Boring or penetrating the earth – Boring without earth removal – Combined with earth removal
Patent
1996-08-14
1998-06-02
Neuder, William P.
Boring or penetrating the earth
Boring without earth removal
Combined with earth removal
175 99, 405184, E21B 302, E02D 2910
Patent
active
057587302
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention concerns a method for removing a core of earth, herein called earth core, out of a pipe laid in trench-less manner by ramming or pressing, the two pipe ends of the pipe being free, a go-devil being inserted in the method in one pipe end and being moved through the pipe, whereby the go-devil forces the earth core out of the other pipe end.
When laying piping in trench-less manner, foremost the pipe advance by means of pipe ramming and pipe pressing has been found practical. The method offers substantial advantages in rolling terrain, also in terrain with intercalated boulders and in groundwater zones with intercalated layers of quicksand, compared with conventional worm auger procedures. However the method entails special steps to remove the earth core which during pipe advance will enter this pipe through the open head end.
In one known procedure the earth core is driven out of the laid pipe by using a go-devil. In this procedure, the go-devil is foremost pressed with air pumped through an inlet stub sealing the pipe end at a pressure up to 25 bars against the earth core which thereby is pushed out of the other end of the pipe into a catch pit. In this procedure, the earth core exits most of the time at uncontrolled speed and when the go-devil is exiting, there may be expansion in the form of a shock wave of the air remaining inside the pipe and still at high pressure, entailing a substantial danger of accident, and precluded because of the noise in inhabited areas. It is known furthermore to use water instead of air as the pressurized medium. While the use of water allows controlling the exit of the earth core, its use on the other hand entails the drawback that at least inside the catch pit this water will mix with the earth and, depending on the particular terrain, there may ensue a waste-removal problem. Similar facts are the case in another variation of the procedures, wherein the earth core is rinsed with highly pressurized water.
It is also known to ultimately remove the earth core out of the pipe using worm augers. However this latter procedure is very expensive and hence uneconomical.
The object of the invention is to create a method of the initially cited kind allowing in simple, economical manner and with a minimum of danger to the construction or operating personnel to remove the earth core from a pipe laid in trench-less pipe advance.
To solve this problem, the method of the invention provides that the go-devil shall advance stepwise by means of a length-variable actuator which is braced against the pipe inside wall, this actuator after each stroke being returned into its initial position and its bracing being reset in the direction of advance by the amount of the just completed step.
In the method of the invention, the earth core is forced out of the pipe by means of a controlled advance of the go-devil, the go-devil actuator being mechanically braced against the inside wall pipe. Pressurization of the go-devil by filling the piping with water or air is eliminated, and accordingly the drawbacks related to water or air are also precluded. The actuator for the go-devil may be driven hydraulically or electrically and may be connected through hoses or cables as well as through appropriate control systems to an energy source located outside the piping. Because of the supply of drive energy, the motion, of the actuator can be easily controlled.
A further embodiment of the invention concerns a go-devil with which to implement the method of the invention and which is composed of a head plate, a length-variable actuator and bracing systems, the head plate being connected to one end of the actuator and to a first bracing system and the other end of the actuator being connected to a second bracing system, the bracing systems alternatively assuming a bracing position wherein they can be forced against the inside wall of a pipe or are displaceable into a position off the pipe inside wall, and furthermore the actuator and the bracing system are driven by remote-controlled, hydraulic or electr
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