus may also be employed for extraction of piles and it may be operated in two ways i.e. so called pull extraction and thrust extraction.

In the case of pull extraction the sequence of operation will be the same as that described for thrust driving" except that the pull side of the jacks will be pressurised instead of the thrust side.

In the case of thrust extraction the sequence of operation will be the same as that described for pull driving except that the crosshead together with the pile or piles being extracted is raised by the activated jacks. This is accomplished by pressurising the thrust sides of all jacks except the jack or jacks connected to the piles being extracted, such latter jack or jacks being locked. It should also be noted that the crosshead will be lowered after each operation and not raised as in the case of pull driving.

In the foregoing description and apparatus capable of operating on a relatively large number e.g. a group of eight piles has been envisaged but it may again be mentioned here that it would be feasible to provide an apparatus capable of operation of any number of piles from a minimum of two in a manner such as has been indicated above. Furthermore although particular sequences of operation have been indicated it may be feasible to operate the jacks in other ways and thus it is desired to provide for the activation of any jack or combination of jacks and the locking of any jacks or jacks not so activated. In addition any particular jack or jacks may not be required to be activated or locked in which case provision will be made for the piston rod and piston of such jack or jacks to move freely up or down in the jack cylinder without causing a vertical reaction to develop at the connection of the piston rod to the pile.

While the apparatus above described and illustrated in FIGURES 1-4 is designed for driving piles arranged in a substantially straight row or line it may be pointed out here that the crosshead may be so constructed and the jacks so arranged as to operate on piles arranged in circular or other appropriate formation. In FIGURES 6 and 7 there is illustrated diagrammatically an arrangement wherein sheet piles 42 are arranged in a circular group and in that case the crosshead which is designated 43 and which carries a plurality of jacks 44 is circular and is so dimensioned that the pitch circle diameter of the jacks 44 carried thereby corresponds with the pitch circle diameter of the piles 42. The jacks which as before will be appropriately spaced in relation to the piles will have their piston rods 45 coupled to the piles in the manner described above and the operation and control of the jacks will also be precisely the same as that previously described, said jacks being operable to eflect thrust or pull driving or .pull or thrust extraction as the case may be. A circular group of sheet piles as illustrated in FIGURES 6 and 7 could when driven constitute a coffer dam or one large diameter friction pile or one large diameter bearing pile depending on the nature of the soil strata through which the piles pass and on whether the soil in the contained core is removed and replaced with concrete or other suitable matter.

Instead of arranging for the jack or jacks to be movable along the crosshead it or they may be fixed relatively to the crosshead and provision may be made for moving the latter by successive stages across or along the top of the group of piles. In such a case the necessary connection between the crosshead and that or those piles not actually being driven at the time may be established in the following manner: An appropriate bearing lug will be provided at the top of each pile which lugs are adapted to transfer the reactive force of piles not being driven to one of two sets of flanges which are spaced vertically one above the other and project from the crosshead structure. At the position, for any setting of the crosshead relatively to the piles, where the jack is located the upper of the two flanges projecting from the crosshead structure will be cut away to allow the pile to be driven complete with its projecting lug past said upper flange. The pile may then be driven until its projecting lug is in the vicinity of or in a position wherein it will bear on the lower flange on the crosshead structure. In this way the resistanc to extraction of the now driven pile can subsequently be utilised to contribute to the reactive force used in driving another pile. With the pile so driven the crosshead may be moved across the group of piles and the driving procedure repeated on another pile, such procedure being thereafter repeated until all of the piles have been driven to the required depth.

This method may also be used for extracting piles but in that case the apparatus would be so arranged that the projecting lugs attached to the piles will bear on the underside of the flanges on the crosshead structure, the lower flange being appropriately cut away to allow upward passage of that pile, with its attached lug which is being extracted. Here the jack will provide an upward pressure relatively to the crosshead.

While the modification visualised in the two foregoing paragraphs has been described in the terms of a single jack, two or more jacks mounted on a single crosshead may well be employed and in that case the flange on the latter will be appropriately cut away at two or more points corresponding to the location of the jacks. It may also be mentioned here that it may be necessary or advisable to provide means, such as a flexible pad, ball joint or other flexible or resilient member between each of the lugs and the flanges on the crosshead in order to allow for distortion or imperfect cooperation between the parts.

In the foregoing reference has been made specifically to steel sheet piles but it is to be understood that an apparatus according to the invention may well be employed for operating on concrete sheet piles and piles of other types which are arranged in groups reasonably close together but not necessarily in interlocked relationship or in contact. It may also be pointed out that apparatus in accordance with the invention is capable of operating on piles of differing section and that it may also be employed for operating on large bearing or friction piles which may be driven in parts. The apparatus may also be used for driving structural members into the ground as for instance in the formation of a retaining wall.

In conclusion it will be appreciated that with an apparatus such as indicated, the noise and vibration associated with percussion methods of pile driving and extraction hitherto employed will be largely eliminated.

I claim:

I. A method of vertically moving piles arranged up right in a single line in a group of at least two piles, said method comprising the steps of locating a reaction member directly above the tops of the piles of the group of piles with the reaction member being supported primarily by the group of piles and interposing jack means between the reaction member and the group of piles; coupling the jack means to a first pile unit composed of at least one of the piles with the coupled jack means conditioned to enable it to perform a jacking operation; connecting a second pile unit composed of at least one other of the piles to the reaction member to prevent relative vertical movement between the second pile unit and the reaction member; performing a cycle of jacking operations including operating said coupled jack means while maintaining the fixed vertical relation between the second pile unit and the reaction member, thereby vertically to move the first pile unit a convenient distance, and successively repeating the operation by vertically jacking others of the group of piles to the exclusion of the first pile unit in turn while maintaining the connection between the reaction member and the remainder of the pile group until all of the piles of the group of piles have been moved vertically approximately the same distance and direction; the number of piles connected to the reaction member in fixed vertical relation during the vertical movement of piles always being at least equal to the number of piles being moved; freeing the group of piles from the reaction member to permit vertical movement of the reaction member relative to the group of piles; thereafter moving the reaction member vertically relative to the group of piles; and repeating the same cycle of jacking operations.

2. A method of driving piles arranged upright in a group of at least two piles, the method comprising the steps of locating a reaction member directly above the tops of the piles of the group of piles with the reaction member being supported primarily by the group of piles and interposing jack means between the reaction member and the group of piles; coupling the jack means to a first pile unit composed of at least one of the piles with the coupled jack means being at least partially retracted so as to be capable of being extended; connecting a second pile unit composed of at least one other pile of the piles to the reaction member to prevent relative vertical movement between the second pile unit and the reaction member; performing a cycle of jacking operations including causing an extension of said coupled jack means While maintaining the fixed vertical relation between the second pile unit and the reaction member, thereby to drive the first pile unit a convenient distance, and successively repeating the operation by causing jack-extension driving of others of the group of piles to the exclusion of the first pile unit in turn while maintaining the reaction member connected to the remaining of the group of piles until all of the piles of the group of piles have been driven approximately the same distance; the number of piles connected to the reaction member in fixed vertical relation during the driving of the piles always being at least equal to the number of piles being driven; thereafter lowering the reaction member relative to the group of piles; and repeating the same cycle of jacking operations.

3. A method of driving piles arranged upright in a group of at least two piles, the method comprising locating a reaction member directly above the tops of the piles of the group of piles with the reaction member being supported primarily by the group of piles and interposing jack means between the reaction member and the group of piles; coupling the jack means to a first pile unit composed of at least one pile of the group of piles with the coupled jack means at least partially extended so as to be capable of being retracted; connecting a second pile unit composed of at least one other pile of the group of piles to the reaction member to prevent relative vertical movement between the second pile unit and the reaction member; performing a cycle of jacking operations including maintaining the fixed vertical relation between the second pile unit and the reaction member, retracting the coupled jack means thereby to cause the reaction member to be drawn downwardly so that the first pile unit will be driven a convenient distance, thereafter freeing the connection of the second pile unit to the reaction member to permit relative vertical movement between the second pile unit and the reaction member and raising the reaction member relative to the group of piles by operation of the jack means, and successively repeating the operation by jack-retraction downward drawing of the reaction member with the jack means coupling others of the group piles to the exclusion of the first pile unit to the reaction member in turn while the remainder of the group of piles is connected to the reaction member until all of the piles of the group of piles have been driven approximately the same distance; the number of piles connected to the reaction member in fixed vertical relation during the driving of piles always being at least equal to the number of piles being driven.

4. A method of extracting piles arranged upright in a group of at least two piles, the method comprising the steps of locating a reaction member directly above the tops of piles in the group of piles with the reaction member being supported primarily by the group of piles and interposing jack means between the reaction member and the group of piles; coupling the jack means to a first pile unit composed of at least one pile of the group of piles with the coupled jack means at least partially extended so as to be capable of being retracted; connecting a second pile unit composed of at least one other pile of the group of piles to the reaction member to prevent relative vertical movement between the second pile unit and the reaction member; performing a cycle of jacking operations including causing retraction of the coupled jack means while maintaining the fixed vertical relation between the second pile unit and the retraction member, thereby to pull the first pile unit a convenient distance upwardly, and successively repeating the operation by causing jack-retraction pulling of others of the group of piles to the exclusion of the first pile unit in turn while maintaining the remainder of the group of piles connected to the reaction member until all of the piles of the group of piles have been pulled upwardly approximately the same amount; the number of piles connected to the reaction member in fixed vertical relation during the extraction of piles always being at least equal to the number of piles being extracted; thereafter raising the reaction member relative to the group of piles; and repeating the same cycle of operations.

5. A method of extracting piles arranged upright in a group of at least two piles, the method comprising the steps of locating a reaction member directly above the tops of the piles of the group of piles with the reaction member being supported primarily by the group of piles and interposing jack means between the reaction member and the group of piles; coupling the jack means to a first pile unit composed of at least one pile of the group of piles with the coupled jack means at least partially retracted so as to be capable of being extended; connecting a second pile unit composed of at least one other pile .of the group of piles to the reaction member to prevent relative vertical movement between the second pile unit and the reaction member; performing a cycle of jacking operations including extending the coupled jack means while maintaining the fixed vertical relation between the second pile unit and the reaction member thereto to raise the reaction member and to cause the first pile unit to be drawn upwardly by a convenient amount, thereafter freeing the connection between the second pile unit and the reaction member to permit relative vertical movement between the second pile unit and the reaction member, and lowering the reaction member relative to the group of piles by operation of the jack means, and successively repeating the operation by causing jack-extension raising of the reaction member with the jack means coupled to others of the group of piles to the exclusion of the first pile unit in turn and the remainder of the group of piles connected to the reaction member until all of the piles of the group of piles have been extracted to approximately the same extent; the number of piles connected to the reaction member in fixed vertical relation during the extraction of piles always being at least equal to the number of piles being extracted.

6. Apparatus for vertically moving piles of a group of piles arranged in a closely adjacent relation and generally in a line, said apparatus comprising an overhead reaction member adapted to be positioned directly above and in vertically spaced relation to the tops of a plurality of piles; a plurality of connecting rod assemblies of the push-pull type extending downwardly from said reaction member in spaced generally aligned relation, each of said connecting rod assemblies having means for connection to the top of a different pile in a group of piles for primarily supporting said reaction member above the tops of the group of piles; means mounting each of said connecting rod assemblies on said reaction member for independent vertical movement relative to said reaction member; means for selectively and individually securing each of said connecting rod assemblies in an adjusted vertical position relative to said reaction member for effecting the mounting of the reaction member on certain piles of a group of piles and preventing relative vertical move ment therebetween; and jack means carried by said reaction member for operative vertical reaction on a selected plurality of said connecting rod assemblies to effect a selective vertical movement of at least one of the connecting rod assemblies to move at least one pile of a group of piles while the reaction of the required force is transmitted through said reaction member and at least another one of the assemblies to another pile of the group of piles.

'7. Apparatus according to claim 6 including guide means comprising two pairs of legs fixed with respect to and depending from said reaction member with the legs of each pair spaced horizontally for disposition on opposite sides of a group of piles; and horizontal walings carried by said legs and being engageable with opposite sides of said piles.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,451,922 4/1923 Perna 153 X 1,979,547 11/1934 Hood 6156 X 2,209,660 7/1940 Oka 25429 2,342,243 2/1944 Brizay 175-19 X 2,775,869 1/1957 Pointer 61-46.5 2,944,403 7/ 1960 Smith 61-465 2,976,693 3/1961 Showalter et al 61-46.5

FOREIGN PATENTS 25,970 1911 Great Britain. 471,623 9/ 1937 Great Britain. 606,033 8/ 1948 Great Britain.

EARL J. WITMER, Primary Examiner.

WILLIAM I. MUSHAKE, Examiner.

Claims

1. A METHOD OF VERTICALLY MOVING PILES ARRANGED UPRIGHT IN A SINGLE LINE IN A GROUP OF AT LEAST TWO PILES, SAID METHOD COMPRISING THE STEPS OF LOCATING A REACTION MEMBER DIRECTLY ABOVE THE TOPS OF THE PILES OF THE GROUP OF PILES WITH THE REACTION MEMBER BEING SUPPORTED PRIMARILY BY THE GROUP OF PILES AND INTERPOSING JACK MEANS BETWEEN THE REACTION MEMBER AND THE GROUP OF PILES; COUPLING THE JACK MEANS TO A FIRST PILE UNIT COMPOSED OF AT LEAST ONE OF THE PILES WITH THE COUPLED JACK MEANS CONDITIONED TO ENABLE IT TO PERFORM A JACKING OPERATION; CONNECTING A SECOND PILE UNIT COMPOSED OF AT LEAT ONE OTHER OF THE PILES TO THE REACTION MEMBER TO PREVENT RELATIVE VERTICAL MOVEMENT BETWEEN THE SECOND PILE UNIT AND THE REACTION MEMBER; PERFORMING A CYCLE OF JACKING OPERATIONS INCLUDING OPERATING SAID COUPLED JACK MEANS WHILE MAINTAINING THE FIXED VERTICAL RELATION BETWEEN THE SECOND PILE UNIT AND THE REACTION MEMBER, THEREBY VERTICALLY TO MOVE THE FIRST PILE UNIT A CONVENIENT DISTANCE, AND SUCCESSIVELY REPEATING THE OPERATION BY VERTICALLY JACKING OTHERS OF THE GROUP OF PILES TO THE EXCLUSION OF THE FIRST PILE UNIT IN TURN WHILE MAINTAINING THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE REACTION MEMBER AND THE REMAINDER OF THE PILE GROUP UNTIL ALL OF THE PILES OF THE GROUP OF PILES HAVE BEEN MOVED VERTICALLY APPROXIMATELY THE SAME DISTANCE AND DIRECTION; THE NUMBER OF PILES CONNECTED TO THE REACTION MEMBER IN FIXED VERTICAL RELATION DURING THE VERTICAL MOVEMENT OF PILES ALWAYS BEING AT LEAT EQUAL TO THE NUMBER OF PILES BEING MOVED; FREEING THE GROUP OF PILES FROM THE REACTION MEMBER TO PERMIT VERTICAL MOVEMENT OF THE REACTION MEMBER RELATIVE TO THE GROUP OF PILES; THEREAFTER MOVING THE REACTION MEMBER VERTICALLY RELATIVE TO THE GROUP OF PILES; AND REPEATING THE SAME CYCLE OF JACKING OPERATIONS.