Removable Support Cage For Top Of Drilled Pier

Abstract

The present invention is a method and apparatus for forming the upper portion of a drilled concrete pier that utilizes a flexible cylindrical form and a removable cage frame to stabilize the form during the pouring of concrete into the form. The cage frame comprises a circular ring having a space-forming split therein and a plurality of rigid leg rods each having proximal and distal ends, where the proximal ends of the rods are attached to the circular ring at circumferentially spaced apart points and the rods depend from the ring in mutually parallel relation. The legs of the cage frame are inserted into the cylindrical form prior to the concrete pour and removed immediately after the pour.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A removable cage frame for a flexible sleeve form comprising,
 a circular ring having a space-forming split therein,   a plurality of rigid leg rods each having proximal and distal ends, where the proximal ends of the rods are attached to the circular ring at circumferentially spaced apart points and the rods depend from the ring in mutually parallel relation.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1  where the ring is elastic and perimetrically compressible. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1  and further including handle forming means attached to the ring and extending in a direction from the ring that is opposite to that of the leg rods. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein a leg rod is attached to and depends from the ring proximal to the respective ends of the space in the ring. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1  where the distal ends of the leg rods are curved. 
     
     
         6 . A method of forming a drilled concrete pier comprising the steps of,
 drilling a hole into the ground,   placing reinforcing metal members into the hole,   partially filling the hole with poured concrete,   placing a sleeve form having an interior cage frame into the hole at a depth where the bottom peripheral edge of the sleeve form is in contact with the top surface of the partially poured concrete pier,   filling the sleeve with poured concrete to a desired level, and   removing the cage frame from the sleeve.   
     
     
         7 . The process of  claim 6  and following the step of placing the sleeve, the further step of aligning the longitudinal axis of the sleeve with the longitudinal axis of the hole. 
     
     
         8 . A method of forming a drilled concrete pier comprising the steps of,
 drilling a hole into the ground,   partially filling the hole with poured concrete to form a pier,   perimetrically compressing a split ring cage frame having a plurality of legs depending from the split ring,   inserting the plurality of dependent legs of the split ring into a flexible sleeve concrete form,   releasing the perimetric compression on the split ring of the cage frame,   placing the sleeve form into the hole at a depth where the bottom peripheral edge of the sleeve form is in contact with the top of the partially poured concrete pier,   filling the sleeve form with poured concrete to a desired level, and   removing the cage frame from the sleeve form.