Abstract:
A power tool is provided for turning the screw collars  7  of falsework without the requirement of having to use spanners with long torque bars and without having to strike those torque bars with hammers or sledgehammers in order to exert the necessary torque on the collars  7.  The tool is in two parts. A first part is a screw collar  7,  or a collar adapter  10  which can be closed and locked around the screw collar  7  to be turned. The collar  7  or the collar adapter  10  has one or more drive engagement elements  11.  The second part is a motor housing  20  supporting a motor  19  and a motor drive element  16  such as a spur gear. The motor housing  20  is formed to take its angular support from a falsework post  1  and its vertical support from either the falsework post  1,  the screw collar  7  or the collar adapter  10.  The motor  19  drives the motor drive element  16  such as the spur gear which engages the drive engagement element or elements  11  of the screw collar  7  or the collar adapter  10,  drivingly to turn the screw collar  7  either directly or by rotation of the collar adapter  10.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This patent application is a continuation of PCT/GB2011/050771, filed Apr. 19, 2011, which claims priority to Great Britain Application No. 1006555.5, filed Apr. 20, 2010, the entire teachings and disclosure of which are incorporated herein by reference thereto. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The invention relates to the construction and dismantling (herein striking-down or simply “striking”) of falsework in the construction industry. “Falsework” is the name given to the framework for supporting a structure under construction which is not yet capable of supporting itself For example, the structure may be one created by the on-site pouring of wet concrete into a mould supported by the falsework. That mould would be vertically or horizontally supported by the falsework, which typically would comprise an array of posts. Vertical or horizontal posts of the falsework typically are adjustable in length, which can be achieved by having a threaded post positioned relative to its base post by means of adjustment of a screw collar. The falsework would take the load of the mould and ultimately of the wet concrete mix poured into that mould. Once the concrete has set, or once the constructed structure has otherwise been rendered self-supporting, the striking can take place. After the wet concrete has been poured into the moulds, however, the loads on each screw collar of the falsework are potentially very high indeed, making the striking process very difficult. The invention provides a novel power tool for turning screw collars on falsework posts during either the installation or the striking of falsework, but particularly during the striking process. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    A falsework post can achieve adjustability in length by having a threaded member inserted into a hollow member where their relative positions are controlled by a screw collar as shown in  FIG. 1 . The threaded member may have continuous or non-continuous screw threads, of which the latter may be interrupted by features such as flat or shaped surfaces or axial keyway slots which are provided for purposes such as (but not limited to) cleaning and mounting auxiliary falsework components. When a load axial to the post is applied, the screw collar would be under load resulting in friction existing between screw collar, the hollow member and threaded member. To reduce friction, an auxiliary part, such as a low friction plastic component, may be placed between the screw collar and the hollow member. 
         [0004]    When an area of falsework is used to support moulds for a massive concrete structure such as a road bridge or an elevated highway, the loads supported by each post of the falsework can be very high indeed. This makes the unscrewing of the individual screw-threaded nuts or collars on the posts during striking a very difficult operation. One collar design comprises an internally screw-threaded cast nut or cylinder with two or four externally projecting lugs which permit a user to grasp and turn the collar to raise or lower it on an externally screw-threaded portion of its post while it is not under load. 
         [0005]    The recommended method of freeing tight collars under load during the striking of falsework is to fit a torque bar on the collar and apply a load by hand. When the collar is under load, a torque bar can be coupled to the collar and engaged with some or all of the lugs, in order safely to obtain the necessary leverage to turn the collar. Torque values needed to strike falsework posts on a construction site may be as high as 900 N.m. Using a torque bar approximately 1 metre in length as shown in  FIG. 2 , that would require a force on or near the free end of the torque bar of over 900 N, which is difficult or impossible to obtain manually especially when working in cramped conditions (i.e. close to other falsework or walls) or with the collar possibly at a height or in a location that is difficult to reach. The collar may be near to the ground if the post has a hollow column member with a threaded member extending downwardly from its lower end, or may be at an elevated position if the post has a screw threaded portion extending axially from its upper end. Posts with screw threaded extension portions at both ends are also known. However with the magnitudes and limitations mentioned above, this method is not sufficient. 
         [0006]    Another method of freeing tight collars is to apply an impact load at the free end of the torque bar by hitting it repeatedly with a heavy hammer or sledgehammer. Frequently, however, this is difficult for a number of reasons; (a) the space limitations to install a torque bar may restrict this method, (b) the concurrent holding of a torque bar and the swinging action of a hammer (especially a sledgehammer) is ergonomically difficult, (c) even with a torque bar held securely in place ready for hitting, there may be insufficient room for a proper swing of the hammer and (d) the hammer swinging operation cannot always be performed easily as the site worker may have to swing the hammer from a compromising position (i.e. perched from an access tower or platform.) It is therefore not unusual for workers to omit the torque bar, and attempt to loosen collars by impacting the projecting lugs of the collars directly with a heavy hammer or sledgehammer. This latter operation is also faster to perform compared to having to set up a torque bar—hence direct impacting of the collar tends to be adopted as the only convenient method. 
         [0007]    There are several consequences for directly impacting the collars with one or a series of hammer swings. The first consequence is damage to the collars. The collar lugs may become significantly deformed to the point that the collars can no longer accept the torque bar. Likewise the collar may become significantly deformed so that the lugs no longer provide enough surface for a hammer impact to be effective, or the lugs may break off. The collars themselves can also fracture. Therefore replacement and inspection costs for the collars can be significant in order to manage the safety of the falsework. 
         [0008]    Another consequence is safety for the site workers. As the torque required to release the load of the collar is high, and the length of the collar lugs are short, this results in the site workers having to apply a series of relatively powerful hammer swings (usually using a sledgehammer). With cramped spaces, and usually having two site workers for the falsework striking operation, there have been several instances where site workers have been accidentally hit by the sledgehammer swinging action. 
         [0009]    A third consequence of this method is increased levels of noise. Instead of performing the recommended method of applying a non-impact load on a torque bar, the magnitude of the hammer impact and the frequency of the swings create a level of noise that is significant even for a building site. Especially where concrete building structures are created in urban environments in the vicinity of businesses and residential sites, the series of hits, especially occurring concurrently with other striking, can create a significant disturbance. There have been instances where the United Kingdom Health and Safety Executive have issued notices to construction companies prohibiting them from creating significant noise during the striking of falsework. 
         [0010]    A need therefore exists for a tool which can rapidly, safely and reliably turn a post collar even when it is under extreme loads during the striking of falsework, whilst avoiding damage to that collar. A non-impact approach facilitates reduction of collar damage with the added benefit of noise reduction. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0011]    The invention provides a tool for turning a screw collar on a falsework post, as defined in claim  1  herein. The tool is a power tool which removes the need for workers to use a heavy hammer or sledgehammer even when striking falsework which is under extremely heavy loads. 
         [0012]    The motor may be hydraulic, pneumatic or electrical. Hydraulic motors are preferred, particularly for tools to be used for the striking of falsework, because they have potentially the best balance between delivering high torques, unit weight and speed of operation. The drive engagement means may be driven by the motor directly or through gearing that delivers increased torque. The use of gearing permits the use of a lower torque, lighter motor, but at the expense of the added weight and bulk of the gearing system. 
         [0013]    In the following specific description we will refer to the tool as being used during the striking of falsework. It will of course be understood that the same or a similar tool could be used as a kind of powered nut runner for extending the lengths of the individual posts of the falsework before they are subjected to high axial loads for the creation of concrete structures. If the motor is to act in a direction to extend the length of the individual posts, however, it is preferably torque-limited so that on extension of the posts no serious damage to the falsework components or building structure can occur from over-tightening of the collar adapter. If the tool is to be used only for the striking of falsework, it should be designed with a much higher torque motor, preferably one capable of delivering to the collar through the collar adapter a total torque capable of releasing the loads on the falsework , for example at least 785 N.m. and preferably at least 1000 N.m. If the motor is to act bidirectionally, then a torque limiter to prevent damage to the mould or to the construction project should be included for one direction of motor movement, so that the high torque loads on the collar adapter and collar are obtained only during striking of the falsework. 
         [0014]    The screw collar can be designed to include integral drive engagement means for drive engagement with the motor drive. Alternatively the drive engagement means may be formed on a collar adapter that is releasably mounted on a conventional manually adjustable screw collar. Such a collar adapter may fully or partially encompass the circumference of the screw collar. The collar adapter would have one or a number of features, such as gear teeth, pawls or dogs, that would engage with a motor drive, which could take the form of a spur gear. The collar adapter would also have features that would drivingly engage with the collar, for example with the lugs of the collar. When the motor housing is mounted on the falsework post, the motor drive member engages with the drive engagement means on the collar adapter. The collar adapter is preferably constructed to envelop the circumference of the screw collar as the collar may need to rotate for up to several rotations for certain falsework striking operations. Thus the collar adapter may be formed to close and releasably to lock around the screw collar so that when it is closed and locked around the screw collar it partially or completely envelops the screw collar. Once the load has been removed from the collar with the tool, the motor housing can be removed from the falsework post and the collar adapter can be reopened for removal, and both may be reusable for another falsework post. 
         [0015]    It is also preferable that the drive engagement means, whether that be on the collar or on a collar adapter, should be as far out from the axis of rotation of the collar as is practicable. That provides maximum torque, and makes it possible to obtain a mechanical advantage of torque multiplication, which in turn allows for a reduced torque being required from the motor. 
         [0016]    The collar adapter can be a separate component from the motor and motor housing. However it can be integral should the combined weight of the collar adapter, the drive engagement means, the motor housing and the motor be low enough to be used comfortably by the site worker. 
         [0017]    The torque created by the motor would be transmitted to the collar or collar adapter via a motor drive member. The motor drive member can be in the form of a gear, the teeth of which engage with the drive engagement means of the collar or collar adapter. Alternatively the motor drive member may be a single lug or dog acting on one or a few features on the collar or collar adapter. 
         [0018]    The torque delivered by the motor drive can originate directly from the motor&#39;s output shaft or via a gear-reduction assembly such as a gearbox. The decision for integration of a gearbox would depend on its own weight and cost versus weight and cost savings for using a smaller motor when using a gearbox. 
         [0019]    The reaction torque generated on the motor drive by the collar is transmitted from the motor to the motor housing, and thence to the falsework structure. The motor housing takes vertical and angular support from the falsework post, preferably by having constructional details which react against features or the profile surfaces of the non-threaded or the threaded portion of the falsework post. Likewise the tool can react against other rigid and stationary component(s) attached to either the non-threaded or the threaded portion of the falsework post. Thus it is an advantage of the invention that the tool does not require the presence of any adjacent structure that can provide a reaction surface for the application of torque to the collar. No such structure may be present in many falsework assemblies. Adjacent falsework posts, even if present, are not generally designed to provide the lateral reaction force that would be required. Also, if the tool were braced against an adjacent structure, there would exist a problem of backlash, i.e. the potential for movement of the tool into contact with the reaction surface when the motor is actuated, which can cause a crushing injury to the operator. 
         [0020]    The attachment of the tool onto the falsework post can either be such that the tool is introduced to the falsework while engaged with the post feature(s) and collar adapter, or clamped on the post. 
         [0021]    The tool can be open-framed. The preferred solution is to have no moving parts exposed during operation for safety. Thus the motor housing when mounted on the falsework preferably envelops the collar or collar adapter, avoiding exposure of moving parts. When the motor is first actuated, there may be a relative movement of parts as the drive member comes into contact with the drive engagement means but this movement is confined to the interior of the motor housing. Because the motor housing is angularly immovable relative to the falsework post, the operator is protected from the effects of backlash. 
         [0022]    If the tool is closed-framed, means are preferably provided to ensure that the motor housing cannot be closed around the falsework post and around the collar adapter unless the collar adapter, of a type that closes and locks around the collar, is first closed and locked around the collar. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         [0023]      FIG. 1  is schematic perspective view of an array of posts of typical falsework supporting an edifice under construction.  FIG. 1  also shows a number of ledgers or cross braces extending between adjacent posts; 
           [0024]      FIGS. 2   a  and  2   b  are isometric views of a portion of one of the posts of  FIG. 1  on an enlarged scale, showing the stationary hollow member portion of the post, the collar and the screw threaded portion of the post in greater detail and also showing a conventional torque bar used for striking the falsework; 
           [0025]      FIGS. 3   a  and  3   b  are respectively a plan view and a side elevation of typical falsework supporting an edifice under construction, showing the restricted access that is sometimes encountered to make striking difficult; 
           [0026]      FIG. 4  is an enlarged detail of a post, the collar and the screw threaded portion of one of the posts of  FIGS. 3   a  and  3   b  illustrating the use of a sledgehammer to strike the collar when there is insufficient room to use the torque bar of  FIGS. 2   a  and  2   b . 
           [0027]      FIGS. 5   a  to  5   c  are isometric views illustrating the operation of fitting a collar adapter around a collar of falsework when using a tool according to the invention; 
           [0028]      FIGS. 6   a  to  6   f  are plan views from above illustrating the use of six different collar adapters of tools according to the invention; 
           [0029]      FIG. 7  is a plan view from above of the collar adapter of the tool of  FIGS. 5   a  to  5   c ; 
           [0030]      FIGS. 8   a  to  8   c  are isometric views of different embodiments of the motor drive; 
           [0031]      FIGS. 9   a  and  9   b  are isometric views of a tool according to the invention during its installation onto a falsework post; 
           [0032]      FIGS. 10   a  and  10   b  are horizontal sections taken through a falsework post on which is mounted a motor housing of a tool according to the invention, the motor housings of  FIGS. 10   a  and  10   b  having different sectional shapes; 
           [0033]      FIGS. 11   a  and  11   b  are further horizontal sections taken through a falsework post on which is mounted a motor housing of a tool according to the invention, the motor housings of  FIGS. 11   a  and  11   b  having different sectional shapes; 
           [0034]      FIGS. 12 and 13  are isometric views of the tool of  FIGS. 9   a  and  9   b  but with the motor housing shown more completely and enveloping the collar adapter, avoiding exposure of moving parts; 
           [0035]      FIG. 14  is a vertical section through the tool of  FIGS. 12   a  and  13 , assembled on a falsework post; 
           [0036]      FIGS. 15 and 16  are side elevations of the tool of  FIG. 13  (with the access door open) showing the plunger which locks the collar adapter in its fully engaged position ( FIG. 15 ) and a less than fully engaged position ( FIG. 16 ) respectively; 
           [0037]      FIG. 17  is a side elevation of another tool according to the invention, mounted on a falsework post; and 
           [0038]      FIGS. 18   a  to  18   c  are isometric views of three different collars with integral drive engagement means, which do not require separate collar adaptors. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0039]      FIG. 1  shows a typical array of posts  1  used as falsework to support an edifice under construction. The posts  1  each have a metal foot  2  and a metal top plate  3  (not shown in  FIG. 1  but visible in  FIGS. 2   a  and  2   b ), and can be braced together laterally by ledgers or cross braces  4 . Typically the top plates  3  would support mould M into which or onto which wet concrete is poured to create a reinforced concrete raft or beam as an integral part of the construction. 
         [0040]      FIG. 2  is a detail of one such post  1 . It comprises a hollow column portion  5  from which a screw jack portion  6  extends. A screw threaded nut (known in the trade as a collar)  7  is in screw threaded engagement with the screw jack portion  6 , so that turning the collar  7  raises or lowers the top platform  3  relative to the base plate  2 . The post  1  of  FIG. 2  could be inverted so that the collar and screw threaded portion are at the bottom rather than at the top, or the post  1  could be provided with screw jack portions and collars at both the top and the bottom of the column portion  5 .  FIGS. 2   a ,  2   b  and  4  shown one typical design of collar  7  which has four outstanding lugs  8  of two different sizes and profiles. Together those lugs  8  are designed to be engaged by a specially designed spanner head of a lever arm L as shown in  FIGS. 2   a  and  2   b . The lever arm L is used to generate leverage on the collar  7  during striking, in order to overcome the frictional load imposed upon it by the weight of the construction it supports. Often even the extra leverage provided by the lever arm L is insufficient to overcome that frictional load manually, in which case the site worker might hit the remote end of the lever arm L repeatedly with a heavy hammer or sledgehammer until the collar  7  turns and releases that frictional load. 
         [0041]      FIGS. 3   a  and  3   b  are respective plan and elevational views of part of a possible falsework location, illustrating how the posts  1  of the falsework may be close to one another or to walls of the construction being built. Those walls may therefore restrict the ability of the site worker to use the lever arm L, and may make striking of the falsework very difficult. Another scenario is that the site worker may need to be lifted closer to the falsework on the platform of a cherry-picker and may even have to lean out over that platform in order to access the collar during striking, which makes the striking both difficult and dangerous. Although not recommended practice, site workers in such situations often hit not the lever arm L but the collar  7  itself with a heavy hammer or sledgehammer during striking in order to release the collar  7 . Such an action is shown schematically in  FIG. 4 , but causes damage to the collars  7  which can become bent or cracked. A further necessary part of all falsework erection is therefore a check on the collars for damage created during their last use. 
         [0042]    An element of the tool of the invention is a collar adapter  10 , to engage with the motor drive, which can preferably close and lock around the screw collar  7  in driving engagement with the collar. One such collar adapter  10  is shown in  FIGS. 5   a  to  5   c . It is formed with a circular array of drive engagement elements  11  which lie at a greater distance from the axis of the post  1  than does the collar itself, so as to increase the leverage on the collar when the drive is engaged. The collar adapter  10  is hinged to open at  12 , enabling it to be placed around the collar  7  and then be closed and locked, as shown in  FIG. 5   c.    
         [0043]    Six alternative designs of collar adapter  10  are shown in  FIGS. 6   a  to  6   f . Those six designs demonstrate how the collar adapter may be of open or closed formation. The open shape designs of  FIGS. 6   a ,  6   c  and  6   e  simply fit around the post  1  and collar  7  and must then be engaged with the collar lugs  8 . The closed designs incorporate the hinged opening portion  12  illustrated in  FIGS. 5   a  to  5   c , and that hinged opening portion  12  is closed around the collar  1  when the adapter  10  is in position, to lock it onto the collar. One advantage of the closed design is that of greater security, as the adapter  10  is securely locked around the collar  7  and securely maintained in driving engagement with the collar  7  when the hinged opening portion  12  is closed and locked. Another advantage is that the drive engagement means  11 , which may be composed of integral teeth  11  as in  FIGS. 6   c  to  6   f  or rods spanning two parallel plates as in  FIGS. 6   a  and  6   b , may extend a full 360° around the axis of the post  1  in the closed design as opposed to a reduced angular extent in the open design. When the drive engagement means  11  extend fully around the post axis as in  FIGS. 6   b  and  6   d  the collar may be turned for more than one revolution by the drive motor which is yet to be described, but that is not an essential consideration in a tool according to the invention. If the collar adapter  10  has only a single tooth or pawl or dog  11  as in  FIGS. 6   e  and  6   f , then during striking the collar can still be released by turning it for a fraction of a revolution using the drive motor, which may be sufficient to release the frictional load to an extent sufficient to permit continued turning by hand. 
         [0044]      FIG. 7  illustrates the engagement between the collar  7 , the collar adapter  10  with its drive engagement teeth  11  and a drive member  16  of a motor when the collar adapter  10  is closed and locked around the collar  7  and when the motor is presented in driving engagement with the collar adapter  10 . The collar adapter  10  is provided with pillars  15  that engage the lugs  8  of the collar  7  in order to transmit torque thereto when the collar adapter  10  is rotated by the motor in the anti-clockwise direction as viewed in  FIG. 7 . 
         [0045]      FIGS. 8   a  to  8   c  show three alternative forms of drive member  16 . The drive member  16  may be a spur gear with an annular array of gear teeth as shown in  FIG. 8   a , or it may have only one gear tooth or pawl or dog  16 ′ as in  FIG. 8   b , or it may consist of two spaced parallel plates with a circular array of rod members  16 ″ spanning the gap between the plates as in  FIG. 8   c . The  FIG. 8   c  construction could be used with a collar adapter  10  as shown in  FIGS. 6   c  to  6   f  but not with one as shown in  FIG. 6   a  or  6   b.    
         [0046]      FIGS. 9   a  and  9   b  illustrate the collar adapter  10  of  FIGS. 5   a  and  5   b  placed around the post  1  and collar  7  of falsework. Also shown is a motor housing  20  which can be presented up to the collar adapter  10  and then placed in position on the post  1 . A motor  19  is shown as being carried by the motor housing  20 , and is illustrated as a hydraulic motor with inlet and return hydraulic pipes  19   a  and  19   b  respectively. Various means of locking the motor housing to the post  1  are possible, ensuring that the motor housing takes its vertical and angular support from the post.  FIGS. 10   a  and  11   a  show how the motor housing  20  can be formed with a door  21  which closes around the post  1 . When the door is locked closed (by means not shown) the motor housing is securely anchored to the post  1  to resist both vertical and angular movement relative to the post. Alternatively the motor housing  20  may be formed without the door, as shown in  FIGS. 10   b  and  11   b . Angular support from the post  1  for reacting against the torque applied in use to the collar  7  is provided by either a projection on the motor housing  20  engaging with features of the post  1  as illustrated in  FIGS. 10   a  and  10   b  or the entire motor housing  20  reacting against the overall post profile as illustrated in  FIGS. 11   a  and  11   b . The vertical support for the motor housing  20  with or without a door  21  can be achieved by having the motor housing  20  rest either on a stationary portion of the falsework or on the rotating surface of either the collar  7  or the collar adapter  10 . Such vertical support of the motor housing  20  provided by the collar adapter  10  can be seen in  FIG. 13  which is also relevant, mutatis mutandis, should the motor housing  20  not have a door  21 . 
         [0047]      FIGS. 12 ,  13  and  14  illustrate one design of motor housing shown in greater detail than the schematic illustration of  FIGS. 9   a  to  11   b . The basic elements of the motor housing  20  are as already described. It has a housing body  20  and an access door  21 . An important detail of the design of the collar adapter  10  and motor housing  20  is illustrated in  FIGS. 15 and 16 . The collar adapter  10  is provided with a hinged opening portion  12  as shown in  FIG. 5   a , which is movable between an open position enabling the collar adapter to pass around the collar  7  to surround the collar, and a closed and locked position in which the collar adapter is fast to the collar. The hinged portion  12  has a pivotal axis provided by one of the rod members  11  or by a pin passing axially through one of the rod members  11 , and the means for locking the collar adapter  10  in its closed position comprises a spring-loaded locking index plunger  18  carried by the hinged portion  12  and engaging in a bore in one of the plate members or in one of the rod members when the hinged portion  12  is in its closed position.  FIG. 15  shows how the motor housing  20  is secured onto the falsework post  1  when the index plunger  18  is fully received in its locking recess. If the index plunger  18  is not fully received in its locking recess, as illustrated in  FIG. 16 , then it will foul an interference surface  22  of a bottom plate portion of the motor housing  20  or of its access door  21 . This ensures that the collar adapter  10  is fully closed and locked around the collar before it is concealed from sight by closing and locking the motor housing  20  around it. A latch mechanism (not visible in  FIG. 13 ) engages with a latching anchorage member  21   a  which is visible in  FIG. 13 , securely to lock the motor housing  20  around the collar adapter  10  when the index plunger is fully engaged as in  FIG. 16 . 
         [0048]      FIG. 17  shows an alternative embodiment in which the collar adaptor  10  is the same as that of  FIGS. 9   a  and  9   b , and the motor housing  20  and motor  19  are largely the same except that the motor and motor housing are shown in an inverted position relative to that shown in  FIGS. 9   a  and  9   b , and the motor housing  20  is mounted on the screw threaded portion  6  of the falsework. The motor housing  20  still takes its angular support from the post  1  because the screw threaded portion  6  is shown as including a keyway  6   a  which is keyed to an internally protruding portion of the hollow column portion  5  of the post  1 , and the motor housing  20  is keyed to that same keyway  6   a.  An alternative arrangement in which the motor  19  and motor housing  20  could be in the inverted position of  FIG. 17  would be one in which the motor housing was clamped directly to the profile of the hollow column portion  5  of the threaded post  1 . 
         [0049]      FIGS. 18   a  to  18   c  show alternative designs of collar  7  which have integral drive engagement means  11  in the form of integrally formed gear teeth  11 . Such collars do not require the use of collar adapters as do the collars  7  of  FIGS. 5 to 17 . They thus provide for quicker tool operation at the expense of a larger and heavier collar 
         [0050]      FIG. 18   a  shows a collar  7  which does not include the collar lugs  8  of the other illustrated embodiments of collars  7 . The lugs are omitted because the collar  7  of  FIG. 18   a  is designed to avoid the use of a torque bar L such as that illustrated in  FIGS. 2   a  and  2   b .  FIGS. 18   b  and  18   c  include lugs  8  in alternative positions, and the collars of those two FIGS. can be rotated using either a torque bar such as that illustrated as L in  FIGS. 2   a  and  2   b  or the motor  19  as taught above in relation to the invention. 
         [0051]    In use, any of the tools as described above with reference to  FIGS. 5   a  to  18   c  could be used during striking of falsework. For those tools which include a collar adapter  10 , the collar adapter  10  would first be placed around the collar  7  of each in turn of the screw jacks of the falsework. Then the motor housing  20  would be presented up to both the hollow portion  5  or the screw threaded portion  6  of the post  1  and the collar adapter  10 , and if appropriate closed around the post  1  and locked in its closed position. It should be understood that if the motor housing  20  does not include a door  21  or other means for locking the housing  20  around the post  1 , it may be sufficient simply to hold the motor housing  20  in position while actuating the motor  19 . The feature that the motor housing takes vertical support as well as angular support from the post is therefore an optional feature. When the motor housing  20  is in position against the post  1  it takes leverage from the post  1  of the falsework, so that when the motor  19  is actuated the collar  7  can be turned, relieving the pressure on the screw-threaded portion  5  of the falsework. By suitable choice of motor (which may be hydraulic, pneumatic or electrical and may if necessary include reduction gearing to augment the output torque) the torque that is exerted by the motor can be designed to be sufficient to turn collars even under the maximum of load, and the time taken to assemble the two components of the tool onto the falsework and actuate the motor is comparable with the time taken to fit and use a conventional spanner and torque bar as shown in  FIGS. 2   a  and  2   b . In restricted spaces, the tool of the invention provides a substantially more rapid striking of the falsework. Irrespective of access, the tool provides a safer and quieter operation for striking the falsework and eliminates damage to the falsework compared to currently the adopted procedure of imparting a striking force onto the collar, usually with a sledgehammer.