US784816A - Method of constructing subaqueous tunnels. - Google Patents

Description

PATBNTED MAR. 14, 1905.

T. K. THOMSON. METHOD OF CONSTRUGTING SUBAQUBOUS TUNNELS APPLICATION FILED AUG.21, 1902.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1` .w Mmmw. lfd fw@ Hd wl. w ov. m. ..1

PATENTED MAR. 14, 1905.

T. K. THOMSON. METHQD 0F GONSTRUGTING SUBAQUEOUS TUNNBLS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. Z1, 1902A 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Snom/Lto@ Mk) s UNITED STATES Patented IlIa-:cii 14, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS KENNARD THOMSON, OF YONKERS, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO ARTHUR MCMULLEN, OF NET YORK, N. Y.

IVIETHOD OF CONSTRUCTING SUBAQUEOUS TUNNELS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 784,816; dated IJIareh 14, 1905.

Application iiled August 21, 1902. Serial No. 120,452.

To all 'wh/mt it muy cm1/cern: Y

Be it known that I, THOMAS KENNAED THOM- SON, a citizen of the United States, residing in ParkHill, Yonkers, in the county of festchester and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of Constructing' Subaqueous Tunnels, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying' drawings, forming a part hereof.

This invention relates to the construction of tunnels, and more particularly to that branch of the art of tunnel construction which concerns tunneling under rivers, harbors, or other bodies of water.

In the construction of subaqueous tunnels as at present practiced there may be said to be two general methods of procedure. According to one of these methods, which is probably the older of the two, excavations are commenced at either terminal of the tunnel and are continuously advanced from one terminal to the other underneath the bed of the stream. As fast as these excavations are made the tunnel-walls are constructed, and the entire labor of constructing the tunnel is required to be performed within caissons or similar devices in which the pressure ot' the atmosphere is proportional to the depth of the water above the tunnel.

Owing largely to the difliculties of working at any considerable depth under the abovementioned conditions, the second method et' subaqueous tunnel construction was devised. This method comprises the building of the tunnel in longitudinal sections upon the nearby bank or shore, towing or floating said sections to a place upon the stream which is approximately above their respective permanent positions, and {inally sinking said sections into place and fastening together their adjacent ends.

The present invention is concerned with the latter method of tunnel construction. Its

general object is to improve that method of building' subaqueous tunnels, to minimize the risks usually attendant upon the laborers and workmen during the building of large sulaqueous tunnels, and to economize time, labor,

and materials employed in the building of subaqueous tunnels.

In the accompanying drawings, in which the scale of each figure is varied in order to show the several parts most conveniently, Figure l is a longitudinal sectional view of a portion of one of the sections of the tunnel. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view of one of the sections of the tunnel. Fig'. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the tunnel, showing working shafts communicating with caissons at the several joints of the tunnel-sections and also at either end of the tunnel. Figs. a and 5 are transverse sectional views of the tunnel, taken at one of the .joints and at one of the ends of the tunnel, respectively, and showing sectional views of the caissons employed at those points. Figs. 6 and 7 are side elevations of the tunnel at one of the joints and at one of the ends thereof, respectively.

The several tunnel-sections, which, as above mentioned, are constructed upon the bank or shore adjoining' their permanent positions, are preferably alike both in their structure and dimensions. Each section comprises a frame of wood, which is preferably built in the form of a hollow rectangularbox open at both ends. It will be understood that the dimensions of the frame or box will diiier according to the uses or conditions which may prevail in. any given case; but hereinafter for the sake of clearness the invention will be discussed with reference to the conditions which ordinarily prevail in the construction ot' subaqueous tunnels for purposes or uses connected with railroad transportation.

The length of the tunnel-sections may be made as great as convenience in construction and handling' may dictate, and it is at present preferable to make them at least one thousand feet long. The frame of the sections is preferably constructed of twelve by twelve timbers, all of the timbers being cut square and secured together by bolts without any halving or dovetailing. rI`he timbers are arranged and joined together in such a way to form the frame-walls that the latter comprise several layers of timbers, which are indicated at a c and L in Figs. l and Q of the drawings.

it is adjacent.

All the timbers in the same and alternate layers are .arranged parallel with each other and either loi'igitudinally or transversely in the frame, while the timbers in an adjacent layer are arranged crosswise or normally with respect to timbers in the layer to which The numbers of layers of timbers employed will determine the thickness and strength of the frame of the section; but it is immaterial so far as this invention is concerned how many layers the frame-wall may contain. In the drawings five layers of timbers are shown to comprise the frame, thus rendering the frame-walls about iive feet thick in case twelve by twelve timbers are employed.

The edges of the frame are formed by the transverselyarranged timbers a and (d, the timbers c in the top and bottom walls of the frame and the timbers a' in the side walls of the frame alternately extending the entire width of the frame. The small square spaces c, which are therebyleft in the edges, may be filled with small cubes of wood or concrete or any other material or left vacant, if desired. If preferable, also, vacant spaces may be left within the wooden frame, which may bc filled with concrete or other material.

As soon as the sections of the frame arc formed as above described they are each lined with a suitable waterproofing material d, over which a layer of concrete e is placed. Said layer e preferably comprises a substantial body of concrete, which ismolded to form the interior of the tunnel. As shown in the drawings, there is but one central conduit E, forming the interior of the tunnel, the thickness of the concrete layer in this case being about equal to the thickness of the frame-vf'. c., about tive feet. It will be understood, however, that there may be as many conduits within the tunnel as desired, and they may be of any particular shape to suit varying conditions of use, and where more than one conduit forms the interior of the tunnel the walls between the several conduits may be of concrete or of any other suitable material. The roof of the sections is preferably strengthened on the interior by the addition of I-beamsf, between which thc concrete is laid and supported.

After the sections have been as completely finished as possible upon the shore they are ready to be towed or Hoated upon the river or stream to a place which is approximately directly above their permanent position. IVhile the sections are being constructed upon the shore, however, the bed of the stream may be dredged, so as to remove any obstacle which may be in the proposed line or path of the tunnel and also to form a channel and a suitable foundation for the several sections of the tunnel to rest upon. In case the bed of the stream so dredged is too soft to form a suitable foundation for said sectlons it may be reinforced by dumping quantities of stone or concrete thereon or by driving piles therein.

The several sections which have been completed in the manner hereinbefore described and which have been towed out upon the stream are now ready to be sunk into place. Before sinking, however, it is preferable to add a layer of concrete 7': upon the tops of each of the tunnel-sections, which layer serves both to overcome the bouyancy of the section upon which it is laid and also to protect it when in place from injury from anchors, sunken vessels, or anything'else that might be brought by the stream in contact with the roof of the tunnel. In order to further neutralize the buoyancy of the several tunnel-sections, they are adapted to be loaded, and for this purpose they are provided with' cribs, (not shown in the drawings,) which may be secured to the outside of same in any suitable manner and into which stone or other heavy material may be dumped.

In order to control and facilitate the sinking of a section, one or more coffer-dams D are built upon the top of the same before the section is loaded. Then the loading is carried to a point which is just suficient to sink the section in case the coffer-dam were not attached to the same. By removing now the sides of the cofer-dam or by otherwise gradually admitting water into the interior of the coffer-dam the section may be sunk to any desired depth. Instead of employing a cofferdam or in conjunction with the same side chambers C may be built upon the sides and near the top of the several sections, these side chambers extending longitudinally the entire length of the sections and being provided with any suitable means whereby water may be admitted into or discharged from the interior of said chambers. These side chambers may be built upon the tunnel-sections before they are ioated out into the stream, or, if preferable, they may be placed thereon just previous to sinking' the sections and before the concrete is laid upon the top of the same, which concrete is then added to cover the tops of the side chambers as well.

Temporary bulkheads or diaphragms g, forming watertight compartments t, are provided in the several sections in order to prevent the water from entering the interior of the sections while sinking and to otherwise assist in the sinking. As many of these diaphragms or partitions may be provided as may be found desirable in any special case,

and these bulkheads or partitions are so placedv in the ends of the sections as to leave a watertight compartment in each end of about one hundred feet in length. It is preferable also that the concrete lining of the tunnel shall not extend into these end compartments of the several tunnel-sections, but that these end portions of the sections be left unfinished in order to facilitate the joining of the adjacent IOO IIO

IIS

ends in case those ends for any reason should overlap. In such a case the end portions may be easily removed to the desired extent and a diagonal or curved section may be inserted between the ends, the interior of said diagonal or curved section being shaped to conform to the curvature which the track is to assume at this point.

Either one of the extreme or end sections of the tunnel is first sunk into its permanent position.y Both of these extreme sections are provided with a working shaft, which is built upon the same before sinking at the shore ends of said sections, respectively, which shafts are provided so that the land portion of the tunnel may be started from these ends as soon as these sections are in place. These extreme sections `will also be provided before sinking' with working chambers or pneumatic'caissons A, secured to the shore ends of said sections, which caissons will be used to start the headings for the approaches to the tunnel. As soon as the first section has been sunk to place the second section is fioated, so as to be approximately directly above its permanent position, and said second section is then sunk in the same manner as the first section, so that its end adjacent to the end of the first section will be near, but will not abut against said first section. The second section, before being lowered to place, is also provided with a working shaft andpneumatic caisson B, secured to its end adjacent to the end of the first section, and said caisson is arranged upon the second section and is of such shape as to be adapted to straddle the end of the first section adjacent to the second section. It will be understood that the caissons herein referred to denote the working chambers c', which are formed around the several joints of the tunnelsections in the manner describedto facilitate the sealing of said joints, and that the word caisson as used in this specification does not in any case refer to the sections themselves or any of their compartments which, technically considered, might be included within the term. As soon as the second section is sunkto place the joints formed by the walls of the caisson and the first section are packed or calked in order to form a water-tight compartment within the caisson, and air-pressure is established within said caisson and the two sections of the tunnel are united within the caissonchamber. In order to protect and strengthen the joint, it is preferable to add a layer of' concrete on the exterior of the tunnel around the same, and this may be accomplished by filling the space between the caisson-walls and the sections. The upper part of the caisson may be then removed and, if' desired, used upon the next section. in this way the several sections of the tunnel are successively sunk to place and joined. If' preferable, however, both of the extreme orend sections may be sunk at the same time, and the mean or intermediate sections may be laid by working from both ends simultaneously. As soon as all these sections have been sunk to place and their several ends secured together in the manner above specified the interior diaphragm or portions and bulkheads may be removed and the tunnel will be complete from terminal to terminal.

1 do not claim herein the construction or arrangement of' the devices by which I carry out the above-described method, such construction and arrangement forming the subject of another application which `was filed August 2l, 1902, and is Serial No. 120,453.

`I claim as myV inventionl. The herein-described method ofl constructing subaqueous tunnels, which method comprises the construction of a plurality of substantially complete tunnel-sections, erecting on'one end of each of said sections a caisson, towing each of' said sections to a place above its permanent position,sinking said scctions successively, and finally uniting the ends of' the adjacent sections within Vthe adjacent caisson, substantially as described.

2. The herein described method of coustructing subaqueous tunnels which method comprises the construction of a plurality of substantiallycomplete tunnel-sections,placing in one end of each of the extreme sections a 'Working shaft, erecting upon one end of each of' the other sections a caisson, towing each of said sectionsto a place above its permanent position, sinking said sections successively, and finally uniting the ends of the adjacent sections within a caisson, substantially as described.

3. The herein described method of constructing subaqueous tunnels, which method comprises the construction of -a plurality of substantially complete tunnel-sections, erecting on one end of each of said sections a caisson, towing each of said sections to a place above its permanent position, sinking said sections successively, uniting the ends of the adjacent sections within a caisson, and finally removing the upper part of each of said caissons, substantially as described.

4. The herein described method of constructing subaqueous tunnels which method comprises the construction of a plurality of substantially complete tunnel-sections, erecting on one end of each of said sections a caisson, dredging the bed of the stream in order to form a suitable foundation for the tunnelsections, sinking' said sections successively and uniting the ends of the adjacent sections within the adjacent caisson, substantially as described. A

5. The herein-described method ofv constructing subaqueous tunnels which method comprises the construction ofl a plurality of substantially complete tunnel-sections, erecting on one end of' each of' said sections a caisson, dredging the bed of the stream in order IOO IOS

IIO

to form a suitable foundation for the tunnelsections, strengthening said foundation by the addition of stones or other material or by the driving of piles, sinking said sections successively and uniting' the ends of the adjacent sections within the adjacent caisson, substantially as described.

6. The herein described method ot' constructing subaqueous tunnels, which method comprises the construction of' a plurality ot' substantially complete tunnel-sections, erecting upon one end ofthe sections a caisson, sink ingI into place iirst one of the extreme tunnelsections, and then the second section adjoining said extreme section, so that the end havingl a caisson secured thereto shall be adjacent to said extreme section, fastening' the two adjacent ends of said sections together within said caisson, removing' the upper part of said caisson and proceeding similarly with each of the remaining sections successively until the line of tunnel is completed, substantially as described.

7. The herein described method of constructing subaqueous tunnels, which method comprises the construction of a plurality ol" substantially complete tunnel-sections, erecting upon one end ofthe sections a caisson, sinking into place, first one of the extreme tunnelsections and then sinking into place the second section, so that the end of said second section adjacent to the {irst section will be near but shall not abut against said first section, securing said caisson over the end of the section, and finally fastening togetherthe ends of said sections within the caisson and sealing the joint formed by said ends, substantially as described.

8. rlhe herein -described method of constructing subaqueous tunnels, which method comprises the construction of a plurality of substantially complete tunnel-sections, erecting upon one end of the sections a caisson sinking into place iirst one of the extreme tunnelsections and then sinking into place the second section, so that the end of said second section adjacent to the lirst section will be near but shall not abut against said iirst section, securing said caisson over the end of the first section and establishing' an air-pressure within said caisson, fastening together the ends of said sections within the caisson, and finally removing the upper part of said caisson, sul stantially as described.

This speciiication signed and witnessed this 14th day of August, A. D. 1902.

'.l. KENNARD THOMSON. ln presence of- ALFnuD W'. KIDDLE, RoswnLL S. NicuoLs.

Images