Pile Key Plate for Rotary Pile Driving Tool and Rotary Pile Driving Tool Key

The present application claims priority, under 35 U.S.C. § 119 (e), from U.S. Provisional patent application Ser. No. 63/644,585, filed on May 9, 2024. The entire content of U.S. Provisional patent application Ser. No. 63/644,585, filed on May 9, 2024, is hereby incorporated by reference.

Conventional piles are metal tubes having either a circular or a rectangular cross-section. Such piles are mounted in the ground to provide a support structure for the construction of superstructures. The piles are provided in sections that are driven into the ground.

An example of a conventional pile is illustrated in. More specifically,is a schematic view of one embodiment of an auger grouted pile.

As illustrated in, a pileincludes an elongated, tubular pipewith a hollow central chamber, a top sectionand a bottom section. Bottom sectionincludes a soil (medium) displacement head. Top sectionincludes a reverse auger. Soil (medium) displacement headhas a helical bladethat has a leading edgeand a trailing edge.

The leading edgeof helical bladecuts into the soil (medium) as the pile is rotated into the soil (medium) at such contact point. The soil (medium) displacement headmay be equipped with a pointto promote this cutting.

The soil (medium) passes over helical bladeand thereafter past trailing edge. The uppermost portion of helical bladeincludes a deformation structurethat displaces the soil (medium) to create irregularities in an annulus formed by a lateral compaction element.

The pileincludes at an attachment end or coupling end through holesto enable coupling to another pile or a rotary pile driver. Another pile (not shown) or a rotary pile driver (not shown), having the appropriate coupling interface, is place over the attachment end or coupling end of pileand then bolts (not shown) are inserted into the through holesto secure the coupling of the other pile (not shown) or rotary pile driver (not shown) to pile.

It is noted that some conventional piles have a cutting tip that permits them to be rapidly deployed. By rotating the pile, the helical blade pulls the pile into the ground (medium), thus greatly reducing the amount of downward force necessary to bury the pile. Unfortunately, the rotary action of the pile also loosens the soil which holds the pile in place. This reduces the amount of vertical support the pile provides.

Sometimes, grout or other supporting medium is introduced around the pile in an attempt to solidify the volume around the pile and thus compensate for the loose soil. In addition, to providing grout to the area around the pile, the grout, to be effective, needs to be able to grip or have a frictional contact with the pile to prevent any slippage between the grout and the pile, thereby strengthening the vertical support the pile provides.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,817,810 discloses a helical pile that includes a shaft with rounded notches laid out in a precise non-random pattern to facilitate a helical plate to be screwed onto the shaft. The entire content of U.S. Pat. No. 6,817,810 is hereby incorporated by reference.

Co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/528,642 discloses various pile configurations. The entire content of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/528,642 is hereby incorporated by reference.

U.S. Pat. No. 11,725,357 discloses various pile configurations. The entire content of U.S. Pat. No. 11,725,357 is hereby incorporated by reference.

U.S. Pat. No. 10,876,267 discloses various pile configurations. The entire content of U.S. Pat. No. 10,876,267 is hereby incorporated by reference.

All these conventional pile configurations require the use of through holes to couple the pile to a rotary pile driver via a rotary pile driver tool, wherein the rotary pile driver provides the torque to drive the pile into a medium. The use of through holes requires lining up the through holes of the pile and the through holes of the rotary pile driver tool. This adds time (labor costs) to the coupling process because the rotary pile driver tool has to be two-dimensionally positioned correctly (vertically and horizontally) so that the through holes line up properly.

In other words, the rotary pile driver tool has to be lowered onto the pile to the proper depth and then rotated, without raising or lowering the rotary pile driver tool, until the through holes line up properly.

Additionally, after the through holes are lined up properly, a person is required to insert the bolts into the through holes (to ensure the transfer of the torque from the rotary pile driver tool to the pile) and attach the appropriate nuts, thereby adding additional time for assembling and disassembling the coupling.

Therefore, it is desirable to provide a pile to rotary pile driver coupling interface that is configured to reduce the time needed to couple a pile to a rotary pile driver tool.

Also, it is desirable to provide a pile to rotary pile driver coupling interface that is configured to reduce the time needed to decouple a pile to a rotary pile driver tool.

Additionally, it is desirable to provide a pile to rotary pile driver coupling interface that is configured to easily engage and disengage the pile to and from the rotary pile driver tool.

Moreover, it is desirable to provide a pile to rotary pile driver coupling interface that is configured to enable coupling of the pile to the rotary pile driver tool by a simple rotation of the rotary pile driver tool.

Furthermore, it is desirable to provide a pile to rotary pile driver coupling interface that is configured to disengage the coupling of the pile from the rotary pile driver tool by simply lifting the rotary pile driver tool.

For a general understanding, reference is made to the drawings. In the drawings, like references have been used throughout to designate identical or equivalent elements. It is also noted that the drawings may not have been drawn to scale and that certain regions may have been purposely drawn disproportionately so that the features and concepts may be properly illustrated.

illustrates a top view of a pile to rotary pile driver tool coupling interface. As illustrated in, a pileincludes a coupling plateand through holeslocated at a coupling end of the pile.

The coupling plateincludes a keyhole, which is configured to interface with a key (not shown) on a rotary pile driver tool (not shown). The interfacing between the keyholeand the key (not shown) on the rotary pile driver tool (not shown) enables a transference of torque from a rotary pile driver (not shown), through a rotary pile driver tool (not shown), to the pile. This transference of torque can drive the pileinto a medium.

illustrates a side view of a pile to rotary pile driver coupling interface. As illustrated in, a pileincludes a coupling plateand through holeslocated at a coupling end of the pile. The coupling plateis attached (welded) to the inside of the pilebetween the coupling end of the pileand the through holes.

illustrates a side view of a rotary pile driver tool. As illustrated in, a rotary pile driver toolincludes a keyand an optional pile jacket member. The pile jacket memberis configured such that a coupling end of a pilecan fit inside the pile jacket member.

The keyis configured to engage a keyhole (not shown) in a coupling plate (not shown) attached to the pile. The interfacing between the keyhole (not shown) and the keyon the rotary pile driver toolenables a transference of torque from a rotary pile driver (not shown), through the rotary pile driver tool, to the pile. This transference of torque can drive the pileinto a medium.

illustrates a top view of one embodiment of a pile to rotary pile driver tool coupling interface. As illustrated in, a pileincludes a coupling platelocated at a coupling end of the pile. The coupling plateincludes a keyhole, which is configured to interface with a key (not shown) on a rotary pile driver tool (not shown).

In this embodiment, the keyholehas a rectangular shape that enables the transference of torque from a rotary pile driver (not shown), through a rotary pile driver tool (not shown), to the pile. This transference of torque can drive the pileinto a medium.

illustrates a bottom view of a rotary pile driver tool to pile coupling interface for used with the pile to rotary pile driver tool coupling interface of. As illustrated in, a rotary pile driver toolincludes a keyand an optional pile jacket member. The pile jacket memberis configured such that a coupling end of a pilecan fit inside the pile jacket member. In this embodiment, the keyhas a rectangular shape.

The keyis configured to engage a keyhole (not shown) in a coupling plate (not shown) attached to a pile (not shown). The interfacing between the keyhole (not shown) and the keyon the rotary pile driver toolenables a transference of torque from a rotary pile driver (not shown), through the rotary pile driver tool(and key), to the pile. This transference of torque can drive the pile into a medium.

illustrates a top view of another embodiment of a pile to rotary pile driver tool coupling interface. As illustrated in, a pileincludes a coupling platelocated at a coupling end of the pile. The coupling plateincludes a keyhole, which is configured to interface with a key (not shown) on a rotary pile driver tool (not shown).

In this embodiment, the keyholehas a square shape that enables the transference of torque from a rotary pile driver (not shown), through a rotary pile driver tool (not shown), to the pile. This transference of torque can drive the pileinto a medium.

illustrates a bottom view of a rotary pile driver tool to pile coupling interface for used with the pile to rotary pile driver tool coupling interface of. As illustrated in, a rotary pile driver toolincludes a keyand an optional pile jacket member. The pile jacket memberis configured such that a coupling end of a pilecan fit inside the pile jacket member. In this embodiment, the keyhas a square shape.

The keyis configured to engage a keyhole (not shown) in a coupling plate (not shown) attached to a pile (not shown). The interfacing between the keyhole (not shown) and the keyon the rotary pile driver toolenables a transference of torque from a rotary pile driver (not shown), through the rotary pile driver tool(and key), to the pile. This transference of torque can drive the pile into a medium.

illustrates a top view of another embodiment of a pile to rotary pile driver tool coupling interface. As illustrated in, a pileincludes a coupling platelocated at a coupling end of the pile. The coupling plateincludes a keyhole, which is configured to interface with a key (not shown) on a rotary pile driver tool (not shown).

In this embodiment, the keyholehas a hexagon shape that enables the transference of torque from a rotary pile driver (not shown), through a rotary pile driver tool (not shown), to the pile. This transference of torque can drive the pileinto a medium.

illustrates a bottom view of a rotary pile driver tool to pile coupling interface for used with the pile to rotary pile driver tool coupling interface of. As illustrated in, a rotary pile driver toolincludes a keyand an optional pile jacket member. The pile jacket memberis configured such that a coupling end of a pilecan fit inside the pile jacket member. In this embodiment, the keyhas a hexagon shape.

The keyis configured to engage a keyhole (not shown) in a coupling plate (not shown) attached to a pile (not shown). The interfacing between the keyhole (not shown) and the keyon the rotary pile driver toolenables a transference of torque from a rotary pile driver (not shown), through the rotary pile driver tool(and key), to the pile. This transference of torque can drive the pile into a medium.

illustrates a top view of another embodiment of a pile to rotary pile driver tool coupling interface. As illustrated in, a pileincludes a coupling platelocated at a coupling end of the pile. The coupling plateincludes a keyhole, which is configured to interface with a key (not shown) on a rotary pile driver tool (not shown).

In this embodiment, the keyholehas a pentagon shape that enables the transference of torque from a rotary pile driver (not shown), through a rotary pile driver tool (not shown), to the pile. This transference of torque can drive the pileinto a medium.

illustrates a bottom view of a rotary pile driver tool to pile coupling interface for used with the pile to rotary pile driver tool coupling interface of. As illustrated in, a rotary pile driver toolincludes a keyand an optional pile jacket member. The pile jacket memberis configured such that a coupling end of a pilecan fit inside the pile jacket member. In this embodiment, the keyhas a pentagon shape.

The keyis configured to engage a keyhole (not shown) in a coupling plate (not shown) attached to a pile (not shown). The interfacing between the keyhole (not shown) and the keyon the rotary pile driver toolenables a transference of torque from a rotary pile driver (not shown), through the rotary pile driver tool(and key), to the pile. This transference of torque can drive the pile into a medium.

illustrates a top view of another embodiment of a pile to rotary pile driver tool coupling interface. As illustrated in, a pileincludes a coupling platelocated at a coupling end of the pile. The coupling plateincludes multiple keyholes, which are configured to interface with keys (not shown) on a rotary pile driver tool (not shown).

In this embodiment, the keyholeshave a circular shape that enables the transference of torque from a rotary pile driver (not shown), through a rotary pile driver tool (not shown), to the pile. This transference of torque can drive the pileinto a medium.

illustrates a bottom view of a rotary pile driver tool to pile coupling interface for used with the pile to rotary pile driver tool coupling interface of. As illustrated in, a rotary pile driver toolincludes multiple keysand an optional pile jacket member. The pile jacket memberis configured such that a coupling end of a pilecan fit inside the pile jacket member. In this embodiment, the keyshas a circular shape.

The keysare configured to engage keyholes (not shown) in a coupling plate (not shown) attached to a pile (not shown). The interfacing between the keyholes (not shown) and the keyson the rotary pile driver toolenables a transference of torque from a rotary pile driver (not shown), through the rotary pile driver tool(and keys), to the pile. This transference of torque can drive the pile into a medium.

illustrates a top view of another embodiment of a pile to rotary pile driver tool coupling interface. As illustrated in, a pileincludes a coupling platelocated at a coupling end of the pile. The coupling plateincludes a keyhole, which are configured to interface with keys (not shown) on a rotary pile driver tool (not shown).

In this embodiment, the keyholehave a plaque shape that enables the transference of torque from a rotary pile driver (not shown), through a rotary pile driver tool (not shown), to the pile. This transference of torque can drive the pileinto a medium.

illustrates a bottom view of a rotary pile driver tool to pile coupling interface for used with the pile to rotary pile driver tool coupling interface of. As illustrated in, a rotary pile driver toolincludes a keyand an optional pile jacket member. V In this embodiment, the keyhas a plaque shape.