US3839874A

US3839874A - Method of grouting a pile in a hole involving the vibration of the grouting material

Info

Publication number: US3839874A
Application number: US00396934A
Authority: US
Inventors: R Wyant
Original assignee: Dresser Industries Inc
Current assignee: Dresser Industries Inc
Priority date: 1973-09-13
Filing date: 1973-09-13
Publication date: 1974-10-08
Anticipated expiration: 1991-10-08
Also published as: CA1015962A

Abstract

A pile is placed in an earth borehole which may or may not have a protective casing along at least a portion of its length. A predetermined amount of water is metered into the bottom of the hole in the annulus exterior to the pile and then dry sand is added to the water in the annulus. Various means are provided for vibrating either the pile or the external protective casing or the sand and water mixture itself. The sand and water mixture itself can be vibrated by one or more vibrating rods inserted into the mixture or by a multi-fingered sleeve which fits over the pile and into the annulus external to the pile. In some of the embodiments, the vibrated apparatus is removed while vibrating to successively compact the sand and water mixture beginning at the bottom of the hole. When using a pipe pile, the bottom of the pipe pile can be plugged during the compaction of the sand and water mixture and then removed if necessary. Dry sand is used as a ballast to prevent the pipe pile from floating when using a closed end.

Description

ilmted States Patent 1 1 1 1 3,839,874

Wyant 1 Oct. 8, 1974 METHOD OF GROUTING A PILE IN A HOLE INVOLVING THE VIBRATION OF 57 ABSTRACT THE GROUTING MATERIAL A pile is placed in an earth borehole which may or lnvemorl Reece y Houston, may not have a protective casing along at least a por- [73] Assigneez Dresser Industries, Inc Dallas, tion of 1ts length. A predetermmed amount of water is metered into the bottom of the hole in the annulus ex- Filedi p 1973 terior to the pile and then dry sand is added to the [2]] Appl NW 396,934 water in the annulus. Various means are provided for vibrating either the pile or the external protective casing or the sand and water mixture itself. The sand and U.S. Cl. water mixture itself can be vibrated one or more z Cl Eozd 502d 3/02, 502d 27/30 vibrating rods inserted into the mixture or by a multi- Field Of Search fingered sleeve which fits over the pile and into the 53-66, 46, 11, 36 annulus external to the pile. In some of the embodiments, the vibrated apparatus is removed while vibrat- [5 References Cited ing to successively compact the sand and water mix- UNITED STATES PATENTS ture beginning at the bottom of the hole. When using 2,718,761 9/1955 Steuerman 6l/36 e P Pile, the bottom efthe P P P be P g 3,385,070 5/1968 Jackson 61/5366 during the eempaetien 0f the Send and Water mixture 3,570,258 3/197! Fuller,..,, 1 61/5352 and then removed if necessary. Dry sand is used as a 3,706,204 12/1972 Long 6l/46 ballast to prevent the pipe pile from floating when Primary Examiner-Jacob Shapiro Attorney, Agent, or Firm-William E. Johnson, Jr.

using a closed end.

12 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures SAND REMOVAL V l BRATOR SHE 10! 4 VIBRATOR f PAIEmmnm 81974 PAIENIED 8W4 3,839.874

sumac: 4

FIG. 4A

PATENTED 81974 3.839.874

VIBRATOR METHOD OF GROUTING A PILE IN A HOLE INVOLVING THE VIBRATION OF THE GROUTING MATERIAL BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to the grouting of a pile in a hole, and particularly relates to the grouting of a pile in a hole in the ground while vibrating the grouting material.

It is well known in the art to secure a pile in a hole by placing the pile within the hole and then placing grouting material in the annulus exterior to the pile which then sets up to firmly anchor the pile within the ground. Such grouting materials have usually contained cement or other cement-type materials which harden upon setting. However, because cement expands while drying and also gives off heat, it has been proposed that, especially in the areas where permafrost is encountered, for example, in Alaska, that a mixture of sand and water could be used as the grouting material to eliminate the heat which would have been given off by the drying cement. When using a sand and water mixture, the water in the mixture becomes ice which then becomes an integral part of the permafrost.

By way of a more specific example, it has been proposed to build various pipelines across Alaska which will have piles grouted in place within holes using a mixture of sand and water. It should be appreciated, however, that much of the construction work will be done under extremely frigid temperatureconditions, for example, 60 F. These extreme conditions create problems with icing of the water being used and bridging within the annulus of the hole when pouring a sand and water mixture into the hole. Furthermore, it has been discovered that even while vibrating the pile when using a sand and water mixture, the mixture will not be compacted around the piling to such a degree as to create a satisfactory grouting of the pile within the hole.

It is therefore the primary object of the present invention to provide a new and improved method of grouting a pile within a hole.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a new and improved method of grouting a pile in a hole which eliminates many of the problems encountered while using water in subfreezing temperature conditions.

It is yet another object of the invention to provide new and improved methods for vibrating the grouting material used in grouting a pile within a hole.

The objects of the invention are accomplished, in general, by a method of grouting a pile in a hole which involves the placement of the pile within the hole, the addition of water to the hole and then the addition of sand to the hole and the vibration of the grouting material which causes the sand and water mixture to be fluidized along the length of the pile within the hole. As a special feature of the invention, the grouting material is successively vibrated from the bottom of the hole to the top of the hole to provide a successive compaction of thesand and water mixture along the length of the pile within the hole. The various methods embodied within the invention call for the pile to be vibrated or the protective casing to be vibrated or the use of additional means to be vibrated within the sand and water mixture, or combination of same.

These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more readily understood from a reading of the following detailed specification and drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevated view, partly in cross-section, of an apparatus for carrying out the invention which causes the pile itself to be vibrated;

FIG. 2 is an elevated view, partly in cross-section, of the apparatus according to FIG. l which also illustrates means for withdrawing the dry sand from the interior of the pile;

FIG. 3 illustrates, partly in c:ross-section, the pile which has been grouted within a hole in the earth in ac cordance with the various methods according to the present invention;

FIG. 4A is an elevated view, partly in cross-section, which illustrates an apparatus for vibrating and removing the protective casing according to the present invention;

FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional plan view taken along the sectional line 4-4 of FIG. 4A;

FIG. 5 is an elevated view, partly in cross section, which illustrates the use of a vibrating rod which is used to vibrate the sand and water mixture in the annulus of the hole exterior to the pile;

FIG. 6A is an elevated pictorial view of an apparatus which utilizes a multi-fingered sleeve exterior to the pile which is vibrated and withdrawn from the hole during vibration according to the present invention;

FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional plan view taken along the sectional line 6-6 of FIG. 6A;

FIG. 7A is an elevated view, partly in cross-section, of an apparatus for causing the pile to be successively vibrated along its length within the hole in accordance with the present invention; and

FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional plan view taken along the sectional line 7-7 of FIG. 7A.

Referring'now to the drawing in more detail, especially to FIG. 1, there is illustrated a hole 10 in the earth 11 which may be either a conventional earth formation, or may be comprised of permafrost in the more frigid zones of the earth, for example, in Alaska. A steel protective casing 12, which may or may not extend all the way from the earths surface to the bottom of the hole, is used primarily to ensure the integrity of the hole. A steel pipe pile 13 is placed within the hole 10 and is sized such with respect to the hole that an annulus l4 exists between the pile l3 and the protective casing 12. At the earth s surface, a source of water 15 and a source of dry sand 16 are provided for placing water and sand into the annulus 14. A vibrator 17 is attached to the pile 13 which causes the pile 13 to vibrate along its length.

The bottom end of the pile 13 is closed with a plug 18 to keep the water and the sand and water mixture from entering the bottom of the pile 13. The interior of the pile I3 is partially filled with dry sand 19 for ballast purposes to keep the pile 13 from. floating when water is added to the annulus 14.

In practicing the method in accordance with the apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1, the pile I3 is placed in the hole and the dry sand 19 is added to the interior of the pile 13. Water 20 is then metered into the annulus from the water source 15 in a predetermined amount which is determined by the area of the annulus along the entire length of the hole and by the amount of water as is desired in the final sand and water mixture. By way of example, a recommended grouting mixture should have a water content of 8 to 15 percent by dry weight.

The percent water content has been found to be highly desirable in that the mixture is highly fluidized during at least a portion of the method according to the present invention.

After the water is added to the annulus and is residing in the bottom of the hole, the dry sand is added to the annulus 14 from the sand source 16 and the vibrator 17 is used to vibrate the pile 13 which in turn causes the sand and water mixture to be vibrated. Because of the important feature of adding the water to the annulus first, no air bubbles are found within the sand/water mixture as would be the case if either the sand was added first or if the sand and water slurry were mixed prior to adding the mixture to the hole. By placing the water in the hole first, and by vibrating the sand and water mixture, it has been found that there is an excellent adherence of the sand and water mixture to the pile 13 which requires no additional support while waiting for the water within the mixture to freeze.

Referring now to FIG. 2, there is illustrated the apparatus of FIG. 1 but also including means for withdrawing the sand 19 from the interior of the pile 13. A pipe 21 extends down into the sand at or near the bottom plug 18 and has attached at its upper end an apparatus for sucking the sand from the interior of the pile. The sand removal apparatus 22 in its simplest form can be a vacuum device.

Referring now to FIG. 3, the pile 13 is illustrated as being grouted in place by the compacted sand and water mixture 23 and which has had its bottom plug 18 (shown in FIGS. 1 and 2) removed. It should be appreciated that the bottom plug 18 can be a drillable material and merely drilled out, or can be a retrievable packer such as is used in oil wells and which is removed after the previous steps have been completed in accordance with the present invention.

Referring now to FIGS. 4A and 4B, there is illustrated an alternative embodiment of the present invention wherein the protective casing 12 is vibrated instead of, or in addition to, the vibration of the pile 13. A conventional mast assembly having drawworks 31 and a crown block assembly 32 is used to allow the casing 12 to be withdrawn from the hole. The casing 12 is illustrated as having slots or openings through which arms 33 of a traveling assembly 34 are provided which enable the casing 12 to be withdrawn. The traveling assembly 34 includes a top plate 35 having a center opening 36 and a bottom plate 37 having the arms 33 as integral parts thereof. The top plate 35 also has four wheels 38, two of which are illustrated, for traveling along the frame 39 of the mast assembly 30. The drawworks 31 has a line 40 which passes over the crown block 32 and is connected by means of a traveling block 41 to an anchor assembly 42 mounted on the top plate 35. A vibrator 43 is attached to a vertical frame member 44 which connects the top plate 35 to the lower plate 37. A second vertical plate member 45 also connects the segmented bottom plate 37 to the top plate 35. In the preferred embodiment, the vertical plate members are welded to the top plate 35 and are bolted to the bottom plate 37 by

bolts

46, 47, 48 and 49.

An assembly 50 having a first pipe-like structure 51 which is attached to the upper portion of the mast assembly 30 has a lower bell structure 52 having an outside diameter which substantially matches the outside diameter of the pile 13. The assembly 50 also has a cylindrical, reduced diameter portion 53 which substantially mates with the internal diameter of the pile l3 and extends down inside the pile for a distance, for example, 5 feet, to provide stability to the pile 13 as the protective casing 12 is being vibrated and removed from the hole.

In assembling the apparatus according to FIG. 4A, it should be appreciated that the bottom plate 37 (illustrated in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 4B) is segmented for ease in placing the arms 33 within the slots in the protective casing 12. After the arms 33 are inserted within the slots in the protective casing 12, the

bolts

46, 47, 48 and 49 are used to secure the segmented bottom plate 37 to the

vertical plate members

44 and 45.

In the operation of the apparatus according to FIG. 4A, it should be appreciated that there may not necessarily be a need for the ballast sand 19 when the assembly 50 is used to hold the pile 13 in place but can be used as needed. As with the other embodiments, the water is added to the annulus between the pile and the protective casing 12 and sand is added to the water to form a sand and water mixture. The protective casing 12 is vibrated by means of the vibrator 43 and the drawworks 31 is then activated to cause the protective casing 12 to be withdrawn. By using such a procedure, the sand and water mixture is fluidized and begins to compact in the areas beneath the vibrating protective casing 12. Thus, the sand and water mixture is successively vibrated along the length of the pile 13 and is successively compacted as the casing 12 is withdrawn from the bottom of the hole to the earths surface.

Referring now to FIG. 5, there is illustrated an alternative embodiment of the present invention wherein the water 20 is first added to the hole as with the other embodiments and while the dry sand from the sand source 16 is being added to the annulus, a vibrating rod 60 from a vibrator 61 which extends to the bottom of the annulus is used to successively vibrate the sand and water mixture from the bottom of the hole to the earths surface. In the operation of the apparatus of FIG. 5, the water is added to the hole and then the sand is added while causing the rod 60 to vibrate. The rod 60 is then withdrawn from the hole while vibrating to successively compact the sand and water mixture along the length of the pile.

Referring now to FIG. 6A, an alternative embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in pictorial fashion and has a conventional mast assembly having a conventional drawworks 71. A traveling assembly 72 has an upper plate 73 and a lower plate 74 which are joined together by a pair of vertical plate members 75 and 76. The upper plate member 73 has four wheels at its corners, only two of which are illustrated and are designated by the

reference numerals

77 and 78. In a similar manner, the bottom plate 74 has four wheels at its corners, only two of which are illustrated and are designated by the reference numerals 79 and 80. The wheels which are attached to the upper and lower plates are aligned to travel along tracks (not shown) in the vertical members of the mast 70. A hoist line 81 runs from the drawworks 71 over the crown block 82 and is connected to an anchor assembly 83 on the upper plate 73 by means of a traveling block 84.

A multi-fingered sleeve 90, a portion of which is shown in cross section along the section lines 66 in FIG. 6B, and having a vibrator 94 attached thereto, fits over the pile 13 and has a plurality of fingers 91 which are sized so as to fit into the annulus exterior to the pile 13. In order to hold the pile 13 in place during the vibration of the sleeve 90 and its withdrawal, a pair of

rods

92 and 93 are connected between the horizontal frame members of the mast 70 and pass through the openings between the fingers 91 and rest on top of the pile 13 to prevent any upward movement of the pile 13. Although not illustrated, ballast sand 19 can also be added to the interior of the pile 13 as needed.

Although not illustrated, it should be appreciated that the hole shown in FIG. 6A can have a protective well casing 12 if desired.

In the operation of the apparatus of FIG. 6A, the water is metered into the annulus surrounding the pile 13 and dry sand is added to the annulus to form a sand and water mixture as with the previous embodiments. A vibrator 94 which is attached to the sleeve 90 is used to vibrate the sleeve 90 and its fingers 91 and the drawworks 71 is activated to cause the sleeve 90 to be with drawn from the hole since the sleeve 90 is attached to the bottom plate 74 and moves as its moves. Thus, the sand and water mixture is successively vibrated and compacted along the length of the pile 13 as the sleeve 90 is removed from the hole.

Referring now to FIGS. 7A and 78, there is illustrated an alternative embodiment of the present invention wherein a clamp member 100 is used to hold the pipe pile 13 in place while a vibrator 104 is used to traverse the interior of the pile 13. The vibrator 104 is connected to a pipe 101 which can be lifted from the hole or lowered into the hole inside the pile 13 by any conventional means, for example, the mast and drawworks illustrated in FIG. 4A.

The assembly 104) is segmented (best shown in FIG. 7B which is a view taken along the section line 7-7 of FIG. 7A) and is bolted together by bolt 102 to fit around the pile 13 in a secure manner. The assembly 100 has a hinge 103 which allows the segmented assembly to be swung into place around the pile 13 and then bolted together.

In the operation of the apparatus of FIG. 7A, the water is first metered into the annulus of the hole and then sand is added from a sand source 16. The vibrator 1114 is vibrated, preferably beginning at the bottom of the interior of the pile 13, and is then run along the length of the pile 13 to successively compact the sand and water mixture beginning at the bottom of the hole.

Although not illustrated, a protective casing 112 can be used along any portion of the hole as desired.

Thus it should be appreciated that there has been described herein the preferred embodiments of the present invention wherein various methods are described relating to the grouting of a pile within a hole in the earth. Although the preferred embodiments contemplate the use of sand, the word sand is to be construed in a generic sense and it is contemplated that various sand-like materials or minerals can be used in place of the conventional silica sand. Furthermore, it should be appreciated that even though the preferred embodiments contemplate that the sand/water mixture be vibrated commencing with the addition of the sand to the water, those skilled in the art will recognize that a given amount of. sand can be added to the water before commencing the vibration step. Likewise, after the vibration has ceased, dry sand can be added to the very top of the annulus surrounding the pile. It should also be appreciated that although the preferred embodi ments illustrate the use of a pipe pile, the methods of the present invention can also be utilized with solid piles to grout them in place within a hole in the earth. Likewise, those skilled in the art will recognize that, on occasion, there may already be some water in the borehole for various reasons and that a smaller amount of water, perhaps zero, need be added to the hole before adding sand.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A method of grouting a pile in a hole, comprising:

placing a pile in a hole;

metering a predetermined amount of water into said hole within the annulus external to said pile;

placing sand in said water to form a sand and water mixture after said water is in place in the bottom of said hole; and

vibrating said sand and water mixture, said mixture having enough water to remain fluidized during said vibration.

2. A method of grouting a pile in a hole, comprising:

placing a pile in a hole;

adding water to said hole;

adding sand to said water to form a sand and water mixture within the annulus external to said pile after said water is in place in the bottom of said hole; and

3. A method of grouting a pile in a hole, comprising:

placing a pile in a hole;

adding water to said hole;.

adding sand to said water to form a sand and water mixture within the annulus external to said pile after said water is in place in the bottom of said hole;-and

vibrating said sand and water mixture as said sand is added, said mixture having enough water to remain fluidized during said vibration. I

4. A method of grouting a pile in a hole, comprising:

placing a pile in a hole;

adding water to said hole;

vibrating said pile while said sand is being added to said water, said mixture having enough water to remain fluidized during said vibration.

5. A method of grouting a pile in a hole, comprising:

placing a pile in a hole;

adding water to said hole;

adding sand to said water to form a sand and water mixture within the annulus external to said pile after said water is in place in the bottom of said hole; vibrating said sand and water mixture; and

ceasing to vibrate said sand and water mixture while said mixture is still fluidized. 6. A method of grouting a pile in a hole, comprising:

placing a pile in a hole;

adding water to said hole;

adding sand to said water to form a sand and water mixture within the annulus external to said pile after said water is in place in the bottom of said hole;

vibrating said pile while said sand is being added to said water; and

ceasing to vibrate said pile short of adding sand in such an amount that said sand and water mixture would no longer be fluidized.

7. A method of grouting a pile in a hole, comprising:

placing a pile in a hole;

adding water to said hole;

vibrating at least one rod in said mixture; and

withdrawing said at least one rod from said mixture during said vibration, said mixture having enough water to remain fluidized in near proximity to said vibrating rod while going into compaction in the areas beneath said at least one rod during withdrawal.

8. A method of grouting a pile in a hole, comprising:

placing a pile in a hole;

adding water to said hole;

vibrating a multi-fingered sleeve in said mixture, said sleeve fingers being located in the annulus of said hole external to said pile; and

withdrawing said sleeve from said hole while continuing the vibration, said mixture having enough water to remain fluidized in near proximity to said vibrating fingers while going into compaction in the areas beneath said fingers during withdrawal.

9. A method of grouting a pile in a hole, comprising:

placing a pile in a hole havinag a protective casing;

adding water to said hole;

vibrating said protective casing; and

withdrawing said casing during said vibration, said mixture having enough water to remain fluidized in near proximity to said vibrating casing while going into compaction in the areas beneath said casing during withdrawal.

10. A method of grouting a pipe pile having a closed bottom end in a hole, comprising:

placing a closed bottom pipe pile in a hole;

adding sand to the interior of said pipe pile;

adding water to said hole exterior to said pipe pile;

adding sand to said water to form a sand and water mixture after said water is in place in the bottom of said hole;

vibrating said sand and water mixture, said mixture having enough water to remain fluidized during said vibration, and

removing said sand from the interior of said pipe pile.

11. The method according to claim 10, including the additional step of removing said bottom end of said pipe pile.

12. A method of grouting a pile in a hole, comprising:

placing a pile in said hole;

adding water to said hole;

successively inducing vibration of said mixture along the length of said pile, said mixture having enough water to remain fluidized in the areas being in proximity to the induced vibration while going into compaction in the areas beneath said induced vibration'.

Claims

1. A method of grouting a pile in a hole, comprising: placing a pile in a hole; metering a predetermined amount of water into said hole within the annulus external to said pile; placing sand in said water to form a sand and water mixture after said water is in place in the bottom of said hole; and vibrating said sand and water mixture, said mixture having enough water to remain fluidized during said vibration.

2. A method of grouting a pile in a hole, comprising: placing a pile in a hole; adding water to said hole; adding sand to said water to form a sand and water mixture within the annulus external to said pile after Said water is in place in the bottom of said hole; and vibrating said sand and water mixture, said mixture having enough water to remain fluidized during said vibration.

3. A method of grouting a pile in a hole, comprising: placing a pile in a hole; adding water to said hole; adding sand to said water to form a sand and water mixture within the annulus external to said pile after said water is in place in the bottom of said hole; and vibrating said sand and water mixture as said sand is added, said mixture having enough water to remain fluidized during said vibration.

4. A method of grouting a pile in a hole, comprising: placing a pile in a hole; adding water to said hole; adding sand to said water to form a sand and water mixture within the annulus external to said pile after said water is in place in the bottom of said hole; and vibrating said pile while said sand is being added to said water, said mixture having enough water to remain fluidized during said vibration.

5. A method of grouting a pile in a hole, comprising: placing a pile in a hole; adding water to said hole; adding sand to said water to form a sand and water mixture within the annulus external to said pile after said water is in place in the bottom of said hole; vibrating said sand and water mixture; and ceasing to vibrate said sand and water mixture while said mixture is still fluidized.

6. A method of grouting a pile in a hole, comprising: placing a pile in a hole; adding water to said hole; adding sand to said water to form a sand and water mixture within the annulus external to said pile after said water is in place in the bottom of said hole; vibrating said pile while said sand is being added to said water; and ceasing to vibrate said pile short of adding sand in such an amount that said sand and water mixture would no longer be fluidized.

7. A method of grouting a pile in a hole, comprising: placing a pile in a hole; adding water to said hole; adding sand to said water to form a sand and water mixture within the annulus external to said pile after said water is in place in the bottom of said hole; vibrating at least one rod in said mixture; and withdrawing said at least one rod from said mixture during said vibration, said mixture having enough water to remain fluidized in near proximity to said vibrating rod while going into compaction in the areas beneath said at least one rod during withdrawal.

8. A method of grouting a pile in a hole, comprising: placing a pile in a hole; adding water to said hole; adding sand to said water to form a sand and water mixture within the annulus external to said pile after said water is in place in the bottom of said hole; vibrating a multi-fingered sleeve in said mixture, said sleeve fingers being located in the annulus of said hole external to said pile; and withdrawing said sleeve from said hole while continuing the vibration, said mixture having enough water to remain fluidized in near proximity to said vibrating fingers while going into compaction in the areas beneath said fingers during withdrawal.

9. A method of grouting a pile in a hole, comprising: placing a pile in a hole havinag a protective casing; adding water to said hole; adding sand to said water to form a sand and water mixture within the annulus external to said pile after said water is in place in the bottom of said hole; vibrating said protective casing; and withdrawing said casing during said vibration, said mixture having enough water to remain fluidized in near proximity to said vibrating casing while going into compaction in the areas beneath said casing during withdrawal.

10. A method of grouting a pipe pile having a closed bottom end in a hole, comprising: placing a closed bottom pipe pile in a hole; adding sand to the interior of said pipe pile; adding water to said hole exterior to said piPe pile; adding sand to said water to form a sand and water mixture after said water is in place in the bottom of said hole; vibrating said sand and water mixture, said mixture having enough water to remain fluidized during said vibration, and removing said sand from the interior of said pipe pile.

12. A method of grouting a pile in a hole, comprising: placing a pile in said hole; adding water to said hole; adding sand to said water to form a sand and water mixture within the annulus external to said pile after said water is in place in the bottom of said hole; and successively inducing vibration of said mixture along the length of said pile, said mixture having enough water to remain fluidized in the areas being in proximity to the induced vibration while going into compaction in the areas beneath said induced vibration.