JP7621473B2 - Earthmoving machinery and methods for removing soil - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a civil engineering machine for removing soil according to claim 1. The present invention further relates to a civil engineering method for removing soil using such a civil engineering machine according to claim 13.

For making trenches or boreholes in the ground, the provision of earth-moving machines is known and can be seen, for example, in US Pat. No. 5,399,433. Here, a so-called trench cutter is arranged on a mast or boom in a vertically adjustable manner. The height of the mast or boom on the carrier device is therefore usually between 15 m and 30 m or even more. The height of the mast is determined primarily by the height of the trench cutter.

Such earthmoving machines are used to create trench walls, or cut-off walls, which can reach depths of 100 m or more. Such trench walls or cut-off walls serve, for example, to support excavation pits or to create underground water barriers. It is also possible to use such cutters to extract natural resources.

In some cases, it is necessary to build water cutoff walls in or near tunnel structures or in narrow spaces. Carrier devices with long, slender masts and large trench cutters cannot be used for such applications.

A compact earthmoving machine for making trenches is known from DE 10 200 03 133 A1. This earthmoving machine has a tracked carriage with a frame and a boom, which is slightly taller than the vertical length of the trench cutter. Cable reels for the suspension and connecting cables and hose reels for the supply hoses are mounted on a carrier frame close to the ground. The trench cutter is limited to the essential components, e.g. cutting wheel, drive and pump, and the guide frame is of small size.

An even more compact earthmoving machine can be found in US Pat. No. 5,399,633. In this machine, a compact trench cutter is adjustably mounted below a yoke, which is formed by placing two carrier devices side by side. The two carrier devices are connected by a pivot joint.

In these known compact earthmoving machines, the deployment height is mainly limited by the height of the trench cutter. The trench cutter cannot be made arbitrarily small, since a certain amount of bulk is required for the cutting wheel, the drive, the pump and especially for the guide frame.

A trench cutter that can reduce the maintenance time for replacing cutting teeth on a cutting wheel is known from US Pat. No. 5,399,633. This is achieved by replacing the entire cutting head on its cutter frame, rather than individual cutting teeth.

DE 10 2004 013 790 A1 European Patent No. 0518297 European Patent No. 3208384 European Patent German Translation No. 602004008375

The object of the present invention is to provide a civil engineering machine and method for removing soil that allows efficient work even in tight space conditions.

This object is achieved on the one hand by a construction machine according to claim 1 and on the other hand by a construction method according to claim 13. Preferred specific embodiments of the invention are given in the respective dependent claims.

According to the present invention, a construction machine is provided, comprising a removal device made up of at least two machine modules and a carrier structure on which the removal device is suspended and moved vertically to form a hole in the ground, wherein personnel passages are formed within and/or at the at least two machine modules to allow personnel to pass horizontally along the at least two machine modules.

The idea behind the invention can be seen to be that the removal device with at least two machine modules and any further components of the earth-moving machine is designed as a transportable, compact machine module. Furthermore, a carrier structure is provided for suspending the removal device and moving it vertically to form the hole, the carrier structure additionally having a guide device for transporting or carrying the separate machine module. Thus, according to the invention, it is no longer necessary to move the completely ready-to-use removal device to the working area where the hole is to be created. Rather, according to the invention, the removal device is only transported to the working area separated from its machine module and assembled there to form the removal device. Further components, such as a supply unit for the earth-moving machine, a concrete pouring module or a module for incorporating reinforcement, can also be designed as machine modules. For this purpose, the carrier structure is designed with suitable guide or transport devices. The overall height of the carrier structure can preferably be lower than the height of the ready-to-use removal device. The carrier structure only needs to be the same as or higher than the height of the machine modules.

In principle, therefore, the operation can be carried out even at work sites where only a very low working height is available, and even at work sites that are lower than the height of the assembled removal device. This can be achieved in particular if a so-called guide trench with a depth of about 1 m to 4 m is created in the work area beforehand and one or more machine modules are placed in the guide trench and then assembled into the removal device.

The earthmoving machine according to the invention can be deployed at work sites and in buildings with very low headroom, which can be less than 5 m, or even less than 3 m. Due to the manway formed in or on the machine module, deployment in tunnels is also possible, in particular in tunnels where the machine module extends over the entire cross section of the tunnel. Safe passage of operators, for example for maintenance purposes, can be ensured in this way. Furthermore, the machine module can occupy completely or to a large extent a limited tunnel cross section. This allows for efficient use of limited space.

Similarly, it is possible to cover the sides of the individual modules or to directly implement them as laterally or fully enclosed containers, so that construction activities are protected from the environment, even in outdoor operations. Personnel passages are preferably located inside the exterior of the modules.

In principle, personnel passages can only be provided in individual machine modules. According to a development of the invention, it is particularly advantageous for personnel passages to be formed in or on all machine modules.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a first machine module with a cutting wheel and a second machine module with at least one drive unit are provided. In this case, the removal device is designed as a trench cutter. The first machine module may therefore accommodate a lower part of the trench cutter with the cutting wheel and the bearing of the cutting wheel on the base support. The second machine module comprises at least one drive unit, preferably for a pumping device, which drive unit is designed in particular for washing and/or pumping out the suspension containing the excised soil material. Alternatively or additionally, this drive unit or a further drive unit may be for the cutting wheel. The removal device may be any device for removing soil. The removal device preferably comprises a trench cutter, a gripping device or a drilling device, in particular an in-the-hole drill.

In a compact embodiment, guide elements for guiding and adjusting the removal device in the hole may also be arranged on the second machine module. In particular, telescopic adjustment elements may be provided, which are realized by adjustment cylinders, allowing the removal device to be adjusted relative to the wall.

The removal device can in principle consist of several further machine modules, which can have various functions. It is particularly preferred to provide at least one further machine module with a guide frame. The guide frame can be in the form of a purely passive, scaffold-like frame, which is pressed against the wall of the hole and has pressing elements for guiding along the wall of the hole. These plate-like elements are also adjustable to change the relative position of the hole, in particular the trench or borehole. In principle several such machine modules with guide frames can be arranged, with the guiding accuracy and guiding stability of the removal device increasing as the height of the guide frame increases. In this way, holes of great depths, up to 100 m or more, can be made with good guiding accuracy, even if the overall height is limited.

In principle, a carrier device is arranged on at least one machine module, preferably on the upper module or the lower module, by means of which the removal device is held on the carrier structure by means of a suspension cable or a rod-shaped carrier device.

With regard to the efficient operation of the removal device according to the invention, according to one embodiment variant, it is advantageous if the carrier structure has at least one guide rail along which the individual machine modules are mounted and move transversely relative to the bore. This allows the carrier structure not only to move the removal device vertically in the forward direction, but also to move the individual machine modules transversely relative to this forward direction. This allows efficient transport and disconnection of the individual machine modules, in particular convenient assembly and disassembly in transverse or horizontal tunnels.

By using suitable bearings, manual movement is in principle possible. According to a development of the invention, it is particularly advantageous if the positioning device has a movement drive for moving the machine module. This can be, for example, a motor with a sprocket moving along a gear rack. A cable actuation mechanism with a cable winch, a linear adjustment cylinder or another suitable drive means can also be provided. The drive can preferably be operated electrically or hydraulically.

The machine modules can in principle be connected in any suitable manner that allows for as rapid a release and connection as possible. According to a development of the invention, it is particularly advantageous for the machine modules to have connection surfaces oriented transversely and/or longitudinally relative to the longitudinal or removal direction. This creates as large a connection surface as possible and allows for a particularly stable connection between the individual machine modules. In addition to the machine module of the removal device itself, further machine modules can be provided for the feeding device or the holding device, which are separate from the removal device.

In this case, it is particularly preferred to arrange releasable coupling devices on these coupling surfaces. The coupling devices are, first of all, mechanical coupling devices for a stable and tight coupling of the machine modules. Furthermore, the coupling devices can also include devices for coupling supply hoses and lines, for example for power and for data transmission. Quick coupling devices can also be provided in principle. These can be operated manually or at least in part by appropriately driven actuators, such as adjusting cylinders. However, the lines between the supply units and the machine modules are preferably not separated and therefore do not have to be coupled when the removal device is assembled. In particular, each machine module can be assigned its own supply unit with a direct line connection. The coupling devices are preferably located near the manway of the machine modules.

In principle, the carrier structure can be constructed entirely from steel beams in a compact manner, the carrier structure being arranged only in the working area. A particularly efficient operating mode of the earthmoving machine can be achieved if the carrier structure extends along the working area adjacent to which holes are introduced. Thereby, after creating a first hole, the removal device can be disassembled into individual machine modules, moved along the carrier structure and reassembled to form the removal device and to create a second or further hole in the working area. In this way, continuous trenches, which are desirable in retaining or blocking walls, for example, can be efficiently created.

In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, at least one hoist unit for vertically moving the removal device is arranged on the carrier structure. The hoist unit is preferably designed as a winch arrangement with a hanging cable or as a telescopic rod assembly. The hoist unit has a suitable lift drive, e.g. a rotary drive. This can be electrically or hydraulically operated. The hoist unit itself can be mounted on the carrier structure in a modular manner as an easily releasable and adjustable module. For example, the hanging cable is guided from the winch arrangement of the hoist unit along the upper region of the carrier structure to the removal device via at least one corresponding pulley and is releasably coupled thereto. The at least one pulley can be rotatably mounted on a roller slide, which is movably mounted on the carrier structure.

Furthermore, according to a development of the invention, it is advisable to arrange at least one supply unit with at least one hose reel and/or line reel on the carrier structure. One or more supply units can likewise be mounted on the carrier structure as an easily releasable and movable machine module. The hoses can be designed to convey suspension or working fluid to/from the removal device. The lines on the line reel can be designed to convey power, working fluid or as data lines. The hoist unit and the supply unit can also be commonly formed on a machine module or a single unit.

The carrier structure can in principle be of any design. Preferably, it has a vertical support on which at least one guide rail is held off the ground. In this way, the machine modules can be securely moved along the carrier structure along one or more parallel guide rails and assembled at the work site. The individual machine modules can have holding points for attaching hoisting units, in particular suspension cables, so that they can be moved along the carrier structure after being lifted into the guide trench or out of the hole. The carrier structure itself can consist of one or more containers forming an enclosure.

The invention further relates to a removal device, which is composed of at least two machine modules of substantially the same height, characterized in that the at least two machine modules have a manway, the manway being oriented transversely to the direction of travel of the removal device. This removal device can preferably be used in the above-mentioned construction machine.

According to a development of the invention, a particularly good transport capacity is realized by the fact that the height of the machine module is not more than 3 m. In this way, the machine module can be accommodated for transport purposes in a standard container, or at least in a so-called high cube container, which is essentially compatible with road transport. Here, the compact height of the machine module according to the invention allows its deployment in a tunnel, or in other narrow spaces. If a tunnel is made specifically for the use of an earthmoving machine, the smaller tunnel cross-section is more cost-effective to manufacture than the large tunnel cross-sections required with known earthmoving machines. Furthermore, one or more standard or high cube containers may be provided as an enclosure or housing for the trench cutter. In this way, firstly, transport is further simplified and, secondly, the construction activity is protected from the environment, for example when working outdoors. By means of the manway, the operator can move all the modules within the container row without leaving the protection of the container walls. Thus, a fast construction progress can be achieved even in bad weather.

The manway can in principle remain open and can extend from the first side of the machine module to the opposite side of the machine module. Preferably, the manway of all adjacent machine modules of the earthmoving machine is designed in abutment with the manway adjacent to one another, allowing the manway to move from one machine module to the other. The manway can be formed in the side area or in the internal area of the individual machine modules. In particular when realised in the internal area, it is preferred according to a development of the invention that one or two doors are arranged to close the manway. In particular in the case of machine modules provided to form a removal device, the manway can be tightly closed by means of the door. In this way, it is possible to prevent the suspension in the trench from entering and contaminating the manway.

In the case of horizontal walkways, a lattice-like walkway grating may preferably be provided on the walkway.

Also according to the present invention, there is provided a civil engineering method for removing soil using the above-mentioned civil engineering machine, in which a carrier structure is arranged with a guide device, a removal device is arranged on the carrier structure and lowered vertically into the ground, in which soil material is removed in a working area to form a hole, the removal device is composed of at least two machine modules, which are transported separately from each other to the working area by the guide device and connected to each other in the working area to form the removal device, in which a manway is formed in and/or on the at least two machine modules, through which a person can pass horizontally through the at least two machine modules in the carrier structure. In this way, safe access of the operator to the individual modules or the working site during assembly and/or operation of the civil engineering machine is ensured.

The above-mentioned advantages can be achieved with the method according to the invention: the removal device can in principle be withdrawn again from the constructed trench and dismantled in the reverse manner.

A particularly advantageous variant of the method of the invention can be envisaged for producing at least two adjacent holes, in which, after forming the first hole, the removal device is withdrawn from the first hole, the machine modules are separated, and in order to form further holes, the machine modules are moved along the guide device and reconnected together to form the removal device, which is then lowered into the ground while removing the earth material. With this method, multiple holes can be created efficiently and with good control, even in limited spaces, to relatively large depths. Within the meaning of the invention, adjacent holes, which may be trenches or boreholes, do not have to be arranged directly adjacent and side by side. They may be, for example, primary holes for creating a retaining wall using the back-step method, or secondary holes. In this case, the individual steps can be repeated as many times as necessary, and the carrier structure can be optionally adjusted or moved along the working area using the guide device as the work progresses.

The method can in principle be carried out at any work site. Particularly advantageously, according to a development of the invention, the carrier structure is arranged underground in a tunnel. The method can therefore be carried out in very tight spatial conditions in an underground tunnel. The method can therefore also be used, for example, for extracting natural resources located under so-called microtunnels created for that purpose.

According to a development of the invention, in order to form a structure, in particular a retaining wall in the ground, at least one hole is filled with a hardening suspension, which is hardened to form the retaining wall. The filling with the hardening suspension can be carried out in the so-called single-phase method or in the so-called two-phase method, with subsequent replacement of the stabilizing suspension with the hardening suspension during the removal process.

At least a portion of the removed soil material is used to mix with a hardening liquid to produce a hardening suspension, which may be formed directly in the hole or in a treatment plant outside the hole.

1 is a schematic diagram of an earthmoving machine according to the present invention; FIG. 2 is a front view of the earthmoving machine of FIG. 1 . FIG. 3 is a side view of the earthmoving machine of FIG. 2 . FIG. 4 is a plan view of the earthmoving machine according to FIGS. 1 to 3; 2 is a perspective view of a carrier structure of the earthmoving machine of FIG. 1 according to the present invention; FIG. FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a first machine module of the earthmoving machine of FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a second machine module of the earthmoving machine of FIG. 1 . 1 is a perspective view of a shift slide for an earthmoving machine according to the present invention; FIG. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a supply unit with a hose reel for a construction machine according to the invention; FIG. 13 is a perspective view of another supply unit with a line reel for a construction machine according to the invention; FIG. 2 is a front view of a construction machine according to the present invention in use; FIG. 12 is a schematic cross-sectional side view of the earthmoving machine of FIG. 11 . FIG. 12 is a front view of the earthmoving machine of FIG. 11 with the removal device assembled according to the present invention; FIG. 14 is a side view of the earthmoving machine of FIG. 13. FIG. 15 is a front view of the earthmoving machine of FIGS. 11 to 14 at the start of a cutting process; FIG. 16 is a side view of the earthmoving machine of FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a machine module according to the invention with an internal manway;

The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to preferred exemplary embodiments which are illustrated diagrammatically in the drawings.

Figures 1 to 4 show various views of a construction machine 10 according to the invention, which is designed to be installed in a tunnel having a substantially circular tunnel cross-section. The construction machine 10 according to Figures 1 to 4 is shown in a rest or initial position before the cutting process according to the invention is carried out.

The earthmoving machine 10 has a scaffold-like carrier structure 20, which is also shown in more detail in FIG. 5. The carrier structure 20 comprises a lattice-like floor support 21, which is composed of longitudinal and transverse beams. Furthermore, a ceiling area 23 is provided, which is correspondingly configured in a lattice or ladder-like manner and is supported by the floor support 21 in the manner of a number of vertical struts 22. A guide device 24 with a guide rail 25, the function of which will be explained in more detail later, can be implemented along the ceiling area 23 and the floor support 21. The longitudinal beams of both the floor support 21 and the ceiling area 23 can form a guide rail 25 of the positioning device 26. The vertical struts 22 can be arranged in pairs and can be arranged at a substantially uniform distance from each other, respectively connecting the floor support 21 and the ceiling area 23 in the region of the transverse beams. An exception to this can be the cutting section 28 for assembling and disassembling the removal device in the central area of the carrier structure 20. A floor passage 29 for the trench cutter is formed in the floor support 21 at this cutting section 28, where the vertical struts 22 are further apart. In principle, such a floor passage 29 can be provided between every pair of vertical struts 22. The laterally protruding struts 12 serve to support the passage grid 14 and are formed in the floor support 21. One or two personnel passages 18 can be formed in this way. The personnel passages 18 can also be arranged inside the machine modules 40, 50, if they extend completely or mostly across the tunnel cross section.

As shown in Figures 1 to 4, the first machine module 40 is disposed within the cutting section 28 in a rest or initial state. The first machine module 40 has a base frame 44 on which a cutting wheel 42 is disposed. The first machine module 42 is mounted by the base frame 44 so as to be movable in the longitudinal direction of the carrier structure 20 along the upper guide rail 25.

Laterally of the first machine module 40, the second machine module 50 is similarly mounted by a guide frame 54 so as to be movable along the upper guide rail 25 of the positioning device 26. The second machine module 50 has a drive unit 52 mounted therein and is suspended on two cables 64. The cables 64 are guided by a winch 62 of a hoisting unit 60 along the upper ceiling area 23 to the positioning slide 27, from where the cables 64 are guided via pulleys to the second machine module 50, where they are releasably attached. In addition to the hoisting function of raising and lowering the trench cutter, the cables 64 can also be part of the positioning device 26 and move at least the second machine module 50 longitudinally along the upper guide rail 25.

In the earthmoving machine 10 shown in Figures 1 to 4, a first supply unit 80 with a rotatable line reel 82 for a number of lines 84 is movably mounted on a first support slide 86 on the left-hand side of the carrier structure 20 with respect to the cutting section 28. The line 84 can be designed for electric current as a data line or further for the supply of hydraulic energy or compressed air to the first machine module 40 with the cutting wheel 42. In the particular embodiment shown, the first support slide 86 is mounted so that it is longitudinally movable both along the guide rails 25 of the ceiling area 23 and the guide rails 25 of the floor support 21 and can be fixed in place. The first supply unit 80 is directly coupled to the first machine module 40.

The second supply unit 70 is shown on the right hand side with a hose reel 72 and a line reel 73 rotatably mounted on a second support slide 76, on which the two winch drums of the winch 62 are also rotatably mounted and can be moved longitudinally along a guide rail 25 on the upper ceiling area 23 and fixed in position. The second supply unit 70 serves to directly supply the second machine module 50. Of course, it is also possible to arrange the line reel 82, the hose reel 72 and the line reel 73 all in the same supply unit 70, 80.

The hose lines 74 of the hose reel 72 are shown in Figs. 1 to 4. The hose lines 74 can be designed to discharge the excised soil material together with the supporting fluid. Further lines 75 on the line reel 73 can be electrical lines for control or measurement signals or can be designed to supply or discharge a working fluid. Further supply and discharge of media to and from the carrier structure 20 is carried out in a conventional manner via lines and hoses and are not shown for clarity.

The first machine module 40 is shown in more detail in FIG. 6. Two pairs of cutting wheels 42 are rotatably mounted to a base frame 44 which is generally U-shaped in cross section. Each pair of cutting wheels 42 is rotatably mounted to a central cutting plate 43 which is attached to the underside of the base frame 44. The cutting wheels 42 are provided with cutting teeth on their outer sides for removing earth material in a generally known manner.

Two pairs of cutting wheels 42 rotate in opposite directions about the center, between which suction nozzles 45 are provided, which carry and suck up the cut earth material by means of the supporting or cutting fluid. For each pair of cutting wheels 42, a cutting drive 46 is attached to the base frame 44. The drive can also in principle be integrated into the cutting wheels 42. Furthermore, vertical and horizontal surfaces are provided on the base frame 44 as first connecting surfaces 48, and through holes 49 for bolt connections can be provided. The receptacles 41 serve for connection to a first supply unit 80, as will be explained in more detail in relation to FIG. 10.

Figure 7 shows the second machine module 50, which consists of a box-shaped guide frame 54. The cross section of the guide frame 54 corresponds approximately to the cutting cross section of the first machine module 40, so that the trench cutter as a removal device is guided in the trench itself by the guide frame 54. For position correction, a plate-shaped adjustment element 56 is provided, which is adjustable in the generally known manner by means of a hydraulic cylinder and allows a certain degree of position adjustment relative to the trench wall.

A second coupling surface 58 is provided on the guide frame 54, which allows a positionally accurate coupling to the first coupling surface 48 on the first machine module 40. A drive unit 52 in the form of a pump device is mounted on the inside of the guide frame 54. A holding device 55 for attaching a suspension cable is provided in the upper central area of the guide frame 54.

The first mechanical module 40 and the second mechanical module 50 may be mechanically interconnected.

The aforementioned positioning slide 27 is shown in more detail in FIG. 8. It has a slide frame 34, on the outside of which four guide rollers 35 are rotatably mounted. The guide rollers 35 guide the positioning slide 27 linearly on or within the guide rails 25 of the guide device 24 on the carrier structure 20.

The guide rollers 35 are arranged in pairs facing each other with a gap between the two pairs in which two laterally opposed pulleys 36 are arranged for the cable 64 and for holding the second machine module 50 and thus the entire trench cutter. The pulleys 36 redirect the cable 64 guided approximately horizontally from the winch 62 vertically downwards. The arched, approximately quadrant-shaped hose guides 37 are arranged on the slide frame 34 and redirect the hose lines 74 and 75 from the second supply unit 70. These hose guides 37 redirect the horizontally conveyed hose lines 74 and 75 vertically relative to the trench cutter.

Figure 9 shows the aforementioned second supply unit 70 in more detail. It has a second support slide 76, on which a hose reel 72 for a large hose line 74 for fluid and a line reel 73 for two hydraulic hoses 75 and two electric wires 75 are rotatably mounted. Furthermore, a winch drum of a winch 62 for two cables 64 running parallel to each other is rotatably mounted in the rear area of the second support slide 76. Four guide rollers 35 are arranged in equal distribution along each of the two side walls of the second support slide 76 and are rotatably mounted. The second supply unit 70 is mounted so that it can be moved longitudinally along the guide rails 25 on the ceiling area 23 of the carrier structure 20 by the guide rollers 35.

The first supply unit 80 shown in FIG. 10 is designed in a similar manner. It comprises a first support slide 86, on which the line reel 82 is rotatably mounted. The first support slide 86 is provided with three upper guide rollers 35 on each of the two side sections, which are linearly guided along guide rails 25 on the ceiling area 23 of the carrier structure 20. Furthermore, two lateral support rollers 38 are rotatably mounted in the lower area of the first support slide 86, resting on guide rails 25 on the floor support 21 and linearly guided along them.

On one end face of the first support slide 86 is a quadrant-shaped curved return guide 88 that can be used to redirect the line from the line reel 82 from a horizontal to a vertical orientation and direct it towards the trench cutter.

The interlocking mechanism 89 serves for coupling to the first machine module 40 by being introduced into the receptacle 41 (see FIG. 6) of the first machine module 40 and by extending it horizontally, for example by means of a hydraulic cylinder. A hoisting device 90, which may for example include one or two hydraulic cylinders, may be used to lower the first machine module 40 into the guide trench or to raise it again upon completion of the trench.

The use of the earthmoving machine 10 according to the invention and the implementation of the method according to the invention for cutting trenches in tight space conditions are described in more detail with reference to Figures 11 to 16.

11 shows the arrangement of the earthmoving machine 10 according to the invention in a tunnel tube 5 in the ground, the tunnel tube in the partial cross-section according to FIG. 12 having a circular tunnel cross-section. Before the earthmoving machine 10 is introduced into the tubular tunnel 5, a guide trench 6 with solid guide walls 7 is made in the floor of the tunnel 5 in a generally known manner. The guide walls 7 can be cast in place with concrete or can be formed by inserting guide elements made of concrete or steel. The guide trench 6 can have a depth of between 1 m and 5 m and is made using an excavator or a blade cutter, as is generally known. The guide trench 6 serves to initially guide the trench cutter along the guide walls 7, as is generally known. In the method according to the invention, the guide trench further serves as an assembly space for assembling and connecting the first machine module 40 to the second machine module 50, as will be explained in more detail below.

The earthmoving machine 10 used in the tunnel 5 corresponds to the earthmoving machine 10 described above and comprises as a basic component a scaffold-like carrier structure 20, in which the first machine module 40, the second machine module 50 and also the first supply unit 80 and the second supply unit 70 are guided in a linearly movable manner and held in position. The carrier structure 20 is adapted to the tunnel 5, with the floor support 21 bearing against the floor of the tunnel 5 and the ceiling area 23 of the carrier structure 20 bearing against the ceiling of the tunnel 5. It is also possible to support the earthmoving machine 10 only on the floor and not on the ceiling. The tunnel 5 may have a diameter of about 2 m to 6 m. In the case of a tunnel cross-section of corresponding size, a lateral support of the earthmoving machine 10 is also conceivable, the lateral free space of which can be used as a manway 18 for the operator. To form the manway 18, a passage lattice 14 is placed on the laterally protruding lower horizontal struts 12. When the machine modules are spaced horizontally, the personnel passage 18 extends partially in the carrier structure 20 and partially through the machine modules 40, 50.

In a first step according to FIG. 13, the first machine module 40 with the cutting wheel 42 is coupled to the first feed unit 80 via an interlocking mechanism 89 and then lowered at least partially into the pre-made guide trench 6 by a hoisting device 90 so that the second machine module 50 can be pressed onto the first machine module 40 along the carrier structure 20. In the process, the second feed unit 70 can be moved and tracked correspondingly to the second machine module 50. In this position, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the first machine module 40 can be assembled and coupled with the second machine module 50 to form a trench cutter 30 ready for use as a removal device, as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16.

Once the mechanical connection between the two machine modules 40, 50 has been established, the connection between the first machine module 40 and the first supply unit 80 via the connection mechanism 89 can be released. The removal device 30 is then lowered into the ground via the suspension cable 64, with the cutting wheel 42 rotating, so that the earth material can be removed to form the cut trench. The hose line 74 and the line 75 from the second supply unit 70 can also in principle be connected to the removal device 30, but the line 84 from the first supply unit 80 is permanently connected. However, it is preferred that the lines between the first supply unit 80 and the first machine module 40 and between the second supply unit 70 and the second machine module are in each case permanently connected and no longer need to be connected during assembly. The removed earth material can be pumped out via the suction nozzle 45 by the drive unit 52 in the form of a pump device and conveyed by the hose line 74 to the outside of the trench as a hole in the tunnel pipe 5 and from there to the outside of the tunnel pipe 5.

Once the desired final depth has been reached, the removal device 30 can be raised again and disassembled in the reverse manner. After moving the earthmoving machine 10 together with the carrier structure 20 as a whole, or moving the machine modules 40, 50 linearly along the carrier structure 20 to a new working area, the removal device 30 can be reassembled and the assembly steps repeated to cut a new trench.

The carrier structure 20 can be designed as an integral part, as shown in the previous exemplary embodiment, or as a multi-part structure consisting of several components that are spaced apart or interconnected by pivot joints. A control station for controlling the removal device 30 can be provided, which is itself preferably provided on the carrier structure 20 or near the removal device 30. The removal device 30 can also be designed in principle without providing a suction device directly on the removal device 30. In this case, a suitable suction device can be arranged near the carrier structure 20. Alternatively, the suction device, in particular a pump, can be arranged on the first machine module 40 with the cutting wheel 42 or on the second machine module 50 directly above the cutting wheel 42.

Another embodiment of the earthmoving machine 10 according to the invention is shown in FIG. 17. In this case, the machine module 50 of the earthmoving machine 10 has a cross-section that almost completely or to a large extent covers the cross-section of the tunnel 5. In this case, the carrier structure 20 can be designed as a rail arrangement along the tunnel 5. To provide a personnel passage 18, a passage is provided inside the machine module, the floor of which forms a passage grid 14 for the operator or maintenance personnel.

Claims (15)

1. An earthmoving machine for removing soil, the earthmoving machine being formed of a plurality of machine modules, the earthmoving machine comprising:
a removal device comprising at least two machine modules including a machine module having a soil removal tool ;
a carrier structure for suspending the removal device with the machine module having the soil removal tool on the bottom and the other machine modules constituting the removal device stacked on top of the machine module and connected vertically , and for moving the removal device vertically forward to form a hole in the ground;
Equipped with
the carrier structure additionally comprises a guide device having at least one guide rail extending transversely to the advancing direction , at least two of the machine modules constituting the removal device being separated and individually mounted along the guide rail, the carrier structure transporting or conveying the machine modules mounted along the guide rail transversely to the advancing direction,
a personnel passageway is formed in the at least two machine modules within the carrier structure to allow personnel to pass horizontally along the at least two machine modules;
Earthmoving machinery. The earthmoving machine of claim 1, wherein a personnel passage is formed in or on all machine modules, allowing personnel to pass horizontally along all of the machine modules. 2. The earth moving machine of claim 1, wherein the removal device is a trench cutter, or a gripping device, or an excavation device. 2. A civil engineering machine according to claim 1, wherein the machine modules constituting the removal device include at least one further machine module having a guide frame. The earthmoving machine of claim 1 , wherein the hole formed by the removal device is a trench . 2. The earth moving machine of claim 1 , further comprising a positioning device having a movement drive for moving the machine module. The earth moving machine of claim 1, wherein the machine module has a coupling surface and a releasable coupling device is disposed on the coupling surface. The earthmoving machine of claim 1, wherein the carrier structure extends along a work area in which there are a plurality of adjacent trenches or boreholes to be inserted as holes. The earthmoving machine of claim 1, wherein at least one hoist unit for vertically moving the removal device is disposed on the carrier structure in the forward direction. The earth moving machine of claim 1, wherein at least one supply unit having at least one hose reel and/or line reel is arranged on the carrier structure. 2. A removal device for a construction machine according to claim 1, comprising:
The removal apparatus is comprised of at least two machine modules that are substantially the same height in a forward movement direction, the at least two machine modules of the removal apparatus having a manway, the manway being oriented transversely to the forward movement direction of the removal apparatus. The removal device according to claim 11, wherein one or two doors are arranged to close the personnel passage in a lateral direction. A method for removing soil using a civil engineering machine according to claim 1, comprising:
A carrier structure having a guide device is provided;
a removal device is disposed on the carrier structure and lowered vertically in an advancing direction into the earth where earth material is removed within the working area to form a hole;
the removal device comprises at least two machine modules which are separated from one another, transported to the working area by the guide device and coupled to one another in the working area to form the removal device;
a personnel passageway is formed in at least two machine modules in the carrier structure, through which personnel can pass horizontally through the at least two machine modules in the carrier structure;
Civil engineering methods. At least two adjacent holes are made, and after making a first hole, the removal device is withdrawn from the first hole and the machine modules are separated;
14. The method of claim 13, wherein to form additional holes, the machine modules are moved along the guide device, reconnected together to form the removal device, and then lowered into the ground while removing earth material. The method of claim 13, wherein the carrier structure is placed underground in a tunnel.

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