Apparatus for emplacing elongated rigid members into the soil selectively in a vibratory mode or in a percussive mode

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR EMPLACING AN ELONGATED RIGID MEMBER INTO SOIL SELECTIVELY (A) BY APPLYING VIBRATORY FORCE TO THE MEMBER THEREBY REDUCING FRICTION BETWEEN THE MEMBER AND THE SOIL, LETTING THE MEMBER SINK INTO THE SOIL BY ITS OWN WEIGHT AND THE WEIGHT OF THE APPARATUS, OR, (B) BY REPEATEDLY PERCUSSIVELY DOWNWARDLY DRIVING THE ELEMENT, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING: (A) A FRAME, (B) AN ANVIL FIXED TO THE FRAME, (C) A CARRIAGE, (D) A HAMMER FIXED TO THE CARRIAGE, THE HAMMER BEING IN REGISTRY WITH THE ANVIL, (E) MEANS MOUNTING THE CARRIAGE ON THE FRAME FOR RECIPROCAL MOVEMENT ALONG AN AXIS PARALLEL TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE MEMBER BETWEEN A LOWER POSITION IN WHICH THE CARRIAGE HAMMER STRIKES THE FRAME ANVIL AND AN UPPER POSITION IN WHICH THE CARRIAGE HAMMER IS CLEAR OF AND VERTICALLY HIGHER THAN THE FRAME ANVIL, (F) A PAIR OF LIKE WEIGHTS, (G) MEANS ROTATABLY MOUNTING THE WEIGHTS ON THE CARRIAGE FOR OPPOSED ROTATION ABOUT PARALLEL AXES LYING IN PLANE PERPENDICULAR TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE MEMBER, SAID WEIGHTS BEING ECCENTRIC WITH RESPECT TO SAID AXES AND BEING SYNCHRONIZED AND PHASED TO EXERT VIBRATORY FORCE PARALLEL TO THE AXIS OF THE MEMBER, (H) MOTOR MEANS DRIVING THE ECCENTRIC WEIGHTS, (I) SPRING SUSPENSION MEANS MOUNTED ON THE FRAME AND BEARING ON THE CARRIAGE, THE SAID MEANS BIASING THE CARRIAGE IN OPPOSED DIRECTIONS ALONG TH ELONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE MEMBER AND SUSPENDING THE CARRIAGE AT A LOCATION INTERMEDIATE SAID POSITIONS, (J) A FIRST CLAMP FIXED TO THE CARRIAGE, (K) MEANS SELECTIVELY ACTUATING THE FIRST CLAMP TO GRIP THE MEMBER AND FIRMLY SECURE THE CARRIAGE TO THE MEMBER, (L) A SECOND CLAMP FIXED TO THE FRAME, (M) MEANS SELECTIVELY ACTUATING THE SECOND CLAMP TO GRIP THE MEMBER AND FIRMLY SECURE THE FRAME TO THE MEMBER, (N) SO THAT WHEN THE MOTOR MEANS IS ENERGIZED AND THE FIRST CLAMP IS ACTUATED, TE CARRIAGE WILL EXERT VIBRATORY FORCE ON THE MEMBER MATERIALLY REDUCING THE FRICTION BETWEEN THE MEMBER AND THE SOIL SO THAT THE MEMBER WILL SINK UNDER ITS OWN WEIGHT AND THE WEIGHT OF THE APPARATUS, AND (O) SO THAT WHEN THE MOTOR MEANS IS ENERGIZED AND ONLY THE SECOND CLAMP IS ACTUATED, THE CARRIAGE WILL RECIPROCATE ON THE SPRING SUSPENSION MOUNTING MEANS AND THE CARRIAGE HAMMER WILL REPETITIVELY STRIKE THE FRAME ANVIL AND THEREBY EXERT PERCUSSIVE FORCE ON THE MEMBER IN A DIRECTION PARALLEL TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE MEMBER DRIVING THE MEMBER INTO THE SOIL.