Patent Publication Number: US-5292098-A

Title: Support work props

Description:
This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 07/634,463, filed Dec. 27, 1990, now abandoned, which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 07/420,176, filed Oct. 12, 1989, now abandoned. 
    
    
     This invention relates to a support work props. 
     Known props have been designed to have a single function, that is, they act only as a prop 
     In co-pending GB Patent Application No. 8626060 a support work prop is described which has a main body section comprising a plurality of elongated support members and connecting means to secure together the support members. The support members, which are preferably reinforcing chords used in panel bridges, therefore have dual applications. By providing props whose components can be used in other applications equipment costs are reduced. 
     However, props formed from bridge reinforcing chords are relatively heavy and their load bearing capacity is greater than is required in certain propping situations. 
     In accordance with the invention a support work prop has a main body section comprising a plurality of soldiers and connecting means to secure the soldiers together. 
     The support work prop includes soldiers which have very good strength to weight ratios and the props are, therefore, lighter than those which comprise I-beam channel sections. The soldiers can moreover be disconnected and employed separately when necessary 
     Preferably a prop has a head section to connect the upper ends of the soldiers and a base section to connect the lower ends of the soldiers. 
     The head and/or base section may comprise a flat plate with a number of holes by means of which the soldiers are attached. Alternatively, the head and/or base section may comprise a plate having a number of holes by means of which the ends of the soldiers are attached and a housing member for an adjustable screw or jacking member. The adjustable screw or jacking member may be pivotally connected at its outer end to a flat plate 
     Suitably the pivotally connected flat plate is adapted to be connected to one or more header beams. 
     The main body section of the prop may comprise two or more sub-sections each sub section having a plurality of soldiers secured together by connecting means, the soldiers of each sub-section being attached to the soldiers of the adjacent sub section(s). The term `soldier` as used herein refers to a component comprising a pair of spaced parallel beams connected at top and bottom by tie plates and having a number of aligned openings in the beams. These components are also known as `shoring components`, `framework elements` and `propping components`. 
    
    
     The invention will now be further described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings to which: 
     FIG. 1 is a side view of a vertical propping arrangement incorporating a number of props in accordance with the invention; 
     FIG. 2. is a side view of a first horizontal propping arrangement using a prop in accordance with the invention. 
     FIG. 3 is a side view of a second horizontal propping arrangement; 
     FIG. 4 is a sectional view in the direction of arrows IV IV of FIG. 1 and shows the connecting means of the props of FIG. 1 to 3; 
     FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the connecting means of FIG. 4 as taken in the direction of arrows V V if FIG. 4; 
     FIG. 6 is a similar view to FIG. 4 showing an alternative form of connecting means; 
     FIG. 7 is a plan view of the head section of the props of FIG. 1. 
     FIG. 8 is a side view of the head section of FIG. 7; 
     FIG. 9 is a plan view of base section of the props of FIG. 1 and 
     FIG. 10 is a side view of the base section of FIG. 9. 
    
    
     In FIG. 1, two props 10 are shown having a main body section 12, a head section 14 and a base section 16. The main body section 12 of each prop is composed of sub-sections 12a and 12b. The right-hand prop 10 comprises three sub-sections 12a each of which comprises four soldiers 18a removably secured to two connectors 20 (see FIGS. 4 and 5). The left hand prop 10 comprises two sub-sections 12a and two sub-sections 12b. The sub sections 12b comprises four shorter soldiers 18b removably secured to connectors 20. The head sections 14 of the props 10 shown in FIG. 1 each have a prop head 22 (see FIGS. 7 and 8) secured to the soldiers 18 which includes a housing member 24. The inner end of an adjustable screw 26 is inserted into the housing member 24 of each of the prop heads 22, the screws 26 being rotatably movable relative to the prop head 22. At the other end of the adjustable screws 26 a plate 28 is pivotally attached. 
     On the right hand prop 10 of FIG. 1 a hydraulic jack (not shown) is attached to the prop head 22. The hydraulic jack can be employed to pre-load the prop or for jacking up. The movement of the jack is shown by dotted lines 30. 
     The base section 16 of the left-hand prop 10 of FIG. 1 comprises a prop base plate 32 (see FIGS. 9 and 10) secured to the bottom ends of the four soldiers 18b. The base-section of the right-hand prop has a prop head 22, in the housing member 24 of which an adjustable screw 26 is inserted. A plate 28 is attached to the other end of the screw. 
     The two props 10 of FIG. 1 are connected together by bracing members 34. The bracing members may be adjustable push pull props or structural sections. The head sections of the props 10 support I-shaped header beams 38 of the type described in co-pending application Ser. No. 8,626,060 the cross fall of which is taken up by the adjustable screw 26, hydraulic jack 30 and pivoting plates 28. The left-hand prop 10 is supported via prop base plate 32 on further header beams 38 while the right-hand prop 10 rests on the ground. Instead of the adjustable screw 26 of the base-section of the right-hand prop a hydraulic jack could be employed so that jacking can be done from the bottom of the prop. 
     FIG. 2 and 3 show the props 10 in horizontal propping arrangements. The main body section 12 of the prop 10 or FIG. 2 comprises three subsections 12a and one sub-section 12b. At the left-hand end a prop base plate 32 is secured to the four soldiers 18a of the left-hand sub section 12a whilst at the right-hand end a prop head 22, adjustable screw 26 and pivot plate 28 as described above are employed. 
     The arrangement of FIG. 3 is similar to that of FIG. 2 except that a section 40 is connected to the prop 10 by bracing members 34. The section 40 may be formed from soldiers, push-pull or shoring components or standard structural sections. The arrangement prevents undue deflection of the prop 10 by reducing self-weight bending and allows the prop to be employed over long horizontal distances. 
     In FIGS. 4 and 5, the connector 20 is shown in greater detail. It comprises on upper end plate 42 and a lower end plate 44 joined together by four rectangular connecting members 46 which are welded to the plates 42 and 44. Each connecting member 46 is so dimensioned that it can be inserted between the parallel webs of a soldier 18a or 18b. The soldier 18a or 18b is then secured to the connecting member 46 by bolting them together through holes in the soldier 18c or 18b and connecting member 48 The connecting members 48 are preferably provided with a series of holes 47 so that they may be employed with different soldier designs. Alternatively adaptors (not shown) could be provided to secure the soldiers to the connecting members, holes 48 being provided on the connecting members whereby the adaptors can be secured thereto. Again a number of differently positioned adaptor connection holes are preferably provided to allow the connector to be used with different soldier designs. The connector 20 is also provided with a hole 49 at each corner to which bracing members can be attached. 
     FIG. 6 shows an alternative form of connector similar to that described above except that three connecting members are provided so that three soldiers can be connected at 120° from each other. 
     The prop head 22 is shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 and has a plate 50 which supports a central tube 52 which is treaded to receive the inner end of an adjustable screw 26. The plate 50 has holes 54 suitably positioned so that the ends of the soldiers 18a or 18b may be secured to the prop head 22 by means of bolts which are passed through the holes 54 and correspondingly positioned holes in the end plates of the soldiers 18a or 18b. The plate 50 is also provided with slots 56 positioned between the holes 54 for bolting down hydraulic jacks or packing stools (not shown). 
     The prop base plate 32 is shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 and comprises a flat plate 58 with attachment holes 60 for securing the plate to the ends of the soldiers 18a or 18b. Four additional holes 62 are positioned between the sets of attachment holes 60. 
     The props may be used as vertical supports within falsework schemes to carry loads arising from in-situ or pre-cast construction, to support bridge decks while repairs are carried out, backpropping to newly constructed slabs, temporary underpinning of existing structures and for heavy lifting schemes. As horizontal struts, the prop is ideal for use in large sheet pile or diaphragm wall cofferdams. 
     The prop can also be used as a raking prop to support existing structures during alterations, temporary supports to pre-cast units and support to single sided sheet pile walls. 
     Within the head of the prop, there are provisions for preloading or jacking up and releasing of structures using hydraulic jacks without the need for subsidiary packing or support. 
     The props may be braced as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the bracing members being attached either through holes in the soldiers as shown or by means of the holes 48 in the upper and/or lower plates 42 and 44 of the connector 20. The bracing connection holes are so arranged that bracing can be provided between the props 10 and the props described in co-pending G.B. Patent Application No. 8626060 so that, when required both types of props can be employed in the same propping arrangement.