US723986A - Submarine tunneling. - Google Patents

Description

No. 723,986. i PATBNTED MAR. 321, 1903. H. A. CARSON.

v SUBMARINE TUNNBLING..

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 24, 1902.

HO MODEL.

lll*

tlllmlli dit la 23W PATBNTED MAR. s1, 1903i.

H.' A. CARSON.

SUBMARINB TUNNELING.

APPLIOATIDN FILED OV. 24, 1902.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

No MODEL.

Jz'n asses.'

No. 723,986. PATENTEDjM-A. 31, 1,903.

H. A. CARSON.

SUBMARINE TUNNBLING.

Y APPLIoATIoN FILED Nov. 24, 1902. 11o MODEL. a SHEETS-SHEET s.

Mnesses: j 277067255021' UNITEDA STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HOWARD A. CARSON, OF MALDEN, MASSACHUSETTS.

SUBNIARINE TUNNELING.

SPECIFICATION forming'part of Letters Patent No. 723,986, dated March 31, 1903.

Application filed November 24, 1902. Serial No. 132,551. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom, it may con/erven Beit known that I, HOWARD A. CARSON, of Malden, county of Middlesex, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Submarine Tunneling, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, isaspecification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to certain appliances to be employed in constructing a tunnel in water.

Tunnels have been made in the earth below Water by well-known means;` but so far as I am aware none have been built through water except by lowering tubes and con nectiug them together.

Myinvention has for its principal object the provision of a form of `tnnneli'ng-shield which may be employed in constructingatunnel in the earth and then may be converted so that the same shield may be used for constructing the tunnel in the Water.

Another object of gmyrinvention is to provide a guiding means. for the shield as it is moved forward upon the bottom or bedrof the body of water in which the tunnel is laid, so that the tunnel will be built in substantially the desired position,fa lsubstantially uniform support being provided for the tunnel after it is laid, and the construction of a tunnel in the water being made practicable.

For an understanding of the means which l preferably em ploy in carrying out these objects reference is now made to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l shows a side elevation illustrating the employment of my invention in building a tunnel in Water.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal central section of the device shown in Fig. l. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view of a means for maintaining a water-tight joint between the tunneland tunnel-shield. Fig. 4 is an end view of the tunnel-shield and guiding means therefor when the tunnel is laid in Water. Fig. 5 is a view of the inner side of the front end of the shield'. Fig. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view'showing the means for passing the shield from earth to Water. Figs. 7 and 8 are detail views showing the adjusting means for the shield-gage. Fig. 9

is a cross-sectional view on the line a: Fig. l. Figs. 10, 11, and 12 are enlarged detail views showing the adjustingV means for the tunneling-shield, which consists, substantially, of a cylinder telescoping on the outside of the tunnel, with its front end more or less open 'and usually having a sharp front edge, means being provided for forcing the shield forward as the earth is excavated in front thereof and carried through the tunnel as it is built within the shield.

' In carryingout myinvention Iemploy simi-l lar means, as shown in Figs. land 2, in which a indicates a common form of tunnel made up in sections or otherwise, and b a tunneling-shield capable of being employed in earth excavations. In order that said shield b may be used in water, it is provided with a head c, said head comprising six or more edge sections c', all or most of which are of the same size and shape and are provided with inwardly-bent'cdge flanges on all sides, which are bolted togetherand to a seat formed on the inner side of the shield at its front end, and a center section c2, of hexagonal form, having flanges which are bolted to the inner edge anges of the section c, as shown in Fig. 5. The sections of said headand their edge flanges are vpreferably so formed that when they are all bolted together the head will be of convex form, so as to better resist the water-pressure tovwhich it may be subjected. The usual hydraulic jacks d are provided for forcing the shield forwardly.

In building a tunnel under water by the process herein described an approximation to its required bed must first be prepared, and this will usually be done by dredginga channel or ditch in the bed of the stream to such a depth as may be necessary to reachpthe desired level or grade. A channel as thus prepared necessarily has an uneven bottom, and to overcome this and other difficulties I- provide therein a series of guides for the shield as it is moved forward, which preferably comprise a series of cross-ties c, each having a pair of cradles f secured to one side thereof,

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said cradles f being curved on their upper ends according to the curvature of the outer surface of thetunnel and being secured to the ties by any suitable means, as bolts f. Said cradles are preferably, though not neef essarily, made of metal, as it aids materially in sinking and in holding the cross-ties in place. These ties are placed in position by a diver as fast as the shield is pushed for- 1o ward, each tie being set'before the shield is moved onto it and firmly secured in such a position that the shield will he guided in the desired direction or to the desired position as it is moved onto the cradle. The end of the shield and the corners of the cradles and ties A'next the shield are preferably rounded or beveled, as indicated in Figs. l and 2, so that if the shield should engage the sides oit a cradle or tie as it is moved forward it will be more readily guided into the correct position on the same.

In order that the diver may 'accurately set the cross-ties and cradles for supporting the tunnel and shield in advance ot' the latter, the head of the shield isprovided with an adjustable gage or arm, which may be set from within the shield according to the position thereof. This device may comprise a baseplate g, which is clamped against the outer side ot' the middle plate c2 by means of bolts g', which pass through apertures in said plate, which are of somewhat greater diameter than that of the bolts, said plate g tightly covering a central aperture c3 in the plate c2, through which a projection g2, integral with plate g, extends, this construction permitting adjustment ot' plate g with respect to plate c2 from within the shield. To adjust said plate g from Within the shield, I may employ various devices, and among such the const rnc* tion shown in detail in Figs. 7 and 8, in which the inner face ot the plate c2 is shown as prolvided with three lugs c4, c5, and c6, and said inward project-ion g2 is made square and premssed on its upper and under sides by screw-threaded rods g5 g, which pass through the lugs c4 and c6 and are provided with nuts f/4g7. Ascrew-threaded rod gs passes through the lug c5, and nuts g are provided on said rod at the opposite sides of said lug. The inner end of said rod gS has a transverselyextending head gw secured thereto, which is dovetailed in a slot in said projection g2, so that the latter may move vertically, but not horizontally, with respect to said rod g8. It will be apparent that by turning said nuts g4 Q7 Q9 said plate g may be moved to any desired position within necessary limits. rlhe outer side of the base g is provided with a centrally arranged horizontally and forwardly extending arm gu, and a gage 7L is swiveled on the outer end of said arm, so that it may swing in a plane perpendicular to the center line of the tunnel and on an axis which is coincident with the center line of projection g2. The length of the gage 7L is preferably equal to the distance from the center of the shield to its outer sides, andthe base plate g is normally arranged so that the center line of projection g2 will coincide with the center line ofthe shield and ltunnel.

In practice the diver will set the tie next to the one on which the front end ot' the shield is resting in such a position that the end of the gage 7L will just touch the upper curved ends of the cradlef thereon and then he secures this tie in position, so that when the shield is advanced it will be guided onto the cradle of this tie in the desired alinement with the tunnel alreadylaid.

lf just before the gage h is to be used by the diver it is found by the engineer in the tunnel that the center of projection g2 is not in the center ot' the tunnel, and therefore that the shield has deviated from its proper course, then the plate g will be moved until l the center of said projection g2 is in said center line, so that when the diver puts the next tie in place it will be adjusted according to the position in which the shield is before itis moved. Therefore the next time the shield is moved forward its deviation from the desired course is corrected as it slides up the inclined side ofthe cradle and tie. This operation continues until the tunnel islaid, the shield being moved forward from tiel to tie successively as they are set, the tunnel being built up inside of the shield and being covered, if expedient, after the shield leaves it.

ln the process of tunnelingin water it may at times be necessary or desirable to move the front end ot' the shield up, down, orsidewise, and for this purpose I may provide the front end of the shield with two 01 more adjustable legs. (Illustrated indetail in Figs. lO, l1, and 12.) As shown in Figs. l() and 12, I provide the shield at each side with a cylindrical-shaped seath1,having a slot b5 in the middlethereot'andmidwaybetweenitsends. Acy- 1indricalshaped holder b5 is fitted in said seat, said holder being provided with trunnions 127 at each end, which are journaled in bearings, the base portions Z13 of which are secured to the inner side of the shield and the caps b9 of which are adjustably secured to said base portions by bolts, so that they may force the holder tightly against the seat b4, preventing the entrance of water into the shield. By accurately fitting the holders to their seats the use of a packing between them may be avoided. Each holder is provided with a screwthreaded leg Z210, which passes radially through the center thereof and through the opening b5 in the middle of the seat h4. These legs. may be made of any suitable length, and the distance which they extend beyond the surface of the shield may be varied by simply screwing them out or in. Said legs may also be tipped to various inclinations by swinging the holders b, in which they are mounted, on their trunnions. With this means the shield may be raised or moved sidewise orobliquely in any direction by forcing the ends of the legs against the surface of the cradles orties IOO IIO

or against the earth, and if `it is found n'ecessary to set the guide or tie lower the shield may be temporarily supported on these legs while the tie is being reset, and then the shield may be lowered. After the shield has been adjusted it may be held in the adjusted position by blocks, wedges, or earth filling, and then the legs may be withdrawn within the holders While the shield is moved forward. It may be observed in this connection that the weight of the shield will be made but little greater than the weight of the water which it displaces, so that it may be easily moved.

As the outer diameter of the shield is greater than that of the tunnel, the latter will tend to settle onto the ties and cradles after the shield leaves it. This settling may usually be prevented by earth lling and is usually unobjectionable. It may be prevented when desirable by providing the tunnel with adjustable legs a', as shown in Fig. 9.

In order to prevent leakage of water between the shield and tunnel, I provide theinner surface of the shield with a water-tight packing, which preferably comprises an annular packing-chamber b at its telescoping end between two inwardly-extending ribs b2 and b3, into which a semiliquid material, such as plastic clay, is forced by suitable means. Such means may consist of a cylinder la, in which one end of a plunger Z is adapted to operate, said cylinder being secured to the inner side of the shield and connected to chamber b. The opposite end of said plunger is located in a cylinder m, also secured to the inner side ofthe shield in alinement with cylinder 1c, and air or water may be forced into cylinder 'm to force the plunger into cylinder 7a by means of pipe 'm'. A pipe k3 may be connected to the end of cylinderlc next chamber b', and both pipes 7c3 and m may be opened to a supply ofair or water under pressure or to an exhaust by athree- Way valve v.

A Valve 702 is preferably provided in the pipe connecting the chamberf and cylinder 7c, which may be closed while cylinder k is being filled. Said cylinder lc is filled with plastic clay, which is forced into chamber b by the plunger Z until it is completely filled. By keeping this chamber filled with clay leakage past the end of the tunnel is in a great measure prevented, even if compressed air is not employed in the tunnel. Thetendency of the outside water to enter the shield may be lessened to any desired extent by means of said compressed air, the clay blocking the passage between the tunnel and shield and preventing the air and water from passing in such passage. Moreover, with this form of packing the outer side of the tuilnel need not be as true and smooth as would be required with ordinary packingsuch as leather, rubber, orhemp--and while packings such as these last three are easily injured-or destroyed by grit and rough usage a packing such as herein provided may be constantly 'partly removed, and most tunnels which are laid under water must be started on shore at some distance from the water. .Some means may be desirable in many cases to facilitate the passage of the shield from earth into thev water. To accomplish this, I preferably employ the means illustrated in Fig. 6, in which n indicates an outer tube or hood, of somewhat larger diameter t-han the shield b, having one end closed by the removable head o and the other end open.

The channel in which the tunnel is to be constructed is dredged as closely to the shore as possible, and then the outer tube n, which will usually be considerably longer than is convenientlyindicated in the drawings, isset in the end thereof in alinement with the tun-` nel, with its open end next the shore. Its open end is then covered with earth, much or all of the interior being thereby filled with earth, as indicated in Fig. 6. As said shield b progresses it will enter lthe outer tube n, and by the regular process of earth-tunneling it may be moved to near the forward end. When the shield b is forced into shield n a suic-ient distance, the head cis secured in place in the front end of the shield b, as previously described, the Water-tight packing is forced into chamber b', and then the head 0 of the shield n is removed from the outside by the diver.. The construction of the tunnel in the water will'then be carried on as beforedescribed, the shield b being pushed on through the outer tube n, as will be obvious.

Having thus described myinvention, what .for forcing plastic material into said chamber, substantially as described. l

3. In combination with a tunnel, a shield closed-at one end and having its opposite end telescoped with the tunnel, a pair of inwardlyprojecting ribs on the inner surface of the shield adjacent its open end, forming a packing-chamber, and meansfor forcing plastic packing into said chamber, substantially as described.

4. In combination with a tunnel, a shield ,TOO

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having a head for closing one end and adapted to telescope with the tunnel at the opposite end, means for moving said shield forwardly, and a guiding-support for said shield arranged in front thereof, substantially as described.

5. In combination with a tunnel, a shield having a head for closing one end and adapted to telescope with the tunnel at the opposite end, means for moving said shield forwardly, a guide-support for said shield, and a gage for setting said guiding-support connected to and extending in front of said head, substantially as described.

6. In combination with a tunnel, a shield having a head for closing one end and adapted to telescope with the tunnel at the opposite end, means for moving said shield forwardly, a guiding-support for said shield, and a gage for setting said guiding-support connected to and adjustable from within the shield, and extending in front thereof, substantially as described.

7. In combination with a tunnel, a shield having a head for closing one end and adapted to telescope with the tunnel at the opposite end, means for moving said shield forwardly, a guide for the shield arranged in front there of, and means for varying the vertical and lateral position of the shield from within the same, substantially as described.

8. In combination with a tunnel, a tunneling-shield having one end adapted to fit over the tunnel, a removable head in separable sections for closing the opposite end of said shield, and an outer tube of greater internal diameter than the external diameter of the shield, having a head for closing one end thereof which is removable from withoutL the shield, substantially as described.

9. In combination with a tunnel, a shield l having a head for closing one end and adapted to telescope with the tunnel at the opposite end, means for moving said shield forwardly,

and means, passing through the walls of the shield, for varying its vertical and lateral position from within the same, substantially as described.

10. In combination with a tunnel, a shield having a head for closing one endadapted to telescope with the tunnel at the opposite end, means for movingsaid shield forwardly, means for moving the shield from within the same comprising a holder having a rounded face, an apertured seat in the shield, means for holding the face of said holder against said seat, and a longitudinally-adjustable leg passing through said holder and the aperture of said seat, substantially as described.

11. In combination with a tunnel, a shield having a head for closing one end and adapted to telescope with the tunnel at the opposite end, means for moving said shield forwardly, means for moving the shield from within the same comprising aholder having a cylindrical face, a correspondingly-shaped seat formed in the inner side of said shield having an aperture leading to the outer side, a pair of trunnions at opposite ends of said holder, rigid bearings therefor and longitudinally-adjustable legs passing through said holders and said apertures, substantially as described.

12. In combination with a tunnel, a shield having a head for closing one end and adapted to telescope with the tunnel at the opposite end, means for moving said shield forwardly, a guiding-support for said shield arranged in front thereof and having obliquely-disposed guiding-surfaces, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HOWARD A. CARSON.

Witnesses:

LOUIS H. HARRIMAN, H. B. DAVIS.

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