PILE-DRIVING DEVICE AND METHOD FOR DRIVING INTO A GROUND

Abstract

The invention relates to a pile-driving device and a method for driving driving material into a ground, wherein, for the purpose of driving-in, the driving material is clamped and held by means of a clamping means on a pile-driving power unit and prior to clamping the driving material is connected by means of a flexible securing element, in particular a securing chain, to the pile-driving power unit. In accordance with the invention a pressing element is provided which is displaced relative to the pile-driving power unit towards the driving material and, in doing so, a pressing force is applied onto an upward-directed front face of the driving material.

Claims

1. Pile-driving device for driving a driving material into a ground, having a pile-driving power unit which is arranged in a vertically movable manner and has a clamping means for clamping and holding the driving material, and a flexible securing element, in particular a securing chain, with which the driving material can be connected to the pile-driving power unit prior to clamping, wherein a pressing element is provided which is supported in a displaceable manner relative to the pile-driving power unit and designed for applying a pressing force onto an upward-directed front face of the driving material prior to clamping.

2. Pile-driving device according to claim 1, wherein the pressing element is designed with a passage, through which clamping of the driving material by the clamping means is enabled when the pressing element is in abutment.

3. Pile-driving device according to claim 1, wherein the pressing element is of fork-shaped design.

4. Pile-driving device according to claim 1, wherein the pressing element is displaceable by means of a positioning cylinder which is arranged between the pile-driving power unit and the pressing element.

5. Pile-driving device according to claim 1, wherein the pressing element is displaceable along a linear guide which is arranged on a mast or the pile-driving power unit.

6. Pile-driving device according to claim 1, wherein the pile-driving power unit is designed as a vibrator with rotatable imbalance elements or as a pile-driving hammer with a pulse element capable of being driven in a linearly reversible manner.

7. Pile-driving device according to claim 1, wherein a test unit is provided which is designed to establish if the flexible securing element is attached between the driving material and the pile-driving power unit.

8. Pile-driving device according to claim 1, wherein a mobile carrier implement is provided, on which the pile-driving power unit is arranged in a vertically movable manner by means of a carriage on a mast or by means of a support rope.

9. Method for driving or extracting driving material into or from a ground, in particular by way of a pile-driving device according to claim 1, wherein the driving material is clamped and held by means of a clamping means on a pile-driving power unit and the driving material is connected by means of a flexible securing element, in particular a securing chain, to the pile-driving power unit, wherein a pressing element is provided which is displaced relative to the pile-driving power unit towards the driving material and, in doing so, a pressing force is applied onto an upward-directed front face of the driving material.

10. Method according to claim 9, wherein the driving material is held by the pressing element in a clamping position, in that subsequently the pile-driving power unit is moved towards the driving material and in that the driving material is clamped by means of the clamping means and held on the pile-driving power unit for driving-in.

11. Method according to claim 10, wherein subsequently, for driving-in, the pressing element is released and spaced apart from the driving material.

12. Method according to claim 9, wherein by means of the pressing element a position of the driving material is adjusted and brought into a clamping position.

13. Method according to claim 9, wherein with pressing force being applied by the pressing element onto the driving material, the pile-driving power unit assumes a test position, in which the flexible securing element between the driving material and the pile-driving power unit is tensioned, and in that a test unit establishes if the flexible securing element is located between the driving material and the pile-driving power unit in the test position.

14. Method according to claim 13, characterized in that the test unit issues a warning signal if it is established that no flexible securing element (30) is located between the driving material (5) and the pile-driving power unit (20).

15. Method according to claim 13, wherein the test unit prevents clamping by means of the clamping means, driving-in or extraction of the driving material if it is established that no flexible securing element is located between the driving material and the pile-driving power unit.

16. Method according to claim 14, wherein the test unit prevents clamping by means of the clamping means, driving-in or extraction of the driving material if it is established that no flexible securing element is located between the driving material and the pile-driving power unit.

Description

[0031] The invention is described further hereinafter by way of preferred embodiments illustrated schematically in the drawings, wherein show:

[0032] FIG. 1 a schematic side view of a pile-driving device with vertical mast when receiving a driving material;

[0033] FIG. 2 a schematic detailed view of a pile-driving device according to the invention when hoisting the driving material;

[0034] FIG. 3 a schematic detailed view of the pile-driving device of FIG. 2 and pursuant to the invention with vertically arranged driving material;

[0035] FIG. 4 a schematic detailed view of the pile-driving device of FIGS. 2 and 3 when clamping the driving material;

[0036] FIG. 5 a schematic detailed view of the pile-driving device according to FIGS. 2 to 4 when releasing the pressing element;

[0037] FIG. 6 a schematic perspective view of the pile-driving device pursuant to the invention and according to FIGS. 2 to 5 in a test position;

[0038] FIG. 7 an enlarged perspective detailed view of a pressing unit according to the invention;

[0039] FIG. 8 a schematic side view of a further pile-driving device according to the invention with rope suspension of the pile-driving power unit;

[0040] FIG. 9 the pile-driving power unit of FIG. 8 when clamping the driving material and with the pressing element being in abutment; and

[0041] FIG. 10 the pile-driving power unit of FIG. 9 with withdrawn pressing element.

[0042] The basic construction of a pile-driving device 10 is explained in conjunction with FIG. 1. The pile-driving device 10 has a mobile carrier implement 12 that comprises a crawler-track running gear 13. On the crawler-track running gear 13 an upper carriage 14 is supported in a rotatable manner. The upper carriage 14 has, in a manner generally known, an operator's cab as well as the power units of the pile-driving device 10. A mast 18 which is designed as a telescopic leader in the illustrated embodiment is supported in an adjustable manner on the upper carriage 14 by way of an adjustment mechanism 16. On a front side of the mast 18 directed in a substantially vertical manner a linear guide 19 is arranged, along which a pile-driving power unit 20 is supported in a linearly displaceable manner. In the illustrated embodiment the pile-driving power unit 20 is designed as a vibrator, in the housing of which rotationally driven imbalance elements are supported.

[0043] To receive a driving material 5, which can be a sheet pile or a steel beam in particular, the pile-driving power unit 20 is displaced along the mast 18 into a lower receiving position illustrated in FIG. 1. By means of a flexible securing element 30, which is a securing chain in particular, the driving material 5 is initially connected to a receiving part 22 at the lower end of the pile-driving power unit 20. The flexible securing element 30 can be guided through a securing hole 6 on the driving material 5. The flexible securing element 30 is secured on the receiving part 22 in a generally known manner by a lock.

[0044] To hoist and clamp the pile-shaped driving material 5 the pile-driving power unit 20 is displaced upwards along the mast 18 with the linear guide 19 via a non-depicted rope drive or a hydraulic cylinder, as illustratively depicted in FIG. 2. Due to the connection of the driving material 5 to the receiving part 22 of the pile-driving power unit 20 via the flexible securing element 30 the driving material 5 is raised from the horizontal position according to FIG. 1 and pulled into a vertical position. On the receiving part 22 a clamping means 24 with at least one hydraulically adjustable clamping jaw is located in a generally known manner. Furthermore, in the lower region of the pile-driving power unit 20 a pressing unit 40 according to the invention having a pressing element 42 in a standby or withdrawn position is arranged in accordance with the invention. In this standby position the pressing element 42 is located above the receiving part 22 and the clamping means 24.

[0045] The upward movement of the pile-driving power unit 20 with the suspended driving material 5 takes place until the bar-shaped driving material 5 has been hoisted or erected vertically, with a lower end of the driving material 5 resting on the ground. In this position illustrated in FIG. 3 the schematically depicted flexible securing element 30 between the erected vertical driving material 5 and the pile-driving power unit 20 is tensioned. In this position with a tensioned flexible securing element 30 the vertical position of the driving material 5 is secured. To maintain this secured position, according to the invention the pressing element 42 of the pressing unit 40 is displaced downwards relative to the pile-driving power unit 20 by means of non-depicted positioning cylinders until lower contact sections 43 of the pressing element 42 abut against an upper front face 7 of the driving material 5 and thereby press the driving material 5 with a defined pressing force downwards against the ground. In this position the vertically directed driving material 5 is positionally secured by the pressing element 42 abutting under pressure, as shown in FIG. 3. This positional securing or fall protection is independent of a width or lateral contour of the driving material 5.

[0046] With the pressing element 42 abutting against the driving material 5, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the pile-driving power unit 20 can now be displaced downwards relative to the pressing element 42, whereby an upper end region of the driving material 5 is introduced into the receiving part 22 with the inclined introduction surfaces. Subsequently, by way of a hydraulic clamping cylinder of the clamping means 24 that is directed transversely to the vertical direction the driving material 5 can be clamped firmly on the pile-driving power unit 20. During downward movement of the pile-driving power unit 20 along the linear guide 19 the tension of the flexible securing element 30 is released, while the driving material 5 is still held in the vertical position by the pressing element 42 abutting under pressure. All in all, in accordance with the invention a reliable introduction of the driving material 5 into the receiving part 22 and a clamping by the clamping means 24 of the pile-driving power unit 20 can thus take place.

[0047] According to FIG. 5 the pressing element 42 can now be displaced again along the linear guide 19 of the mast 18 in the upward direction relative to the pile-driving power unit 20 and thus be released from the upper front face 7 of the driving material 5. In doing so, the driving material 5 is still clamped by the clamping means 24 of the pile-driving power unit 20 and thereby fixed in position. After the fork-shaped pressing element 42 has been spaced apart from the driving material 5 by moving back into the withdrawn standby position the actual pile-driving process can now commence. In this, the rotating imbalance units inside the pile-driving power unit 20 are set into rotation in a generally known manner, whereby a targeted, downward-directed imbalance force is generated. Through simultaneous downward movement of the pile-driving power unit 20 the elongated driving material 5 can thus be driven into the ground. Following driving into the ground the flexible securing element 30 is detached again from the driving material 5 so that new driving material 5 can then be received by the pile-driving device 10 and the pile-driving process can be repeated.

[0048] Conversely, by means of the pile-driving device 10 an extraction of the driving material 5 from the ground can also be carried out. In this process, an upper end of the driving material 5 projecting from the ground is clamped by the clamping means 24 of the pile-driving power unit 20, wherein for reasons of work safety the flexible securing element 30 is attached simultaneously or with a time lag between the receiving part 22 of the pile-driving power unit 20 and the driving material 5. In particular by generating targeted vibrations it is thus possible through upward movement of the pile-driving power unit 20 that the driving material 5 is reliably extracted from the ground. Afterwards, the clamping means 24 is released so that the driving material 5 is again solely connected via the flexible securing element 30 to the pile-driving power unit 20.

[0049] For reasons of work safety, it is essential that during the release of the clamping means 24 certainty prevails that the driving material 5 is in fact still secured via the flexible securing element 30 to the pile-driving power unit 20, as illustratively depicted in FIG. 6.

[0050] To reliably verify this provision is made in the pile-driving device 10 according to the invention for a non-depicted test unit. By way of this, before release of the clamping means 24, the fork-shaped pressing element 42 of the pressing unit 40 is displaced relative to the pile-driving power unit 20 in the downward direction from the withdrawn standby position until the pressing element 42 abuts against the upper front face 7 of the driving material 5. Through this, the pressing element 42 exerts a defined retention force onto the driving material 5 in the downward direction so that this is secured in the vertical position. The clamping means 24 can now be released and the pile-driving power unit 20 can be displaced upwards by a defined distance and/or with a defined retraction force until the flexible securing element 30 reaches a tensioned state again. In case of a properly attached flexible securing element 30 a defined tension builds up in this process which can be established by means of the test unit.

[0051] If a corresponding tension is present this is a clear indication that the flexible securing element 30 is properly attached and the driving material 5 is thus reliably connected via the flexible securing element 30 to the pile-driving power unit 20. If the tension or tensile force is not established by the test unit, this may be an indication that a correct securing of the driving material 5 by the flexible securing element 30 is not ensured. A warning signal can then be issued by the test unit and a securing procedure or a blockage of the further operation can be carried out. In particular, in such a case the pressing element 42 remains pressed against the front face 7 of the driving material 5 in order to secure the driving material 5 in the vertical position until, for example, adequate additional securing is attached between the pile-driving power unit 20 and the driving material 5.

[0052] As a matter of course, this verification can also be carried out as early as before extraction of a driving material located in the ground.

[0053] The pressing unit 40 according to the invention with the pressing element 42 is illustrated in greater detail in FIG. 7. The pressing element 42 has a base body 44 with two parallel pressing arms 45. In this way, the pressing element 42 is formed in the shape of a fork, with a central passage 46 being formed between the two parallel pressing arms 45. The passage 46 permits clamping of the driving material by the clamping means on the pile-driving power unit which can pass through the pressing element 42 along the passage 46.

[0054] By preference, the two pressing arms 45 are pivotably supported about a vertical axis on the base body 44. Moreover, on their undersides the pressing arms 45 have contact sections 43 for contacting the driving material. The contact sections 43 are preferably supported in a shiftable manner along the pressing arms 45. On a rear side of the base body 44 of the pressing element 42 a guide shoe 48 is designed which interacts with the linear guide 19 on the mast 18.

[0055] In FIG. 7 two positioning cylinders 50 are also indicated schematically, with which the pressing element 42 can be displaced with respect to the pile-driving power unit 20, wherein by means of the positioning cylinders 50 the defined pressing force can be applied onto the driving material.

[0056] In FIGS. 8 to 10 an alternative embodiment of a pile-driving device 10 according to the invention is shown, in which a pile-driving power unit 20 with a base frame 21 is freely suspended by means of a crane hook 17 and a support rope 15.

[0057] To erect the driving material 5, which is a sheet pile in the embodiment, the flexible securing element 30 is initially guided through a securing hole 6 while the driving material 5 is in a horizontal position. The flexible securing element 30, which is a steel rope in the embodiment, is fixed with its two ends on a receiving part 22 of the pile-driving power unit 20. The driving material 5 can now be hoisted into a vertical by pulling up the pile-driving power unit 20 by means of the crane hook 17, which is fixed on a crane, in particular a crawler crane, until the driving material 5 rests vertically on the ground. In this state a bracket-shaped pressing element 42 of a pressing unit 40 can then be moved downwards from a withdrawn position on the pile-driving power unit 20. This can be effected by means of two lateral positioning cylinders 50 that are arranged between the base frame 21 and the pressing element 42.

[0058] In doing so, contact sections 43 supported in a transversely shiftable manner on the underside of the pressing element 42 come into contact with a front face 7 of the driving material 5 and thereby press the driving material 5 with a defined force against the ground. This ensures a reliable positional securing or tilt protection of the driving material 5 irrespective of a lateral outer contour, as illustrated in FIG. 8. To accomplish reliable reception of the driving material 5 in the receiving part 22 by a clamping means 24 the contact sections 43 can be displaced substantially horizontally by a certain amount in order to align the front face 7 of the driving material 5 towards the receiving part 22.

[0059] According to FIG. 9, with the pressing element 42 still abutting against the front face 7 of the driving material 5, the receiving part 22 can then be moved towards the driving material 5 through retraction of the positioning cylinders 50 along with a simultaneous lowering of the crane hook 17, whereby the front face 7 of the driving material 5 is received in the receiving part 22 between the clamping jaws of the hydraulic clamping means 24, as illustratively depicted in FIG. 9. In this state the received driving material 5 can then be firmly clamped on the pile-driving power unit 20 by closing the clamping means 24.

[0060] Before commencement of the actual pile-driving process the positioning cylinders 50 are retracted further, whereby the pressing element 42 reaches a withdrawn position, in which the contact sections 43 are spaced apart from the front face 7 of the driving material 5. To achieve sufficient advancing force a corresponding superimposed load can be provided on the base frame 21 of the pile-driving power unit 20. Due to the overall weight of the pile-driving power unit 20 in combination with the generated vibratory movement the driving material 5 can thus be driven into a ground.