US1757813A - Tunnel liner - Google Patents

Description

May 6, 1930.

R. V. PROCTOR ET AL TUNNEL LINER Filed Feb. 25, 1927 iNVENTOR Patented May 6, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ROBERT V. PROGTOR AND HARRY M. SCHAAIB, OF YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO, ASSIG-NORS TO THE COMMERCIAL SHEARING & STAMPING COMPANY, OF YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO, A

CORPORATION OF OHIO TUNNEL 1.1mm.

Application filed. February 25, 1927. Serial No. 170,827.

This invention relates to tunnel liners and particularly to tunnel liner plates adapted to be assembled into a rigid metal tube-llke structure.

In ordinary practice, when tunnehng through soft earth, the hole is timbered to support the soft earth until the concrete or brick lining has been put in place. This practice has often proved very expensive to the contractor not only because of the actual expense of lining, but also because of the fact that the timbering all lay outside of the theoretical line of the concrete, and was,

therefore, extra material which had to be paid for by the contractor. This percentage of concrete has, in certain cases, run as high as 150% over and above the theoretical amount of concrete necessary for the lining.

It has heretofore been proposed to use steel plates bent to the radius of the outside of the tunnel wall. While these plates have had certain advantages over the old method of lining with wood, they have been disadvantageous in that they lacked stiffness across joints be water the corners. Moreover, trouble was frequently encountered at the corners of adjacent plates due to the presence of a small opening which allowed water and mud to see through. While it is not essential that the tight, it is desirable that they be so close that seepage of quicksand or other extremely soft earth will be prevented. We provide a tunnel liner plate having an integral flange on its several sides, the flange at the corners presenting a unitary unjolnted structure. Stated in another way, the metal in a flange on one side of the liner extends around the corner of the liner in an unbroken manner into the metal forming the flange of an adjacent side. These unbroken metal corners present a substantially sharp edge and the two flanges are at right angles" to one another. Therefore, when the plates are joined up there is no small corner opening which permits seepage.

The integral flange makes for very great stiffness of the liner. We further stiffen the liner by providing ribs in the surface. As an aid to ready assembling of the plates, we proto the first and last bolt vide elongated bolt holes in the flanges which extend along the curved sides of the liner.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate the present preferred embodiment of the invention,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a hner;

Figure 2 is an end elevation;

Figure 3 is a top plan view;

Figure 4 is a partial view of the blank from which the plate is formed;

. Figure 5 is a bottom view of a corner of the plate showing the relatively sharp corner, and

Figure 6 is a section taken on the line VIVI of Figure 5.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention there is shown a tunnel liner comprising a body portion 2 having stiffening ribs 3 embossed therein. The liner forms a part of the surface of a cylinder and its bounding ed es are-defined respectively by planes perpen icular to the axis of such cylinder and by planes containing such axis. The ribs 3 extend around the circumference of the cylinder and .are hereinafter referred to as circumferential ribs.

The body 2 of the liner is provided with flanges along each edge. There are end flanges 4 and circumferential flanges 5. All of the flanges are provided with bolt holes for joining the segments together. The flanges 4 have bolt holes 6 of any convenient spacing. The flanges 5 are provided with elongated bolt holes 7 whose spacing at is substantially twice the distance d from the end flanges 4 holes 7. This permits of staggering the end joints in adjacent rows of segments. The segments are so shaped that an even number of them will make a complete circle. Another circle is built up on this first circle, but with the end form a complete 'tunnel lining.

Figure 4 shows the blank from which the liner is stamped. The blank is bent along the chain line 8 so as to form the flanges. It will be noted that the corner of the blank has been clipped off at substantially 45, as indicated at 9, and it has been further clipped off as indicated at 10. With this form of blank oints staggered. This is continued so as to it is possible to make a substantially sharp corner which will prevent seepage.

The relatively sharp corner is best shown in Figure 5. It is secured, first, by providing the blank illustrated in Figure 4, and second. by rounding off the corners of the punches so that a diagonal section through a corner is as shown in Figure 6.

Our improved plate is very stiff in all directions and is, therefore, superior to the old form of tunnel liner.

We have illustrated and described a preferred form of the invention, but it will be understood that it is not limited to this form alone, as it may be otherwise embodied within the scope of the following claims.

We claim 1. A wrought metal tunnel liner comprising a body portion having integral upstanding flanges, the flanges presenting a unitary unjointed structure at the corners of the body, the corners adjacent the edges of theflanges being relatively sharp, the flange metal at the corners being joined to the body portion by well-rounded corners.

2. A wrought metal tunnel liner comprising a plate having integral flanges thereon, the flanges at the corners presenting a unitary unjointed structure, the flange metal at the corners being joined with the plate proper by well-rounded corners, the exposed edges of the flanges having sharp corners at the corners of the liner so' that the liners can be closely fitted together without leaving openings at the joints.

3. A wrought metal tunnel liner comprising a plate having end and side flanges, the flanges being integral with the plate and being joined thereto along the sides and ends of the plate by a relatively sharp corner, the flanges being integral with one another at the corners of the plate, the flange metal at the corners being joined to the plate proper by well-rounded corners, the exposed edges of the flanges having sharp corners at the corners of the liner so that the liners can be closely fitted together without leaving openings at the joints.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands.

ROBERT V. PROCTOR. HARRY M. SOHAAB.

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