AU2010251216A1

AU2010251216A1 - Device for automatically coupling and uncoupling heavy structures

Info

Publication number: AU2010251216A1
Application number: AU2010251216A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Herve Belbeoc'h; Fabrice Cayron; Michel De Broissia; Yves Rialland; Jean-Yves Souply
Original assignee: Bouygues Construction SA
Current assignee: Bouygues Construction SA
Priority date: 2009-05-20
Filing date: 2010-05-18
Publication date: 2012-01-19
Anticipated expiration: 2030-05-18
Also published as: HK1164826A1; FR2945801A1; ZA201109264B; WO2010133568A1; EP2432726B1; AU2010251216B2; EP2432726A1; FR2945801B1

Abstract

The present invention relates to an element (2) for handling a heavy construction structure, including: a rod (20); a mobile element (24) pivotably connected to the rod (20) and capable of being retracted along the rod (20) for the insertion and removal of said structure and for being extended according to a predetermined inclination relative to the rod (20) in order to lift said structure and enable the load to be transferred to the hangers of the rod; and a means for retracting or extending the mobile element (24). The invention also relates to a device (3) and to a method for handling a heavy construction structure (1), wherein vertical openings (10) are drilled straight through said structure (1).

Description

DEVICE FOR AUTOMATICALLY COUPLING AND UNCOUPLING HEAVY STRUCTURES FIELD OF THE INVENTION 5 The present invention relates to a device for automatically coupling and uncoupling heavy structures for construction, such as bridge voussoirs. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 10 The prefabrication of voussoirs plays a major role in the building of civil engineering structures. The transport and storage of these parts - the height of which may exceed 8 meters and the mass of which may be greater than a 100 metric tons - pose real constraints 15 both as regards design and safety. Actually, prefabricated voussoirs are first of all stored, for example near their fabrication site, and then conveyed towards the building site where they will be assembled and finally set into place with the 20 suitable inclinations (banking and slope). This therefore requires many handling and transport operations. As regards storage, because of the large size of the voussoirs, it is generally preferably to stack them 25 in order to minimize footprint size.

In order to handle them, provision, during the casting of the concrete, of metal inserts such as foot anchors on their upper portion, is known. These inserts are means for being gripped by the lifting beam of a 5 lifting apparatus such as a telescopic crane, a gantry or a bridge crane (also called a launcher). However, in this case human intervention is required for coupling the insert to the lifting beam. In addition to its tedious aspect, this 10 intervention at a great height is not without risks for the operator. Indeed, it is difficult to set into place collective protections for this very short intervention phase. Moreover, after setting into place the voussoir at 15 its definitive location, it is necessary to remove the metal inserts or to embed them in the concrete, since their corrosion may embrittle the voussoir. This therefore requires an additional operation which is a penalty in terms of intervention time and cost, the 20 inserts being lost. To find a remedy for this, the use of a threaded rod crossing the voussoir from top to bottom and retained by a nut is known. However, this solution proves to be not very satisfactory since it also 25 requires human intervention and is time-consuming. A first object of the invention is therefore to design a device for lifting heavy structures not requiring the presence of an operator near the lifting apparatuses. This device should however be compatible 30 with conventional handling means in order to allow the voussoir to be lifted by a subcontractor or another intervening person of the building site who would not have this device available. Another object of the invention is to get rid of 35 the operation for removing or treating the metal inserts. The device should therefore be removable and reusable. Finally, the device should allow the voussoir to be set into place according to given inclinations, 5 depending on its position on the engineering structure. SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION According to the invention, an element is proposed for handling a heavy structure for construction, 10 comprising: - a rod, - a mobile element pivotably connected to the rod, capable of being retracted along the rod for inserting and removing said structure and of 15 being extended according to a predetermined inclination relative to the rod in order to lift said structure, - means for retracting or extending the mobile element, 20 wherein the mobile element includes a hemispherical portion and the rod includes a seat having a hemispherical housing, so that, when the mobile element is in the extended position, its hemispherical portion is supported in said hemispherical housing of the seat. 25 The cooperation of this hemispherical portion and of this hemispherical housing allows the load to be recentered and to be transferred to the hangers of the rod, but it also allows changing the orientation of the loaded hangers. 30 By heavy structure , is meant in the present text a structure with a mass of more than 1 metric ton, preferably of the order of a few tens, or even hundreds of tons. Said structure may be handled by means of one or more lifting elements according to the invention, 4 each lifting element being proportioned for a load from about 1 to 50 metric tons, or even more. More advantageously, the means for retracting or extending the mobile element comprise a groove for 5 guiding an axle of the mobile element along the walls of the rod, between an upper position in which the mobile element is retracted in the rod and a lower position where the hemispherical portion of the mobile element is supported in the hemispherical housing of 10 the seat. Another object of the invention relates to a device for handling a heavy construction structure, said structure being pierced straight through with vertical openings, said device being characterized in 15 that it comprises: - a lifting apparatus such as a lifting beam, - at least one handling element as described above, secured to said lifting apparatus. Advantageously, said device further comprises 20 means for positioning the lifting apparatus so that each handling element is above the corresponding opening of the structure. Thus, for example, said positioning means comprise optical sensors and the structure has markings which 25 may be detected by said sensors. According to a preferred alternative, said positioning means comprise at least one webcam which may be oriented towards at least three openings of the structure. 30 Finally, the invention also relates to a method for handling a heavy construction structure, said structure being pierced straight through with vertical openings, said method being characterized in that it comprises the following steps: (a) positioning the handling device as described above so as to place each handling element above the corresponding opening, (b) having the rod of each handling element pass 5 into the corresponding opening, (c) extending the mobile element of each handling element under the lower face of the structure. Advantageously, in step (a) the positioning is 10 achieved by an optical sensor system or by at least one webcam. SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Other features and advantages of the invention 15 will become apparent from the detailed description which follows, with reference to the appended drawings wherein: - Fig. 1 is a global view of the handling device according to the invention, 20 - Figs. 2A and 2B illustrate two perspective views of the handling element according to the invention, before installation on the heavy structure and in the lifting position, respectively, - Figs. 3A and 3B are a sectional view and a view 25 of the face of the element according to the invention, respectively; - Figs. 4A and 4B illustrate the condition of the element during its insertion into the voussoir and in the lifting position respectively. 30 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION In this non-limiting example, a device for automatically coupling and uncoupling a voussoir will be described.

With reference to Fig. 1, the device 3 comprises a lifting apparatus such as a lifting beam 30, which supports a plurality of elements 2 - here four in number - for handling the voussoir 1. 5 The voussoir 1 comprises vertical through-openings 10 through which pass the elements 2 which will now be described in detail. The openings 10 for example have a rectangular shape with 150 x 200 mm sides. 10 With reference to Figs. 2A, 2B, the element 2 comprises a rod 20, which, when it is used, is in a vertical position. The rod 20 has in its upper portion means for attachment onto the lifting beam. In the illustrated 15 example, the upper portion of the rod comprises two parallel vertical walls 21a and 21b pierced with a horizontal bore 22 which provides passage for an axle supporting an element for attachment to the lifting beam 30, for example a ring. 20 The rod further has in the upper portion of both vertical walls, two outer shoulders 26a and 26b which form an abutment against the upper portion of the voussoir when the element 2 is inserted into the voussoir. 25 Moreover, the element 2 comprises a mobile element also called in the subsequent description, a hammer 24, pivotably connected to both vertical walls of the rod 20 through an axle 25, so as to be able to occupy a retracted position along the rod (as illustrated in 30 Fig. 2B), or else a position substantially perpendicular to the rod (as illustrated in Fig. 2A). The hammer 24 has a substantially parallelepipedal shape.

On its lower face, i.e. the face opposite to the face in contact with the voussoir, it has a hemispherical portion 242. When the hammer is in the extended position, this 5 hemispherical portion lies in a hemispherical housing 260 arranged in a seat 26 housed in the lower portion of the rod 20. This cooperation between the hemispherical surfaces 242 and 260 forms a ball joint connection 10 which gives the hammer the required degrees of freedom (typically, of the order of ±5*) in order to be able to orient it into the suitable position for inclining the voussoir according to the desired banking and slope. With reference to Figs. 3A and 3B, with actuation 15 and locking means, notably comprising a power cylinder 27, it is possible to have the hammer 24 pass from one position to the other and to maintain it there. For this purpose, the hammer has an axle 25 slideably guided along the rod 20, inside a groove 23. 20 The groove 23 is not rectilinear but follows a suitable path for allowing positioning of the hemispherical portion 242 in the housing 260 of the seat 26. The dimensions of the element 2 are such that the height of the rod 20 is larger than or equal to the 25 height of the openings 10, the outer size of the rod 20 (and of the hammer 24 retracted along the latter) is smaller than the dimensions of the openings 10. On the other hand, the length of the hammer 24 in the extended position is larger than the dimensions of the openings 30 10. The hammer 24 moreover includes on its face intended to be in contact with the voussoir, two flat zones 240 and 241 for bearing upon the concrete. Moreover, the play between the rod 20 and the 35 openings 10 is adapted so as to allow orientation of the voussoir according to the desired banking and slope angles. The various components of element 2 are made in steel or in any other adequate material. 5 One skilled in the art is capable of proportioning the various components of the lifting element according to the structure to be handled. As an example, for a voussoir of 160 metric tons, four lifting elements are provided, the rod of which 10 has a height of 1,200 mm, a width of 175 mm and a thickness of 120 mm. The hammer has a length of 340 mm, a width of 100 mm and a thickness of 100 mm. The diameter of the peripheral portion 242 of the hammer is of the order of 75 mm. 15 The method for handling the voussoir 10 comprises the following successive steps: - Step 1: fitting out a lifting beam 30 with four elements 2 described above in order to make up the handling device 3. 20 - Step 2: positioning the lifting beam 30 above the voussoir 1, so as to bring each element 2 above the opening 10 into which it has to be introduced. The positioning of the lifting beam may be carried out by means of manual guidance by an operator but preferably, 25 by a remotely operable optical system (described below). The hammer 24 is then retracted along the rod 20 as illustrated in Figs. 2B and 4A. - Step 3: lowering the lifting beam, inserting the rod 20 of each element 2 into the corresponding opening 30 10 until the shoulders 26a and 26b will abut on the upper face of the voussoir. - Step 4: when the lower portion of each element 2 reaches the lower surface 12 of the voussoir 1, extending and locking the hammer 24 (configuration of 35 Fig. 2A). With the device for actuating the hammer, it is possible to incline the latter depending on the banking and slope according to which the voussoir will have to be positioned on the building site. - Step 5: lifting (the element 2 then has the 5 configuration of Fig. 4B), transporting the voussoir 1 and setting the voussoir 1 into place in the desired location. - Step 6: unlocking and retracting the hammer 24 along the rod 20 of each element 2(as in Fig. 2B). 10 - Step 7: raising the lifting beam. It will be noted that the through-openings 10 allow handling of the voussoir by an intervening person of the building site, such as a subcontractor, not having available the lifting elements according to the 15 invention. In this case, the intervening person may use standard means, such as for example a threaded rod passing through the opening and maintained at its lower end by a bolt. More advantageously, the positioning of the device 20 is performed remotely by means of an optical guidance system. A suitable system is for example the Spica system developed by Arck Sensor. A Spica sensor according to its operating modes 25 gives the position of an edge of a bulk object; this position is given by an angle formed by the edge of this object with the central optical axis of the sensor. With a centralizing computer, it is possible to 30 use several Spica sensors for obtaining a position X, Y and according to a given rotation of the object positioned underneath the sensors. As these sensors are designed for detecting steel containers or spools underneath the gripping tool of an unloading gantry, they are robust, resistant to impact and leakproof. For localization before the positioning of the lifting beam above the voussoir, three sensors 32, 5 illustrated in Fig. 1, are sufficient. The voussoir for this purpose will for example have markings 11 which may be detected by the sensors, such as reflecting painted strips. The beam of the sensors 32 is schematized by a hatched triangle. 10 With a man-machine interface, it is possible for the operator of the lifting beam to view the position of the latter relatively to the markings, which allows him/her to move it up for properly positioning it. Of course, any other suitable means may be used, 15 such as CCD camera. According to an alternative (not illustrated), one or more webcams are used arranged on the device so as to aim at the openings associated with the lifting rods and connected to the man-machine interface by any 20 suitable means, thereby allowing insertion of each rod into the corresponding opening. The device may also integrate an ultrasonic distance sensor. Communications between the centralizing computer 25 and the man-machine interface are preferably achieved by means of radio modems. Thus, the device according to the invention has the advantage of avoiding the use of metal inserts, while remaining compatible with conventional lifting 30 means. Moreover, the kinematics for coupling the voussoir is particularly simple and is free of human intervention. Further, the handling means may be reused from one voussoir to another and a limited number of elements is 35 sufficient on a building site. Thus, in the example described, four elements are sufficient for ensuring the handling of the whole of the voussoirs of the building site, whereas with the standard device including metal inserts, four inserts per voussoir were 5 necessary. Finally it is obvious that the examples which have just been given are only particular illustrations and are by no means limiting as to the fields of application of the invention. 10 Thus, in addition to the voussoirs, it is possible to lift by means of a device according to the invention any other type of heavy construction structure, such as AccropodeTm blocks, which are concrete structures arranged on the sea shore for protecting the banks from 15 the waves.

Claims

1. An element (2) for handling a heavy construction structure, comprising: 5 - a rod (20), - a mobile element (24) pivotably connected to the rod (20), capable of being retracted along the rod (20) for inserting and removing said structure and of being extended along a 10 determined inclination relatively to the rod (20) for lifting said structure, - means for retracting or extending the mobile element (24), characterized in that the mobile element (24) includes 15 a hemispheric portion (242) and in that the rod includes a seat (26) having a hemispheric housing (260), so that, when the mobile element (24) is in the extended position, its hemispheric portion (242) is supported in said hemispheric housing (260) of the seat 20 (26).

2. The element according to claim 1, characterized in that the means for retracting or extending the mobile element (24) comprise a groove (23) for guiding 25 an axle (25) of the mobile element along the walls of the rod (20), between an upper position in which the mobile element (24) is retracted in the rod (20) and a lower position where the hemispheric portion (242) of the mobile element (24) is supported in the hemispheric 30 housing (260) of the seat (26).

3. A device (3) for handling a heavy construction structure (1), said structure (1) being pierced right through with vertical openings (10), characterized in 35 that it comprises: - a lifting apparatus, such as a lifting beam (30), - at least one element (2) according to one of claims 1 or 2, secured to said lifting 5 apparatus.

4. The device according to claim 3, characterized in that it further comprises means for positioning the lifting apparatus so that each element (2) is above the 10 corresponding opening (10) of the structure (1).

5. The device according to claim 4, characterized in that said positioning means comprise optical sensors (32) and in that the structure (1) has markings (11) 15 which may be detected by said sensors.

6. The device according to claim 4, characterized in that said positioning means comprise at least one webcam which may be oriented towards at least three 20 openings (10) of the structure.

7. A method for handling a heavy construction structure (1), said structure (1) being pierced right through with vertical openings (10) said method being 25 characterized in that it comprises the following steps: (a) positioning of the device (3) according to one of claims 3 to 6 so as to place each element (2) above the corresponding opening (10), 30 (b) having the rod (20) of each element (2) pass into the corresponding opening (10), (c) extending the mobile element (24) of each element (2) under the lower face (12) of the structure (1). 35

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that in step (a), positioning is achieved by a system of optical sensors (32) or by at least one webcam.