Driving and extraction of piles and/or encasing structures

Claim 1

A METHOD OF MOVING AN ELONGATED MEMBER, E.G., A PILE, THROUGH A COMPACTED MEDIUM, E.G., EARTH, IN CONTACT WITH WHICH ONE END OF SAID MEMBER IS HELD, SAID METHOD COMPRISING MOUNTING ON THE FREE END OF SAID MEMBER AN ASSEMBLY OF A VERTICALLY RECIPROCABLE HEAVY REACTANT, NON ROTATABLE MASS OF SUBSTANTIAL INERTIA, A HIGH FREQUENCY LIQUID PRESSURE OSCILLATING DEVICE AND AT LEAST ONE PISTON SLIDABLE IN A CYLINDER CONNECTED BY DUCTS TO SAID OSCILLATING DEVICE, ACTUATING SAID OSCILLATING DEVICE TO PROVIDE RAPID INCREASES AND DECREASES IN LIQUID PRESSURE IN THE RANGE OF 25 TO 150 PULSES PER SECOND ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF EACH PISTON IN ITS CYLINDER THEREBY IMPARTING HIGH FREQUENCY VIBRATIONS AXIALLY OF SAID ELONGATED MEMBER, SENSING SAID VIBRATIONS IN SAID ELONGATED MEMBER AND THE SURROUNDING MEDIUM AS SAID MEMBER MOVES THERETHROUGH, COMPARING THE SENSED VIRBATIONS TO A STANDARD VIRBRATION OF OPTIMUM FREQUENCY FEEDING THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE SENSED AND STANDARD VIBRATIONS TO MEANS OPERABLE TO CONTROL THE LIQUID FLOW THROUGH SAID OSCILLATING DEVICE TO CREATE A DESIRED VIBRATION FREQUENCY IN THE ELONGATED MEMBER AND TO ADJUST THE FREQUENCY AND AMPLITUDE OF SAID DESIRED VIBRATION TO THE OPTIMUM OPERATING CONDITIONS FOR MOVING SAID ELONGATED MEMBER THROUGH SAID MEDIUM.

Claim 2

A METHOD OF MOVING AN ELONGATED MEMBER, E.G., A PILE, THROUGH A COMPACTED MEDIUM, E.G., EARTH, IN CONTACT WITH WHICH ONE END OF SAID MEMBER IS HELD, SAID METHOD COMPRISING MOUNTING ON THE FREE END OF SAID MEMBER AN ASSEMBLY OF A VERTICALLY RECIPROCABLE HEAVY REACTANT, NON ROTATABLE MASS OF SUBSTANTIAL INERTIA, A HIGH FREQUENCY LIQUID PRESSURE OSCILLATING DEVICE AND AT LEAST ONE PISTON SLIDABLE IN A CYLINDER CONNECTED BY DUCTS TO SAID OSCILLATING DEVICE, ACTUATING SAID OSCILLATING DEVICE TO PROVIDE RAPID INCREASES AND DECREASES IN LIQUID PRESSURE IN THE RANGE OF 25 TO 150 PULSES PER SECOND ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF EACH PISTON IN ITS CYLINDER THEREBY IMPARTING HIGH FREQUENCY VIBRATIONS AXIALLY OF SAID ELONGATED MEMBER, SENSING SAID VIBRATIONS IN SAID ELONGATED MEMBER AND THE SURROUNDING MEDIUM AS SAID MEMBER MOVES THERETHROUGH, COMPARING THE SENSED VIRBATIONS TO A STANDARD VIRBRATION OF OPTIMUM FREQUENCY FEEDING THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE SENSED AND STANDARD VIBRATIONS TO MEANS OPERABLE TO CONTROL THE LIQUID FLOW THROUGH SAID OSCILLATING DEVICE TO CREATE A DESIRED VIBRATION FREQUENCY IN THE ELONGATED MEMBER AND TO ADJUST THE FREQUENCY AND AMPLITUDE OF SAID DESIRED VIBRATION TO THE OPTIMUM OPERATING CONDITIONS FOR MOVING SAID ELONGATED MEMBER THROUGH SAID MEDIUM.