GB1575761A

GB1575761A - Excavating shield apparatus and to methods of operating such apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB1575761A
Application number: GB4858477A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Gewerkschaft Eisenhutte Westfalia GmbH
Current assignee: Gewerkschaft Eisenhutte Westfalia GmbH
Priority date: 1976-11-27
Filing date: 1977-11-22
Publication date: 1980-09-24
Also published as: DE2653954C3; JPS5369432A; FR2372315A1; DE2653954A1; FR2372315B1; JPS5531270B2; DE2653954B2; ES457661A1

Description

(54) IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO EXCAVATING SHIELD APPARATUS AND TO METHODS OF OPERATING SUCH APPARATUS (71) We, GEWERKSCHAFT EISENHUTTE WESTFALIA, a body corporate organised and existing under the laws of the Federal Republic of Germany, of 4670 Linen, Federal Republic of Germany, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: The present invention relates in general to shield apparatus for driving tunnels, galleries, roadways or similar underground excavations and more particularly to an improved drive member for use in such apparatus.

Shield apparatus of known construction may employ a series of drive members or knives which are advanced individually or in groups towards a working face to drive the tunnel. In drifting work in loose soil or light material the drive members are pressed into the soil while in firm ground the drive memeber mainly perform a supporting function.

It is known to introduce a hardenable fluid or substance such as a thin cement mortar to consolidate the local working face to prevent loose soil collapsing into the shield. It is also known to introduce hardenable fluid such as a concrete or foam plastics around the wall behind the shield to provide at least temporary support and inhibit subsidence.

A general object of the present invention is to provide an improved form of drive member for use in shield apparatus.

A drive member made in accordance with the invention is of elongate form with upper and lower faces and is equipped with outlets at its upper and lower faces which can be selectively closed with closure means to permit fluid to discharge from one or other of the outlets.

The drive member may have a pipe or conduit communicating with outlets at the upper and lower faces of the drive member, the outlets being associated with closure means which can selectively close one or other of the outlets to permit fluid to be fed through the pipe or conduit to discharge from the open outlet.

Normally the drive member would be hollow with the pipe or conduit arranged therein and the outlets spaced from the front and rear ends of the member.

In contrast to the prior art, a hardenable fluid such as cement mortar or a synthetics plastics can be forced through the uppermost outlet of the drive member to fill cavities or other spaces in the tunnel wall immediately adjacent the local working face and around the shield. In this way a more effective inhibition to subsidence or loosening can be achieved. When the fluid is pumped out through the upper outlet the corresponding lower outlet would be closed off. Nevertheless it is desirable to keep the pipe or conduit clean and free from blockage. For this purpose it is desirable to close off the upper outlet and conversely to open the lower outlet to permit water to be pumped through the pipe for cleaning purposes. The cleaning water can discharge into the shield or else the water can be fed through the pipe in the reverse direction, i.e. from the lowermost outlet to the rear.

It is useful to employ a detachable plug or bolt as the closure means and to arrange for the plug to engage, as by screw threading, in one or other of the outlets. It is desirable to ensure that any adjustment of the plug, to open and close the selected outlets, be effected from within the shield.

The present invention also relates to a method of operating a shield apparatus employing one or more special drive members made in accordance with the main aspect of the invention. A preferred method of operating the shield apparatus may then comprise advancing the drive members in known manner individually or in groups and feeding a hardenable fluid through the or each special drive member or the pipe thereof to cause said fluid to discharge through its uppermost outlet and generally externally of the shield apparatus. This would normally occur while the lowermost outlet of the special drive member is closed. Thereafter the upper outlet of the or each special drive member can be closed and the lowermost outlet opened to permit the passage of a cleansing or flushing fluid, preferably water, through the special drive member or its pipe.

The invention may be understood more readily and various other features of the invention may become apparent from consideration of the following description.

An embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a sectional side view of a drive member made in accordance with the invention; and Figure 2 is a sectional side view of part of the drive member showing the closure means in an alternative position.

As shown in Figure 1, a drive member 10 takes the form of a hollow steel structure having a tapered cutting portion 11 at its forward end. The member 10 per se is intended for use in shield apparatus where a plurality of drive members are arranged in side-by-side relationship as is known.

The member 10 has a rearwardly projecting flat, plate-like extension 12.

In accordance with the invention, a conduit or pipe 13 is arranged inside the main body of the member 10 to extend longitudinally of the member 10. The pipe 13 communicates at its inner end with a short transverse pipe 14 conveniently welded into the member 10. The pipe 14 opens to the upper and lower surfaces of the member 10 to form openings or outlets 15, 16. The outlets 15, 16 are disposed intermediate the ends of the main body of the member 10 and approximately centrally thereof. The outlets 15, 16 can be selectively closed with closure means in the form of a detachable plug 17. Conveniently the pipe 14 has an internal thread and the plug 17 is similarly threaded to engage therewith.

As shown in Figure 1, the plug 17 is arranged to close the lower outlet 16. In this arrangement a hardenable fluid material, such as a foam plastics or thin cement mortar, can be introduced to the rear end 13' of the pipe 13 and fed through the pipe 13 to discharge from the upper outlet 15. This material can thus fill any cavities or cracks in the wall of the tunnel or working surrounding the shield apparatus. By transposing the plug to the upper outlet 15 as shown in Figure 2, the drive member 10 is made ready for a flushing or cleaning operation where a fluid flushing agent, usually water can be introduced to the rear end 13' of the pipe 13 and fed through the pipe 13 to discharge from the lower outlet 16. The flushing agent can thus flow into the interior of the shield apparatus. The flushing agent can however pass in the opposite direction from the outlet 16 rearwards.

It is preferable to adapt the plug 17 so that it can be transposed between the outlets 15, 16 by adjustment effected wholly from inside the shield apparatus. This can be accomplished by ensuring the pipe 14 is threaded between the outlets 15, 16 and by using a tool, such as an Allen key to engage in a polygonal recess in the plug 17.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A drive member for use in shield apparatus; said drive member being of elongate configuration with upper and lower faces and equipped with outlets at its upper and lower faces which can be selectively closed with closure means to permit fluid to discharge from one or other of the outlets.

2. A drive member for use in shield apparatus; said drive member being of elongate form with upper and lower faces and having a pipe or conduit communicating with outlets at the upper and lower faces of the drive member, the outlets being associated with closure means which can selectively close one or other of the outlets to permit fluid to be fed through the pipe or conduit to discharge from the open outlet.

3. A drive member according to claim 2, wherein the drive member is hollow and the pipe or conduit is disposed inside the drive member.

4. A drive member according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the closure means is a plug engageable in the or other of the outlets.

5. A drive member according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the outlets are formed by a pipe extending across the drive member.

6. A drive member according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the outlets are spaced from the ends of the drive member.

7. A drive member for use in shield apparatus substantially as described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

8. Shield apparatus employing a series of advanceable drive members, one or more of which drive members are constructed according to any one of the preceding claims.

9. A method of operating shield apparatus according to claim 8, said method comprising advancing said drive members individually or in groups and feeding a hardenable fluid through the or each drive member having the outlets therein to discharge through its uppermost outlet and externally of the shield while the lowermost outlet is closed.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. manner individually or in groups and feeding a hardenable fluid through the or each special drive member or the pipe thereof to cause said fluid to discharge through its uppermost outlet and generally externally of the shield apparatus. This would normally occur while the lowermost outlet of the special drive member is closed. Thereafter the upper outlet of the or each special drive member can be closed and the lowermost outlet opened to permit the passage of a cleansing or flushing fluid, preferably water, through the special drive member or its pipe. The invention may be understood more readily and various other features of the invention may become apparent from consideration of the following description. An embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a sectional side view of a drive member made in accordance with the invention; and Figure 2 is a sectional side view of part of the drive member showing the closure means in an alternative position. As shown in Figure 1, a drive member 10 takes the form of a hollow steel structure having a tapered cutting portion 11 at its forward end. The member 10 per se is intended for use in shield apparatus where a plurality of drive members are arranged in side-by-side relationship as is known. The member 10 has a rearwardly projecting flat, plate-like extension 12. In accordance with the invention, a conduit or pipe 13 is arranged inside the main body of the member 10 to extend longitudinally of the member 10. The pipe 13 communicates at its inner end with a short transverse pipe 14 conveniently welded into the member 10. The pipe 14 opens to the upper and lower surfaces of the member 10 to form openings or outlets 15, 16. The outlets 15, 16 are disposed intermediate the ends of the main body of the member 10 and approximately centrally thereof. The outlets 15, 16 can be selectively closed with closure means in the form of a detachable plug 17. Conveniently the pipe 14 has an internal thread and the plug 17 is similarly threaded to engage therewith. As shown in Figure 1, the plug 17 is arranged to close the lower outlet 16. In this arrangement a hardenable fluid material, such as a foam plastics or thin cement mortar, can be introduced to the rear end 13' of the pipe 13 and fed through the pipe 13 to discharge from the upper outlet 15. This material can thus fill any cavities or cracks in the wall of the tunnel or working surrounding the shield apparatus. By transposing the plug to the upper outlet 15 as shown in Figure 2, the drive member 10 is made ready for a flushing or cleaning operation where a fluid flushing agent, usually water can be introduced to the rear end 13' of the pipe 13 and fed through the pipe 13 to discharge from the lower outlet 16. The flushing agent can thus flow into the interior of the shield apparatus. The flushing agent can however pass in the opposite direction from the outlet 16 rearwards. It is preferable to adapt the plug 17 so that it can be transposed between the outlets 15, 16 by adjustment effected wholly from inside the shield apparatus. This can be accomplished by ensuring the pipe 14 is threaded between the outlets 15, 16 and by using a tool, such as an Allen key to engage in a polygonal recess in the plug 17. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. A drive member for use in shield apparatus; said drive member being of elongate configuration with upper and lower faces and equipped with outlets at its upper and lower faces which can be selectively closed with closure means to permit fluid to discharge from one or other of the outlets.

10. A method according to claim 8, and

further comprising closing the uppermost outlet of said drive member, opening the lowermost outlet of said drive member and passing a cleansing fluid through the drive member.