EP0159573B1 - Process and device for the controlled advancing of under-ground pipes in inaccesible cross-sectional areas - Google Patents

Abstract

1. A process for the controlled underground advance of pipes (4) in the non-negotiable diameter range, comprising pressing forward a pipe line (4), starting from a starting excavation (1), with expansion or removal of the earth with a boring tool (15, 18), and possibly with the earth removed being conveyed to the starting excavation (1), characterized in that firstly, starting from the starting excavation (1), an encasing pipe line comprising encasing pipes (3, 3') which are of an inside diameter that is larger than the outside diameter of the product pipes (4) to be laid is advanced, possibly in addition with an outside seal (5), the boring tool (15) for boring through the earth is possibly withdrawn to the starting excavation (1) through the encasing pipe line (3, 3') which has been pressed forward thereto, and a boring tool (18) for boring through solid obstacles is pushed forward from the starting excavation (1) through the encasing pipe line (3, 3') and the obstacle is bored through, when the target object (2) is reached, if necessary after the boring tool in the encasing pipe line (3, 3') has been previously pulled back, a boring tool is pushed forward from the starting excavation to bore through the target object (2), said boring tool is withdrawn again to the starting excavation (1) after boring through the target object (2), then a product pipe line (4) is pushed forward from the starting excavation (1) through the encasing pipe line (3, 3') into the target object (2) and finally the encasing pipe line (3, 3') is withdrawn to the starting excavation (1), with the product pipe line (4) being fixed in position.

Description

The present invention relates to a method and a device for the controlled underground driving of pipes in the inaccessible diameter range in accordance with the generic terms of the main method and device claims.

So far, a controlled underground pipe advance has been carried out in such a way that a jacking pipe is driven from a dug-out starting pit, in which a pressing device is installed, to a target pit that is also to be excavated, and a control head is articulated on the end face thereof for controlling the heading to the target pit which also carries a drilling tool for working the soil (EP-A-0 100 748, FR-A-2 349 091). The drilling tool either works on the displacer principle or tears open the face of the ground. In the latter case, the drilling tool is coupled to a conveyor string that conveys the soil to the starting pit. To the rear, the product pipes to be laid are gradually coupled to the jacking pipe. The control and actuation mechanism for the control head pivoting is located in the jacking pipe. The actuation lines for the control of the control head and the drilling tool, possibly also the conveyor itself, are lengthened accordingly piece by piece when the product pipes are coupled. When the target pit is reached, the jacking pipe, control head and drilling tool are removed there. What is disturbing in this embodiment is the need to always have to dig a sufficiently large target pit in addition to the starting pit. A further disadvantage of this embodiment is that if the propulsion hits obstacles such as stones or the like that are too large for them to be able to drive around back to the old target direction, pits must be excavated from the surface of the earth at all these points to remove these obstacles. Repairs to the drill head during the advance also require the excavation of a corresponding pit in order to reach the drill head.

An interesting area of application for such an underground pipe jacking is the creation of house connections for inner city supply and disposal lines. Small diameter ranges of 150-200 mm are affected here. Such connections are made from a starting pit in the basement of a house to the usually below the roadway of the road-running collectors. So far, work has essentially been carried out here in an open construction, ie extremely cumbersome, with blocking of road traffic with considerable noise and dirt pollution for the population.

In this application, too, the above-mentioned problems exist with an underground pipe jacking, in the case of a collector that cannot be walked on, the requirement is added by drilling the wall of the collector and creating a tight connection, for example a house connection pipe, to a collector that cannot be walked on.

In terms of device, it is also known in the articulation of control heads, cutting rings and the like on the jacking tube (DE-A-2 740 473) to make the articulation in such a way that the control head or the cutting ring can be pivoted in any direction as desired. In the known device, the articulation is carried out by means of two ball joints, which are provided diametrically opposite one another laterally and in relation to the position of use at about half the height of the product tube and the cutting ring. It is operated via several hydraulic cylinders.

Finally, collapsible and expandable drilling tools are known for drilling tools for earthworks (EP-A-0 065 284, DE-A-2 422 489). These are designed to pierce solid obstacles such as natural stones. They are slidably guided in a carrier tube and can be in a drilling position. be expanded by the drilling diameter corresponding at least to the outer diameter of the carrier tube. After clearing the passage for the carrier tube, such a drilling tool can be collapsed again to a smaller diameter. The collapse and expansion takes place through a controlled rotary movement limited by stops, with which the pivotably mounted drilling tool segments are pivoted accordingly via support and control curve sections.

The present invention. is therefore based on the task of creating a method and an apparatus for carrying out the method in order to carry out the underground controlled pipe jacking also through any obstacles and through the wall of a target object exclusively from a starting pit. With regard to the method, the solution according to the invention results from the characterizing part of patent claim 1, and with regard to the device for carrying out the method it results from the characterizing part of patent claim 5.

The fact that one now only pre-presses a cladding tube during pipe jacking, through which one can later push the product pipes to be driven, possibly with an outer seal on them, and by using a set of various drilling tools that can be used in this cladding tube forward on site can push and can pull it back again, practically all occurring work can only be carried out from the starting pit. It happens, for example, in advance If the cladding cable pull is damaged in order to damage the drilling tool processing the earth face, pull it back through the cladding tube cable to the starting pit and can repair it there. If the jacking of the cladding tube hits an obstacle that cannot be reversed, for example a boulder or the like, the drilling tool for earthwork is withdrawn to the starting pit and from there a drilling tool specially designed for drilling through such obstacles is pushed to the obstacle and the obstacle is pierced accordingly. In a preferred embodiment, this drilling tool is designed to be collapsible and expandable. In the collapsed state, it can be pushed through the cladding tube. After advancing in front of the obstacle, it is then expanded to at least the outer diameter of the cladding tube and the control head articulated on the first driving cladding tube and thus drills the through-hole in such a large diameter through the obstacle that the subsequent further pre-pressing of the cladding tube is problem-free. If the jacking of the cladding tube hits the target object due to the control of the jacking, after pulling back the drilling tool for soil cultivation to the starting pit from the starting pit, if necessary, another drilling tool which is intended for drilling through the wall of the target object can be advanced and the target object, for example, a collector to which a house connection is to be connected. After this drilling tool has also been withdrawn from the starting pit, the product tube train is then pushed through the cladding tube from the starting pit out of the product tube to the target object, optionally into the perforated wall of the target object, optionally using a seal on the front end of the first product tube of the product tube train. The finished product pipe train is then blocked from moving back from the starting pit and you pull back from the starting pit the now unnecessary cladding pipe train, which of course can be used again and again. If necessary, you can then fill from the starting pit from the annulus created by the retraction of the cladding tube.

In an expedient embodiment of the method, it is also possible, after reaching the target object before it is drilled, to solidify the soil in the area of the connection point by injection from the starting pit and thus at least temporarily bring about a sealing of the connection point against any water present. This consolidation can also be useful when changing tools.

Another very useful embodiment of the method consists in drilling the target object to form a drill core and pulling the drill core back to the starting pit with the drilling tool and then determining the dimensions of a seal to be placed on the front end of the first product pipe according to the dimensions of the drill core. This gives a seal that is precisely adapted to the diameter and the length of the bore through the target wall and thus acts very reliably.

Further preferred refinements, in particular also structural refinements of parts of the device, in particular insofar as they relate to the displaceability of the drilling tools in the cladding tube and in the control head and insofar as they relate to the special refinement of special drilling tools of the drilling tool set are characterized in the subclaims.

An embodiment of such a device is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

• Figur 1 ein schematisches Schaubild eines unterirdischen Rohrvortriebes für die Verlegung eines Produktenrohrzuges zu einem Zielobjekt in Form eines Sammlers mit vergrößerter Einzeldarstellung der Anschlußstelle von Sammler und erstem Produktenrohr,
• Figur 2 einen Längsschnitt durch das vordere Ende des ersten Vortriebshüllrohres mit angelenktem Steuerkopf, verschieblich im Steuerkopf und im vorderen Ende des ersten Vortriebshüllrohres geführte Steuereinrichtung für die Schwenkbewegung des Steuerkopfes sowie mit einem eingeschobenen Erdbearbeitungsbohrwerkzeug,
• Figur 3 eine vereinfachte' Längsschnittdarstellung durch das vordere Ende des Vortriebshüllrohres und des Steuerkopfes mit eingeschobenem expandierbaren Bohrwerkzeug zum Durchbohren fester Hindernisse,
• Figur 4 einen Querschnitt durch das Bohrwerkzeug gemäß Schnitt IV-IV der Figur 3.

Show it

• FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of an underground pipe jacking for laying a product pipe train to a target object in the form of a collector with an enlarged individual representation of the connection point between the collector and the first product pipe,
• FIG. 2 shows a longitudinal section through the front end of the first jacking sleeve with articulated control head, control device for the pivoting movement of the control head and displaceably guided in the control head and in the front end of the first jacketing sleeve, and with an inserted earthworking drilling tool,
• FIG. 3 shows a simplified longitudinal sectional view through the front end of the jacking tube and the control head with an expandable drilling tool inserted for drilling through solid obstacles,
• FIG. 4 shows a cross section through the drilling tool according to section IV-IV of FIG. 3.

As an implementation example for the method according to the invention for the controlled underground driving of pipes in the inaccessible diameter range, the creation of a house connection starting from a starting pit 1 excavated in the floor of the house basement to a collector 2 running below the street will be described below as an example. A commercial device for pre-pressing pipes is first installed in the starting pit 1. With their help, a train of cladding tubes 3 to collector 2 is now driven as the first method step. These cladding tubes 3, which can each be coupled to one another in the course of the advance, are led by a specially designed first jacking cladding tube 3 ', as will be explained in more detail in connection with FIG. 2. All cladding tubes 3 and 3 'have such a clear inner diameter that' a train of product tubes 4, which are also to be coupled to one another and to be laid, taking into account in the given example an elastic seal 5 to be arranged on the first product tube 4, through which the cladding tube can be advanced to the collector 2. Furthermore, the various drilling tools associated with the device are also designed so that they can be pushed forward through the cladding tubes 3, 3 'on site and can also be withdrawn from there.

In FIG. 2 it is shown by way of example that a tubular guide piece 6 is fastened to the front end of the first jacking pipe 3 ', the inner wall of which is designed as a sliding guide 7. The outer ring 9 of a control head is articulated on the tubular guide piece 6 at the front end, for example via a swivel joint 8 located below during operation, which permits swiveling in several axes. In a tubular frame 11, which can be pushed back and forth on the outside in the sliding guide 7 of the tubular guide piece 6, are the essential elements of the control and actuation mechanism for the pivoting movement of the control head 10 and also the essential elements for the actuation of the earth-working tool and, if appropriate the earth production to the starting pit. For the pivoting of the control head 10 about the pivot axes of the swivel joint 8, several piston-cylinder units 12, one of which is shown in longitudinal section, are provided, for example distributed over the circumference, to be actuated hydraulically from the starting pit. The free end of the piston rod facing away from the piston is articulated to an inner body 13 of the control head 10. The inner body 13 is displaceably guided in an extension of the sliding guide 7 in a corresponding sliding guide 7 'in the outer ring 9 of the control head 10. In the vicinity of its outer end, the outer ring 9 of the control head 10 has an end stop 14 for the advance movement of the inner body 13 together with the tubular frame 11 as well as actuation and control mechanisms. The two sliding guides 7 and 7 'are bridged by a sheet metal ring 7 ″, through which the parts can also be pushed.

In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 2, a tapered drill 15 is provided as the earth working tool, which continues backwards in the form of a screw conveyor 16, which travels the soil coming in through the essentially front end of the outer ring 9 and the inner body 13 of the control head 10 Directed towards the starting pit 1. Storage and support of the drilling tool 15 together with the screw conveyor 16 take place in the interior of the tubular frame 11. In the tubular embodiment 11 there is also a pipe string 17 in the exemplary embodiment shown, through which, for example by means of a flushing liquid supplied from the starting pit, that during propulsion the drilling tool 15 drilled soil can be discharged to the starting pit 1.

The mechanism described above is essentially limited to the first jacking casing 3 ', with the exception, for example, of the pipe string 17 and all supply lines to the actuating units, for the flushing medium supply and the supply lines for driving the drilling tool including the screw conveyor.

It goes without saying that, deviating from the above-described exemplary embodiment, in a correspondingly displaceable arrangement in the first jacketing tube 3 'and the outer ring 9 of the control head 10, other swivel mechanisms for the control head and other types of drilling tools for working the soil, in particular also those which are not according to the Principle of soil extraction but working on the principle of displacement, can be arranged.

The further cladding tubes 3 to be coupled to the first jacking cladding tube 3 ′ normally do not require any guide pieces comparable to the tubular guide piece 6. It is sufficient if its inner diameter is so large that the tubular frame 11 can be easily pushed through with sufficient play.

If one meets in the course of the advance of the cladding tube 3, 3 ', controlled by appropriate controlling pivoting movements of the control head 10 in the direction of the collector 2, a solid obstacle, for example a boulder, which is so large that the tube can be activated again old target direction can not be controlled around it, pulling the drilling tool for earthworking, in the embodiment according to Figure 2, together with the entire actuating mechanism for the control head pivoting including swivel joint 8 and inner body 13 of the control head and all the parts located in the tubular frame 11 the cladding tube pull that had previously been driven from the starting pit 1 back to the starting pit 1 and now pushes a new drilling tool through the cladding tube pull and in particular also the first driving cladding tube 3 'and the outer ring 9 of the control head 10 that remains on the front side against the obstacle. This situation is illustrated in FIG. 3, which shows in longitudinal section the special drilling tool that is advanced in front of the obstacle for drilling through such an obstacle.

The essence of this drilling tool, identified as a whole by the reference number 18, is that it can be collapsed into a small-diameter state by being pushed in front of the obstacle in the manner mentioned, it then being able to be expanded again on site and then doing one Ent outside diameter at least speaking the outer diameter of the outer ring 9 of the control head 10 and the cladding tubes 3, 3 ', so that the hole through the obstacle is large enough to then pass through the obstacle with the control head and the cladding tube easily.

In the drilling tool 18 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 for drilling out a solid obstacle, an outer tube 19 is provided, in which an inner tube 20, limited by stops 21, is rotatably supported within limits, which is connected to a rotary drive 22. In the end-facing approaches 23 of the outer tube 19 which overlap the inner tube, cutting ring segments 25 covered with diamond chips are rotatably mounted by means of pins 24, which have eccentric pieces 26 at their free ends, for which control cams 27 are provided in the frontal incisions of the inner tube. The cutting segments 25 have trimmings with, for example, diamond chips on the front and on their outer jacket.

In the collapsed state of the drilling tool 18, the inner tube 20 is rotated to the outer tube 19 so that it is spaced from the stops 21 (Figure 4) and the eccentric pieces 26 of the cutting segments 25 inside the recesses in the end face of the inner tube 20, d. H. before the start of the control curve 27. In this collapsed state, the drilling tool can be pushed in front of the obstacle through the cladding tube 3, 3 'and the outer ring 9 of the control head. If the rotary drive, which acts on the inner tube 20, is set in motion, the inner tube 20 rotates in relation to the outer tube 19, as a result of which the eccentric pieces 26 are pressed into the outer position shown in FIG. 4 by the control cams 27, as a result of which the cutting segments 25 rotate pivot the pins 24 around into the expanded position, which is indicated by the dot-dash line in FIG. 3. With further rotation, the stops 21 automatically take along the outer tube 19 and thus to the rotary drive of the drilling tool 18 as a whole, which now drills such a large hole in the obstacle with rotation and simultaneous pre-pressing by means of the pre-pressing device on the starting pit side that the cladding tube pull and control head are problem-free can drive through.

If the obstacle is pierced, the above-described drilling tool, which can also be constructed differently with regard to its collapse and expansion, for example using toggle levers, is withdrawn to the starting pit 1 through the cladding tube pull, and the drilling tool is then used for soil cultivation, for example as in connection described with Figure 2, pushed back on site.

If the tunneling now reaches the target object, for example when creating a house connection to collector 2, in this use case of the method and, if water is present, which could occur when drilling through the collector while carrying contaminated soil with it, first of all from starting pit 1 the soil in the area of the connection point to the collector 2 solidifies the drilling tool for the injectors assigned to the soil, so that a consolidation zone 28 forms around the connection point. Then in the manner described the drilling tool for soil cultivation. retracted from the outer ring 9 of the control head 10 and the cladding tube 3 ', 3 back to the starting pit and in this application example, the cladding tube and the outer ring 9 of the control head 10 now push a drilling tool in front of the collector 2, which is used to drill through the wall of the collector 2 is determined. This drilling tool, not shown in the drawing, consists, for example, in a very simple manner of a tube piece which is covered with diamond chips and provided with a rotary drive. If the wall of the collector 2 is pierced with such a piece of pipe, the plaster bored out of the collector wall is located in the tubular drilling tool. This drilling tool is now also pulled back to the starting pit 1. You can also get to the plaster, where you can see the exact shape of the drilling in the collector wall, so that you can measure according to its dimensions, in particular the length of an elastic seal 5 to be placed on the first product tube 4 at the front end, the outer diameter of the last used drilling tool and the outer diameter of this elastic seal 5 match. After appropriate adjustment and placement of the seal 5 is now pushed from the starting pit 1 from the product tube 4 formed from coupled product tubes 4 through the cladding tube to the collector 2, the elastic seal 5 getting into the through-hole of the wall of the collector 2 and being elastically fixed in it . It is expedient to design the seal 5 with circumferential lips 29, which firmly attach to the bore on the collector wall and effect a good seal. At the same time, a certain elasticity of the seal is achieved, which can compensate for any subsequent subsidence without becoming leaky. In this embodiment, it is particularly useful if it emerges from the type of cleaning that the collector has been drilled off-center at a steep angle, to fill in the spaces between the lips 29 of the seal 5 with an elastic mass before insertion of the product tube train, which can prevent this that liquid runs through the grooves between the lips either into the collector or even out of it.

Since in the procedure described above, the distance between the starting pit 1 and the collector 2 can also be determined exactly, and in particular due to the presence of the plaster from the collector walls Here, too, the displacement path can be determined exactly, it must be ensured that, with a sealing sleeve 5 that is precisely adjusted in length, the product pipe pull is only advanced so far that the front end of the first product pipe does not protrude into the collector and here, possibly, as a flow barrier, Deposits produced.

After insertion of the product pipe 4, the position of the product pipe 4 is blocked on the starting pit side and the cladding pipe 3, 3 ′ is then pulled back into the starting pit 1. The sheet metal ring 7 'with its outwardly angled tabs (see FIG. 2) is stable enough to also bring the outer ring 9 of the control head 10, which is still on site, into the starting pit 1 together with the first jacking pipe 3'.

If necessary, the annular space created by the retraction of the cladding tube can still be filled from the starting pit 1.

Deviating from the described embodiment, other cutting materials can be used instead of the diamond splinters, e.g. B. hard metal splinters or small cutting edges to be used.

Claims (10)

1. A process for the controlled underground advance of pipes (4) in the non-negotiable diameter range, comprising pressing forward a pipe line (4), starting from a starting excavation (1), with expansion or removal of the earth with a boring tool (15, 18), and possibly with the earth removed being conveyed to the starting excavation (1), characterised in that firstly, starting from the starting excavation (1), an encasing pipe line ccmprising encasing pipes (3, 3') which are of an inside diameter that is larger than the outside diameter of the product pipes (4) to be laid is advanced, possibly in addition with an outside seal (5), the boring tool (15) for boring through the earth is possibly withdrawn to the starting excavation (1) through the encasing pipe line (3, 3') which has been pressed forward thereto, and a boring tool (18) for boring through solid obstacles is pushed forward from the starting excavation (1) through the encasing pipe line (3, 3') and the obstacle is bored through, when the target object (2) is reached, if necessary after the boring tool in the encasing pipe line (3, 3') has been previously pulled back, a boring tool is pushed forward from the starting excavation to bore through the target object (2), said boring tool is withdrawn again to the starting excavation (1) after boring through the target object (2), then a product pipe line (4) is pushed forward from the starting excavation (1) through the encasing pipe line (3, 3') into the target object (2) and finally the encasing pipe line (3, 3') is withdrawn to the starting excavation (1), with the product pipe line (4) being fixed in position.

2. A process according to claim 1 characterised in that after the target object (2) is reached, before boring through same, the earth in the region of the connecting location is first consolidated by injection from the starting excavation (1

3. A process according to claim 1 characterised in that the target object (2) is bored through, forming a boring core, the boring core is withdrawn with the boring tool to the starting excavation (1) and the dimensions of a seal (5) which is to be fitted on to the front end of the product pipe line (4) are determined in accordance with the dimensions of the boring core.

4. A process according to claim 3 characterised in that an elastic seal (5) having a plurality of lips (29) extending therearound is used and that, before the product pipe line (4) is pushed forward to the target object (2), the spaces between the lips (29) is filled with an elastic material.

5. Apparatus for carrying out the process according to claim 1 comprising a pressing device which is installed at the starting excavation end, a first advance pipe (3') to which a control head (10) is pivotally connected at its leading end and to which further pipes (3) can be coupled at the trailing end, a drivable boring tool (15) which is provided in and forwardly on the control head (10), and possibly a conveyor means (16) which is arranged in the control head (10) and the advance pipe (3') and which can be extended by the pipes (3) which are coupled to the first pipe, and a control and actuating mechanism (12) which is arranged in the advance pipe (3') for pivoting the control head (10), characterised in that the advance pipe (3') is the first pipe of a line of encasing pipes (3, 3') which can be coupled together, the inside diameter of the encasing pipes being larger than the product pipes (3) which are to be laid, possibly including an outside seal (5) thereon, and there is provided a set of boring tools (15, 18) for boring the earth and for boring through solid obstacles, wherein the boring tool (15) for boring through the earth and possibly the conveyor means (16) for conveying the earth to the starting excavation (1), together with the control and actuating means (12) for the pivotal movement of the control head (10) and together with an internal body (13), which is connected thereto, of the control head (10), are guided reciprocatingly through the encasing pipe line (3, 3') in guides (7') of an outside ring (9) of the control head (10) and in guides (7) of a tubular guide portion (6) provided at the leading end of the first advance encasing pipe (3'), wherein an end abutment (14) for the sliding movement is provided in the outside ring (9) of the control head (10) and that in addition the boring tool set comprises a boring tool (18) which can be collapsed for pushing it through the encasing pipe line (3, 3') and the outside ring (9) and which can be expanded at least to the outside diameter of the outside ring (9) and the encasing pipe line (3, 3') and which has cutting segments (25) at its front end, for boring through solid obstacles.

6. Apparatus according to claim 5 characterised in that the sliding guide (7) in the tubular guide portion (6) of the first advance encasing pipe (3') and the sliding guide (7') in the outside ring (9) of the control head (10) are interconnected by a sheet metal ring (7") which at the same time seals off the pivotal connecting region of the control head (10) at the leading end of the first advance encasing pipe (3').

7. Apparatus according to claim 5 characterised in that the parts of the control and actuating means (12) which are disposed in the region of the first advance encasing pipe (3') and the support and actuating means at that location for the boring tool (15) and possibly portions at that location of the conveyor means (16) for conveying earth to the starting excavation are arranged in a tubular frame (11) which is in turn slidably guided in the guide (7) of the tubular guide portion (6) of the first advance encasing pipe (3').

8. Apparatus according to claim 5 characterised in that the collapsible boring tool (18) has an inner tube (20) which is provided with a rotary drive (22) and which is arranged limitedly against an abutment (21) in an outer tube (19) and cutting segments (25) are mounted rotatably on the outer tube (19) at the leading end thereof, which cutting segments (25) are provided with cutting material on their outside surfaces and at their ends and at their free ends have eccentric portions (26), for the actuation of which control cams (27) are provided in end openings in the inner tube (20) in such a way that upon rotary movement of the inner tube (20) relative to the outer tube (19) the eccentric portions (26) pass outwardly out of the receiving openings in the inner tube (20) along the control cams (27) and in so doing pivot the cutting segments (25) into the expanded position.

9. Apparatus according to claim 5 characterised in that injectors are associated with the boring tool (15) for boring through the earth.

10. Apparatus according to claim 5 characterised in that the boring tool set comprises a boring tool for boring through the wall of a target object (2), which is in the form of a tube portion provided with cutting material.

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