Manhole lowering system

A vertical shaft sinking machine is a mechanical device that can be used to create shafts . Shaft lowering systems are suitable for shafts with a maximum depth of 150 meters. The machine can be used in both solid and soft rock , sometimes under water.

construction

The shaft lowering system consists of two sub-units, a shaft drilling machine and a lowering unit. The vertically arranged shaft drilling machine is equipped with a cutting head . Special round shank bits , which are suitable for high rock strength, are attached to the cutting head as cutting bits . The cutter head is attached to a cutter arm so that it can rotate around its own axis. The cutting arm is telescopic and can be swiveled back and forth , similar to a roadheader. Due to the mobility of the cutter arm, the cutter head can be guided on circular paths. The cutter head is electro-hydraulically driven and has a drive power of 110 kilowatts . Above the drilling unit there is space for the machine operator who operates the shaft drilling machine using control levers. About the drilling unit is the lowering unit, this makes the connection between the shaft boring machine and above ground . It is at the shaft surface firmly in the foundation anchored. The unit consists of a steel frame on which there are four tie rods that can move the drilling unit up and down the shaft. The tie rods are three meters long and are moved by means of hydraulic cylinders. In addition, the lowering unit is equipped with so-called gripper arms with which the machine is braced against the stable rock or against the launch tube. The gripper units are operated hydraulically and serve to stabilize the machine in the shaft. The required contact pressure is provided by hydraulic cylinders. So that the cuttings can be removed, the machine is equipped with a cable excavator with a shell grab, which is operated by another person from a work platform. With the shell grab, the cuttings are filled into a delivery bucket with a capacity of 1.5 m ³ . The conveyor bucket is moved up and down in the shaft by a crane installed above the surface, thus conveying the cuttings to the surface. The shaft lowering systems can also be equipped with a system with which the cuttings are pumped out hydraulically via pipes and fed to a separation system.

Working method

The rock is removed from the mountain with the rotating cutter head. During the cutting process, the cutting arm is moved in circular paths over the bottom of the shaft, so that the round shaft cross-section can be created. After the cutting process, the loosened rock is forwarded for removal with the cutting tool. For this purpose, the loosened rock is steered with the cutting arm and the rotating cutting head to the lower reversal point of the rope excavator. The debris is picked up with the shell grab and lifted up to eight meters. Then the shovel is opened and the debris falls into the bucket via a slide. As soon as the feed bucket is filled, it is lifted above days, emptied there and conveyed back down. This process is repeated continuously until the cutting arm no longer reaches the bottom of the shaft. Then the drilling unit must be lowered with the help of the lowering unit. To do this, the drilling unit is lowered using the tie rods. If the tie rods are completely extended to their length of three meters, they must be extended by additional tie rods. In order to secure the shaft joints, tubbing segments are placed above the drilling unit at regular intervals of 0.7 to one meter as shaft lining. These are secured with rock anchors in the rock. The gaps between the rock and the segments are grouted with mortar. These processes are repeated cyclically until the shaft is completed. The drilling unit is then dismantled into two parts and conveyed above ground .

Areas of application and performance data

The shaft lowering system can be used in both stable and non-stable mountains. Rocks with a strength of up to 85 MPa can be cut. Depending on the machine type, shafts with a diameter of 2.5 to eight meters can be created . The maximum cutting diameter is 8.8 meters. The electrical output of the entire machine is 300 kilowatts, the hydraulic output is 400 kilowatts. The maximum torque of the drilling unit is 30 kilonewtons . The machine can also be used underwater. This is of great advantage when ground fractures can occur due to the groundwater pressure . The average sinking capacity is 2.5 meters per 10 hours, maximum sinking rates of up to six meters are also possible. The machine is mainly used for shallower depths of up to 100 meters.

Individual evidence

^ ^A ^b ^c Peter Schmäh, Benjamin Künstle, Nobert Handke, Erhard Berger: Further development and perspectives of mechanized shaft sinking technology. In: Glückauf. 143, trade journal for raw materials, mining and energy. No. 4, VGE Verlag Essen, Essen 2007, ISSN 0340-7896 , pp. 161-172.
^ ^A ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Heinrich Otto Buja: Engineering handbook mining technology, deposits and extraction technology. 1st edition, Beuth Verlag GmbH Berlin-Vienna-Zurich, Berlin 2013, ISBN 978-3-410-22618-5 , pp. 254-256.
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ Herrenknecht AG: Pioneering projects in mechanical shaft construction. In: Civil engineering. , Trade journal of the professional association for the construction industry. 118th year, issue No. 8, Erich Schmidt Verlag GmbH & Co, Munich 2006, ISSN 0944-8780 , pp. 446-448.
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Harald S. Müller, Ulrich Nolting, Michael Haist (eds.): Concrete structures in the underground - infrastructure for the future. In: Symposium Building Materials and Building Preservation. No. 5, Universitätsverlag Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe 2008, ISBN 978-3-86644-214-6 .
↑ ^a ^b ^c Peter Schmäh: Innovative manhole lowering system in action in Kuwait. In: tis. Civil engineering, civil engineering, road construction. 46th year, No. 12, Bau Verlag, Gütersloh 2004, ISSN 0941-1038 , pp. 12-15.
↑ ^a ^b Lutz Meyer: Development and use of a vertical drilling machine in Indonesia. In: Glückauf. 141, trade journal for raw materials, mining and energy. No. 1/2, VGE Verlag Essen, Essen 2005, ISSN 0340-7896 , pp. 58-63.

[Quelle_1-1] A ^b ^c Peter Schmäh, Benjamin Künstle, Nobert Handke, Erhard Berger: Further development and perspectives of mechanized shaft sinking technology. In: Glückauf. 143, trade journal for raw materials, mining and energy. No. 4, VGE Verlag Essen, Essen 2007, ISSN 0340-7896 , pp. 161-172.

[Quelle_2-2] A ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Heinrich Otto Buja: Engineering handbook mining technology, deposits and extraction technology. 1st edition, Beuth Verlag GmbH Berlin-Vienna-Zurich, Berlin 2013, ISBN 978-3-410-22618-5 , pp. 254-256.

[Quelle_3-3] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ Herrenknecht AG: Pioneering projects in mechanical shaft construction. In: Civil engineering. , Trade journal of the professional association for the construction industry. 118th year, issue No. 8, Erich Schmidt Verlag GmbH & Co, Munich 2006, ISSN 0944-8780 , pp. 446-448.

[Quelle_4-4] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Harald S. Müller, Ulrich Nolting, Michael Haist (eds.): Concrete structures in the underground - infrastructure for the future. In: Symposium Building Materials and Building Preservation. No. 5, Universitätsverlag Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe 2008, ISBN 978-3-86644-214-6 .

[Quelle_5-5] Peter Schmäh: Innovative manhole lowering system in action in Kuwait. In: tis. Civil engineering, civil engineering, road construction. 46th year, No. 12, Bau Verlag, Gütersloh 2004, ISSN 0941-1038 , pp. 12-15.

[Quelle_6-6] Lutz Meyer: Development and use of a vertical drilling machine in Indonesia. In: Glückauf. 141, trade journal for raw materials, mining and energy. No. 1/2, VGE Verlag Essen, Essen 2005, ISSN 0340-7896 , pp. 58-63.