Hydraulic and earth engineering – Subterranean or submarine pipe or cable laying – retrieving,... – Repair – replacement – or improvement
Patent
1993-06-21
1995-04-04
Reese, Randolph A.
Hydraulic and earth engineering
Subterranean or submarine pipe or cable laying, retrieving,...
Repair, replacement, or improvement
405154, F16L 1028
Patent
active
054031222
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Whole sections of current sewer systems in Europe are in need of replacement due to corrosion, sinking or other damages of leaking sewer pipes and as a consequence of undersizing, because in many cases original planning of housing development and the volume of sewerage per inhabitant were insufficient for the later development.
To replace such sewer pipe, there exists a press pipe tunnelling process, in which pits or manholes are excavated at intervals of about 60 or more meters along the sewer pipe at existing inspection chambers or inspection chambers to be built (DE-OS No. 36 20 026). Starting from a manhole, a cutter head is advanced along the pipe to be replaced. A pivot bearing of the cutter head is mounted on the front end of a pipe segment of the new sewer pipe. The new pipe is pressed forward by means of the cylinder units with the cutter head starting from the manhole in the direction of the pipe to be replaced. Other product pipes are attached in succession on the rear end of the new pipe segment. This procedure has the advantage that the sewer pipe to be replaced does not have to be exposed over its entire length, so that the obstruction to traffic is less grave.
Of course, this known device has difficulties with the working of reinforced concrete pipes and the guidance of the cutter head. It is often desired to run the new pipe on the same level as the old pipe. If the new pipe has a larger diameter, its axis is, therefore, higher than that of the old pipe. In addition, sewer pipes are frequently cemented into the ground, whereby the thickness of the concrete usually fluctuates over the circumference. At the top, for example, thickness is the thinnest.
Both of the aforementioned circumstances cause the prior art device to shift slightly to the side or to the top. Thereafter, a radial misalignment of the cutter head hardly can be corrected.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to provide an improved process and device of the aforementioned kind, whereby the above problems are avoided.
With the process of the invention it is achieved in an advantageous manner that the advanced cutter head, attacking at a face of the old buried or enclosed pipe to be worked or removed is always centered relative to such old pipe, even if unilateral forces act on this cutter head owing to the different thicknesses of the wall of the pipe.
The cutter head is pivoted in an advantageous manner by means of a guide mechanism which is mounted on the face of the cutter head and is pressed with adjustable pressure against the inner wall of the old pipe to be worked and is guided slidingly therein.
The cutter head is either pulled or preferably pushed directly behind an inserted replacement pipe.
So that the guide mechanism does not suddenly stand still or jam in the pipe to be worked owing to diameter constrictions, this pipe is calibrated throughout preferably with a separate cutter prior to replacement.
In the case of the device to carry out the process according to the invention, the cutter head is off-centered in an advantageous manner relative to the longitudinal axis of the pipe to be worked, whereby the cutter head provided with the larger outer diameter makes it possible to lay the new pipe with respect to the old pipe either below the level or at the same level. This has the advantage that when only subsections of the sewer system are provided with new larger pipes, there is no shifting to the bottom and thus neither water ledges nor eddies can form.
Furthermore, the device according to the invention is provided with cutting elements which are distributed over the circumference of the guide mechanism and attach directly to the cutting edges of the cutter head and interact with the cutter head. When the cutter head then is rotated, any reinforcing steel is sheared off and comminuted.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the following, embodiments and other advantages of the invention are explained in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, w
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Reese Randolph A.
Ricci John
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