Soil-Displacement Drill Flap for Smooth Pile Formation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing soil-displacement drills for forming smooth foundation piles face issues such as soil relaxation, increased friction and wear, energy consumption, environmental impact, and high production costs due to inefficiencies in soil displacement and handling.

Innovation Solution

A soil-displacement drill with a drill pipe and a widening featuring a displacer and a movable flap that transitions between positions to prevent soil from entering the screw slot during unscrewing, allowing for efficient lateral soil displacement and smoothing of the pile formation process.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Strength

If a screw blade is used to transport soil to a displacer, then the drill can be screwed into the substrate, but friction and wear increase, and energy consumption rises

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedrill screwing capabilityVSAvoidenergy consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent removes the displacer component from the drill system. Instead of using a screw blade to transport soil to a displacer for lateral displacement, the invention allows the screw blade to directly displace soil laterally as the drill is screwed in, eliminating the intermediate transport step that caused friction and energy loss

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent combines the screwing function and soil displacement function into a single action. The screw blade simultaneously provides the screwing force to advance the drill and directly displaces the soil laterally, merging two previously separate functions (screwing + transport to displacer + lateral displacement) into one efficient operation

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

2Adaptability or versatility

If the drill pipe is provided with a widening and screw blade for forming screw-shaped piles, then soil is displaced directly below the drill, but the drill cannot form smooth foundation piles in hard sand layers

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepile shape formation capabilityVSAvoiddrill configuration complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent inverts the conventional approach by eliminating the widening at the base and placing the screw blade at the top of the drill pipe. This inversion allows the screw blade to effectively engage with and displace hard sand layers while maintaining the capability to form smooth foundation piles, adapting to different soil conditions without requiring complex widening configurations

Inventive Principle:
Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

3Productivity

If material is introduced into the drill pipe for forming the foundation pile, then the pile can be formed, but material may enter the screw slot during unscrewing, causing defects

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepile formation efficiencyVSAvoidpile smoothness
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces material into the drill pipe before unscrewing the drill from the substrate. This preliminary action ensures that the screw slot is already filled with material before the drill is withdrawn, preventing any potential entry of additional material into the screw slot during unscrewing and ensuring a smooth, defect-free pile formation

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

Reduces friction and wear, minimizes energy consumption, and lowers production costs by ensuring complete soil displacement without soil being brought above ground, while maintaining a consistent pitch for a smoother pile formation.

Implementation Method 1

A great deal of friction occurs because the screw blade transports the soil up to the displacer while the drill is being screwed in

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectFriction: Friction

Implementation Method 2

a movable flap that transitions between positions to prevent soil from entering the screw slot during unscrewing

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectMechanical Force: Mechanical Force

Data Source

PatentEP4090797B1Soil-displacement drill and method for forming a smooth foundation pile with such a soil-displacement drill
Publication Date: 2026.03.11 OLIVIER IND
  • EP4090797B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4090797B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4090797B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4

AI summary

The invention concerns a soil-displacement drill (1) comprising: a drill pipe (4); a widening (5) at one end (16) of the drill pipe (4), which is provided with: - a screw blade (6) for screwing the drill (1) into the substrate (2), and - an outlet opening (7) for the passage of material (9) that is introduced for forming the foundation pile (3); - and a flap (8) which is movable between: - a first position for allowing unhindered screwing of the drill (1) into the substrate (2); and - a second position for preventing said material (9) from entering a screw groove, formed in the substrate (2) by the screw blade (6), during unscrewing of the drill (1) from the substrate (2). The invention also concerns a method for forming a smooth foundation pile (3) using such a drill (1).