Kit of components and a method of protecting steel piling from corrosion

Abstract

A protective jacket kit for and a method of safeguarding steel piling against corrosion. The H-beam type piling is sheathed with a tough flexible plastic jacket equipped with an interlocking plastic seam and is snugly gathered and cinched about the piling and certain underlying auxiliaries. These important auxiliaries include clip-on closure members for the open sides of the piling and providing support for the jacket along the open sides of the piling and preventing contact of the jacket with the sharp and rough outer corners thereof. Additional auxiliaries include barrier blocks effective to close at least the upper and, in some cases, the lower ends of the open sides of the piling as well as a sealing collar embracing the barrier blocks.

Description

This invention relates to protective expedients for piling, and more particularly to an improved kit of components and a method of enclosing that portion of the steel piling against the adverse effects of moist air and the effects of free oxygen content of tidal waters.

Efforts have been made in recent years to circumvent the numerous hazards to which wooden piling is subjected by substituting steel girders for the wood piles. I- and H-beams are commonly used for this purpose. Although many varieties of marine life collect on the submerged surfaces, such collections, while objectionable, are not particularly harmful on steel piling. However, a serious hazard is caused by absorbed free oxygen present in moist air and tidal water. Such oxygen is extremely active in causing severe corrosion. Attempts have been made to inhibit such corrosion by a variety of techniques but these have not proven particularly effective. These suggestions have included the use of sheet plastic jacketing wrapped around the piling but this has proven ineffective owing to the frequent change of water within the jacket possible when using prior jacketing techniques and the lack of a seal at the upper end of the jacket. Equally serious has been the fact that the jacketing is readily ruptured along the two open sides of the steel piling, these areas of the jacketing being readily pierced, abraided or otherwise punctured by buffeting and the like along these open sides and opposite the rough sharp outer corners of the piling.

The foregoing and other serious shortcomings of prior efforts to prevent corrosion of steel piling are avoided by the present invention utilizing simple, inexpensive easily applied components substantially isolating the piling from direct contact with the plastic jacketing and utilizing simple reliable means for sealing the trapped water against exchange with the surrounding water or the entrance of additional oxygen. For this purpose the invention kit includes at least one pair of snug fitting barrier blocks insertable at the upper ends of the open sides of the piling and cooperating with resilient fluid-tight collar means and a surrounding one-piece plastic jacket to provide a fluid-tight seal about the piling in an area above high water level. The lower end of the piling extends below the minimum low water level and even below the mud line of the coastal area if the water in that area is found to contain objectionable quantities of free oxygen at lower levels. If conditions are such that there is little or no free oxygen present in the water, there is no need for protective jacketing thereblow. In this case barrier blocks may be inserted at the lower end of the piling cavities and surrounded by a lower collar assembly to which the lower end of the plastic jacket is tightly cinched. Complete protection against abrasion and puncturing of the jacket at the corners as well as complete support for the jacket along the open sides of the piling is provided by snug fitting channel shaped rigid plastic closure members clipped over each open side of the piling for the full length of the plastic jacketing. The seamed jacketing is sized to have a snug fit about the piling and is sealed closed by interlocking plastic seam means and is held snugly gathered to the piling by closely spaced tension tie bands. All parts of the protective kit are of non-metallic material immune to attack by the elements and sea water and firmly assembled to the piling without need for fasteners or the modification of the piling itself.

Accordingly it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a new and improved kit of components and a technique for protecting steel piling against corrosion.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a kit of components readily assembled in a firm and secure manner about a selected length of steel piling without need for fasteners or alteration in the piling itself and effective to prevent contact of the piling with moisture containing free oxygen thereby safeguarding the piling against corrosion.

Another object of the invention is the provision of inexpensive rugged non-metallic closure members frictionally retained assembled over the open sides of steel piling preliminary to sheathing the so protected portion of the piling with a plastic jacket.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a rigid plastic closure member for the open sides of steel piling having converging side flanges dimensioned to resilient grip and support the closure member when assembled astride the open side of a steel piling.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a protective enclosure sheath for steel piling including barrier blocks having a press fit filling the upper ends of the open sides of steel piling and cooperating with a resilient sealing collar and a seamed plastic jacket to enclose the pile from a level above high water level to a level below risk of corrosion from free oxygen present in the ambient water.

These and other more specific objects will appear upon reading the following specification and claims and upon considering in connection therewith the attached drawing to which they relate.

Referring now to the drawing in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated:

FIG. 1 is a vertical elevational view of a typical steel pile protected by the invention protective jacket assembly with portions broken away to show constructional details;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary exploded perspective view of the upper end portion of the piling shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken along line 3--3 on FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary enlarged view of self-locking cinching means for the jacket tie band;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5--5 on FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 1 but showing the invention jacket assembled to a portion of the piling extending beyond either side of the local tidal levels on the piling.

Referring initially more particularly to FIGS. 1-3, there is shown a steel piling 10, typically of H-shape in cross-section and known in the trade as an H-beam. However, it will be understood that this expression is used interchangeably herein to denote either an H-beam or an I-beam when used as piling. Piling 10 is shown in an upright position with its lower end driven into the sea bed 11 sufficiently to be rigidly supported therein.

The opposite open sides of the piling are enclosed by channel-shaped extruded plastic closure members 12,12. These members are extruded from tough, nonshattering, high impact strength plastic material, such as high impact polystyrene and A.B.S., and have well rounded outer corners 13,13 and converging side flanges 14,14. A durometer of about 125 has been found to provide a very satisfactory closure member. The open outer edges of flanges 14 preferably are initially spaced apart a distance substantially less than the exterior width of the piling. When so proportioned, members 12 can be assembled over and in direct gripping contact with the piling flanges by forcibly expanding the flanges apart. When pressed home so that the bottom web portion of the closure members are seated against the outer edges or corners of the flanges, it will be understood that the closure members have a strong gripping action with the exterior surfaces of the piling flanges and remain firmly installed thereon without need for fasteners of any kind. However, closure members 12 may be held in place by the pile jackets, tie bands or other suitable means. The individual closure members 12 are of suitable length for convenience in handling and assembly, and are installed with their adjacent ends abutting one another throughout the length of the piling to be jacketed.

The upper ends of the open sides of the piling enclosed by members 12 are closed by thick barrier blocks 16,16 of molded styrene, polyurethane or the like plastic material. The barriers preferably but need not have a forced press fit within the upper ends of the piling cavities with the outwardly facing surface of the barriers lying flush with the outer edges of the piling flanges. The barriers may be secured and sealed in place by a layer of epoxy, shellac or other suitable bonding material applied between the contacting surfaces.

Surrounding the piling radially opposite barrier blocks 16,16 is a wide thick collar of spongy and resilient plastic material 18. Collar 18 comprises a length of the resilient material long enough to encircle the piling. One end is secured to an edge of the piling by tacky tape 19 following which the strip is wrapped about the piling and then anchored in place by the application of additional strips of tape 20.

The one-piece plastic jacket 25 is cut to length from a continuous supply roll of the jacketing manufactured to the required width to encircle a particular size piling to be protected. The jacket material consists of supple flexible plastic sheeting of a suitable material, such as polyvinyl chloride. Secured to or molded integral with the opposite lateral edges of the jacket are suitable assembly means such as a pair of plastic interlocking seam forming members 26,27 (FIG. 3) having interlocking tongues and grooves of any suitable well known type.

These seam forming members are readily interlocked using a suitable closure tool or by simply overlapping the two members and pressing their mating tongues and grooves into mating relationship. Desirably, the jacket contains only sufficient excess material for convenience in closing the seam or in overlapping the edges and bonding them together.

Any excess looseness is removed by tensioning tie bands 29,29 having their mid portions bonded or otherwise firmly secured to the exterior side of the jacket. The free ends 30,30 of each tie band extend beyond the lateral edges of the jacket and may be securely cinched snugly about the piling by a pair of identical cinch rings 31,32 (FIG. 5). The free ends 30 are threaded through the interior of a superimposed pair of rings 31,32 following which the ends 30 are wrapped about the exterior of rings 32 and then about the interior of ring 31 in the manner made clear by FIG. 5. The ends 30 are then tensioned using a suitable tool if necessary. As the ends 30 are pulled through the rings the latter are forced into firm seating engagement with one another and with the underlying portions of jacket 25. The high frictional grip between the tie bands and the rings is effective to lock the cinch rings firmly in place and against loosening.

The tie bands are disposed at spaced intervals along the jacketing adequate to assure firm securement of the jacket to the piling, and as is evident from a consideration of FIG. 3, the jacketing is supported in major part by the cover members 12,12. The two narrow strips of the jacketing not in direct contact with the piling are spaced so closely to the jacket as to be adequately supported should an object come in contact with these areas of the jacketing.

The space enclosed by the jacketing is normally filled with trapped water. Initially and at the time of assembly of the jacketing, this water may contain some free oxygen. This small quantity is soon consumed and, at worst, can produce only negligible corrosion. Thereafter, no further free oxygen can enter the jacketed space and accordingly no further corrosion can occur. The base of the jacketing, if extending below the mudline, is sealed by a filling of mud or other material 35 thereby preventing "pumping action" which might otherwise occur as the water level rises and falls in tidal actions between the high water level 36 and the low water level 37.

The jacket assembly shown in FIG. 6 differs in no way from that described above except that the one-piece plastic jacket 25 is cut to a length shorter than the submerged length of piling 10 and its lower end is sealed to a sealing collar 18 encircling a pair of barrier blocks 16,16 identical with those used at the upper end of the assembly described in connection with FIGS. 1-5. To be noted is the fact that both ends of the jacket extend beyond the respective high and low water levels.

While the particular kit of components and a method of protecting steel piling from corrosion herein shown and disclosed in detail is fully capable of attaining the objects and providing the advantages hereinbefore stated, it is to be understood that it is merely illustrative of the presently preferred embodiment of the invention and that no limitations are intended to the detail of construction or design herein shown other than as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

I claim:

1. That method of protecting H-beam steel piling against corrosion which comprises: mounting elongated non-metallic corner protector means lengthwise of each outer longitudinal corner of the piling, securing barrier blocks into the opposite sides of the piling adjacent the upper ends of said corner protector means to seal the entrance to the space disposed on the opposite sides of the pile web and in an area spaced above high water level, applying a resilient sealing collar about said piling radially opposite said barrier blocks, sheathing said piling opposite said collar and therebelow with a substantially fluid-tight jacket of supple sheet plastic, securing said plastic jacket snugly about said piling and corner protector means and in a fluid-tight manner about said sealing collar thereby to exclude oxygen and preventing corrosion of the piling.

2. That method defined in claim 1 characterized in the step of using a plurality of spaced apart tie bands to secure said jacket snugly to said piling to prevent buffeting and surging of the jacket relative to the piling.

3. That method defined in claim 1 characterized in the step of utilizing resilient self-gripping channel-shaped corner protector means sized to embrace and space the distance between a pair of related corners of said piling with the web portion thereof forming a closure for one open side of said H-beam.

4. That method defined in claim 1 characterized in the step of utilizing corner protector means of resilient high-impact strength plastic of generally channel shape in cross section with rounded exterior corners connecting the side flanges to the web portion thereof, said side flanges converging toward one another at acute angles and sized to have a snug press fit with the exterior surfaces of a related pair of the legs of said H-beam piling.

5. That method defined in claim 1 characterized in the steps of utilizing plastic jacketing equipped with a plurality of tie bands attached crosswise of the exterior side thereof at spaced apart intervals therealong, and cinching the free ends of said tie bands together while threaded about a pair of superimposed anchor rings.

6. That method defined in claim 1 characterized in the step of sheathing said piling with said plastic jacket to a level below the mudline thereby to prevent an exchange of water filling the interior of said jacket by water on the exterior side thereof.

7. That method defined in claim 1 characterized in the step of utilizing a plastic jacket having an assembled girth leaving substantially no excess fullness when assembled to said piling.

8. That method of inhibiting corrosion of H-beam steel piling along portions thereof exposed to moist air and oxygen-bearing tidal water which method comprises: sealing the upper ends of the opposed cavities extending vertically of the piling at a point above high water level, closing the open sides of the H-beam by clipping channel shaped non-metallic protector members thereacross from said sealed cavity ends downwardly for the length of the piling to be protected, and securing a fluid-tight plastic jacket snugly about said piling for the full length to be protected with the upper end thereof clamped in a fluid-tight manner about the seals for said cavity ends.

9. That method defined in claim 8 characterized in the steps of utilizing a plastic jacket having a plurality of tie bands secured crosswise thereof at spaced intervals therealong, and cinching the free ends of each band together between a pair of superimposed anchor rings through which the ends of said tie bands are threaded in a self-gripping self-locking manner as the band is placed under tension circumferentially of the piling.

10. A kit of components for use to sheath H-beam type steel piling to prevent corrosion thereof by water containing free oxygen comprising: an elongated one piece plastic jacket formed with complementally shaped interlocking seam forming means from end to end thereof, a plurality of shallow corner protectors of channel shape in cross section with the side flanges converging and spaced to fit astride and close the open sides of H-beam steel piling, said corner protectors having a combined length sufficient to enclose both open sides of piling to be jacketed, a plurality of barrier blocks sized to fit within the opposed sides of the H-beam and cooperable with an H-beam when installed therein to seal off an upper end portion thereof, resilient sealing collar means adapted to encircle an H-beam piling radially opposite said barrier blocks beneath the upper end of said plastic jacket, and tie band means attached crosswise to the exterior of said plastic jacket at intervals therealong having free ends cinchable to hold said jacket snugly gathered about H-beam piling.

11. A kit as defined in claim 10 characterized in the provision of a plurality of pairs of rings cooperable with the free ends of said tie bands and adapted for use therewith in cinching said tie bands tensioned to hold said jacket assembled about the piling.

12. In combination, steel piling protected from corrosion by contact with moist air and oxygen-laden water comprising: a steel pile of generally H-shape in cross section driven into a water bed with its upper end projecting above high water level, channel shaped closure members clipped over the opposed open sides of said piling with a press fit substantially through that portion thereof in need of protection, barrier blocks of tough fluid tight material pressed into and sealing the cavities at the upper ends of said open sides of the piling, resilient sealing collar means encircling the piling opposite said barrier blocks, a flexible supple sheet plastic jacket encircling the length of the piling to be protected against corrosion and extending downwardly from its encircling engagement with said sealing collar and provided with interlocking plastic seam means between the lateral edges thereof, and tensioned tie band means encircling said jacket at intervals therealong for holding said jacket snugly gathered about said piling, said sealing collar and said closure members.

13. The combination defined in claim 12 characterized in that said tie bands are attached to said plastic jacket, and a pair of superimposed cinch rings interleaved with the free ends of each of said tie bands and effective to hold said bands cinched snugly about said piling.