Rotational drive apparatus for screw pilings

• US 20060251478A1
• Filed: 05/03/2005
• Published: 11/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brooke Erin Desantis
• Original Assignee: 9031-1671 QUEBEC
• Inventors: Desmeules, Norbert
• Granted Patent: US 7,351,012 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 405/232
• CPC Class Codes: E02D 7/22 Placing by screwing down screw piles per se E02D5/56

Abstract

A rotational drive apparatus for screw pilings is described. The apparatus comprises a housing having a cylindrical pipe coupling adapted to receive a shaft of a screw piling therethrough. A detachable connecting element secures the coupling to the shaft at different positions along the shaft. A rotational drive is provided within the housing for imparting rotation to the coupling. An elongated rod is secured to the housing and is held by a user person whereby to immobilize the housing wherein to permit the rotational drive to transmit a drive force to the coupling to rotate the shaft of a screw piling.

Claims

1. A rotational drive apparatus for screw pilings, said apparatus comprising a housing having a cylindrical pipe coupling adapted to receive a shaft of a screw piling therethrough, detachable connecting means for securing said coupling to said shaft at different positions along said shaft, a rotational drive within said housing for imparting rotation to said coupling, and immobilizing means to maintain said housing substantially stationary whereby to permit said rotational drive to transmit a rotational drive force to said coupling.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said immobilizing means is an elongated rod having an attaching end secured to said housing, and means at an opposed end of said rod to arrest said rod during operation of said rotational drive.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein said means to arrest said opposed end of said rod is a user person holding said rod, said elongated rod having a detachable connection for securing same to said housing.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein said detachable connecting means is a removable connector element securing said pipe coupling to said shaft of said screw piling.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 4 wherein said removable connector is a lock pin extending across said pipe coupling and a hole in said shaft.

6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 5 wherein said shaft is provided with two or more spaced apart ones of pairs of aligned ones of said hole, said cylindrical pipe coupling being a cylindrical sleeve coupling provided with diametrically aligned slots projecting vertically from a lower edge thereof to receive said lock pin thereacross.

7. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein said rotational drive comprises a driven ring gear secured about a rotational guide sleeve adapted to receive said shaft of said screw piling in close sliding fit therethrough, a drive motor immovably secured to said housing and having a drive shaft, a drive ring gear secured to said drive shaft, and coupling means interconnecting said drive shaft to said driven shaft to impact a rotational drive to said rotational guide sleeve, said cylindrical pipe coupling being removably secured to said rotational guide sleeve.

8. An apparatus as claimed in claim 7 wherein said coupling means is an endless chain interconnecting said drive ring gear to said driven ring gear.

9. An apparatus as claimed in claim 7 wherein said drive motor is a hydraulic drive motor, a pair of hydraulic hoses connected to said motor and to a remote hydraulic pump, and operable valve means to control the direction of rotation of said drive motor.

10. An apparatus as claimed in claim 9 wherein said remote hydraulic pump is part of a transportable gas operated hydraulic unit, said valve means being operated by said user person.

11. An apparatus as claimed in claim 10 wherein said valve means are connected to a control cable having remote switch means for operating said valve means.

12. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein a transportable handle is secured to said housing of ease of transport thereof, said attaching end of said elongated rod having a connecting fork securable to said, handle by a detachable connecting pin.

13. In combination an earth screw piling having a shaft with a drive helix at a lower end thereof and a rotational drive apparatus, said shaft having a plurality of pairs of spaced-apart holes therealong, each pair of holes extending diametrically across said shaft, said rotational drive apparatus having a cylindrical pipe coupling secured to a selected one of said holes by a pin connector, means to impart a rotational drive to said shaft coupling for rotating said shaft, and means to immobilize said pipe coupling relative to said shaft when said shaft is rotated.

14. The combination of claim 13 wherein said rotational drive apparatus is contained within a housing, said shaft extending through said housing and said cylindrical pipe coupling therein, said means to immobilize said pipe coupling being constituted by an elongated rod having an attaching end secured to said housing and an opposed end remote of said attaching end to be immobilized by a user person to immobilize said rod and said housing during operation of said rotational drive apparatus.

15. The combination of claim 14 wherein said means to impart rotational drive to said shaft comprises a driven gear secured about a rotational guide sleeve adapted to receive said shaft of said screw piling in close sliding fit therethrough, a drive motor immovably secured to said housing and having a drive shaft, a drive gear secured to said drive shaft, and coupling means interconnecting said drive shaft to said driven shaft to impact a rotational drive to said rotational guide sleeve, said cylindrical pipe coupling being removably secured to said rotational guide sleeve.