US 12,421,683 B1
Coupler for coupling driven steel pipe piles
Victor Arthur Sinclair, Houston, TX (US)
Assigned to John Lawrie, Inc., Houston, TX (US)
Filed by John Lawrie, Inc., Houston, TX (US)
Filed on Aug. 29, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/819,213.
Int. Cl. F16L 13/16 (2006.01); B21D 39/04 (2006.01); E02D 5/52 (2006.01); F16L 13/14 (2006.01)
CPC E02D 5/526 (2013.01) 12 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A coupler for coupling together a lead pile segment and an extension pile segment of a driven pile, the coupler comprising:
opposite first and second cylindrical formed ends, each end of the first and second cylindrical formed ends opening in an opposite direction of the other formed end;
wherein each of the first and second cylindrical formed ends transition, via a corresponding first or second radiused bend, to an at least one cylindrical hollow member extending between the opposite first and second cylindrical formed ends, wherein the first and second cylindrical formed ends, the at least one cylindrical hollow member and the first and second radiused bends together form a single coupler;
wherein each of the first and second cylindrical formed ends have an inner diameter that is greater than an outer diameter of the at least one cylindrical hollow member;
wherein the first cylindrical formed end is sized to snugly receive an end of the lead pile segment, the lead pile segment bearing against the first radiused bend, and the second cylindrical formed end is sized to snugly receive an end of the extension pile segment, the extension pile segment bearing against the second radiused bend; and
wherein the coupler comprises first and second external rings, the first external ring affixed to an external surface of the at least one cylindrical hollow member and proximate to the first radiused bend and the second external ring affixed to the external surface of the at least one cylindrical hollow member and proximate to the second radiused bend of the coupler; and
wherein, when an axial force is applied to the extension pile segment to drive the ends of the lead and extension pile segments into the coupler, the end of the lead pile segment is cold extruded through a section of the at least one cylindrical hollow member that is encircled by the first external ring and the end of the extension pile segment is cold extruded through a section of the at least one cylindrical hollow member that is encircled by the second external ring.