USRE4953E - Improvement xn apparatus for sinking pneumatic piles - Google Patents

Description

F. E SlCKL/ES ApparatAusfor Sinkfing Pneumatic Pies,

Heissued}une18,1872.

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UNrrEE STATES FREDERICK ELSVORTH SIKILS, OF UHTCAGO, lLLlNOIS.

lNf'PROVEMENT EN APPARATUS FOR SINKING PNEUMATIC PILES.

sin-intuition fdl-ming part of' lmtiel's-Paimit No. 29,360, dated l-ellrnnry '1, ieTU; Vreissue No. 4,953, dated June Be it known that i, ilnnnnnieii iliswon'rn SICKELS, of Chicago, Gool; county, and State oi" .lllin ois, li-aveinvented a new and useful iniproenient in the Apparatus for Sinking Pneu matie iiles; and .l do herehydeclare that the following is a linll and exeet description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing and to the letters of reference inarlred thereon.

I will new statethe usual niethod of construction and inode of using air-locks, and the usuel method of expelling 'the excavated inaterial and relieving the friction on tiieoutside ofthe pile, so as to explain the. diilerence between the usual apparatus and' my improved apparntns for sinking pneni'na-tie piles. in sinking pneumatic piles as heretofore practiced the airdoclc is made separate from the pile, so es to lie removed bodily, either to he reeonnected to the saine pile, aft-cr additional lengths had been placed on top, or connected to another pile, as might he required. In e211 cavating by '.tii-1'i1ess\1re as lieretollire practiced the incisi-iure supplied to the Workman Was depended upon exclusivelyr to i'orce ont the excavated inaterinls, thus makin g it neces-v sary :tt tinies to pnt an undue. In'essnre upon the worlinnin, so as to he sure to have sulir cient power to linee out these materials; this excess oi messi-1re render-in it difficult to obtain worlinn-ni wl -i :1re constitutionaily able to endure the greet} =ressin:e,.:.tnd the great presssonietiines required forced the air out un-v the bottom, edge oi' the pile, and While a portion oi.' the :1dr thus escaping had a tendency te leisen tl=e Inuteriuls :ironnd the pile und lessen the i noce to its descent, a larger portion oi' air, in escaping di'nri'nvard, train orig the ,stains oi" nmterial, and r( .e

`il fi d' lance from elle pile .ninnf the il tion *hi o ineans was provided to reg-- i scherp-go the air on the sides ol' the pile.

l1 will non' .itp'lnin the nature and character ol' my; iiiiprowd :rllipnrotus: First, in rey iindinirlocli the cost et construction may pneumatic piles or' suitable size using .1 portion oi the pile to Aphraf-nas (i t -nnd doors d d.

.piles il' desired. Second, the cost of using the air-loci; is reduced, as it is placed wholly below the top of .the pile, and need not loe disconnected and reccnneeted to lengthen the pile. rlhird, the cost ofniovingthe excavated materials may be reduced, asin passing theni np through the sir-lock they reach the open air below the top of the pile. Fourth, in forcing out the excavated materials through a pipe l. usc two diil'erent pressures of air, acting in combination, one pressure being greater than the other. The lesser pressure only is snpplied to the Workman, While the greater pressure is prevented from acting on them, and only employed to act after the materials to be ercavated.v here. beenpnt in .motionhyttho lesser pressure Within a pipe i or 'inclosnre Fifth, lessening Vthe friction and controlling the descent ci' the pile by delivering alongits sides a stream of air regulated as required.

In the accompanying drawing, the same letters refer to 'the sanne part in each ligure.

ci rt a, Figure l, is atransverse section of the pneumatic pile, shown in the process of sinkA ing, with the upper end omitted. b b, Figs. l, 2, and 3, are the diaphragms, which, with the doors l ri, Figs. i, 2, end 3, end the sides c e, llig. l of the pile, forni the nir-lock. 11,',Figs. l and 2, is the supply-cock, opened by the handle y, to iiil the air-lock. with the required pressure of air before. opening the lower door, the upper door lbeing then closed. o, Fig. l, is a discharge-cock, opened by the handle W, to diseharge the pressure from the airdoclrbe i'ore opening the upper door, the lower door being then closed. These doors admit the palsot' nien and materials without releasing the pressure on the bot-torn of the pile, as one door can he closed before the other opened: as usual in airioelrs. All parts ot' the airioclr. excepting the part e, which forms a porA tion'ot' the pile, can lie removed, so as to loe' placed in other piles and used as often as required, the dialiihragnis b b being made in pieces and jointed, so es to be readily tellen apart and pnt together. .lhns n co 'finnodious nirioclr is i'ornied in each pile of suitable size, at snbstantiallj,r only the expensegoi' the dia ll' it is required to only use the diaphriignis in one pile, they ninf; in: iii-.ide with lesserpense in jointing the parts together; or they may be made in one piece, it being only necessary to makethe top of the pile open by plajcin g the air-lock below,

4and at the same time connecting the air-lock they;` side of the pile, so as to hold it down air, i is a valve in the excavating-pipe, op-

erated by a handle, h. p, Figs. 1, 2, and 3, is the extrapressure pipe, conveying air at a' gieater pressure than is supplied to the workman; .and blowing up the excavating-pipe through a circular opening surrounding the excavating-pipe. 'f is a valve in the extrapressure pipe, operated by the handle g. The excavating-pipe lc and the extrapressure pipe p are provided with slip-joints, so as to adjust their lower ends to the surface of the material to be removed. s is a supply-pipe to furnish fresh air to the workman and maintain sufficient pressure at the bottom ofthe pile to keep out the Water. t isa valvein the supply-pipe, operated by the handle u,'to prevent the es cape of air upward, in case of accident to this pipe above the air-lock.

When the 'pressure of air yfurnished to the workman forces the sand or other 1n aterials to be excavated in at the bottom of the pipe e, they are still further impelled by the current of air rushingup the same pipe, supplied by the extrapressure pipe p, and this extra pressure maybe as much greater than the pressure supplied to the men as maybe found necessary. The diamond-shaped arrows, Fig. l, designate the line of motion di the excavated materials, and the barbed arrriwls signify the air-currents. By closing thevalve 1^ in the excavating-pipe and fully opening the valve f in the eXtra-pressure pipe 1), any desirable pressure can be applied to force out the materials to be excavated that might otherwise stick in the pipe, without letting this pressure act on the workman. By using the eXtra-pressure pipe in combination with the supply-pipe the meu are relieved of the excessive pressure, as a pressure is only supplied to them suiiicicnt to keep out the Water, and this pressure is at the same time used to force the materials within a pipe or inclosnre, so as to come within the range of the greater pressure that fully cxpels them upward. The supplypipe s and eXtra-pressure pipe p should have safety-valves applied to them to limit the pressure-in each ease, as may be desired. The upper ends of the supplypipe and extrafpressure pipe should be con# nectcd to the machinery, supplying the airprcssure by means of couplings so as to be readily connected and disconnected, as reA quired, in `lengthening the pile.

j, Fig. l, is a, pipe with a valve, q, operated 'hibit the diderent parts.

by a handle, z, leading from the intra-pressure, pipe to a recess` R, Fig. 4, extending.aro'und the outside of the pile at the` lower joint. v This recess is covered by athin ring of meta-l, C,

Fig. 4, fastened at its lower edge 'to the pile,"

and open around its upper edge, so as to. pei'-, mit the air to escape upward along the sides of the pile and loosen the materials, and thus di ninish the resistance to the descent of th ev The largest escape of air will be near-A pile.

est the supply-pipe j, and tend to draw the pile` in that direction; by shifting the `direction of the greatest supply of air the direction of the descent of` the pile lwill be changed. Fig. 4 shows a section of a portion of the pile at the lower joint on au enlargen scale, se as toen G, Fig. 4, is the thin plate to .deflect the current upward as itissues out of the recesspextending around the pile. j, Figs. l and 4, is the pipe coming from the eXtra-pressure pipe to feed this recess with air. The air escaping to loosen the materials around the pile may be supplied from any reservoir found most convenient'. The valve q Fig. 1, in the pipe y, is to control 'the amoun't of air supplied to the recess to be vblown up around the outside of the pile. If the air is delivered with considerable force upward it will keep close to the pile and tend to greatly lessen the friction in its descent, this provision being more particularly useful in sinking small piles to a great depth. The arrows on the outside of the pile, Fig. 1, show the line of motion of the air when blown out with great force. The piles can be loaded to force thelndown, and the material that cannotbe economically blownv out through the excavating-pipe may be passed up through the air-lock and thus he placed in the open air below the top ofthe pile. (l, Figs. 1 and 2, is an exit-tulle to allow the gases from the lamp L to escape. m. is a rellector to throw the light downward to the Workman through the glasses t', Figs. l. and l is a tube to supply air to the lamp.

Vh'a-t I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. Forming an air-lool; within piles of snitable size by using temporarily a portion of the' sides ofthe pile to aid in making the air-lock, substantially herein described. 2. Constructing the air-lock belenr the top, for the purposes sei; forth.

3. Excavating the material by using two different pressures civ air acting in combina tion, substantially as described.

4. Lessening the friction in the descent of the pile' by blowing a current of air upward along its sides, substantially as described.

FBEDEltlGK ELSVVGBTH SIG'KELS.

witnesses.

, 'g A. B. SroUe-ni'oiv, Anannair Moena.

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