US1398221A - Construction of caissons, cofferdams, and the like - Google Patents

Description

C. S. BOARDIVIAN.

CONSTRUCTION 0F CAISSONS, COFFERDAMS, AND THE LIKE. APPLICATION FILED 056.18, 1919.

y APPLICATION FILED DEC. I8, 1919. g

lIPatnbed Nov. 29, 192i.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

vd a m .L O L L LI, m a T w A C A W m m T v U m wo am 3 w M l QW M m u l m Q MNHN@ j HVHIHIM Iu|||||||1b UNITED STATES CHARLES S. IBOARDMAN,'OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, ASSIG-NOR TO :LACKAW'AN-NA STEEL COMPANY, 0F LAGKAWANNA, NEW YORK, A CORPORATIONOF NEW i coNsrnucTIoN or pensons, oorrnnnms, AND ma LIKE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 2e, 192i..

Application filed December 18, 1,919. Serial No. 345,726.

sons, Coierdams, and the like, of which the following is a specification. l

This invention relates to an improved method of constructing and installing metal caissons for use in subaqueous work in the construction 'of piers, foundations, and the like. The several features of my present in` vention are -particularly applicable for the construction of caissons formed of interlocking metal sheet piling and consists in an improved construction and arrangement thereof which allows of the installation being made more conveniently, accurately and economically than heretofore. The improvements of my present invention are particularly advantageous in the construction of br'idge pier or other foundations through wlater and in material such as fine sand or si t. l

As is well understood, in the building of bridge pier foundations open caissons of interlocking steel piling are extensively used and have commanded recognition from an engineering standpoint particularly as to cost of installation for it has been found that great economy has accompanied the use thereof. There are, however, manflocations particularly in sub-aqueous werk where it has heretofore been required that the caissons be assembled a situ particularly where the caisson is to be driven through sand or silt to bed rock. This method of construction involves considerable expense, particularly 1n budge p1er construction and where a substant1al amount of interior bracing is found necessary and .when it is further required that additional bracing be installed as the siltor sand is removed from within the caisson as the work progresses.

The improved construction .and arrangement of the present invention is designed t0 permit of the assembling of the caisson with its co-acting interior bracing inany convenient location with economy from which it may be lifted as a unit and set intothe position to be driven and further adapted to then permit of the individual piling sections beng separately and economically driven to the depth required. As a result of this arrangement notonly may the as-v sembling of the c aisson be performed under the most economical conditions but, in addition, when placed in position for driving,

the latter operation may be performed by the employment of the simple pile driver thus preserving the economy resulting therefrom peculiar to the. use of the interlocking pile sections.

mportantA features of my improved arrangementcomprise a separable reinforcing cage or bracing form associated with the.

piling wall of interlocking sections so as to provide internal bracing therefor and this cage is further adapted to have the piling sections temporarily or releasably attached thereto. By this arrangement provision is made for temporarily securing the inclosing wall of piling elements or sections to the reinforcing cage whereby they maybe fully assembled adJacent to the ,final location.

This permits the entire structure, fully assembled, to be handled as a unit and conveniently lifted into place for driving. As further contemplated when in position, the piling sections are released from connection with the reinforcing cage to allow of their "being separately driven to final location.

The construction of my improved separable reinforcing cage, as a connectedpunit, also permits of progressively lowering the bracing or settling of the cage as the piling is driven and the sand or silt is removed from the bottom of the caisson structure. In its preferred vform I desirably construct the separable reinforcing cage as a connected unit formed of a series of annular bracing members suitably connected by vertical spacing members and having a central and unobstructed opening therethrou h providin a spacious open interior whic will permit of removing the material from the bottom l of the caisson by means of a suitable excavatmay be then unwatered as the conditions re- 4 quire or the foundation may be completed in soinsta led; in the latter case the caisson whereby the entire caisson structure may be level thereby eliminating many of the .the cost of installation.

merely lacing the concrete in the caisson vattached to the reinforcing-unit so `formed becoming'part ofthe ier structure. It will assembled fully above water level andtherethus be understood t at in many instances after ltransported or lifted as fa unit into the installation may be successfully, per-I position for installation. formed .by operationl entirely above water For the latter purpose, that is, for temporarily securing the piling'wall to' the retroublesome features incident to subaqueous lnforcing structure, simple means may be work and effecting substantial economy in employed; for instance as here shown, each The described and other features and advantages of my invention will be understood\ to its upper edge adapted to receive therein by reference to the accompanying drawings. `a securing bolt 9 carried by the uppermost wherein like reference numerals are applied reinforcing ring or bracing member' 3. As to the corresponding parts in the .several indicated this uppermost bracing ring may views. Referring to the drawings desirably be composed of channel bars 10,1()

Figurel is a vertical Across sectional' view vsecured in spaced relation with their angeof a caisson constructed in accordance with less sides or fiat surfaces opposed. The

typical installation.

my invention. channel bars 10, 10 are suitably spaced by Fig. 2 is a partial plan view thereof and means of spacing washers 11 surrounding Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view showing a the rod 6to'suitably space the channels to y closely receive therebetween the attaching In the approved embodiment of the fea- .bolts 9 'for the respective piling sections. tures of my present invention as illustratedl This arrangement permits of the shanks of of the piling sections is provided with an' aperture through -i'ts web portion adjacent `many instances without unwateri'ng by therewith shallbe temporarily or releasably' in the drawings herein, 1 indicates the sheet the bolts 9 being adjusted circumferentially piling sections of any suitable form 0f which' to obtain proper registration with the a erthe required number are assembled with tures of the individual piling sections. uit-v their interlocking elements in engagement able washers 12 are desirably interposed betO OIm il CSSOIlor inclosing Wall ofthe tweenA the inner peripherall surfaceof the desired size and shape. In accordance with channels '10., 10 andthe boltheads 13 and my Present iIIlpI'OVemeIltS the piling SGGOIIS j as will be understood the bolts are threaded are assembled to inclose a reinforcing cage on their outer projecting extremities to reor bracing form as here shown composed of ceive the securing nuts 14 threaded thereon. a vertically arranged series of annular rein' The arrangement as shown thus provides for forcing members or rings 3 formed of angle ietaehablyl securing each cf the piling -secbars or channelsand connected in spaced tions 'at its top to the reinforcing cage or relatOn by meI1S50f. vertically arranged structure whereby yas will be obvious thel tubular POStS 5 engaging'- the 'hOIiZOIltl complete caisson may be lifted by means of flanges 0f the annular members and having a cable or cables attached thereto, forinconnecting or tie-rods 6 passed therethrough Stanco to the topmost bracing ring 3.

and also through the horizontal flangesi of The use of my improved construction' dethe annular members and having threaded scribed permits of the installing of the caisvertical alinement in their proper spaced bracing form b upon their projecting extremities suitable son in the improved method as f0110WS Securing nuts 7 A Suitable number 0f these The initial assembling of -the caisson as connecting members 5 and Gare disposed cirwill be readily understood may be percumferentially of the respectivel members 3 formed-at; a convenient location and either connecting 'each of said members with the with the structure in a horizontal or verticorresponding member thereabove or thereoal position as may be more convenient. under whereby the respective annular rein- Having detachably secured the inclosing forcing members 3 are rigidly connected in wall of interlocked piling' sections to the means of thev bolts derelation to afford' the required bracing for scribed, Aa Snitab e crane may be employed the caisson when i n finalposition: .to lift the structure bv attaching the cables The whole hraclng or relnforclng Structhereof to the top ringer bracing member ture is accordlngly connected up as av rlgid and the entire `assembled structure ma thus unit which permits of its bein transported be transferred and'positioned in the esired as such.` The interlocked sections of sheet` final location. When thus positioned thesepiling as illustrated are of increased length curing nuts 14 may be conveniently removed relative to the height of thebracing strucby reason of their exposed locatlon atthe ture to provide a clearance for driving 'top of caisson and the bolts ma be withwhich may correspond approximately tothe drawn or driven out thereby re easing the distance between the reinforcing members. piling sections lfrom connection with the in- Itis further (provided that the inclosing wall terior bracing. This will permit the bracof interlocke piling sections when assembled ing form to lowerinto position of rest upon lower theA bracing form with reference to piling extending thereabove a distance suiii-V the upper ends of the piling sections; thev bracing cage being as illustrated of such relative height with reference to the length of the piling sections to then permit of the cient to permit of thev piling sections being driven. A ydriving clearance is thus afford-1 ed above the uppermost of thel bracing rings allowing for the use of-a pile driver to act cessively drive said sections to the extentV permitted by said clearance which may in some installations be suiicient for/driving of the piling toc'bed rock or final position. In this case thesand or silt'at the bottom of the inclosure may be removed by a suitable bucket operating `within the central and unobstructed space inclosed by the bracing rings or the sand may be ejected through y pipes withwater orvair pressures. Should,

however, the conditions require that the piling wall and caisson structure be driven -a substantial distance it will be understood that itis first-lowered to a position of rest upon the sub-surface or river bottom, the piling sections released as aforesaid and driven successively to the extent permitted. The sand or silt at the bottom of the caisson is then removed permitting the bracing cage to drop or be lowered again lto the bottom of the cylinder of piling again allowing the driving of the individual sec-- tions to be repeated and the structure to be progressively lowered into final position.

Thus my improved construction permits of the structure as a whole being progressively lowered into final position by alternately driving the individual piling sections until their tops are at the elevation of the top ring of the cage and excavating so that the cage of bracing can be settled or lowered to a successive position at the bottom of thewall, the operation being carried out entirely from above water-level. Thus the repetition of driving and excavating with the lowering of the cage allows the structure gradually to be driven or settled to its final position on bed rock or at a depth required for the necessary bearing value of the foundation.

By the use of the steel piling sections of the type shown each can be driven independently and therefore easily and economically and moreover each of said sections may be driven independently to bed rock so that the bottom of the caisson conforms thereto thereby adding'to the strength and wateravoid the expense incident to -assembling in' 'final position and also the advantages of piling wall construction with accompanying l upon the individual piling sections to suc\e@0n0my 1n drlvmg, thereby elimmatmg the expense and diiiculties of installation heretofore peculiar to assembled or unitary caisson installations;

While I have described a desirable embodiment of the many features vof my inventionV it will be understood 'that many modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope thereof as defined in the appended claims. It is therefore intended that all matter herein shall .be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having described my invention, I claim 1. A structure of the character described comprising an inclosing wall of steel sheet piling sections and bracing members therefor and means to detachably secure the piling sections tothe bracing members to permit of the assembling and handling thereof as a unitary structure and to thereafter permit of driving the piling sections independently, substantially as described.

Q. A structure of the character described comprising an inclosing wall of interlocking steel sheet piling sections and a bracing form ture and means to detachably secure the piling sections to the bracing forms thereby to permit of handling the piling sections and bracing formas a unitary structure and to thereafter permit of driving the piling sections independently of the bracing form,

substantially as described.

4;. A caisson structurecomprising an inclosing wall of interlocking steel sheet piling sections and a bracing form therefor, said bracing form consisting of reinforcing members positioned in spaced relation and connecting members therebetween secured to the respective reinforcing members and iso bracing form to allow or initially handling the caisson as a unitary ,structure and thereafter to permit of driving the piling sec-v l tions independently, substantially as described.

5. A caisson structure comprising an inclosing wall of interlockinor piling sections and interior bracin there or composed of suitably spaced rein orcing members having connecting members therebetween for connecting said reinforcing members as a structural unit and means for releasabl'y connecting each lof the piling sections to the bracing unit adjacent the top ,thereof thereby to permit of assembling the piling and bracing as a unitary structure and to thereafter permit of driving the piling sections independently, said releasable connecting means comprising securing bolts fitted to suitable apertures respectively in the rbracing and plling sections, substantially as described;

6. A caisson structure comprisingan inclosing wall of interlocking piling sections and interior bracing therefor composed of suitably spaced reinforcing members hav,- ing connecting members therebetween for connecting said reinforcing members as a structural unit and means for releasably connecting each of the piling sections to the bracing unit adjacent thetop thereof -thereby to permit of assembling the piling and bracing as a unitary structure and to thereafter permit 0f driving the piling sections independently, said vreleasable coin- A structure of the character` described comprising an inclosing wall of interlocking sheet piling sections and an interior bracing form therefor and means adapted to initially engage each of said piling sections with the bracing form to permit of their being lifted as a unit and thereafter to permit of driving the piling sections independcntly, substantially/ as described.

8. A caisson structure comprising an inclosing wall of interlocking steel sheet piling and interior bracing therefor, said bracing consisting of a series of reinforcing mem-- bers suitably spaced, connecting members therebetween consisting of tubular spacing members interposed between the reinforcing members and tie rods passed therethrough and through apertures in the reinforcing members and the uppermost of said reinforcing members havlng an annular slot there-4 through, securin bolts fitted within the slot with their sha s outwardly directed to register with apertures in each of the piling sections to establish a detachable connection therewith initially to permit vof the piling sections and bracing form to be lifted as a unltary structure' and securing nuts threaded to the pojectin ends of the bolts,

.substantially as describe In testimony whereofI I have signed my name to this specification.

CHARLES s. BOARDMAN.

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