US374944A - Pile or pier - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 4

O. DELAPIELD.

PILE OR PIER.

N0. 374,944. Patented D60. 20, 1887.

graphcr. Washington 0. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

,OLARENOE DELAFIELD, OF MOBILE, ALABAMA.

PILE OR PIER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 374,944, dated December 20, 1887.

Application tiled May 12, 1887.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLARENCE DELAFIELD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mobile, in the county of Mobile and State of Alabama, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Piles or Piers, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to improvements in piles for constructing piers and wharves; and the principal points or objects in view are, first, that of great strength and long durability, and, secondly, that of affording facility for lowering or planting the piles or piers in water beds or bottoms.

With these ends in view the invention consists, essentially, of a metallic pipe and a number of stone or other blocks strung upon the pipe and strongly clamped together and held thereon by washers and nuts or other suitable means, with or without cement between the blocks; and it also consists of a number of tubes or pipes with the said blocks strung thereon in such manner that some of the blocks-say every alternate one-are titted over two or more pipes, whereby the pipes are connected together and become in effect as one, this form being principally used when constructing piers and sheet'piling, and columns of larger size than it is desirable to build of one pipe, the cement being also used or not used, as preferred.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and on which like reference-letters indicate corresponding fea tures, Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a section of sheet-piling, aportion being shown in section at one end and side to illustrate the construction; and Fig. 2, a like view showing a pile proper.

The letter A designates a wrought-metal pipe, or a series of such pipes, as occasion may require. These pipes are provided with screwthreads at each end and with heavy washers on plates B and nuts 0. Upon this pipe, as seen in Fig. 2, I place a series of stone or wooden blocks, or blocks of other suitable material, or a series of bricks, with an intervening layer of some strong cement, and when the proper length demanded by the particular occasion is reached one of the nuts 0 and a plate or washer B are applied to the pipe,

(No model.)

and the whole series of blocks orbricks is forcibly brought against the intervening cement. \Vhen the latter has set, the series will be found to have practically become as one column or sheet, and to be strong and very durable.

Of course the cement may be omitted and the compressing tendency of the nuts and plates depended upon to give strength and rigidity to the structure. The cement, however, is greatly preferred, and especially so when the blocks are of a practically noncompressible nature, as stone. Again, when wooden blocks are used, a coating of oil or other material may be used to afford the wood the power of resisting the action of salt-water, as of barnacles, worms, &c., incident to it.

In Fig. l the blocks or bricks are shown with two pipes passing through each of them and with thejoints in the respectiye layers out of line. This adds strength to the structure, as well as enables me to extend the same almost indefinitely in width, so as to compose a column or to compose sheet-piling. Rods may be used, (see Fig. 1, B,) but I'prefer the pipes, as it enables me to pass a stream of water through the same to excavate the substrata and allow the lowering of the piles or piers to take place by gravity.

Suitable apparatus is provided for pumping under pressure a stream through the single tube of the pile, or for pumping a stream of water through each of the several tubes of the sheet-pile. In the latter case a number of cut-offs are provided, so as to continue some streams while others are discontinued. The water passing through the tubes acts upon the water-bed and excavates the soil, so as to form the foundation of the piles or sheet-piles, which of their own gravity settle down into the excavation. The proper level in the case of sheet-piles is secured by continuing some of the streams and discontinuing others. It will be understood that the piles or sheetpiles are held in a vertical position by suitable rafts or other floats; but as these and the pumping machinery for forcing the streams of water form no part of my invention (indeed, they are now commonly known, such as flatboats and steam-pumps) I do not illustrate them. 7

It will be observed that the structure here described forms a composite pile, pier, or sheet-piling, the pipes or rods forming the core and the blocks or bricks the body.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is v v 1. A composite pile consisting of a series of wrought-metal pipes having screw-threaded ends and a series of layers of blocks, through 10 each block of each of which layers are passed two of said pipes, a washer on the end of each pipe and against the upper and lower blocks, and a nut for each end of each pipe to bind and hold the structure together.

2. In the art of erecting hollow sheetpiles,

the hereindescribed process, consisting in placing the sheet-pi1es upon the water-bottom and in forcing a stream of water through the series of passages against the water-bottom, and in continuing and discontinuing the stream through different passages, soas to secure the proper level to the sheet by excavating the bottom more or less at different points, ac-

cording to the condition thereof.

In testimony whereofI affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

' CLARENCE DELAFIELD. XVitnesses:

RICHARD PRATT, E. L. RUssELL.

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