Sectional pile and coupling means

Claim 2

Coupling means comprising an elongated coupling tube of deformable material open at one end and having an abutment fixed therein in spaced relation to said open end; an elongated connector of deformable material having a bifurcated end portion received in said tube; a wedge having a portion of maximum thickness in a direction transverse to the length of said rod, said portion being positioned between and spaced inwardly from the free ends of the furcations of said bifurcated end portion and said wedge having a shank of less than said maximum thickness projecting longitudinally from between said furcations into engagement with said abutment; said wedge having operative surfaces converging from said maximum thickness portion towards said open end of the tube and in operative wedging engagement with said respective furcations for relatively spreading said furcations in said direction responsive to longitudinal movement of said connector towards said abutment; said tube having a portion internally thereof enlarged in said transverse direction and snugly receiving said spread apart furcations, and further portions internally thereof of lesser dimensions in said direction than said enlarged portion and on opposite longitudinal sides of said enlarged portion for preventing relative longitudinal movement between said connector and said tube.

Claim 3

Coupling means as defined in claim 1, wherein said coupling tube has relatively opposed inner surface areas of said expanded portion converging toward said abutment; the free ends of said furcations extending longitudinally beyond said maximum thickness portion of the wedge and converging therefrom toward said shank, being maintained in said converging relation by snug engagement with the said relatively opposed inner surface areas of the tube.

Claim 4

Coupling means as defined in claim 1, including a compressible material encircling said coupling tube in longitudinal registry with said maximum thickness portion.

Claim 5

Coupling means as defined in claim 1, including means encircling said tube around and in longitudinal registry with said maximum thickness portion to define a void around said tube when said tube is embedded in concrete.

Claim 6

A sectional concrete pile comprising a pair of interconnected concrete pile sections in aligned relation in endwise abutment, said pile sections having abutting end faces in planes normal to the length normal thereof; elongated deformable metal tubes embedded in the abutting ends of the respective pile sections in longitudinal alignment therewith and with each other, said tubes being closed at the relatively remote ends; an elongated deformable metal connector having its opposite end portions disposed within the respective tubes, said end portions being formed with longitudinal slots; wedges having portions of maximum thickness operAtively disposed in the respective slots and having portions of less than said maximum thickness projecting longitudinally from the ends of said connector into abutting engagement with said closed ends of the respective tubes, said wedges expanding said connector end portions and said tubes transversely to their lengths at locations spaced from the opposite ends of each tube; each pile section being formed with an internal void around its said tube at a location transversely aligned with said maximum thickness portion of a said wedge to accommodate such expansion of the tube.

Claim 7

A sectional concrete pile comprising a pair of interconnected concrete pile sections in aligned relation in endwise abutment, said pile sections having abutting end faces in planes normal to the length normal thereof; elongated deformable metal tubes embedded in the abutting ends of the respective pile sections in longitudinal alignment therewith and with each other, said tubes being closed at the relatively remote ends; an elongated deformable metal connector having its opposite end portions disposed within the respective tubes, said end portions being formed with longitudinal slots; wedges having portions of maximum thickness operAtively disposed in the respective slots and having portions of less than said maximum thickness projecting longitudinally from the ends of said connector into abutting engagement with said closed ends of the respective tubes, said wedges expanding said connector end portions and said tubes transversely to their lengths at locations spaced from the opposite ends of each tube; each pile section being formed with an internal void around its said tube at a location transversely aligned with said maximum thickness portion of a said wedge to accommodate such expansion of the tube.

Claim 8

A sectional concrete pile as defined in claim 5 in which said tubes are of normally circular cross-section.

Claim 9

A sectional concrete pile as defined in claim 5, including flat anchor plates embedded in said concrete pile sections in planes transverse to the length thereof and in abutting relation to the remote ends of said tubes to close the latter.

Claim 10

A sectional concrete pile as defined in claim 7, in which the relatively remote ends of said tubes are firmly secured to the respective said anchor plates around the full circumference of each tube end to resist outward deformation of said ends.

Claim 11

A sectional concrete pile as defined in claim 5, wherein said tubes are of normally circular cross-section and are contracted in directions normal to their expansion to relieve the stress on said tubes arising from such expansion.

Claim 12

An elongated concrete pile section and means for coupling same in aligned abutting relation to other similar pile sections, to form a composite sectional pile, said pile section having opposite end faces in planes normal to its length; a deformable metal tube embedded in each end portion of said pile section parallel to the length thereof and with the outer ends of said tubes opening outwardly through the respective end faces of the pile section, said tubes having abutments therein spaced from their outer ends; an elongated deformable metal connector adapted for locking reception of its opposite end portions in the adjacent tubes of interconnected pile sections, the opposite end portions of said connector being formed with longitudinal slots; wedges having maximum thickness portions operatively disposed in the respective slots and having reduced thickness shank portions projecting longitudinally therefrom for engagement with said abutments; said assembled connector and wedges being so proportioned that when positioned with the opposite ends thereof in the relatively adjacent aligned tubes of relatively aligned pile sections to be interconnected, and said sections are relatively moved toward endwise abutment with each other, said wedges engage said abutments while the pile sections are substantially spaced from each other, and are urged into said slots by said abutments during movement of said pile sections into endwise abutment, to expand such slotted ends of the connector and the said tubes, at locations spaced from the said abutments, and to interlock said connector against withdrawal from said tubes, said concrete pile being formed with a void around each said tube at a location transversely aligned with said maximum thickness portion of each wedge in position to accommodate said expansion of the tube.

Claim 13

An elongated concrete pile section and means for coupling same in aligned abutting relation to other similar pile sections, to form a composite sectional pile, said pile section having opposite end faces in planes normal to its length; a deformable metal tube embedded in each end portion of said pile section parallel to the length thereof and with the outer ends of said tubes opening outwardly through the respective end faces of the pile section, said tubes having abutments therein spaced from their outer ends; an elongated deformable metal connector adapted for locking reception of its opposite end portions in the adjacent tubes of interconnected pile sections, the opposite end portions of said connector being formed with longitudinal slots; wedges having maximum thickness portions operatively disposed in the respective slots and having reduced thickness shank portions projecting longitudinally therefrom for engagement with said abutments; said assembled connector and wedges being so proportioned that when positioned with the opposite ends thereof in the relatively adjacent aligned tubes of relatively aligned pile sections to be interconnected, and said sections are relatively moved toward endwise abutment with each other, said wedges engage said abutments while the pile sections are substantially spaced from each other, and are urged into said slots by said abutments during movement of said pile sections into endwise abutment, to expand such slotted ends of the connector and the said tubes, at locations spaced from the said abutments, and to interlock said connector against withdrawal from said tubes, said concrete pile being formed with a void around each said tube at a location transversely aligned with said maximum thickness portion of each wedge in position to accommodate said expansion of the tube.

Claim 14

An elongated concrete pile section and coupling means for same as defined in claim 10, wherein said metal tubes and said connector are of circular cross-section whereby each said wedge acts through said connector to diametrically expand its associated tube in a first direction while simultaneously contracting said tube in a direction normal to said first direction whereby to relieve the stress on said tube.

Claim 15

An elongated concrete pile section and coupling means therefore, as defined in claim 11, wherein said abutments comprise flat anchor plates embedded in said pile section in planes normal to the length thereof, said anchor plates abutting and firmly secured to the inner ends of the respective tubes to close the latter and to prevent radial deformation thereof.