METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR BUILDING SUPPORT PIERS FROM ONE OR MORE SUCCESSIVE LIFTS FORMED IN A SOIL MATRIX

摘要

A METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING A SUPPORT AGGREGATE PIER (76) HAVING COMPACTED AGGREGATE LIFTS (72) IN A SOIL MATRIX (36), INCLUDES AN ELONGATE, HOLL OW TUBE (30) WITH A BULBOUS LEADING END BOTTOM HEAD ELEMENT (32) THAT IS FORCED OR LOWERED INTO THE SOIL MATRIX (36). THE HOLLOW TUBE (30) INCLUDES A MECHANISM FOR RELEASING AGGREGATE (44) FROM THE LOWER HEAD ELEMENT (32) OF THE TUBE (30) AS THE TUBE (30) IS LIFTED IN PREDETERMINED INCREMENTS. THE SAME HOLLOW TUBE (30) IS THEN LOWERED OR PUSHED IN PREDETERMINED INCREMENTS TO VERTICALLY COMPACT THE RELEASED AGGREGATE (44) IN THIN AGGREGATE LIFTS (72), WHILE FORCING A PORTION OF THE COMPACTED AGGREGATE (44) TRANSAXIALLY INTO THE SOIL MATRIX (36) AT THE SIDEWALLS OF THE CAVITY (102). THE PROCESS MAY BE REPEATED TO FORM A SERIES OF COMPACTED AGGREGATE LIFTS (72) COMPRISING AN AGGREGATE PIER (76) OR THE PROCESS MAY INCLUDE FORMING ONLY A SINGLE LIFT (72) FOR THE AGGREGATE PIER (76) WHILE DENSIFYING ADJACENT MATRIX SOILS (36) AND IMPARTING LATERAL STRESS IN THESE SOILS. THE MOST ILLUSTRATIVE DRAWING: