Abstract
A method for forming a drilled pile wall in ground using a drilling device having a reamer and flushing with a medium to remove drilling waste during drilling, and non-rotating pipe piles equipped with interlocks. A vertical 1 hole is drilled while simultaneously placing a pipe pile in the drill hole. At least one subsequent vertical hole is drilled hole in the ground side by side with the drill hole while simultaneously placing a subsequent pipe pile in the subsequent drill hole while the interlocks of the subsequent pipe pile interlock with interlocks of the pipe pile to guide the subsequent pipe pile into the drill hole. Reinforcements are installed in the drill holes, concrete is cast into each pipe pile to form a concrete pile, and at least some of the pipe piles are lifted at least partly out of the drill hole after the concrete has been cast, but before the concrete has bonded rigid to form a unified watertight pile wall. The invention also relates to a pile wall.
Claims
1. A method for forming a unified watertight pile wall in ground using a drilling device with a reamer and flushing with a medium to remove drilling waste during drilling, and non-rotating pipe piles each equipped with interlocks including a long interlocking member extending outside a diameter of the reamer and a short interlocking member, the method having steps of: drilling a first vertical drill hole in the ground using the drilling device while simultaneously placing a first one of the non-rotating pipe piles after the drilling device in the first vertical drill hole; drilling at least one subsequent vertical drill hole in the ground adjacent the first vertical drill hole using the drilling device while simultaneously placing a subsequent one of the non-rotating pipe piles after the drilling device in the at least one subsequent vertical drill hole, wherein the long interlocking member of the subsequent pipe pile interlocks with the short interlocking member of the first pipe pile to guide the subsequent pipe pile into the at least one subsequent vertical drill hole; installing reinforcements in each of the vertical drill holes; casting concrete into each of the pipe piles installed in a respective one of the vertical drill holes to form respective concrete piles; and lifting the pipe piles at least partly out of some of the adjacent vertical drill holes after the concrete has been cast, but before a transition of the concrete from a fluid concrete paste to a rigid concrete to expand the concrete of each concrete pile laterally to adjacent vertical drill holes to form the unified watertight pile wall.
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the flushing includes flushing the pipe piles using water as a medium to lead drilling water out of the respective vertical drillhole on an outside of the pipe pile.
3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the drilling includes drilling at least some of the vertical drill holes in non-cohesive soil, bedrock, or a stable layer of ground, to anchor the pile wall in place.
4. The method according to claim 1, further including forming the pile wall with 2-100 pipe piles in a casting sequence, before the lifting of the pipe piles.
5. The method according to claim 1, further including welding brackets to each pipe pile at an end travelling first into the vertical drill hole before placing the pipe pile into the ground, the welding including welding brackets to the pipe pile on a side of the pipe pile facing an intersection with the adjacent vertical drill hole, so that each bracket welded on one side of the respective pipe pile aids to support and hold the pipe pile straight in the vertical drill hole during drilling.
6. The method according to claim 1, wherein one of the long interlocking member and the short interlocking member of one pile pipe is a male interlocking member and the other of the long interlocking member and the short interlocking member of an adjacent pile pipe is a female groove, the female groove being dimensioned to be partly loose relative to the male interlocking member to leave an open space in the female groove for injecting concrete into the vertical drill hole simultaneously as each pipe pile is lifted with vibration out of the vertical drill hole.
7. The method according to claim 1, further including installing, after lifting of the pipe piles, a transverse support structure between the concrete piles to reinforce the pile wall.
8. The method according to claim 1, further including using vertical reinforcements and spring reinforcements to reinforce the pile wall, including arranging the spring reinforcements to be joined to the vertical reinforcements and compressed in a closed position inside the pipe pile, and to spread essentially in a transverse direction of the pipe piles in a longitudinal direction of the pile wall when the pipe piles are lifted out of the vertical drill holes.
9. The method according to claim 1, further including welding at least one plough protrusion next to one of the interlocks at an end of the pipe pile travelling first into the vertical drill hole, before the pipe pile is drilled into the ground, wherein the at least one plough protrusion is on a continuous sector of the pipe pile and protrudes from the pipe pile by at most a same extent as the reamer for displacing ground when lifting the pipe pile, to assist in joining the concrete piles.
10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the drilling includes drilling at least some of the vertical holes only down to a surface of a bedrock, the method further including placing in the reinforcements at least one hollow reinforcement inside of which is a reserve pipe;, leaving the reserve pipe empty during concrete casting, and after lifting of the pipe piles and hardening of the concrete pile, drilling a locking hole in the bedrock through the reserve pipe; and setting a rock bolt in the reserve pipe to lock the pile wall to the bedrock.
11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the lifting includes lifting the pipe piles out of the drill holes by vibration while simultaneously compacting the concrete of the concrete piles.
12. The method according to claim 1, further including forming a transverse support beam on the pile wall which is exposed on a construction side of the pile wall.
13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the unified, watertight pile wall extends in contact with a body of water in a form of a harbour structure, the method further including raising at least a part of the pipe piles at least partially out of a respective one of the vertical drill holes by at least part of a length of the vertical drill hole in an area of the ground of a floor of the body of water after casting of the concrete but before the transition of the cast concrete from the fluid concrete paste to the rigid concrete, wherein the pipe piles remain as a part of the pile wall above the ground of the body of water.
14. The method according to claim 13, and further including cutting off a part of each raised pipe pile that extends beyond the concrete pile.
15. The method according to claim 1, further including installing the pipe pile in a sensitive area using compressed air inside the pipe pile for flushing up the drilled material mainly inside the pipe pile and during drilling with compressed air pumping water simultaneously to the drill hole in an area of a lower end of the pipe pile through a channel located outside the pipe pile to limit dropping of groundwater levels in the vertical drill hole.
16. The method according to claim 13, the lifting including lifting the pipe piles by at least 1 m to allow the concrete to spread and at most by a length such that the pipe pile remains in the ground in the drill hole to protect the concrete pile from open water.
17. A unified pile wall, comprising: parallel concrete piles, each concrete pile including: an essentially circularly shaped cross-section; an outer surface; vertical reinforcements set inside the concrete pile; and transverse reinforcements binding the vertical reinforcements in the concrete piles to each other; wherein the concrete piles are connected in a row at a constant distance from each other by a fully integrated concrete structure comprising a sector of 1°-50° of a cross-section of each concrete pile at an entire length of each concrete pile to form the unified pile wall having a contact surface formed on the outer surface of the concrete piles, the unified pile wall being integrated with a stable, uncompressed layer of drilled ground.
18. The unified pile wall according to claim 17, wherein the concrete piles of the unified pile wall extend only down to an upper surface of a bedrock as a stable layer, the unified pile wall comprising in addition: a reserve pipe fitted inside a vertical reinforcement of at least one of the concrete piles; a locking hole drilled into the rock through the reserve pipe; and a rock bolt fitted through the reserve pipe into the locking hole to lock the concrete piles into the bedrock horizontally.
19. The unified pile wall according to claim 17, wherein the transverse reinforcements are spring reinforcements joined to the vertical reinforcements, the vertical reinforcements being arranged to be compressed inside a pipe pile and to spread in essentially a transverse direction of the pipe piles and in a longitudinal direction of the unified pile wall, to reinforce the unified pile wall when lifting the pipe pile.
20. A pile wall, comprising: a plurality of parallel concrete piles and pipe piles covering the concrete piles partially and a substantially transverse harbour structure, wherein each concrete pile comprises: an essentially circularly shaped cross-section; an outer surface; vertical reinforcements set inside the concrete piles; and transverse reinforcements binding the vertical reinforcements in the different ones of the concrete piles to each other; wherein the concrete piles are connected in a row at a constant distance from each other by a fully integrated concrete structure by a sector of 1°-50° of a cross-section of the concrete pile at an entire length of each concrete pile to form a unified pile wall, and the unified pile wall has a contact surface formed on the outer surface of the concrete piles, the unified pile wall being integrated with a stable, uncompressed layer of drilled ground, and each pipe pile having interlocks for binding the pipe piles in alignment, the interlocks comprising a long interlocking member and a short interlocking member to which the long interlocking member of an adjacent pipe pile connects; and wherein at a part of the pipe wall above ground, the pipe piles are attached to each other by interlocks to form the outer surface of the unified pile wall, the outer surface being arranged for contact with a body of water, while the concrete piles respectively run continuously inside the pipe piles; and wherein the transverse harbour structure is attached at an upper end of the pipe piles.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0095] In the following, the invention is described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings showing some embodiments of the invention, in which
[0096] FIG. 1a shows the first stage of the method according to the invention, in which a drill hole is drilled in the ground and a non-rotating pipe pile is pulled after the drilling device,
[0097] FIG. 1b shows the second stage of the method according to the invention, in which the pile wall is widened by drilling adjacent drill holes and installing adjacent pipe piles in the drill hole, locked to each other with the aid of interlocks,
[0098] FIG. 1c shows the third stage of the method according to the invention, in which reinforcement is installed inside the pipe piles fitted in the drill holes,
[0099] FIG. 1d shows the fourth stage of the method according to the invention, in which concrete is cast inside the pipe piles fitted in the drill holes,
[0100] FIG. 1e shows the fifth stage of the method according to the invention, in which the pipe piles are lifted out of the drill holes by vibration,
[0101] FIG. 2a shows an axonometric front view of the finished pile wall according to the invention, with the ground in front of wall removed,
[0102] FIG. 2b shows an axonometric front view of the finished pile wall according to an alternative embodiment of the invention, wherein the pile wall is located in connection with a body of water,
[0103] FIG. 3 shows the totality of one embodiment of the drilling device used in the method,
[0104] FIGS. 4a-4e show the wall structure of a pilot bit according to one embodiment of the drilling device used to drill the drilled pipe piles, and the stages of the method, in cross-section,
[0105] FIG. 5a shows alternative interlocks between the pipe piles,
[0106] FIGS. 5b and 5c show enlargements of the interlocks of FIG. 5a used for injection of water and concrete,
[0107] FIG. 6 shows a top view of the use of transverse reinforcements, according to one embodiment of the pile wall,
[0108] FIG. 7 shows a top view of extra compaction according to another embodiment of the pile wall,
[0109] FIG. 8 shows an embodiment of the pile wall, in which the reinforcement includes hollow reinforcement and a reserve pipe,
[0110] FIG. 9 shows an embodiment of the method, in which the pipe pile's outer surface includes a separate channel for feeding liquid lubricant,
[0111] FIG. 10 shows a pile wall, in which a rock bolt is used for attachment to rock,
[0112] FIG. 11 shows a stage of the method according to the invention in making a pile wall according to the invention,
[0113] FIG. 12 shows the plough-protrusions of the pipe pile and its surface, formed according to one embodiment, seen in the longitudinal direction of the pile wall,
[0114] FIG. 13 shows the formation of a pile wall according to the invention using pipe piles according to a second embodiment,
[0115] FIGS. 14a and 14b show slanting reinforcements according to another embodiment,
[0116] FIG. 15a shows a first step of an embodiment of the method according to the invention in which a drilling device is supported on a drilling platform,
[0117] FIG. 15b shows a second step of the embodiment of the method according to the invention in which a drill pile is drilled into ground under water by means of the drilling device,
[0118] FIG. 15c shows a third step of the embodiment of the method according to the invention in which the drill pile is drilled into the ground under water and the drilling device is raised out of the drill pile and drill hole,
[0119] FIG. 15d shows a fourth step of the embodiment of the method according to the invention in which reinforcements are installed inside the drill pile and the drill pile is filled with concrete,
[0120] FIG. 15e shows a fifth step of the embodiment of the method according to the invention in which the drill pile is raised upwards by means of the drilling device,
[0121] FIG. 15f shows a sixth step of the embodiment of the method according to the invention in which the part of the drill pile that extends beyond the concrete pile is cut off and the land-facing wall of the wall structure is filled with backfill,
[0122] FIG. 15g shows an alternative embodiment to the one shown in FIG. 15c in a second step of the method according to the invention in which the drill pile is drilled into the ground under water and the drilling device is raised out of the drill pile and drill hole, the drilling being carried out from a backfill.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0123] In the method and pile wall in the embodiments of FIGS. 1a-15b the reinforcement used is the most usual embodiment, i.e., steel reinforcement. It should be understood, however, that the embodiments shown in the figures can also be implemented correspondingly using composite reinforcement.
[0124] According to FIGS. 1a and 4a, the erection of the pile wall 10 according to the invention starts by drilling pipe piles 16 into the ground 100. As the drilling device 102, a drill using a medium for flushing can be used, which can be any device whatever intended for drilling pipe piles, with the aid of which a non-rotating pipe pile can be pulled or pushed. The medium is preferably a liquid, with the aid of which drilling waste is flushed along the outside of the pipe pile and out of the drill hole. Alternatively, the drilling waste can be flushed with the aid of a liquid or air inside the pipe pile. Preferably the drilling device is a hammer drill, but it can also be only a rotary drill.
[0125] It is important to acknowledge that drilling of the drill hole in the ground results in a different type of contact surface between the concrete pile and the ground than impact driving of pipe piles. In the method according to the invention the ground 99 shown in Figure le remains uncompressed as the rotating drill used with flushing removes soil from the drill hole and does not compact it like impact driving wherein the soil is pushed to the side by the driven pipe pile. Therefore, the ground surrounding the drilled drill hole is porous and the concrete creates a large contact surface against the porous ground. In impact driving the ground around the drill hole becomes compressed and smooth, and the contact between the concrete pile and the ground is poor, which is avoided now in the present invention.
[0126] FIGS. 3, 4a and 4b show an example of a drilling device 102, which includes the following main parts: a drill bit 36, a protective cover 70, reamer 56, drill rod 72, rotating device 74, and a pressurized-medium pumping unit 76. The drilling device 102 can be, for example, a drill made by the Finnish company Epiroc Oy. The pipe pile should be such that it is able to move in the drill hole without rotating the pipe pile 16, because the pipe pile 16 includes longitudinal interlocks 14 in it, which prevent rotation of the pipe pile 16.
[0127] Preferably in the drilling device 102, the pipe pile is pulled after the pilot bit 52, the pipe pile 16 being connected non-rotatingly after the rotating pilot bit 52 with the aid of a casing shoe according to FIGS. 4a, 4b. The pipe pile 16 includes according to FIG. 4a a transfer shoulder 55, with the aid of which the pipe pile is, depending on the drilling device, either pulled or pushed after the drill into the drill hole. The drilling device can also include other means for pressing the pipe pile by its end into the drill hole. The drill hole 12 is expanded with the aid of a reamer 56 in addition to the pilot bit 52, so that the pipe pile 16 equipped with an interlock 14 will fit to come after the pilot bit 52 into the drill hole without damaging the interlock 14 or pushing it against the ground 100, when, for example, the female interlocking member 30 (see FIGS. 5a-5c) would be filled with soil. The reamer 56 can be, for example, a reamer bit or a ring-auger bit.
[0128] The drill hole 12 is drilled preferably so deeply into the ground 100 that the drill hole 12 reaches a so-called stable layer in the ground 100, which remains in place and does not move horizontally. The stable layer is shown in FIGS. 2a and 2b with the reference number 60. Such as layer can be a non-cohesive soil layer or alternatively rock. A sufficient depth, to which the drill hole should preferably extend to the stable layer, is at least one metre, preferably 2-4 m. In all cases, however, this is not necessary. In connection with the drilling, the drill hole is flushed at the same time, to remove drilling waste from the drill hole. Flushing is preferably performed with the aid of a liquid along the pipe pile's outer surface and out of the drill hole, but the liquid and drilling waste can also be led inside the pipe pile. Air can also be used as an alternative to liquid in flushing. Once the drill hole 12 has been drilled to a sufficient depth, the pilot bit 52 is detached from a ground shoe 54, for example with the aid of bayonet locking, and is lifted out of the drill hole 12 while the drilled pipe pile 16 remains in the drill hole 12. Depending on the construction of the reamer 56, the reamer 56 either remains with the pipe pile in the drill hole or is lifted out of the drill hole.
[0129] According to FIGS. 1b and 4b, in the method according to the invention, when the pile wall 10 (shown in FIGS. 2a, 2b) is made, several adjacent drill holes 12 are formed in parallel, into each of which a pipe pile 16 is pulled after the pilot bit 52. Each new pipe pile 16 is set in the ground adjacent a pipe pile 16 already in the ground, so that the pipe piles 16 are connected to each other with the aid of interlocks 14. The interlocks 14 are aligned when pulling the new pipe pile 16, in such a way that the new pipe pile 16 slides longitudinally into the interlocks 14 of the already drilled pipe pile 16. Thus, temporary formwork for the pile wall 10 to be cast is created with the aid of the pipe piles 16 locking into each other.
[0130] Preferably the interlocks 14 of each pipe pile 16 include, according to FIGS. 1a-1e, a long interlocking member 44 and a short interlocking member 46. When drilling a new pipe pile 16 next to a previously drilled pipe pile 16, the long interlocking member 44 of the new pipe pile extends farther than the diameter of the reamer from the centre line of the pipe pile 16. The long interlocking member 44 is set in such a way that it connects to the short interlocking member of the already drilled pipe pile 16. Thus, the reamer can expand the drill hole 12 during drilling, so that adjacent drill holes 12 intersect each other at the intersection point 50, thus forming a link between the drill holes 12. Using this connection, the long interlocking member 44 travels after the reamer along the adjacent drilled pipe pile's 16 short interlocking member 46 while the reamer does not strike either interlocking member of the interlock 14. The first pipe pile can have a different structure, in that there can be only two short interlocking members, as there are no adjacent drill holes, and the interlock thus cannot extend farther from the pipe pile's centre line than the drilling device's reamer. Alternatively, there can be only one short interlock in the first pipe pile.
[0131] Alternatively, the pipe piles' 16 interlocks 14 can be according to FIG. 13, in which the interlocks 14 include male interlocks 86 and female interlocks 88 welded to the male interlocks. According to the figure, the female interlock 88 can be attached to the pipe pile's 16 outer surface's male interlock 86 by welding 90. The advantage of such a pipe pile is the bulge in the interior of the pipe pile 16 formed by the male interlocks 86, so that the cast concrete is quite wide also on the webs 35 (FIG. 4d) between the main shape of the pipe pile. This leads to a sturdier pile wall.
[0132] The adjacent drill holes 12 can also be drilled in such a way that a thin soil layer remains between them, which is arranged to be broken by the pipe pile's 16 interlock 14 (not shown). The largest dimension of the ground layer depends on the ground's properties. In soft soil the interlock 14 can penetrate through even a wide ground layer and nevertheless bind the adjacent pipe piles to each other. The interlock can then too be channelled, for example, for steel reinforcement or for injection. The web 35 remaining between the main shapes of the pipe piles can even be in the order of the pipe's diameter D, i.e., the web's dimension would be 0-D, however preferably 0-D/2. Naturally, the dimension can be limited by the fact that the concrete cast into each pipe pile should join the concrete mass of the adjacent pipe pile when the pipe piles are raised.
[0133] According to FIGS. 1b-1d, the pipe piles 16 can include brackets 26, which support the pipe pile 16 against the inner surface of the drill hole 12 and thus prevent the pipe pile turning in the direction of the adjacent drill hole 12. The brackets 26 can be of such a height that they extend slightly farther radially than the reamer from the centre line of the pipe pile. If the reamer makes, for example a drill hole 54-mm larger than the diameter of the pipe pile at the brackets, the diameter can be up to 56-58-mm larger than the pipe pile's diameter. The brackets then travel against the ground and wear slightly, settling securely against the ground. The brackets 26 can have a side profile like a sharks fin according to FIG. 4a, when they travel smoothly in the drill hole after the drilling device. It should be understood that differing from lb-ld the brackets may also be blunt, with, for example, a semi-circularly shaped side profile, or otherwise be suitably shaped for the purpose.
[0134] Once the desired width of the pile wall 10 being formed has been achieved by drilling into the ground 100, the desired number of pipe piles 16 being connected together by interlocks 14, the reinforcements 20 can be placed inside the pipe piles 16, according to FIGS. 1c and 4c. If resources permit, the placing of the reinforcements 20 can be started in some of the pipe piles 16 simultaneously with the drilling of the other pipe piles 16 into the ground 100 according to FIG. 4b. In reinforcement, ribbed bar, or some other similar reinforcing steel, is lowered inside the pipe pile 16. The reinforcement is preferably of a flat ribbed-steel mesh welded into a circular structure. The amount of reinforcement is determined by the strength required in the pile wall 10, which in turn depends on the demands of the operating environment.
[0135] Preferably after the placing of the reinforcements 20, concrete 18 is cast inside the pipe piles 16 according to FIG. 1d, inside which the reinforcements 20 remain. The pipe pile 16 acts as formwork for the concrete 18. The concrete 18 fills the interior of the pipe pile 16, thus forming a reinforced concrete pile 22. If necessary, a selected binder can be mixed with the concrete 18 to improve the water-tightness of the concrete 18.
[0136] Alternatively, the concrete can be cast into the pipe piles already before the installation of the reinforcements, but then the reinforcements must be vibrated to press through the freshly cast concrete.
[0137] According to FIGS. 4b-4e, in addition to the vertical straight reinforcements 21, the reinforcements 20 can also include transverse reinforcements 19 creating a slanting support. The transverse reinforcements are preferably spring reinforcements 92, which can be welded onto the vertical reinforcements 21. The spring reinforcements are an embodiment of the transverse reinforcements. The spring reinforcements 92 can include a weld part 91 and a transverse-support part 93 transverse to the concrete piles in the final pile wall, and a joint between them. In FIGS. 4b-4e the spring reinforcements 92 are torsion springs, in which the weld part 91 is welded onto the vertical reinforcements 21 and the transverse-support part 93 tensions when the reinforcements are installed inside the pipe pile 16, being released finally during the lifting of the pipe pile 16 to become transverse to the pipe piles 16, thus forming reinforcements also in the area of the pipe piles' 16 interlocks in the area between the concrete piles 22.
[0138] As an alternative to the torsion springs shown in FIGS. 4b-4e, it can be contemplated that the spring reinforcement 92 can also be a straight spring 95 according to FIGS. 14a-14b, which can be attached to a corral 96 surrounding the vertical reinforcements 21. Here, the vertical reinforcements 21 are also bound together with the aid of an installation band 94.
[0139] The pipe wall can be formed of 2-100, preferably 5-50 pipe piles drilled into the ground together in an essentially unbroken casting sequence, until the lifting of the pipe piles is commenced. The pipe piles are lifted before the concrete binds, in which the concrete paste changes from fluid to rigid, after which the concrete begins to harden and the lifting of a pipe pile becomes very difficult or even impossible, without breaking the structure of the concrete pile. The length of the casting sequence can be influenced by using retardants in the concrete mix, which slow the binding of the concrete and thus lengthen the time for lifting the pipe piles.
[0140] Once the pipe piles 16 have been cast full of concrete 18, the pipe piles 16 can begin to be lifted one at a time partly or completely out of the drill holes 12, before the concrete 18 bonds inside the pipe piles, changing from a fluid, workable concrete mass into a rigid one, according to FIGS. 4c and 4d. The pipe pile 16 is attached at its upper end to a lifting device, which lifts the pipe pile 16 out slowly, while preferably vibrating the pipe pile 16. As a lifting device, the vibrating lifting device made by the German manufacturer ABI GmbH under the product name MRZV-VV, or Liebherr's LRB255 lifting device can be used. The lifting device grips the end of the pipe pile and lifts it upwards out of the drill hole while vibrating it. The vibration of the pipe pile 16 also vibrates and compacts the concrete 18 inside the pipe pile 16. At the same time as the pipe pile 16 is removed, the still fluid concrete between the concrete 18 and the drill hole 12 spreads laterally by gravity, filling the drill hole 12 and forming a concrete pile 22 and spreading between the drill holes 12 connected to each other to form a unified pile wall 10. At the same time, the vibration of the pipe pile 16 compacts the still fluid concrete 18 in the drill hole 12 against the ground 100. In other words, the outer surface 23 of the concrete pile 22 forms a contact surface 25 against the ground 100, which is shown in FIGS. 1e, 2a and 2b. If spring reinforcements are used in the pile wall, the spring reinforcements are able to spread between the concrete piles, thus reinforcing the entire pile wall. Alternatively, the pipe piles can also be raised without vibration, but the use of vibration is the preferred manner of implementation, as it compacts the concrete at the same time.
[0141] According to FIG. 2b, the pile wall 10 can also include transverse reinforcement element such as a beam 114 to which the fenders of harbour ships can be attached, can be easily attached to the steel structure of the pipe pile 16 at the upper end of the pipe pile 16.
[0142] According to FIG. 2a, a preferably cast transverse support beam 71 can also be formed on the exposed pile wall 10 in connection with the pile wall, on the construction side 73of the pile wall 10. The construction side 73 of the pile wall 10 refers to the side on which the building or similar is created, the opposite side of the pile wall 10 being, in turn, the stable side 75. The pile wall 10 can also be anchored in the stable layer 60 of the ground 100 on the opposite side of the pile wall 10 relative to the support beam 71, with the aid of anchors 77. The anchor 77 then penetrates both the support beam 71 and the pile wall's 10 concrete pile 22 and further extends to the ground's 100 stable layer 60, thus locking the pile wall 10 in place even more firmly. The pile wall 10 can also include a diagonal reinforcement 17.
[0143] According to FIGS. 5a, alternative interlocks 14 can be used when drilling the pipe piles to connect the pipe piles 16. In FIG. 5a, there is both a male interlocking member 28 and a female interlocking member 30 in each pipe pile. According to a different alternative, as discussed above in connection with FIG. 13, there are, in turn, pipe piles in which there are only male interlocking members, and the pipe piles are connected with the aid of an intermediate interlocking member. The intermediate interlocking member includes two female interlocking members. Thus, the male interlocking member to which the intermediate interlocking member attaches forms the female interlocking member of that pipe pile.
[0144] FIGS. 5b and 5c show enlargements of the interlocks 14 of FIG. 5a used for injection of water and concrete. Since the drill bit sits under pipe pile 16 and overlaps the pipe pile 16 by about 3 cm (commonly 2.5-5 cm), the pipe pile must be pushed to its final depth after the drilling process and the annular space of the rock must be filled in and closed. For this purpose, the end of the pipe pile is filled with about 2 m.sup.3 of concrete and then the pipe pile is raised up and down (about 1 m) while simultaneously vibrating the concrete with a vibrator attached to the drilling rig. The pipe pile is eventually brought to its final depth. The vibrations and the raising and lowering of the pipe pile ensure that the entire cavity between the pipe pile and the stone, i.e., the inner surface of the drill hole, is filled with concrete.
[0145] To fill the perhaps existing annular space of a stabilized clay layer, cement mortar is subsequently pressed through injection channel 130 of RF member, i.e., female interlocking member 30, see FIG. 5b. The female interlocking member is cut open in the area of the clay layer before the pipe pile is installed and closed with plug 131. Due to the overpressure created when the cement suspension is pressed into the injection channel, this plug is opened, and the cement suspension fills the annular space around pipe pile 16 through hole 135 (FIG. 5a dotted lines around pile 16).
[0146] The channel at the top end of the pile is equipped with a pressure medium coupling that allows the pressurized fluid to be pumped during drilling along the channel of the female interlocking member to the drilling point downward.
[0147] The female interlocking member includes a connector or threaded connection to enable the above. The channel is otherwise plugged from the upper end. A nipple connected to channel 130 is installed in the female interlocking member to provide a supply pipe attached to it. The liquid can be water or water like substance & drilling fluid & bentonite or polymer.
[0148] In another embodiment the pipe pile 16 comprises male and female lock tongue and groove, called male and female interlocking members, where the female interlocking member 30 includes a channel 130 and, at the top end of the pile, connecting means for conducting liquid (water) or cement from the upper end of the pipe pile 16 to its lower end.
[0149] In another embodiment the connecting means include a connecting nipple at the top end of the channel, for attaching the supply pipe.
[0150] In another embodiment the channel 130 at the upper end of the pipe pile 16 is equipped with a pressure medium coupling through which pressurized fluid is pumped during drilling along the channel to the drilling point downward.
[0151] In another embodiment several substantially vertical parallel boreholes 12 are drilled into the ground 100 by using a drilling device 102, [0152] transferring a non-rotating pipe pile 16 to each drill hole 12 aft of the drilling device 100 with longitudinal interlocks 32, 30 which connect parallel pipe piles 16 by means of interlocks and a total diameter of the pipe pile 16 with interlocks is smaller than the diameter of the drill hole 12, [0153] flushing the drill hole 12 to remove drilling waste from the drill hole 12 using a medium, and [0154] casting concrete 18 into each pipe pile 16.
[0155] In another embodiment pipe piles 16 equipped with male (RM) and female (RD) interlocking members 30, 32 are used, where the female interlocking member 30 is equipped with a channel 130 to lead the liquid down and cast cement on the bottom of the pipe pile.
[0156] In another embodiment the channel 130 is provided with a plug 131 set at the selected height, which the plug is removed by pressure when casting cement, allowing cement to be injected at the selected height.
[0157] In another embodiment the pipe pile 16 comprises male and female lock tongue and groove, called male and female interlocking members, where the female interlocking member 30 includes a channel 130 and, at the top end of the pipe pile 16, connecting means for conducting liquid (water) or cement from the upper end of the pipe pile 16 to its lower end.
[0158] In another embodiment said connecting means include a connecting nipple at the top end of the channel, for attaching the supply pipe.
[0159] The groundwater level is preferably monitored, e.g,. manually in specific wells. The groundwater control can be applied also on those walls where the metal pipes remain in boreholes.
[0160] FIG. 3 shows the drilling device 102 as a whole. Drilling device 102 may be movable, for example, supported on a chassis with a crawler platform and a turret on which the drilling device 102 itself is supported. The drill bit 36 including reamer 56 of the drill device are rotated using the rotation device 74 via the drill rod 72. Pressured flushing air is supplied to drill bit 36 from compressed air instruments 76. The drilling device is intended for piping drilling, in which a protective tube 70 is fed behind of drill bit 36, which protective tube 70 is shown only partially for simplification in FIG. 3. Drill impactor equipment, rotary equipment, pneumatic equipment, and other peripheral equipment may be fully compliant with the technical level. When drilling with a drilling device, the drill bit 36 rotates with protective tube 70 following the drill bit 36 without rotation.
[0161] RD pipe piles 16 are suitable for waterproof installations. The tightness between individual pipe piles is usually produced by the male and female interlocking members 30, 32 (see FIGS. 5a, 5b, 5c). Here wide female interlocking member 30 interlocks in its groove 301 the thin male interlocking member's 32 T-flange 321 completely. The inside of female interlocking member 30, i.e., groove 301 is filled with bitumen before installation so that the interlock has a good seal. Additional cement mortar can be pressed through channel 130 of the female interlocking member 30 later to fill the overlapping annular space and seal rock integration. When making a pile wall, the female interlocking member 30 is always inserted into male interlocking member 32 from above. Therefore, the first pipe pile must be equipped with two male interlocking members. All subsequent pipe piles have female locking members 30 on the side of the already installed adjacent pipe pile and male interlocking member 32 on the free side. The reason for this is that the male interlocking member 32 is shorter than female interlocking member 30, so the reamer does not damage it when the neighboring pipe pile is drilled.
[0162] The embodiment of the method disclosed with reference to FIGS. 5b and 5c is also useful in ordinary pile installations, i.e., when the pipe piles remain completely in the ground (not a part of this invention).
[0163] If it is wished to improve the tightness of the pile wall other than by altering the mix of the concrete, concrete injection can be used during the lifting of the pipe piles, according to a first embodiment in the method. Concrete can be injected through a female interlocking member as the pipe pile is being lifted. The pile wall then receives additional concrete in the area between the concrete piles, which reinforces the structure and improves its tightness.
[0164] According to another embodiment, an injection pipe can be temporarily locked to the pipe pile by a locking means, which is released from the pipe pile when concrete is cast into the pipe pile or when the pipe pile is lifted and remains in the bottom of the drill hole from the weight of the concrete. The injection pipe 34 is shown in FIG. 7 and can be located, according to FIG. 7, either inside the concrete 18 of the concrete pile 22, or outside the concrete pile 18. The injection hose 34 can be split over its length, except for the ends, when during injection the concrete is able to fill possible cavities remaining in the concrete piles. The injection hose's diameter can be, for example, 15-25 mm The locking means can be, for example, a metal sheet welded lightly to the side of the pipe pile, which presses the injection hose against the pipe pile while the pipe pile is drilled and detaches by the concrete's weight or when the pipe pile is lifted, pressing the injection hose under it in the drill hole. After the pipe pile is lifted, additional concrete or sealant can still be injected into the drill hole, which ensures the water-tightness of the pile wall. The injection pipe can be, for example, a steel reserve pipe.
[0165] FIG. 6 shows a third embodiment, in which the durability and water-tightness of the pile wall 10 is improved with the aid of a separate support plate 40. For the support plate 40 there are inside the pipe piles, for example, H beams or other similar guide supports 48 placed inside the pipe piles in connection with reinforcement, which remain inside the concrete cast in the pipe pile. When the pipe piles are lifted out of the drill holes, the support plate 40 connecting the concrete piles 22 can be driven between the H beams 48, when the H beams or similar supports guide the support plate's 40 impacts inside the concrete pile 22. In this embodiment, the support plates act as transverse reinforcements in the pile wall.
[0166] In this connection, it should be understood that the brackets described in the present application can also be used generally as part of the drilled pipe piles in connection with the construction of pile walls, and their use is not restricted only to the method according to the invention. The brackets can thus be part of the pipe pile, which are joined to the pipe pile's outer surface at the end of the pipe pile next to the drilling device's ring bit and at the brackets the pipe pile's diameter is 1-4 mm larger than the drill hole being drilled. Thus, the brackets stabilize the pipe pile being placed, particularly in its rock-drilled portion, so that lateral loads, acting in the direction of the previously drilled pipe pile, are larger for the placed pipe pile.
[0167] According to FIGS. 1a-1d and 12, in one embodiment of the method according to the invention, at least one plough protrusion 82 is welded next to the interlock 14 at the end 84 of the pipe pile 16 entering the drill hole 12 first, before the pipe pile 16 is drilled into the ground 100, which plough protrusion 82 is a continuous distance of a sector on the pipe pile's 16 outer circumference and protrudes from the pipe pile 16 by at most by the same amount as the reamer used in the drilling device 102. The plough protrusion 82 is intended to displace ground 100 when lifting the pipe pile 16 to make the joining of the concrete piles 22 more effective. The plough protrusion thus ‘ploughs’ the ground 100 from in front to the side, thus enlarging the connection between two adjacent drill holes 12, which can, in some cases be only the width of the interlock and permit the concrete to effectively spread from one drill hole 12 to another, effectively joining the adjacent concrete piles 22 to each other. At the same time, the plough protrusion 82 can form a vacuum behind itself, as the concrete surrounds and fills the space left in the pipe pile's drill hole as the pipe pile is raised and vibrated. The vacuum in turn sucks concrete effectively between the drill holes, thus joining the concrete piles.
[0168] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 12, the plough protrusions 82 are plates welded to the pipe pile 16, which are at an angle of, for example, 30-60°, preferably 40-50° to the longitudinal direction of the pipe pile 16. This is s preferred form of implementation, but it should be understood that the plough protrusion can also be a casing structure transversely to the pipe pile, or some other protrusion that displaces ground from in front when raising the pipe pile. The plough protrusion can be formed in a sector of the pipe pile of a minimum of 1°, preferably 5° of the pipe pile's perimeter and a sector of a maximum of 50°, preferably 15°.
[0169] FIG. 8 shows an embodiment of the method according to the invention, in which the reinforcements 20 preferably include at least one hollow reinforcement in each pipe pile 16, inside which a reserve pipe 72 is fitted. The reserve pipe 72 is protected during the casting of concrete in the pipe pile 16, so that the reserve pipe 72 remains empty. Once the pipe piles have been lifted, compaction mass or concrete can be fed through the reserve pipe, to ensure the pile wall's tightness. Alternatively, the pipe piles can be drilled only down to the rock surface, when a locking holes can be drilled into the rock through the reserve pipe, through which the concrete pile can be locked to the reinforcement by a rock bolt to the locking hole and through it to the rock.
[0170] FIG. 9 shows one form of implementation of the method according to the invention, in which separate channels 80 are formed in the outer surfaces of the pipe piles 16, through which liquid lubricant can be fed into the drill hole 12 outside the pipe piles 16. The liquid lubricant remaining between the drill hole 12 and the pipe pile 16 facilitates the lifting of the pipe piles by reducing the friction between the pipe piles and the drill hole. Instead of separate channels, the liquid lubricant can also be fed, for example, through the female interlocking members of the pipe piles' interlocking members, or using a separate channel formed in connection with the interlocking members.
[0171] According to an embodiment the interlocks 14 include, as illustrated in FIG. 9, a stem part 120 extending in a radial direction of the pipe pile 16 and comprising a first end 122 and a second end 124, wherein the first end 122 is attached to the pipe pile 16 and a hooked interlocking part 126 is attached to the second end 124. The hooked interlocking part 126 provides an interlocking fixation with the hooked interlocking part 126 of the interlock of the adjacent pipe pile 16, which prevents horizontal movements of the pipe piles relative to each other. This is because the pipe piles are neither able to move towards each other when the interlock grips the outer surface of the adjacent pipe pile nor away from each other since the hooked interlocks prevent a movement in this direction. Moreover, the length of the short interlocking member with respect to the stem part and the hooked interlocking part is such that the interlock of the adjacent pipe pile can only be installed against this interlock via the longitudinal movement of the pipe pile. The hooked interlocking part 126 is preferably formed by an interlocking arm 128. In other words, the distance between the tip of the interlocking arm 128 of the short interlocking member and the outer surface of the pipe pile is less than the length of the interlocking arm 128 in the longitudinal direction of the stem part 120 of the interlock between the ends 122 and 124 of the stem part 120.
[0172] As an alternative to using lubricant a separate material layer 29, which is arranged to reduce the friction between the concrete and the pipe pile, on the inner surface 27 of the pipe pile can, according to FIG. 1c be used. The material layer 29 can be, for example, of Teflon.
[0173] According to the embodiment shown in FIG. 10, in the case of the pipe piles, the pile wall can be drilled down to the upper surface of the rock 65 forming the stable layer 60. The reinforcement 20 includes a hollow reserve pipe 72, which is left empty when casting the concrete, and through which a locking hole 62 can be drilled into the rock, according to FIG. 10a. Finally, the pile wall is locked by setting a rock bolt 64 in the locking hole 62 through the reserve pipe 72, which holds the concrete piles 22 horizontally in place in the rock 65.
[0174] According to FIG. 11, the pile wall can also be formed in such a way that the pipe pile 16 between the upper and lower pipe piles 16 in the line is drilled to the side of the line, on that side of the line in which the soil pressure acting on the pile wall is greater. This single offset pipe pile 16 can have a smaller diameter than the other pipe piles. When the pipe piles are removed from the drill holes 12, the soil pressure presses this control pile outside the line tightly against the concrete piles in the line, thus ensuring the pile wall's tightness. The offset pipe pile can be otherwise the same in structure as the other pipe piles and the interlocks of the pipe piles joined to it should be compatibly located in the circle of pipe piles, relative to each other.
[0175] Though it does not belong to the invention, it can be envisaged that the idea of the method and pile wall according to the invention can also be implemented without the reinforcements fitted inside at least one pipe pile.
[0176] An embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 15a-15g is intended for the formation of a pile wall in contact with a body of water, preferably at a shore or in a body of water close to the shore, for example in a harbour. A drilling device 102 can be supported during drilling on a platform 110, which is in turn supported on the ground 100 by means of support legs 112. Alternatively, drilling can be carried out from the top of a backfill made in the body of water as illustrated in FIG. 15g.
[0177] The pipe pile 16 is preferably pulled behind the pilot bit 52 in the drilling device 102, the pipe pile 16 being connected in a non-rotating manner to the rear of the rotating pilot bit 52 by means of a ground shoe 54, as illustrated in FIG. 4a. The drill hole 12 of FIG. 15b is preferably drilled to a depth in the ground 100 that the drill hole 12 reaches the so-called stable layer in the ground 100, said stable layer being stationary and not moving in a horizontal direction. The stable layer is indicated in FIG. 2b by the reference number 60. Such a layer can be a layer of so-called non-cohesive soil. A sufficient depth dimension by which the drill hole should preferably extend into the stable layer is at least one metre, preferably 2-4 m. When the drill hole 12 has been drilled to a sufficient depth, the pilot bit 52 is detached from the ground shoe 54, for example by means of a bayonet mount, and is raised out of the drill hole 12 while the pipe pile 16 remains in the drill hole 12 as shown in FIG. 15c. FIG. 15e indicates the part of the pile wall 10 in the stable layer, preferably in moraine, i.e., the concrete piles 22, by the reference number 43, the portion of the pipe pile 16 that remains in the stable layer of the ground 100 by the reference number 45, and the part of the pipe piles that remains above the ground 100 in contact with the water by the reference number 47.
[0178] When the desired width of the pile wall 10 to be formed has been reached by drilling into the ground 100 a desired number of pipe piles 16 connected to each other by means of interlocks, reinforcements 20 can be installed inside the pipe piles 16, as illustrated in FIG. 15d. Resources permitting, the installation of the reinforcements 20 can begin for a part of the pipe piles 16 while other pipe piles 16 are still being drilled into the ground 100. Preferably, in the reinforcement, rebars or some other analogous reinforcing bars used for reinforcement are lowered into the pipe pile 16.
[0179] Preferably, after the installation of the reinforcements 20, concrete 18 is poured into the pipe piles 16 as illustrated in FIG. 15e, in which concrete 18 the reinforcements 20 remain. The pipe pile 16 acts as formwork for the concrete 18. The concrete 18 fills the interior of the pipe pile 16, thus forming a concrete pile 22 of reinforced concrete. If necessary, a selected binder can be mixed into the concrete 18 in order to improve the water tightness of the concrete 18.
[0180] Alternatively, the concrete can be poured into the pipe piles already before the installation of the reinforcements, in which case, however, it is necessary to press the reinforcements into the freshly poured concrete by vibration.
[0181] 2-100 pipe piles, preferably 5-50 pipe piles, can be drilled into the ground in one substantially uninterrupted casting section before the raising of the pipe piles is initiated. The pipe piles are raised before the concrete sets and the fluid concrete paste becomes rigid, after which the concrete begins to harden, and it becomes very difficult or even impossible to raise the pipe pile without breaking the structure of the concrete pile. The length of a casting section can be influenced by using retarders in the concrete mixture, which delay the setting of the concrete and thus lengthen a time period for raising the pipe piles.
[0182] When the pipe piles 16 have been filled with concrete 18, the pipe piles 16 can be raised upwards one at a time from the drill holes 12, as illustrated in FIG. 15e, as the concrete 18 sets inside the pipe piles, changing from a fluid, pliable concrete mass to a rigid mass. The pipe pile 16 is attached by its upper end to a lifting device, which slowly lifts the pipe pile 16 while simultaneously preferably vibrating the pipe pile 16. For example, a vibratory lifting device known under the product designation MRZV-VV from the German manufacturer ABI GmbH or LRB255 from Liebherr can be employed as the lifting device. The lifting device grabs the end of the pipe pile and raises it upwards in the drill holes while simultaneously vibrating. The vibration of the pipe pile 16 simultaneously vibrates the concrete 18 inside the pipe pile 16, thereby compacting it. While the pipe pile 16 is being removed from between the still fluid concrete 18 and the drill hole 12, the concrete 18 spreads laterally under the force of gravity, thus filling the drill hole 12 and forming a concrete pile 22 while spreading between the interconnected drill holes 12 and forming one continuous pile wall 10. At the same time, the vibration of the pipe pile 16 compresses the still fluid concrete 18 in the drill hole 12 against the ground 100. In other words, the outer surface 23 of the concrete pile 22 forms a contact surface 25 against the ground 100. In cases where spring reinforcements are used in the pile wall, the spring reinforcements are able to deploy between the concrete piles, thus reinforcing the overall pile wall. Alternatively, the pipe piles can also be raised with no vibration; however, vibration is advantageous in terms of the implementation of the invention since it simultaneously compacts the concrete.
[0183] The upper limit L for the raising of the pipe piles 16, shown in FIG. 15e, is a maximum of 3 m above the upper surface of the ground 100, beyond which the pipe piles 16 must not be lifted since the movement of the water masses could otherwise slowly erode the ground around the pipe piles and eventually leave the concrete piles exposed to the water. A steel pipe pile readily withstands the long-term stress and loads caused by the water.
[0184] When the pipe piles 16 have been raised at least partially out of the portion of the drill hole 12 in the ground 100, the portion of the pipe pile 16 that extends beyond the top end of the concrete pile 22 can be cut off, as illustrated in FIG. 15f, and used, for example, in another object on its own or by joining two sections together. Optionally, this part can also be left intact. A harbour structure 116, for example a beam 114, to which the fenders of harbour ships can be attached, can be easily attached to the steel structure of the pipe pile 16 at the upper end of the pipe pile 16. A remaining area on a side of the pile wall 10 under construction can be filled with backfill if the structure under construction does not fill that area. The excess portion of the pipe piles can only be cut off after filling of the backfill to avoid that backfill ends up in the body of water. If the method according to the invention is carried out from the backfill, as illustrated in FIG. 15g, the backfill 116 remaining on the side of the pile wall 10 facing the body of water 111 is lifted out of the water body after the completion of the pile wall 10 in order to provide a sufficient water depth.
[0185] According to one embodiment, the pipe piles can also be driven back towards the drill hole after being raised, whereby the pipe pile is pushed deeper into the ground than the concrete pile.
[0186] In an aspect that does not form part of the invention, it is conceivable that the idea of the method and pile wall according to the invention can also be implemented without the reinforcements arranged inside at least one drilling pile.
[0187] It will be understood that the above description of the present invention is susceptible to various modifications, changes and adaptations, and that the same are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the appended claims.
