IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CON- STRUCTION OF SCREW PILES, POSTS, AND MOORINGS
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Preston White, of 12, Furnival's Inn,
19
...
1
Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CON-
STRUCTION OF SCREW PILES, POSTS, AND MOORINGS."
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9)
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Sealed the 11th May 1869, and dated the 12th November 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Preston White
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 12th November 1868. li
I, GEORGE PRESTON WHITE, of 12, Furnival's Inn, Civil Engineer,,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SCREW PILES, POSTS, AND MOORINGS," to be as.
I
follows:-
31 زراء
This Invention has for its object improvements in the construction
of screw piles, posts, and moorings. At the present time when piles
or posts are constructed to be screwed down into the earth it is usual
to provide the pile or post at its end with a cast-iron shoe or foot with
about one complete turn of a broad screw thread upon it. These screw
threads are found frequently to break and they are objectionably rigid,
so that if a stone becomes fixed between the turns of the screw it

page_text: either breaks them or prevents the screw penetrating further into the
earth.
The
Now according to my Invention I make the shoe or foot with a
thread of wrought iron or wrought steel in place of cast iron.
thread may conveniently be a disc of sheet metal with a hole in the
centre and a radial slit cut from the centre to the circumference; the
disc thus prepared is opened so as to form a screw of the desired pitch,
and it is combined with a boss to fit on to the end of the pile or post.
This boss may be of cast iron, and then the wrought metal thread formed
as above described may be placed in the mould and the boss cast upon
it; or the boss may be made in two parts or rings separately fixed upon
the pile or post and holding the screw thread between them; or the boss
may be made in one piece with a spiral groove on its periphery which
receives the wrought-metal thread, and the thread may be secured in the
groove by a stop fixed in the groove behind it. In place of making the
boss in cast iron it is preferable for most purposes, although more
expensive, to make it in wrought metal. The methods last described are
applicable for securing the screw to a wrought metal boss; or the screw
may have a ring of angle iron rivetted round its inner edge, and the foot
or shoe so formed may be secured directly to the pile or post by rivets;
or the angle iron ring may be rivitted to a wrought-metal socket adapted
to be secured to the end of the pile or post. Also in some cases in place
of removing the metal of the disc from which the screw thread is
formed to produce the central hole, I turn it up all round so as to form
a flange around the central hole, and I rivet or fix it by this flange
either directly to the end of the pile or post or to a socket to receive the
extremity thereof. Screw moorings may be constructed in similar ways
except that the stem which takes the place of the pile is not fixed to the
shoe or foot, but is drawn out of it after the mooring has been screwed
sufficiently far into the earth. The mooring has a shackle attached to
it to receive the mooring chain.
PECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Preston White in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 12th May 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE 3
PRESTON WHITE, of 12, Furnival's Inn, Civil Engineer, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said George Preston White, Her special licence
that I, the said George Preston White, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said George Preston White, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CON-
STRUCTION OF SCREW PILES, POSTS, AND MOORINGS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said George Preston White, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their,
or one of their hands and scals, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was
to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Preston White, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same..
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the construction of
screw piles, posts, and moorings. At the present time when piles or
posts are constructed to be screwed down into the earth it is usual to
provide the pile or post at its end with a cast-iron shoe or foot with
about one complete turn of a broad screw thread upon it. These screw
threads are found frequently to break, and they are objectionably
rigid, so that if a stone becomes fixed between the turns of the screw
it either breaks them or prevents the screw penetrating further into
the earth.
Now according to my Invention I make the shoe or foot with
a thread of wrought iron or wrought steel in place of cast iron.
The thread may conveniently be a disc of sheet metal with a hole
in the centre and a radial slit cut from the centre to the cir-
cumference; the disc thus prepared is opened so as to form a screw

page_text: "
I.
of the desired pitch, and it is combined with a boss to fit on to the end of
the pile or post.. This boss may be of cast iron, and then the wrought
metál thread formed as above described may be placed in the mould and
the boss cast upon it; or the boss may be made in two parts or rings
separately fixed upon the pile or post and holding the screw thread
between them; or the boss may be made in one piece with a spiral
groove on its periphery which receives the wrought-metal thread, and
the thread may be. secured in the groove by a stop fixed in the groove
behind it. In place of making the boss in cast iron, it is preferable for
most purposes, although more expensive, to make it in wrought metal.
The methods last described are applicable for securing the screw to a
wrought-metal boss; or the screw may have a ring of angle iron rivitted
around its inner edge, and the foot or shoe so formed may be secured
directly to the pile or post by rivits; or the angle iron ring may be
rivitted to a wrought-metal socket adapted to be secured to the end of
the pile or post. Also, in some cases, in a place of removing the metal
of the disc from which the screw thread is formed to produce the central
hole, I turn it up all round so as to form a flange around the central
hole, and I rivit or fix it by this flange either directly to the end of the
pile or post or to a socket to receive the extremity thercof. Screw
moorings may be constructed in similar ways except that the stem which
takes the place of the pile is not fixed to the shoe or foot, but is
drawn out of it after the mooring has been screwed sufficiently far into
the earth. The mooring has a shackle attached to it to receive the
mooring chain.
And in order that my said Invention may be most fully understood
and readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawings
bereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
On Sheet 1 Figure 1 is a side view and Figure 2 a section of a portion

page_text: and by pressure between dies the metal is brought to the screw-like form
required; c, c, are the angle iron-rings, they are forged on a mandril to
the required curve and cut off in suitable lengths. The angle irons care
rivetted to the screw thread b so as to form a shoe or foot, and are fixed
by screws to the stem of the pile as is shown.
Figure 3 is a side view, and Figure 4 a section of a portion of a. pile
in which the screw thread is not fitted direct to the stem, but is held in
a shoe which the stem carries.
The stem a of the pile is similar to that in Figures 1 and 2. The
screw thread is made in a similar manner, but the hole in the centre is
larger. c is a boss of wrought iron shrunk on the stem a, with a passage
through its centre to receive the stem of the pile; around this boss a
groove is cut spirally and into this is screwed the screw thread b; d is a
rivit or pin fastening the boss c to the stem a of the pile.
Figure 5 is a side view, and Figure 6 is a section of a portion of a pile
very similar to that just described; but with the boring point formed on
the shoe or cast boss in place of on the end of the stem of the pile.
Figure 7 is a side view, and Figure 8 is a section of a hollow pile open at
the end, so that the earth or sand may enter within it, and provided
with a screw thread of wrought iron or steel. The screw thread is
placed into the mould in which the shoe or lower portion of the pile is
cast and the metal is run in upon it. In Figure 8 the shoe or lower end
of the pile is shown attached to the part above by means of a bayonet-
like joint, or it may be by flanges and screws. Figure 9 is a horizontal
section of the pile shown at Figure 1.
The methods shown on this Sheet of the Drawings and above
described of applying a wrought iron or steel screw thread are those
which I prefer, but as before stated the screw thread. may also con-
veniently be secured to the stem of the pile by means of a boss cast in
two parts separately fixed to the screw stem and enclosing the inner
edge of the screw thread between them, or by other means; or the
thread may be fixed as is shown in Figure 1, but to a wrought-metal
socket fitting on to the stem of the pile; or the metal from the centre of
the disc from which the screw thread is formed may be turned up and
forged into a flange or into lugs by which the thread may be attached
to the stem of the pile or to a socket.
On Sheet 2 of the Drawings, Figure 1 shows two of a series of piles
arranged at distances apart as they would be employed to carry a pier

page_text: or similar superstructure, and the method of tieing them together with
diagonals of angle iron pin-jointed to rings fixed upon the stems of
the piles is also shown. These piles are represented each with a
second screw thread fixed upon the stem at some distance above the
first; this is desirable wherever the soil is at all loose and rigidity is
required.
Figure 2 is a side view of a mooring made according to my Invention,
with a wrought iron or steel screw thread attached as a shoe to a cast or
wrought metal stem. The upper end of the stem is made square or
of other convenient form to receive a long key or driver which is
used to hold and rotate the mooring whilst it is being sunk into the
ground. The upper end of the short stem has a collar upon it having
studs or pivots receiving an eye to which the mooring chain may be
shackled.
Figure 3 shows to a smaller scale the mooring with a buoy riding by
it. Figure 4 shows to a small scale a section of a pier formed with
screw piles.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner of performing the same, I would have it understood that
what I claim is, the construction of screw piles, posts, and moorings
with stems, it may be either of cast or wrought iron, having attached
to them shoes consisting of wrought iron, or steel screw threads with
suitable parts to effect a firm attachment to the stem of the pile.
I also claim constructing such screw piles, posts, and moorings
substantially as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Preston White, have herc-
unto set my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of May, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.
CEO PRESTON WHITE (TS
CEO PRESTON WHITE
(TS)