FR3006345A1 - METHOD FOR INSTALLING EQUIPMENT IN SOIL AND VEHICLE FOR INSTALLING SUCH EQUIPMENT - Google Patents

Abstract

A method of installing equipment (3) in a soil (1), the method comprising a step of positioning said equipment (3) on a support layer (1A) of said soil (1) and a suction step at least a portion of said support layer (1A) so that the equipment (3) sinks into the ground (1).

Description

The present invention relates to the field of civil engineering and, more specifically, to the installation of a piece of equipment in a field of civil engineering. floor, for example, a draw chamber, a look, an enclosure, a pole, etc.

The installation of equipment in a soil is a problem that concerns the field of construction but also many other technical fields such as rail transport, energy, sanitation, communications, etc. For example, in the railway sector, equipment must be installed in the ground near railway tracks. With reference to FIG. 1, a railway track 10 comprises two longitudinal rails 11 connected by a plurality of orthogonal crosspieces 12 resting on a floor 1 having on the surface a ballast layer. Ordinarily, many cables are arranged near the railway track 10 for transmitting data and / or energy to supply, control and control the rail safety installations of the track 10. When the cables have to cross a track rail 10, the latter are buried under said railway track 10 so as not to be damaged during the maintenance operations of the railway track 10, for example, during the replacement of the ballast layer. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the cables are arranged in nozzles 13 buried under the railway track 10. Ordinarily, the ends of the nozzles 13 are connected to chambers 3, installed in the ground 1, from which the cables open . These chambers 3 are known to those skilled in the art under the designation "draft chamber" and form an access for the installation of cables and their maintenance.

A draft chamber 3 is one of the many railway equipment that must be installed in the ground 1 during an operation to create or modify a railway track 10.

In practice, in order to install a draft chamber 3, an operator first realizes a terracing operation in order to form a cavity in the ground 1 whose dimensions are greater than the draft chamber 3. The excavation is carried out by For example, by means of a backhoe loader and the excavated elements are placed on the ground 1 near the excavated cavity. Then, the draft chamber 3 is placed in the hollow cavity. Then, a part of the excavated elements is used to backfill the space provided outside the draft chamber 3 in the hollow cavity in order to block the position of the draft chamber 3. In a conventional manner, the nozzles 13 are installed in a similar manner during the same step, or later.

Such an installation method has several disadvantages. First, the earthwork operation is long to implement because it requires forming a cavity in the soil whose dimensions are greater than the draft chamber. In addition, buried elements can be damaged when the ground is dug, for example cables or fluid lines. Moreover, the earthmoving operation is complex since the ground has on the surface a layer of ballast which is likely to fall into the bottom of the cavity during the earthwork and thus reduce its depth. This phenomenon, called deconsolidation of the cavity, significantly increases the dimensions of the cavity and lengthens the duration of the earthwork. In addition, the phenomenon of deconsolidation of the cavity does not allow to form a stable cavity over time. Also, it is necessary to form the cavity and place the draft chamber shortly afterwards to prevent the ballast from falling to the bottom of the cavity. The phenomenon of deconsolidation is further amplified by the fact that the cavity is formed near a railway track that vibrates the ground during the circulation of a rail vehicle. Also, it is necessary to impose speed limits on the railway during the stage of installation of a draft chamber, which causes an increase in operating costs.

Finally, excavated soil elements located near the installation site must be removed to avoid site pollution, which increases the installation time. In practice, the excavated elements can sometimes not be removed which pollutes the ballast layer and reduces its damping properties. In practice, the installation of a draft chamber requires several hours of work which has a drawback given the number of draw chambers to be installed for the entire railway network.

GENERAL PRESENTATION OF THE INVENTION In order to eliminate at least some of these drawbacks, the present invention aims at proposing a method of installing equipment in a soil that is simple and quick to implement while avoiding pollution of the place of residence. 'installation. For this purpose, the present invention relates to a method for installing equipment in a soil, the method comprising a step of positioning said equipment on a support layer of said soil and a step of suctioning at least a portion of said support layer so that the equipment sinks into said ground. Advantageously, because of gravity, the equipment gradually sinks into the ground following the suction of its support layer. As a result, the cavity dug by suction matches the shape and dimensions of the equipment to be installed, which limits the duration of earthwork. In addition, the suction step is quick to implement and limits the pollution of the installation site. The installation time of a piece of equipment is thus divided by three in comparison with a method according to the prior art. The productivity is thus greatly improved as well as the quality of execution. In addition, thanks to the suction step, the risk of destruction of buried elements is considerably reduced. Preferably, the equipment comprising a peripheral belt, the suction step is performed from the inside of said peripheral belt. In other words, the equipment is hollow and devoid of bottom wall. Thus, any risk of deconsolidation of the excavated cavity is eliminated. Indeed, the peripheral belt remains in contact with the walls of the hollow cavity which can not deconsolider. In other words, the peripheral belt forms a holding surface of the hollow cavity to prevent elements of the cavity from flowing into the bottom of the cavity to reduce the depth. In other words, the belt automatically shields the hollow cavity to avoid deconsolidation. The method advantageously allows a "self-shielding" of the excavated cavity.

Preferably, the suction is carried out at a distance from the belt, preferably of the order of 10 cm, in order to avoid sucking up the soil situated outside the belt. No backfilling step is necessary after installation. Preferably, the equipment is installed in a soil having a surface layer of ballast. Thanks to the method according to the invention, the peripheral ballast layer at the installation site is not affected by the installation and remains packed to provide optimal damping properties. Runoff of the ballast in the bottom of the excavated cavity is thus avoided.

Preferably, the method further comprises a step of decomposing the soil, preferably said support layer. A decomposition of the soil in small elements facilitates their aspiration, which accelerates the installation of the equipment.

Preferably, the step of decomposing the soil is carried out by blowing. A pressurized airflow shears the soil to form small elements. Preferably, the equipment comprising a peripheral belt, the decomposition step is performed from the inside of said peripheral belt. Thus, any part of the decomposed soil is directly sucked up. Preferably, the decomposition step is carried out to decompose the support layer located under the peripheral belt. Thus, the support layer can be sucked away from the belt of the equipment.

More preferably, the method comprises a step of storing the soil sucked into a container, which avoids any pollution of the installation site. In a preferred aspect, the equipment is oriented according to its orientation of use during the positioning step. Indeed, as the support layer is sucked under the equipment so that it sinks vertically, its orientation is not changed during installation. Advantageously, it is possible to precisely define the orientation of use of the equipment from the positioning step.

The invention further relates to a vehicle for the installation of equipment in a soil, the vehicle comprising at least one adapted suction tool and intended to suck a part of a soil to dig it. Preferably, the suction tool is capable of generating a suction pressure of the order of 40,000 Pascals.

Preferably, the vehicle further comprises at least one blow decomposition tool adapted and adapted to decompose a portion of the ground. Preferably, the vehicle comprises at least one container connected to said suction tool to store any part of the ground sucked.

PRESENTATION OF THE FIGURES The invention will be better understood on reading the description which will follow, given solely by way of example, and referring to the appended drawings in which: FIG. 1 is a schematic view from above of a track railway under which are placed nozzles having cables opening into drawing chambers installed in the ground; - Figure 2 is a schematic sectional view of a draft chamber positioned on the floor; Figure 3 is a schematic sectional view of a step of sucking a portion of the soil from the inside of the draft chamber; - Figure 4 is a schematic sectional view of a decomposition step and suction of the soil from the inside of the draft chamber partially sunk into the ground; - Figure 5 is a schematic sectional view of the draft chamber driven into the ground; - Figure 6 is a perspective view of a draft chamber positioned on the floor; - Figure 7 is a perspective view of a step of suction of a portion of the soil from the inside of the draft chamber; - Figure 8 is a perspective view of a step of decomposing and suction of the soil from the inside of the draft chamber partially sunk into the ground; and Figure 9 is a perspective view of the draft chamber driven into the ground and closed by a cover. It should be noted that the figures disclose the invention in detail to implement the invention, said figures can of course be used to better define the invention where appropriate. DESCRIPTION OF ONE OR MORE MODES OF REALIZATION AND IMPLEMENTATION The present invention will be presented later for an application in the railway field. It goes without saying that the invention could be implemented in other areas, in particular, in the construction or installation of sanitation equipment, communication or energy. Referring to Figure 6, the method of installation of equipment will be presented for the installation of a draft chamber 3 near a rail in a soil 1 comprising a surface ballast layer. The draft chamber 3 has four side walls forming a peripheral belt 30 of square section, of dimensions 1.2 m by 1.2 m, and of vertical height H of the order of 1.2 m as illustrated in FIG. 6. It goes without saying that the dimensions of the draft chamber 3 could be different to reach, for example, 1.65m or 1.8m in height. With reference to FIG. 6, the draft chamber 3 is formed by assembling three elementary modules, but it goes without saying that the draft chamber could comprise a different number of elementary modules, in particular a single module.

In other words, the draft chamber 3 is in the form of an enclosure with no bottom wall. It goes without saying that the peripheral belt 30 could have a different shape, for example, an annular or polygonal shape.

In this exemplary implementation, the installation method comprises a step of positioning the draft chamber 3 on the floor 1 and a step of orienting the latter according to its orientation of use. In this example, as schematically illustrated in FIG. 2, the lower edge 30A of the peripheral belt 30 is supported by a support layer 1A of the floor 1 extending vertically under the peripheral belt 30 of the draft chamber 3. In a similar manner to the belt 30, the support layer 1A extends peripherally under the latter. Still with reference to FIG. 2, the peripheral belt 30 of the draft chamber 3 defines an interior zone 5 from which the floor 1 is visually accessible. Subsequently, this part of the ground 1 is designated inner layer 1B and extends internally to the support peripheral layer 1A. According to this exemplary implementation, with reference to FIGS. 3 and 7, the installation method comprises a step of sucking at least a portion of said support layer 1A so that the drawing chamber 3 s In the ground 1. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the suction step is carried out from the inner zone 5 of said peripheral belt 30 so as to suck the inner layer 1B with the support layer 1A. Preferably, the suction step is performed by means of a suction tool 4 capable of generating a suction pressure of the order of 40,000 pascals known to those skilled in the art under its commercial designation " Excavator suction. With reference to FIG. 3, the suction tool 4 comprises a suction head 40 which preferably comprises teeth 41 so as to hollow out the inner layer 1B and / or the support layer 1A all by aspiring. Preferably, the suction tool 4 comprises a container 42 adapted to store the soil sucked and thus avoid pollution of the storage location. In this example, the suction head 40 has a diameter of the order of 250 mm.

The suction tool 4 is integrated with a vehicle, road or rail, to allow its movement to the place of installation and storage of the soil sucked. In this example, the suction tool 4 is in the form of a robotic arm terminated at its free end by the suction head 40. The suction tool 4 is controlled by means of a housing of control that can be carried by an operator to achieve precise aspiration. In order to facilitate the suction of the support layer 1A, the installation method further comprises a step of decomposition of the soil 1, preferably of said support layer 1A. With reference to FIG. 4, the step of decomposing the soil 1 is carried out by means of a blowing tool 6 adapted to emit a high-pressure air stream in order to shear the support layer 1A into small elements . Such a blowing tool 6 is advantageous compared to a liquid ejection decomposition tool that would penalize the suction step. As illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 8, the decomposition step is performed from the inside of the peripheral belt 30 in order to accelerate the suction of the support layer 1A. Preferably, the blowing tool 6 is integrated with a vehicle, road or rail, to allow its movement to the installation site. Preferably, the suction tool 4 and the blowing tool 6 belong to the same vehicle. Preferably, the decomposition step is performed concomitantly with the suction step in order to accelerate the suction of the support layer 1A. In order to avoid sucking the soil located outside the belt 30, the suction tool 4 is kept at a distance from the belt 30, for example, at a distance of the order of 10 cm. The blowing tool 6 is used to break down the support layer 1A located under the peripheral belt 30 before being sucked.

With reference to FIG. 4, as the support layer IA and the inner layer 1B are removed from the floor 1, the draft chamber 3 gradually sinks into the floor 1, under the effect of the gravity, until fully or partially buried in the ground 1 as shown in Figures 5 and 9. Advantageously, the hollow cavity conforms to the shape of the draft chamber 3 which eliminates or limits any step of backfill.

As the draft chamber 3 sinks, the outer surface of the belt 30 is in contact with the peripheral wall of the cavity formed in the ground 1. Thus, any risk of deconsolidation of the hollow cavity is eliminated. which is particularly advantageous for a railway application subject to vibrations. We obtain a "self-shielding") of the excavated cavity. Preferably, the suction tool 4 can be used to exert a vertical force directed downwards on the draft chamber 3 in order to favor its insertion into the ground 1. During this maneuver, the suction of the suction tool 4 is cut and a buffer element is disposed between the draft chamber 3 and the head 40 of the suction tool 4 to avoid damaging the draft chamber 3. A wooden board can, for example, be used as a buffer element.

After installation, the draft chamber 3 can be closed by means of a cover 31 as illustrated in FIG. 9. Thus, any risk of ballast falling inside the draft chamber 3 is avoided. In practice, the tests have shown that the installation time of a draft chamber 3 is divided by 3 in comparison with a method of installation according to the prior art. The invention has been presented for equipment comprising a peripheral belt devoid of bottom wall, but it goes without saying that the invention applies to any equipment, in particular, equipment with a bottom wall. According to this alternative, the suction step is performed from outside the equipment without polluting the installation site. According to this alternative, after installation, it is necessary to backfill the space formed between the cavity dug by suction and the equipment.

The installation method can also be implemented to install nozzles under a railway track to connect two draw chambers 3. Alternatively, the installation process can be implemented to install chambers, looks or enclosures for the construction of a tramway, a station, an energy network, a sewerage network or an electricity network.

Vertical elements such as catenary poles or concrete blocks can also be installed according to this method. For example, an annular tube is installed in the ground according to the method of the invention to fulfill a function of base. A post is mounted vertically in said tube, buried in the ground, before being secured to the latter, for example, by bonding with concrete. Similarly, stabilization or shielding equipment may be provided to retain a track, platform or embankment. The installation process limits the risk of damage to nearby buried elements.

Claims (10)

REVENDICATIONS1. A method of installing equipment (3) in a soil (1), the method comprising a step of positioning said equipment (3) on a support layer (1A) of said soil (1) and a suction step of at least a portion of said support layer (1A) so that the equipment (3) sinks into said floor (1). 2. A method according to claim 1, wherein, the equipment (3) having a peripheral belt (30), the sucking step is performed from within said circumferential belt (30). 3. Method according to one of claims 1 to 2, further comprising a step of decomposing the soil (1), preferably, said support layer (30). 15 4. Method according to claim 3, wherein the step of decomposing the soil (1) is carried out by blowing. 5. Method according to one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a step 20 of storage of the soil sucked into a container (42). 6. Method according to one of claims 1 to 5, for the installation of equipment (3) in a soil (1) having on the surface a ballast layer. 25 7. Method according to one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the equipment (3) is oriented in its orientation of use during the positioning step. 8. Vehicle adapted for implementing a method of installing equipment (3) in a floor (1) according to one of claims 1 to 7, the vehicle 30 comprising at least one suction tool (4) adapted and adapted to suck a part of a soil (1) to dig it. 9. Vehicle according to claim 8, comprising at least one blowing decomposition tool (6) adapted and intended to decompose a portion of the soil (1). 10. Vehicle according to one of claims 8 to 9, comprising at least one container (42) connected to said suction tool (4).