GB2485877A

GB2485877A - Ground Anchor with channel and projecting driving member

Info

Publication number: GB2485877A
Application number: GB1119659.9A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Alan Somerfield
Original assignee: Gripple Ltd
Current assignee: Gripple Ltd
Priority date: 2010-11-24
Filing date: 2011-11-15
Publication date: 2012-05-30
Also published as: GB201119659D0; GB201019945D0; WO2012069780A1

Abstract

A ground anchor (10) comprises a body (12) having a front region (14). The ground anchor is drivable into the ground with the front region leading. The body defines a channel or through hole (17) to receive a driving member (22). The channel is configured to allow the driving member to project or extend beyond the front region of the body. The driving member for driving the ground anchor may comprise a shaft portion (36) and a driving end portion (44). The shaft potion may have a force transmitting formation or shoulder (50, figure 3) configured to engage the ground anchor. The driving end portion has an end region (48) configured to facilitate being driven into the ground.

Description

Ground Anchor This invention relates to ground anchors. More particularly, but not exclusively, this invention relates to ground anchors that can be driven into the ground and pulled into a load bearing position when driven to a desired position in the ground.

This invention also relates to driving arrangements for driving ground anchors into the ground. This invention further relates to ground anchor apparatus comprising ground anchors and driving arrangements.

Ground anchors are used to secure and stabilise building structures and the like.

Examples of ground anchors are disclosed in GB 2283511 and GB 2283512. The ground anchors disclosed in each of these prior documents can receive a driving rod which is used to drive the ground anchors onto the ground. The ground anchors also have an eye to which a cable can be attached. The ground anchors are driven into the ground using the driving rod, and then pulled to a substantially horizontal position using the cable when the ground anchor has been driven to the desired depth.

According to one aspect of this invention, there is provided a ground anchor comprising a body having a front region, the ground anchor being drivable into the ground with the front end portion leading, wherein the body defines a channel to receive a driving arrangement, the channel being configured to allow the driving arrangement to project beyond the front region of the body.

The channel may have front opening at the front region of the body. The channel may be configured to allow the driving arrangement to extend beyond the front opening.

The body may have a rear region, and the channel may extend from the front region to the rear region. The channel may be configured to allow the driving arrangement to project beyond the rear region of the body.

The channel may have a rear opening at the rear region of the body. The channel may extend from the front opening to the rear opening. The channel may be configured to allow the driving arrangement to project beyond the rear opening.

The channel may be a through hole extending though the body. The channel may be cylindrical.

The ground anchor may include a force receiving member in the channel to engage the driving arrangement, and to receive a force applied to the driving arrangement.

The force receiving member may be arranged to limit movement of the driving arrangement in the channel. The body may include the force receiving member, and the force receiving member may extend into the channel.

The channel may have front and rear sections. The force receiving member may comprise a shoulder in the channel extending inwardly from the rear section to the front section. The rear section may be wider than the front section.

The ground anchor may include an orienting formation to allow the anchor to be moved to a load bearing position in the ground. The orienting formation may be configured to allow an orienting member to be attached thereto. The body may comprise the orienting formation, which may be a raised portion.

The body may comprise a main part and the orienting formation. The orienting formation may define an aperture to receive the orienting member. Alternatively, the orienting formation may be a fitting, which may be pivotally mounted on the body.

The fitting may have cooperating elements for cooperating with the orienting member. The fitting may be a threaded member,, which may be internally threaded, such as an internally threaded rod or tube.

The orienting member may be flexible, and may extend through the aperture in a loop. Alternatively, the orienting member may be rigid to be secured to the fitting. In one embodiment, the orienting member may comprise a cable or rod, or other suitable member capable of orienting the ground anchor. Where the orienting member comprises a cable, the cable may be received through the aperture to be secured to the body. Where the orienting member comprises a rod, the rod may have a threaded portion to be threadably secured to the fitting.

According to another aspect of this invention, there is provided a driving arrangement for driving a ground anchor as described above, the driving arrangement comprising a shaft portion and a driving end portion, the shaft portion having a force transmitting formation configured to engage the ground anchor, and the driving portion having an end region configured to facilitate being driven into the ground, wherein the driving arrangement can be received in the body of the ground anchor, and the driving portion projects from the front region of the body.

The driving arrangement may comprise a driving member.

The shaft portion may be elongate, and may be wider than the driving portion.

Where the ground anchor has a force receiving member, the driving arrangement may comprise an engagement member to engage the force receiving member.

The engagement member may extend outwardly from the driving arrangement. The shaft portion may have a distal end, from which the engagement member may extend.

The distal end of the shaft portion may be wider than the front region of the channel, whereby the shaft portion can engage the shoulder.

The end region of the driving end portion may be a pointed end region.

According to another aspect of this invention, there is provided a ground anchor apparatus comprising a ground anchor as described above and a driving arrangement as described above, the ground anchor being configured to receive the driving arrangement so that the driving arrangement extends from a front region of the body of the driving arrangement.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example only, in which: Figure 1 is a side view of a ground anchor being driven into the ground; Figure 2 is a sectional side view of the ground anchor in Figure 1; and Figure 3 shows a driving arrangement for use in driving the ground anchor into the ground.

A ground anchor apparatus 100 is shown in Figures 1 and 2, which comprises a ground anchor 10 and an elongate driving arrangement in the form of a driving member 22. The driving member 22 is shown more clearly in Figure 3.

The ground anchor 10 comprises a body 12 having a front region 14 and a rear region 16. A channel in the form of a through hole 17 (see Figure 2) extends through the body 12 from a front opening 18 at the front region 14 of the body 12 to a rear opening 20 at the rear region 16 of the body 12.

The elongate driving member 22 is inserted into the through hole 17 for the purpose of driving the ground anchor into the ground. The driving member 22 is received in the through hole 17 and projects out of the front and rear openings 18, 20, to project beyond the front and rear regions 14, 16 of the body 12.

The through hole 17 has a force receiving formation in the form of a shoulder 24 extending between a front section 26 of the through hole 17 and a rear section 28 of the through hole 17. The front and rear sections 26, 28 of the through hole 17 are substantially cylindrical.

The rear section 28 has a diameter that is greater than the diameter of the front section 26, so that the shoulder 24 extends radially inwardly from the rear section 28 to the front section 26.

The purpose of the shoulder 24 is to limit the extent to which the driving member 22 can be inserted into the through hole 17, and to provide a force receiving formation to allow the driving member 22 to drive the ground anchor 10, as explained below.

The body 12 has a load bearing formation in the form of a raised portion 34 defining an aperture 30. A flexible elongate member 32, such as a cable, wire or rope, can be received through the aperture 30 to be attached to the body 12, attached, as shown in Figure 1. The purpose of the flexible elongate member 32 and the raised portion 34 is to allow the ground anchor 10 to be moved to a load bearing position when it has been driven into the ground to a desired depth.

By pulling on the flexible elongate member 32, after the driving member 22 has been removed, the ground anchor 10 is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow A to a load bearing position, shown in broken lines in Figure 1 and designated bA. The flexible elongate member 32 also acts as a load bearing member to bear a load from a structure to be stabilised by the ground anchor 10.

Referring to Figure 3, the driving member 22 comprises an elongate cylindrical shaft portion 36 having a proximal end 38 at which an impulse receiving member 40 is provided.

The shaft 36 has a distal end 42, at which a driving end portion 44 is provided. The driving end portion 44 has a cylindrical main region 46 and a pointed end region 48.

A force transmitting formation, in the form of a circumferentially extending cooperating shoulder 50, is provided on the distal end 42 of the shaft portion 36.

The shoulder 50 extends between the driving end portion 44 and the shaft portion 36.

S

The cooperating shoulder 50 corresponds with the shoulder 24, whereby the cooperating shoulder 50 engages the shoulder 24.

Some of the force applied to the impulse receiving member 40 is transmitted to the ground anchor 10 via the engagement between the shoulder 24 and the cooperating shoulder 50, as described in more detail below.

When the driving member 22 is inserted into the through hole 17, the driving end portion 44 projects out of the front opening 18 of the front region 14 of the body 12.

The diameter of the front section 26 of the through hole 17 is less than the diameter of the shaft portion 36 of the driving member 22, thereby providing the cooperating shoulder 50.

Thus, when the driving member 22 is inserted into the through hole 17 via the rear opening 20, the cooperating shoulder 50 at the distal end 42 of the shaft portion 36 engages the shoulder 24. In this position of the driving member 22, the pointed end region 48 of the driving end portion 44 projects out of the front opening 18.

In order to drive the ground anchor 10 into the ground, a hammer 52 can be used to strike the impulse receiving member 40. The force imparted to the driving member 22 from the hammer 52 is transmitted to the ground anchor 10 via the cooperating shoulder 50 and the shoulder 24.

The strikes from the hammer 52 gradually drive the driving member 22 and the ground anchor 10 into the ground.

When the ground anchor 10 has been driven to the desired depth in the ground, the driving member 22 is removed, and the load bearing member 32 is pulled to rotate the ground anchor 10 to the position shown in broken lines in Figure 1.

There is thus described a ground anchor apparatus 100 comprising a ground anchor and a driving member 22 that allows the ground anchor 10 to be driven into the ground without damage to the body 12.

In addition, the ability to remove the driving member when the ground anchor has been driven into the ground provides the advantage that the driving member 22 can be re-used to drive other ground anchors 10 into the ground.

Various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the flexible elongate member 32 could be replaced by a rigid elongate member, such as a rod. Also, the shaft portion 36 of the driving member 22 does not need to be of a cylindrical configuration, it can be of any suitable configuration.

Claims

Claims 1. A ground anchor comprising a body having a front region, the ground anchor being drivable into the ground with the front region leading, wherein the body defines a channel to receive a driving arrangement, the channel being configured to allow the driving arrangement to project beyond the front region of the body.
2. A ground anchor according to Claim 1, wherein the front region has a front opening communicating with the channel, the channel being configured to allow the driving arrangement to extend beyond the front opening.
3. A ground anchor according to 2, wherein the body has a rear region, and the channel extends from the front region to the rear region, the channel being configured to allow the driving arrangement to project beyond the rear region of the body.
4. A ground anchor according to Claim 3, wherein the body has a rear opening communicating with the channel, and the channel extends from the front opening to the rear opening, the channel being configured to allow the driving arrangement to project beyond the rear opening.
5. A ground anchor according to Claim 4, wherein the channel is a through hole extending though the body.
6. A ground anchor according to any preceding Claim, wherein the body includes a force receiving formation in the channel to engage the driving arrangement, and to receive a force applied to the driving arrangement.
7. A ground anchor according to Claim 6, wherein the force receiving formation is arranged to receive a driving force from the driving arrangement, whereby the ground anchor can be driven into the ground.
8. A ground anchor according to Claim 6 or 7, wherein the channel has front and rear sections, and the force receiving formation comprises an inwardly extending shoulder in the channel, whereby the rear section is wider than the front section.S
9. A ground anchor according to any preceding Claim including an orienting formation to allow the ground anchor to be moved to a load bearing position in the ground, the orienting formation being configured to allow an orienting member to be attached thereto.
10. A ground anchor according to Claim 9, wherein the body comprise a main part and the orienting formation, and wherein the orienting formation defines an aperture to receive the orienting member.
11. A driving arrangement for driving a ground anchor as claimed in any preceding claim, the driving arrangement comprising a shaft portion and a driving end portion, the shaft potion having a force transmitting formation configured to engage the ground anchor, and the driving portion having an end region configured to facilitate being driven into the ground, wherein when the shaft portion engages the ground anchor, the driving portion projects from the front region of the body.
12. A driving arrangement according to Claim 11, wherein the force transmitting formation comprises a cooperating shoulder extending between the shaft portion and the driving portion, so that where the ground anchor includes a shoulder, the cooperating shoulder on the driving arrangement can engage the shoulder on the ground anchor so that some of a force applied to the driving arrangement is transmitted to the ground anchor.
13. A driving arrangement according to Claim 11 or 12, wherein the shaft portion is shaped to be received in the body of the ground anchor, such that when the shaft portion is so received, the driving portion projects from the front region of the body.
14. A driving arrangement according to Claim 11, 12 or 13, wherein the shaft portion is elongate, and has a distal end region which is wider than the driving portion to provide the force transmitting formation, the force transmitting formation extending outwardly from the driving arrangement.
15. A driving arrangement according to any of Claims 11 to 14, wherein the end region of the driving end portion is a pointed end region.
16. A driving arrangement according to any of Claims 11 to 15 in the form of a driving member.
17. A ground anchor apparatus comprising a ground anchor as claimed in any of Claims ito 10 and a driving arrangement as claimed in any of Claims 11 to 15, the ground anchor being configured to receive the driving arrangement so that the driving arrangement extends from a front region of the body of the driving arrangement, and the force transmitting formation engages the ground anchor.
18. A ground anchor substantially as herein described with reference to Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.
19. A driving arrangement substantially as herein described, with reference to Figures 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawings.
20. A ground anchor apparatus substantially as herein described with reference to Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.