US3298448A

US3298448A - Underground passage forming apparatus

Info

Publication number: US3298448A
Application number: US402765A
Authority: US
Inventors: Kull Gustav
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1964-10-09
Filing date: 1964-10-09
Publication date: 1967-01-17
Anticipated expiration: 1984-01-17

Description

Jail. 17, G KULL UNDERGROUND PASSAGE FORMING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 9, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 .imlzwfr/y G. KULL UNDERGROUND PASSAGE FORMING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 9, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet United States Patent O k 3,298,448 UNDERGROUND PASSAGE FORMING APPARATUS Gustav Kull, Sacred Heart, Minn. 56285 Filed Oct. 9, 1964, Ser. No. 402,765 Claims. (Cl. 175-19) This invention relates to an apparat-us of extremely simple construction which may be readily operated by one man to form a passage -u-nder a sidewalk, driveway or roadway through which wires, such as telephone wires, or small pipe may be passed without Idisturbing the sidewalk, roadway or driveway.

In the laying of underground wiring or small pipe, it is customary to utilize a trenchinlg machine which digs a trench approximately three inches wide and thirtythree to thirty-six inches deep. However, upon reaching a sidewalk or roadway and to avoid cutting a trench therethrough, it is necessary to laterally enlarge the trench sufficiently 4to lform :a manhole in which a man can work while forcibly driving a rod through the earth under the sidewalk or -roadway to an end of a trench at the opposite side of the sidewalk or roadway.

The present invention provides an apparatus of extremely simple construction which can be utilized with the aforementioned trencher for forcibly driving a rod o-r the like under the sidewalk or roadway and without enlarging the trench.

A further object of the invention is t-o provide an apparat-us, which -in addition to forcibly driving a passage forming member through the earth under the sidewalk or roadway, may also be utilized for pulling wiring or pipe through the passage formed thereby.

Various other objects and :advantages of the invention will hereinaiter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawings, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view showing the passage forming apparatus in an operative position;

FIGUR-E 2 is an end elevational view thereof substantially along the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a-n elongated fragmentary vertical sectional view, partly in side elevation, taken substantially along the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged cross sectional view through a part ofthe apparatus, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 44 of FIGUR'E 3;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged .fragment-ary sectional view taken substantially .along a plane as indicated by the line 5-5 of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged yfragmentary view of a part of the passage lforming element, shown partly in section, and

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged fragmentary view, partly in elevation and partly in section, o-f another part of said passage forming element.

Refer-ring more specifically to the drawings, the underground passage forming apparatus in its entirety and comprising the invention is designated generally 10, and includes a frame 11 formed of rigid tubing of rectangular or square cross section, .as seen in FIGURE 4, and which includes a bottom portion 12 and an upright portion 13. The portion 13 extends upwardly 4from one end of the portion 12 and is disposed at a right angle thereto. A diagonal brace 14 extends between parts of the

frame portions

12 and 13 and is secured thereto by suitable fastenings 15.

As seen in FIGURE 3, a bushing -1-6 is secured in any conventional manner in a rear end of the .frame portion 12 whi-ch is located remote from Ithe upright frame por- 31,298,448 Patented Jan. 17, 1967 ice tion 13, and a bushing 17 is secured, as by a screw faste-ning v18, Kin the other forward en-d of the bott-om frame portion 12. A rod 19 has end portions journalled in the bushings 16 and 17. Collars 20 are secured to the rod 19 and abut adjacent inner ends of the bushings 16 and 17. A forward end of the -rod 19 extends from the forward end of the bushing 17 a-nd has a small sprocket wheel 21 xed thereto. A portion of the rod 19 disposed between the collars 20 is threaded, as seen at 22. A block 23, forming a nut, ts slidably and non-rotatably in the frame part 12, as seen in FIGURE 4, and has a threaded bore 24 through which the rod portion 22 extends and in which said rod por-tion threadedly engages. The block 23 has a bore 25, disposed above an-d parallel to the :bore 24, in which an end of. `a rod 26 is secured by ia fastening `27. The rod 26 extends rearwardly from the block 23 through the frame part 12 and through a Iguide bore 28 in the upper part of the bushing 16.

A stu-b shaft 29 is journalled in the upper part of the fram-e member 13 and has a large sprocket wheel 30 fixed thereto. The sprocket wheel 30 is disposed at the forward side of the frame portion 13 in vertical alignment with the sprocket wheel 21, and ia handwheel or other suitable torque imparting means 31 is fixed to the forwar-d end of the shaft 29 and is disposed Iforwardly of the sprocket wheel 30. An endless chain 32 -is trained around the

sprocket wheels

21 and 30` .for rotating the shaft 19 when the handwheel is manually turned.

A guide tube 32 is secured in any conventional manner to the underside of the frame portion .12 and has bushings 33 andr34 secured in the ends thereof to slidably receive and guide a passage forming member 35, corn- Iposed of a rod section 36 and one or more rod sections 37. The forward or leading section 36 has a pointed forward end 39 and a transverse bore 40` located adjacent thereto. The rear end of the section 36 terminates in a threaded stem 41 of reduced cross sectional size `f-or attachment into a threaded socket 42 in the forward end of one of the sections 37, .as seen in FIGURE 6. The

sections

36 and 37 are of the same external size in cross section :and each section 37 has a threaded socket -42 at its :forward end and a stem 43 at its rear end, corresponding with the stem 41. As seen in FIGURE 3, the forward section 36 has a porti-on thereof extending ith-rough the Iforward -guide bushing 33 with its forward end shown disposed forwardly of said rguide bushing. The stem 41 of the forward section 36 is c-onnected to the socket 42 of a forwardm-ost section 37 within the guide tube 32, and said section 37 extends through the rear guide bushing 34 :and through a sleeve member 44 which is shown disposed behind and spaced .from the rear end of the tube 32. Sleeve member 44 has an opstanding forward portion 45 in which the rear end of the rod 26 is secured by a fastening 46. A -set screw 47 -is carried by the sleeve 44 for ladjustably securing said sleeve to the passage forming member 35. A stake 52 is iixed to and exten-ds downwardly from the forward end of the tube 32. The stra-ke is of substantial width in a direction crosswise of the tube.

A trench 48 is shown dug into the earth 49 at one side of la sidewalk or roadway 50 and another trench 51 is shown extending up to the other side of the walk or roadway 50. The trenches 48 and 51 are disposed in alignment with one another, and are adapted to be dug with a conventional trenching machine, not shown, which digs a trench .approximately three inches wide `and thirty-three to thirty-six inches deep, as seen in FIGURE 2. The trenches 43 and 51 are provided for laying underground wiring, such as telephone wiring, o-r small pipe. The passage forming .apparatus is applied to the trench 48, as seen in FIGURES 1 and 3, with the tube 32 resting on the bed of the trench and the upright frame portion 13 extending upwardly, in [close proximity to an end of the trench adjacent the edge of the walk or roadway 50i, and it will be understood that the upright 13 is of sufficient length to Ilocate the handwheel 31 at a convenient level above the lsidewalk o-r roadway 50. With the sleeve 44 secured to the rod section 37 by the set screw 47, the handwheel 31 is rotated in a direction to turn the rod 19 so that the block 23 will be moved forward toward the bushing 17, to cause the passage forming member 35 to be forcibly advanced in the same di-rection, from left to right of FIG- URES 1 and 3, axially through the guide tube 32, so that its leading pointed end 39 will be driven through the earth 49 between the bottoms of the adjacent ends of the trenches 4S and 51. The stake 52 will hold the apparatus against displacement in the opposite direction or from right to left of FIGURES 1 and 3. After the sleeve 44 has moved up to adjacent the rear ends of the'tube 32 and the frame section 12, the set screw 47 is loosened and the handwheel is revolved in the opposite direction to move the block 23 from right to left of FIGURE 3 toward the bushing 16, as the sleeve 44 slides in the same direction on the passage forming member 35. If necessary, another sectionv37 can be added to receive the sleeve 44 as it is moved -to the left of FIGURE 3. The set screw 47 is then re-tightened for securing the sleeve 44 to the member 35 after which the operation, previously described, is repeated, for forcing the leading end 39 further through the earth, and this operation can be repeated until the leading end 39 enters the trench 51, as seen in dotted lines in FIGURE l.

A line 53 may be attached to the member 35 through its bore 40 before the member is forced through the earth, as previously described, and unfastened therefrom and held in the trench 51 while the member 35 is retracted back to its position, as seen in full lines of FIGURE 3; or the line 53 may be attached to the member 35 after it has entered theptrench 51 and drawn back with said member through the lpassage formed thereby. The line 53 is thereafter utilized for pulling wiring or piping, not shown, through the passage formed under the sidewalk or roadway 50. It will be obvious that the handwheel is turned to rotate the shaft 19 in a direction for moving the block 23 from right to left of FIGURE 3 and for drawing the member 35 back through the passage with the sleeve 44 readjusted on said member 35 as is required.

Should an obstruction exist where the handwheel 31 is located above the sidewalk or roadway 50, the apparatus 10 may be reversed from its position in FIGURES 1 and 3 and the passage forming member 35 reversed in the tube 32. The member 35 would then be pushed by the sleeve 44 being forced away from the frame member 12 and tube 32 for driving the leading end 39 through the earth between the ditches 48 and 51. It will be readily apparent that the tube 32 with its

bushings

33 and 34 will eifectively function to prevent buckling of the Vmember 35 as it is advanced through the earth.

Various modifications and changes are contemplated and may be resorted to without departing from the function or scope of the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. An underground passage forming apparatus comprising a -rigid frame including a bottom portion and an upright portion rising from said bottom portion, a lead screw extending longitudinally through and journaled in said bottom portion, a member slidably and non-rotatably connected to said bottom portion and threadedly engaging said lead screw, a guide disposed beneath and secured t-o said bottom portion, an elongated passage forming member extending slidably through said guide, a clamp detachably secured to said passage forming member beyond one end of said bottom portion and one end of said guide, means rigidly connecting said clam-p to said member, and manually actuated means supported by an upper part of said upright frame portion and connected to said lead screw for revolving the screw in either direction for moving the passage forming member in either direction in unison with said member and clamp for propelling the passage forming member through said guide and away from one end thereof.

2. An underground passage forming apparatus as in claim 1, and an anchoring stake fixed to and extending downwardly from said guide and adapted to be imbedded in the earth for retaining the apparatus against movement in the opposite direction to the direction in which the passage forming member is propelled.

3. An apparatus as in claim 1, said passage forming member being formed of threadedly connected sections.

4. An underground passage forming apparatus comprising a rigid frame having a bottom portion adapted to be disposed in a trench and an upright portion rising from said bottom portion `adapted to be located adjacent an end of the trench, an elongated guide secured ybeneath and longitudinally of said bottom portion, an elongated rigid passage forming member extending slidably through said guide, la clamp detachably secured to said passage forming member beyond and spaced from an end of said bott-om portion and from an end of the guide, thrust imparting means contained in said bottom portion including a part slidably and non-rotatably iconnected to said bottom portion and a lead screw extending threadedly through said part and journaled in said bottom portion, means rigidly connecting said part to the clamp, and manually actuated means supported by an upper part of said upright portion and adapted t-o be located above the trench and connected to said lead screw for rotating said screw in either direction for imparting a thrust in either direction to said part and to the clamp for moving the passage forming member in either direction through the guide.

5. An underground passage forming apparatus as in claim 4, said manually actuated means including a handwheel rotatably supported on the upright portion and -a sprocket wheel and chain drive connecting said handwheel to said lead screw.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 740,521 10/1903 Brown 175-19 1,498,062 6/1924 Albaugh 254-29 1,916,466 7/1933 Eckles 254-29 2,519,680 8/1950 Macumber 175-19 X CHARLES E. OCONNELL, Primary Examiner.

- N. C. BYERS, Assistant Examiner,

Claims

1. AN UNDERGROUND PASSAGE FORMING APPARATUS COMPRISING A RIGID FRAME INCLUDING A BOTTOM PORTION AND AN UPRIGHT PORTION RISING FROM SAID BOTTOM PORTION, A LEAD SCREW EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY THORUGH AND JOURNALLED IN SAID BOTTOM PORTION, A MEMBER SLIDABLY AND NON-ROTATABLY CONNECTED TO SAID BOTTOM PORTION AND THREADEDLY ENGAGING SAID LEAD SCREW, GUIDE DISPOSED BENEATH AND SECURED TO SAID BOTTOM PORTION, AN ELONGATED PASSAGE FORMING MEMBER EXTENDING SLIDABLY THROUGH SAID GUIDE, A CLAMP DETACHABLY SECURED TO SAID PASSAGE FORMING MEMBER BEYOND ONE END OF SAID BOTTOM PORTION AND ONE END OF SAID GUIDE, MEANS RIGIDLY CONNECTING SAID CLASMP TO SAID MEMBER, AND MANUALLY ACTUATED MEANS SUPPORTED BY AN UPPER PART OF SAID UPRIGHT FRAME PORTION AND CONNECTED TO SAID LEAD SCREW FOR REVOLVING THE SCREW IN EITHER DIRECTION FOR MOVING THE PASSAGE FORMING MEMBER IN EITHER DIRECTION IN UNISON WITH SAID MEMBER AND CLAMP FOR PROPELLING THE PASSAGE FORMING MEMBER THROUGH SAID GUIDE AND AWAY FROM ONE END THEREOF.