TUNNEL EXCAVATION APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR TBM EXCAVATION AND EXPANDED BLASTING

Abstract

The prevent invention provides a tunnel excavation apparatus including: an excavation part configured to excavate a tunnel; a path part installed on a bottom of an excavation surface of the tunnel; an expanded blasting part configured to expand the tunnel; a protective shield part installed to protect the inside of the tunnel between the excavation part and the expanded blasting part; and an expansion part installed on the protective shield part to block a gap between the tunnel and the protective shield part and including an expansion tube provided as a plurality of layers, and the expansion part installed in the protective shield part may be improved in durability to stably block a gap between the tunnel and the protective shield part.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a tunnel excavation apparatus and method for TBM excavation and expanded blasting, and more particularly, to a tunnel excavation apparatus and method for TBM excavation and expanded blasting, in which durability of an expansion part installed on a protective shield part is improved to stably block a gap between a tunnel and a protective shield.

BACKGROUND ART

Recently, a method for excavating a pilot tunnel using a tunnel boring machine (TBM) and expanding a circumference of a pilot tunnel by blasting with gunpowder has been applied.

This method has the advantage of reducing a vibration limitation of the ground and increasing in excavation speed.

Here, when constructing a rock tunnel, the rear facilities such as a cable for supplying electric power to the tunnel boring machine and a rail on which a muck car for carrying excavated materials moves are installed. However, when the circumference of the pilot tunnel is blasted with gunpowder, falling rocks and scattering rocks are generated due to a blast pressure and an excessive noise, which may damage the rear facilities and cause safety accidents for workers in the tunnel.

Conventionally, to protect the rear facilities, a protective shield is installed inside the pilot tunnel, and a gap between the protective shield and the pilot tunnel is blocked with a tube. However, the falling rocks or scattering rocks generated when blasting the circumference of the pilot tunnel with gunpowder may hit and damage the tube. Therefore, there may be a limitation in that the tube bursts, and thus, a gap between the protective shield and the pilot tunnel is not blocked.

• • (Patent Document 1) KR2011-0078408 A
  • (Patent Document 2) KR2018-0043028 A

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

Technical Problem

The present invention provides a tunnel excavation apparatus and method capable of improving durability of an expansion part installed on a protective shield part.

The present invention also provides a tunnel excavation apparatus and method capable of stably blocking a gap between a tunnel and a protective shield part.

Technical Solution

The present invention provides a tunnel excavation apparatus including: an excavation part configured to excavate a tunnel; a path part installed on a bottom of an excavation surface of the tunnel; an expanded blasting part configured to expand the tunnel; a protective shield part installed to protect the inside of the tunnel between the excavation part and the expanded blasting part; and an expansion part installed on the protective shield part to block a gap between the tunnel and the protective shield part and including an expansion tube provided as a plurality of layers.

The expansion part may include: a first expansion tube disposed along a circumference of the protective shield part; a second expansion tube disposed to be expandable inside the first expansion tube; and an injector configured to inject a fluid into the second expansion tube.

The injector may include a plurality of injection member connected to different portions of the second expansion tube to supply the fluid to a plurality of regions of the second expansion tube.

The first expansion tube may have a thickness greater than that of the second expansion tube.

One expansion part may be provided to surround an outer circumferential surface of the protective shield part at a preset position, or a plurality of expansion parts may be provided to surround an outer circumferential surface of the protective shield part at different positions.

The tunnel excavation apparatus may further include a protective panel part installed between the expanded blasting part and the expansion part to protect the expansion part.

The protective panel part may include: a panel member; a hinge member configured to rotatably connect the panel member to the protective shield part; and a driving member installed to provide rotating driving force to the panel member.

The tunnel excavation apparatus may further include a shield carrier part movably disposed along the path part and connected to the protective shield part to allow the protective shield part to move.

The shield carrier part may include: a moving cart; and a fixing member configured to selectively fix the moving cart.

The protective shield part may include: an upper shield configured to cover a space above the moving cart; a lower shield connected to a lower portion of the upper shield to cover a space below the moving cart; and a connection member having one side connected to the connection part between the upper shield and the lower shield and the other side connected to a side surface of the moving cart, wherein the connection member is separable from at least one of the upper shield or the lower shield.

The protective shield part may further include a pad installed below the lower shield to absorb an impact.

The tunnel excavation apparatus may further include: a protective cover part installed to cover the path part; and a cover carrier part movably disposed along the path part to support the protective cover part, thereby allowing the protective cover part to move.

The cover carrier part may include: a moving cart; and a support member installed on a lower portion of the moving cart to separably support the protective cover part.

The protective cover part may include a plurality of cover members, and the support member is provided in plurality, which are disposed in a longitudinal direction and respectively support the cover members.

The cover member may have a length greater than that of the moving cart in a width direction crossing the longitudinal direction.

The present invention provides a tunnel excavation method including: a pilot tunnel forming process of excavating a pilot tunnel having a cross-sectional area less than that of a widened tunnel; a blasting protective part installation process of installing a blasting protective part including a protective shield part behind the pilot tunnel; and an expanded blasting part blasting process of blasting a predetermined position behind the installed blasting protective part to form the widened tunnel.

The blasting protective part installation process may include: a protective shield part installation process of allowing the protective shield part to move in front of the expanded blasting part so as to install the protective shield part; and an expansion part expansion process of expanding the expansion part to seal a space between an inner wall of the pilot tunnel and the protective shield part.

The tunnel excavation method may further include, before the expanded blasting part blasting process, a protective cover part installation part of allowing a protective cover part for protecting a path part formed in the tunnel to move according to a position of the expanded blasting part to install the protective cover part on the path part.

Advantageous Effects

According to the embodiment of the present invention, the durability of the expansion part installed on the protective shield part may be improved. Therefore, the damage of the expansion part due to the falling rocks and scattering rocks, which occur when blasting is performed to expand the tunnel may be effectively suppressed or prevented.

Therefore, the expansion part may stably block the gap between the tunnel and the protective shield part.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a view illustrating a tunnel excavation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view illustrating a structure of a path part according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a view illustrating a structure in which a protective shield part and an expansion part are installed in a tunnel according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a view illustrating structures of a protective shield part, an expansion part, and a shield carrier according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a view illustrating a structure of an expansion part according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a view illustrating an operation structure of a protective panel part according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a view illustrating structures of a protective cover part and a cover carrier according to an embodiment of the present invention.

MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention may, however, be embodied in different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that the present invention will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the present invention to those skilled in the art. In the figures, the dimensions of layers and regions are exaggerated for clarity of illustration. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.

FIG. 1 is a view illustrating a tunnel excavation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a view illustrating a structure of a path part according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a view illustrating a structure in which a protective shield part and an expansion part are installed in a tunnel according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4 is a view illustrating structures of a protective shield part, an expansion part, and a shield carrier according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a view illustrating a structure of an expansion part according to another embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, a tunnel excavation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

The tunnel excavation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is a facility for performing tunnel construction. Referring to FIG. 1, a tunnel excavation apparatus 100 includes an excavation part 110, a path part 120, an expanded blasting part (not shown), a protective shield part 130, and an expansion part 140. Here, the protective shield part 130 and the expansion part 140 constitute a blasting protective part to protect the excavation part 110 and the like against scattering products generated when the expanded blasting part is blasted.

The excavation part 110 may excavate a tunnel. For example, the excavation part 110 may be a tunnel boring machine (TBM) and may excavate a tunnel (e.g., a pilot tunnel T1) while moving in a longitudinal direction.

Here, the tunnel excavation apparatus 100 may further include a belt conveyor 151 and a muck car 152. Thus, excavated materials generated while the excavation part 110 excavates the tunnel may be loaded onto the muck car 152 using the belt conveyor 151, and the muck car 152 may move to the outside of the tunnel to discharge the excavated materials to the outside of the tunnel.

The path part 120 is installed on the bottom of an excavation surface of the tunnel. When the excavation part 110 moves forward, the path part 120 may be disposed behind the excavation part 110. The path part 120 includes a sleeper 121 and a rail 122 as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3.

The slipper 121 may be provided in plurality and disposed along a longitudinal direction. The slipper 121 includes a lower plate having a predetermined curvature radius so as to be in close contact with the lower excavation surface of the tunnel excavated by the excavation part 110 and an upper plate hinge-coupled to both sides of the lower plate. In addition, the slipper 121 may further include a support on which a drain pipe coupled to a center of a top surface of the lower plate to provide a drain and a coupling platform coupled by a bolt when the upper plate rotates to cover an upper space are provided at both sides thereof. An installation space may be defined between the upper plate and the lower plate so that a lead-in line is mounted, and the installation space may be divided by the support. However, a structure and shape of the slipper 121 is not limited thereto and may vary.

The rail 122 may be installed on an upper portion of the sleeper 121 (or a top surface of the upper plate). The rail 122 may extend in the longitudinal direction and may be provided in a pair, which are disposed parallel to each other. Thus, the rail 122 may provide a path through which the muck car 152, a moving cart 171 provided in the shield carrier 170 to be described later, and a carrier cart 181 provided on a cover carrier 180 to be described later move.

The expanded blasting part may expand the tunnel. For example, the expanded blasting part may be gunpowder. A blasting hole may be drilled in the tunnel (or pilot tunnel T1) excavated by the excavation part 110, and the expanded blasting part may be installed in the blasting hole to perform blasting. Thus, as the pilot tunnel T1 is expanded, a tunnel T2 excavated by a new austrian tunneling method (NATM) may be defined.

The blasting protective part including the protective shield part 130 and the expansion part 140 is installed to protect the inside of the tunnel between the excavation part 110 and the expanded blasting part as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4. That is, the protective shield part 130 may be installed on the blast protective part so that the protective shield part 130 is disposed between the expanded blasting part and the excavation part 110 to prevent an excessive noise, a blasting pressure, falling rocks, and scattering rocks generated while the expanded blasting part performs the blasting from being introduced toward the excavation part 110. The protective shield part 130 includes an upper shield 131, a lower shield 133, and a connection member 132 as illustrated in FIG. 4.

The upper shield 131 may cover a space above the moving cart 171 provided on the shield carrier 170. For example, the upper shield 131 may be provided in an arcuate shape to cover the space above the moving cart 171. However, the shape of the upper shield 131 is not limited thereto and may vary.

The lower shield 133 may be connected to a lower side of the upper shield 131 to cover a space under the moving cart 171. For example, a pair of lower shields 133 may be respectively connected to both ends of the upper shield 131 so as to be spaced apart from each other in a width direction and may respectively cover lower portions of both surfaces of the moving cart 171.

The connection member 132 extends in the width direction and has one side connected to the connection part of the upper shield 131 and the lower shield 133 and the other side connected to the side surface of the moving cart 171. For example, a pair of connection members 132 may be provided to be spaced apart from each other in the width direction and may respectively protrude from connection parts of the upper shield 131 and the lower shield 133 toward the moving cart 171. In addition, the connection member 132 may be separably connected to at least one of the connection part of the upper shield 131 and the lower shield 133, or the side surface of the moving cart 171.

That is, the connection member 132 may include a coupling plate and an assembly. The coupling plate may extend in the width direction and may be disposed to overlap a main body of the connection member 132 and the moving cart 171. A plurality of coupling bodies may be coupled by passing through a portion at which the main body of the connection member 132 and the coupling plate overlap each other, and a portion at which the moving cart 171 and the coupling plate overlap each other. Alternatively, the coupling plate may extend in the width direction to overlap the main body of the connection member 132 and the connection part of the upper shield 131 and the lower shield 133. The coupling plate may be coupled by passing through each of the overlapping portions using the coupling bodies. Thus, when the coupling bodies are coupled, the protective shield part 130 may be connected to the moving cart 171 or may be connected to the connection part of the upper shield 131 and the lower shield 133. When the coupling bodies are separated, the protective shield part 130 and the moving cart 171 may be separated from each other or may be separated from the connection parts of the upper shield 131 and the lower shield 133. However, the structure in which the connection member 132 is separably coupled is not limited thereto and may be various.

Here, the upper shield 131, the lower shield 133, and the connection member 132 may be connected to provide an arcuate pipe shape. The upper shield 131 and the lower shield 133 may be manufactured integrally or may be separately manufactured to be coupled to each other. Each of the upper shield 131, the lower shield 133, and the connection member 132 may be provided as a steel plate. Therefore, the upper shield 131, the lower shield 133, and the connection member 132 may be suppressed or prevented from being deformed in outer appearance due to an impact caused by the blasting of the expanded blasting part, and the space within the protective shield part 130 may be stably protected.

The protective shield part 130 may further include a pad 134. The pad 134 may be made of a material including rubber. The pad 134 may be provided in a plate shape and installed under the lower shield 133. Thus, when the protective shield part 130 is seated on the slipper 121 provided in the path part 120, the pad 134 may absorb the impact. Therefore, the lower shield 133 may be prevented from being damaged. However, the material and shape of the pad 134 is not limited thereto and may vary.

In addition, the protective shield part 130 may be provided with a protective wall W and a door D as illustrated in FIG. 3. When the upper shield 131, the lower shield 133, and the connection member 132 are connected to provide the arcuate pipe shape, front and rear sides may be opened. Here, the protective wall W may be installed at the rear side to close the opened portion. An opening may be defined in the protective wall W, and the door D may be installed to open and close the opening of the protective wall W. As a result, when blasting the expanded blasting part, the door D may be closed to block the introduction of falling rocks or scattered rocks, and when the muck car is driven, the door D may be opened so that the muck car passes through the opening.

The expansion part 140 may be installed on the protective shield part 130 as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 to block a gap between the tunnel T1 and the protective shield part 130. Thus, the excessive noise, a pressure, dusts, and the like generated while blasting the expanded blasting part may be prevented from being introduced into the gap between the tunnel T1 and the protective shield part 130. That is, the expansion part 140 may protect the excavation part 110 against the impact caused by the blasting of the expanded blasting part. The expansion part 140 may include an expansion tube provided as a plurality of layers to improve durability. Thus, the expansion part 140 may be suppressed or prevented from being damaged due to the falling rocks or scattering rocks. The expansion part 140 includes a first expansion tube 141, a second expansion tube 142, and an injector 143 as illustrated in FIG. 4.

The first expansion tube 141 may be disposed along an outer circumference of the protective shield part 130. The first expansion tube 141 may be made of a material including nylon. Thus, the first expansion tube 141 may be more durable than the rubber tube. In addition, the first expansion tube 141 may be thicker than the second expansion tube 142 to improve the durability. However, the material of the first expansion tube 141 is not limited thereto and may vary.

The second expansion tube 142 may be disposed along the shape of the first expansion tube 141 and disposed inside the first expansion tube 141. The second expansion tube 142 may be made of a material including rubber (or a material having elasticity) and thus may be easily expanded. Thus, the second expansion tube 142 may be expanded inside the first expansion tube 141. When the second expansion tube 142 is expanded, the second expansion tube 142 may be in contact with the first expansion tube 141 to expand the first expansion tube 141. Thus, while the first expansion tube 141 and the second expansion tube 142 are expanded between the tunnel T1 and the protective shield 130, a gap therebetween may be blocked. However, the material of the second expansion tube 142 is not limited thereto and may vary.

Here, the first expansion tube 141 that is in direct contact with the tunnel T1 may be manufactured to improve the durability, and the second expansion tube 142 may be manufactured to be easily contracted and expanded. Thus, the first expansion tube 141 may protect the internal second expansion tube 142, and the second expansion tube 142 may expand the external first expansion tube 141.

The injector 143 may inject a fluid into the second expansion tube 142. For example, the injector 143 may supply air to the second expansion tube 142 to expand the second expansion tube 142. The injector 143 includes an injection pipe (not shown) and an injection member 143a.

The injection pipe may be provided in the form of a pipe to form a path through which the fluid moves therein. For example, the injection pipe may be disposed along the circumferential shape of the protective shield part 130 and installed between the protective shield part 130 and the second expansion tube 142.

The injection member 143a may be provided in a nozzle shape. A plurality of injection members 143a may be provided and installed in the injection pipe. The injection members 143a may be disposed along the circumference of the protective shield 130 and may be connected to different portions of the second expansion tube 142. The fluid may be simultaneously supplied to a plurality of regions of the second expansion tube 142 by the injection members 143a. Thus, the second expansion tube 142 may be rapidly expanded to prevent a pressure difference from occurring for each region. Thus, the second expansion tube 142 may be expanded to maintain a state in which the first expansion tube 141 is stably in close contact with the tunnel T1.

Here, one expansion part 140 may be provided to surround the outer circumferential surface of the protective shield part at a preset position. For example, the expansion part 140 may be disposed closer to the expanded blasting part than the excavation part 100. In detail, the expansion part 140 may be disposed to surround an outer circumferential surface of an end facing the expanded blasting part of the protective shield part 130. Thus, dusts and the like generated by the blasting of the expanded blasting part may be prevented from being introduced between the pilot tunnel T1 and the protective shield part 130 so as to be prevented from being accumulated on the protective shield part 130.

Alternatively, the expansion part 140 having a structure of FIG. 4 may be provided in plurality as illustrated in FIG. 3. The expansion parts 140 may be spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction to surround the plurality of outer circumferential surfaces of the protective shield part 130 at different positions, respectively. Therefore, even if any one of the expansion parts 140 is damaged, the other one may continue to block the scattering products. In addition, since each of the expansion parts 140 has a different expansion height, it is possible to more closely respond to a height difference of the inner circumferential surface of the tunnel and to respond more efficiently according to a size of each of the scattering products.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the first expansion tube 141 and the second expansion tube 142 may be provided as partially divided tubes, but may not be provided as one cylindrical shape surrounding the entire outer circumference of the protective shield part 130. In this case, the first expansion tube 141 is configured to cover each of the divided second expansion tubes 142. In addition, the injection members 143a provided in the injector 143 may be disposed to supply the fluid to each of the divided expansion tubes. Thus, the fluid may be supplied to each of the expansion tubes so that each expansion tube is rapidly expanded.

Here, the expansion part 140 having the structure of FIG. 5 may be provided in plurality as illustrated in FIG. 3. In this case, the gaps between the divided expansion tubes of each of the expansion parts 140 may be disposed to mismatch each other. Therefore, the gap between the expansion tubes provided in any one of the expansion parts 140 may be blocked by the expansion tube provided in the other one.

As described above, the durability of the expansion part 140 installed on the protective shield part 130 may be improved. As a result, the damage of the expansion part 140 due to the falling rocks and scattering rocks, which occur when blasting is performed to expand the tunnel T1 may be effectively suppressed or prevented. Therefore, the expansion part 140 may stably block the gap between the tunnel and the protective shield part 130.

The tunnel excavation apparatus 100 may further include a shield carrier 170 as illustrated in FIG. 4. The shield carrier 170 may be movably disposed along the rail 122 provided in the path part 120 so as to be connected to the protective shield part 130. Thus, since the protective shield part 130 moves together when the shield carrier 170 moves, the shield carrier 170 may move to allow the protective shield part 130 to easily move to a desired position. The shield carrier 170 includes a moving cart 171 and a fixing member 172.

The moving cart 171 may be movably disposed on the rail 122 provided in the path part 120. The moving cart 171 includes a movable body 171a, and a moving wheel 171b.

The movable body 171a may be provided in the form of a square plate. Both sides of the movable body 171a may be separably coupled to the connection member 132 provided in the protective shield part 130. Thus, when the movable body 171a moves, the protective shield part 130 may also move. Thus, the movable body 171a may move to allow the protective shield part 130 to quickly move to a desired position, and the protective shield part 130 may be separated from the movable body 171a so as to be seated at a desired position. However, the shape of the movable body 171a is not limited thereto and may vary.

The moving wheel 171b may be provided in plurality and then be connected to a lower portion of the movable body 171a and be movably disposed on the rail 122. For example, four moving wheels 171b may be provided to be connected to the movable body 171a. Thus, the movable body 171a may move by the moving wheel 171b, and the movable body 171a may be vertically spaced apart from the rail 122. However, the number of moving wheels 171b is not limited thereto and may vary.

The fixing member 172 may be installed on the movable body 171a. The fixing member 172 may selectively fix the moving cart 171. For example, the fixing member 172 may operate like a lift. The fixing member 172 may be provided in plurality and disposed along the circumference of the movable body 171a. Thus, the fixing members 172 may uniformly lift the movable body 171a and the moving wheel 171b as a whole to support the movable body 171a and the moving wheel 171b and may allow the moving wheel 171b to be spaced apart from the rail 122. Thus, the moving cart 171 may be fixed without moving along the rail 122. The fixing member 172 may include a penetrating bar and a support plate.

The penetrating bar may extend in the vertical direction. The penetrating bar may extend beyond a length in which the movable body 171a and the rail 122 are vertically spaced apart from each other. The penetrating bar may pass through the movable body 171a vertically, and a degree of passing through the movable body 171a may be adjusted.

The support plate may be provided in the form of a plate. The support plate may be connected to a lower portion of the penetrating bar. When the penetrating bar passing through the movable body 171a is adjusted to move downward, the support plate may be in contact with the slipper 121 provided in the path part 120. In this state, if the penetrating bar further moves downward, the movable body 171a may be lifted upward, and the moving wheel 171b may be spaced apart from the rail 122. When the penetrating bar passes through the movable body 171a is adjusted to move upward, the support plate may be spaced apart from the slipper 121, and the moving wheel 171b may be seated on the rail 122. Thus, the moving cart 171 may move on the rail 122.

When describing the operation of the shield carrier 170, the protective shield part 130 may be coupled to the shield carrier 170. After the protective shield part 130 moves to a desired position through the shield carrier 170, the protective shield part 130 may be separated from the shield carrier 170, or the shield carrier 170 may be fixed. Therefore, the desired position may be protected by the shield carrier 170.

As described above, the protective shield part 130 may quickly move to the desired position using the shield carrier 170 and may be easily fixed to the moving position. Therefore, a time required to construct the protective shield may be reduced to improve efficiency of the process.

(a) of FIG. 6 is a view illustrating a structure in which the protective panel part is folded downward according to an embodiment of the present invention, and (b) of FIG. 6 is a view illustrating a structure in which the protective panel part is unfolded upward according to an embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, a protective panel part according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

The tunnel excavation apparatus 100 may further include a protective panel part 160 as illustrated in FIG. 6 in addition to a TBM equipment. The protective panel part 160 may be installed between the expanded blasting part and the expansion part 140. Thus, the protective panel part 160 may protect the expansion part 140 from falling rocks or scattering rocks generated while the expanded blasting part is blasted. Thus, the expansion part 140 may be prevented from being damaged due to hitting of the falling rocks or scattering rocks. The protective panel part 160 includes a panel member 161, a hinge member 162, and a driving member 163.

The panel member 161 may be provided in a plate shape. The panel member 161 may be provided in plurality and disposed along the circumference of the protective shield part 130. The panel member 161 may be made of a steel plate. However, the material of the panel member 161 is not limited thereto and may vary.

The hinge member 162 may rotatably connect the panel member 161 to the protective shield part 130. The hinge member 162 may be provided in plurality as many as the number of protective shield parts 130. Thus, the panel member 161 may rotate to move to a position that blocks a gap between the expansion part 140 and the expanded blasting part or may rotate toward the protective shield part 130 so as to be folded.

The driving member 163 may be installed to provide driving force for the rotation of the panel member 161. For example, the driving member 163 may be a motor. Thus, the driving member 163 may adjust a degree of rotation of the panel member 161. Therefore, when blasting the expanded blasting part, the panel member 161 may move to the position that blocks the gap between the expansion part 140 and the expanded blasting part through the driving member 163, and when the protective shield part 130 moves by the shield carrier 170, the panel member 16 may be folded to easily move. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the panel member 161 may move using a cylinder or manpower.

Describing the operation of the protective panel part 160, when the protective shield part 130 moves by the shield carrier 170, the protective panel part 160 may be maintained in the folded state as illustrated in (a) of FIG. 6. Thus, since the protective panel part 160 is not caught in the tunnel, the protective shield part 130 may be stably carried. When the shield carrier 170 separates the protective shield part 130 at the desired position, or the shield carrier 170 is fixed, the protective panel part 160 may be unfolded as illustrated in (b) of FIG. 6. Thus, the protective panel part 160 may safely protect the expansion part 140.

As described above, the expansion part 140 may be protected by using the protective panel part 160. Accordingly, since the falling rocks or scattering rocks generated by the blasting of the expanded blasting part are in contact with the protective panel part 160, the falling rocks or scattering rocks may be prevented from flying to and hitting the expansion part 140. Thus, the lifespan of the expansion part 140 may be extended.

(a) of FIG. 7 is a lateral cross-sectional view illustrating structures of the protective cover part and the cover carrier according to an embodiment of the present invention, and (b) of FIG. 7 is a plan view illustrating the structures of the protective cover part and the cover carrier according to an embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, a protective cover part and a cover carrier according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

The tunnel excavation apparatus 100 may further include a protective cover part 190 and a cover carrier 180 as illustrated in (a) and (b) of FIG. 7. The protective cover part 190 may protect the path part 120, and the cover carrier 180 may carry the protective cover part 190 to a desired position.

The protective cover part 190 may be installed to cover the path part 120. The protective cover part 190 may include a cover member 191.

The cover member 191 may be provided in a plate shape. The cover member may be longer in a width direction than the carrier cart 181 provided in the cover carrier 180 to be described later. The cover member 191 may cover the path part 120 in the width direction. A plurality of protrusions may be provided on a top surface of the cover member 191. In addition, the cover member 191 may be provided in plurality. Thus, the plurality of cover members 191 may be disposed in a longitudinal direction to cover the path part 120 extending in the longitudinal direction. Thus, the path part 120 outside the protective shield part 130 may be protected by the cover members 191. However, the structure and shape of the cover member 191 is not limited thereto and may vary.

The cover carrier 180 may be movably disposed along the path part 120. The cover carrier 180 may separably support the protective cover part 190 and allow the protective cover part 190 to move to a desired position. The cover carrier 180 includes a carrier cart 181 and a support member 182.

The carrier cart 181 may be movably disposed on the rail 122 provided in the path part 120. The carrier cart 181 includes a carrier body 181a, and a carrier wheel 181b.

The carrier body 181a may be provided in a frame shape. For example, four reinforcing steels may be arranged in a lattice form and connected to each other. However, the structure and shape of the carrier body 181a is not limited thereto and may vary.

The carrier wheel 181b may be provided in plurality and connected to a lower portion of the carrier body 181a and may be movably disposed on the rail 122. For example, four carrier wheels 181b may be provided to be connected to the carrier body 181a, and the carrier body 181a may be vertically spaced apart from the rail 122. Thus, the carrier body 181a may move by the carrier wheel 181b. However, the number of carrier wheels 181b provided is not limited thereto and may vary.

The support member 182 may be installed on a lower portion of the carrier body 181a. The support member 182 may separably support the protective cover part. The support member 182 may be provided in plurality and disposed along the longitudinal direction. The support members 182 may be connected to each of the cover members 191 to support the cover member 191. Thus, the plurality of cover members 191 may be carried together at the same time. The support member 182 may include a support body and an assembly.

The support body may extend in the vertical direction and may extend to a lower side of the carrier body 181a. That is, an upper end of the support body may be connected to the carrier body 181a, and a lower end of the support body may protrude toward the cover member 191. Thus, the support body may be disposed to overlap the protrusions provided on the top surface of the cover member 191. The support body may be provided in plurality and may be disposed at positions overlapping each of the protrusions. Here, a vertical length when the support body and the cover member 191 are coupled may be less than or equal to a spaced distance between the carrier body 181a and the rail 122. Thus, the cover member 191 may be in contact with the rail 122 so as not to interfere with movement of the carrier cart 181.

The assembly may be coupled through a portion at which the support body and the protrusion overlap each other. Thus, when the assembly is released, the support member 182 and the cover member 191 may be separated from each other, and when the assembly is tightened, the connection state between the support member 182 and the cover member 191 may be maintained. For example, when four support members are provided for each support member 182, the assembly may also include four support members 182. Thus, four portions may be supported for each cover member 191, and thus, the plurality of cover members 191 may be stably carried by the carrier cart 181. However, the number of support bodies and assembles is not limited thereto and may vary.

When describing the operation of the cover carrier 180, the protective cover part 190 may be coupled to the cover carrier 180. After the protective cover part 190 moves to a desired position by the cover carrier 180, the protective cover part 190 may be carried by the cover carrier 180. Therefore, the path part 120 at the desired position may be protected through the protective cover part 190. In particular, the protective cover part 190 may be disposed to protect the path part 120 disposed in the space in which the expanded blasting part is blasted. Thus, the protective cover part 190 may effectively protect the path part 120 from the falling rocks generated while the expanded blasting part is blasted.

As described above, the protective cover part 190 may quickly move to a desired position using the cover carrier 180. Thus, a time required to construct the protective cover part 190 may be reduced to improve efficiency of the process.

The present invention also provides a tunnel excavation method including the tunnel widening method using the above-described tunnel excavation apparatus according to the present invention.

In the tunnel excavation method according to the present invention, a tunnel is excavated according to processes described below. For example, a tunnel excavation method may be performed using the tunnel excavation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. However, the structure of the apparatus used to perform the tunnel excavation method is not limited thereto and may vary.

(Pilot Tunnel Excavation Process)

This process is a process of excavating a pilot tube (or tip tunnel) T1 through the above-described excavation part. In the pilot tunnel excavation process, the tunnel is excavated using equipment such as a TBM for a predetermined section. The pilot tunnel T1 has a cross-sectional area less than that of a widened tunnel (or NATM tunnel) T2 to be described later.

The excavation of the tunnel may be performed while protecting the path part 120 by allowing the protective cover part 190 to move by the cover carrier 180 described above.

(Blasting Protective Part Installation Process)

This process is a process of installing a blasting protective part at a predetermined position of a rear end of the excavated pilot tunnel T1. The above-described protective shield part 130 moves to be fixed, and the expansion part 140 is expanded to seal a space between the protective shield part 130 and an inner wall of the pilot tunnel T1. In the pilot tunnel excavation process, the blasting protective part is installed behind the equipment of the excavation part 110 that proceeds while excavating the pilot tunnel T1.

The blasting protective part installation process includes a protective shield part installation process of allowing the protective shield part 130 to move in front of the expanded blasting part so as to install the protective shield part and an expansion part expansion process of injecting air or a gas into the expansion part 140 formed in the protective shield part to expand the expansion part 140 so as to seal a gap between the inner wall of the pilot tunnel and the protective shield part.

The protective shield part installation process may include a process of allowing the protective shield part 130 to move a desired position by the protective shield part 130 described above. The protective shield part 130 moves by the moving cart 171 and is fixed at an installation position by the fixing of the fixing member 172.

(Protective Cover Installation Process)

Before the expansion blasting part blasting process, the protective cover part 190 for protecting the path part formed in the tunnel moves according to the position of the expanded blasting part and then installed on the path part 120. Thus, the path part 120 may be protected against falling rocks generated when the expanded blasting part is blasted. In addition, since the expanded blasting position is continuously changed, the protective cover part 190 may move according to the expanded blasting position. Therefore, the path part 120 at the position at which the expanded blasting is performed may be safely protected by the protective cover part 190.

(Expanded Blasting Part Blasting Process)

This process is a process of blasting the expanded blasting part at a predetermined position behind the installed blasting protective part to widen a width of the tunnel, thereby forming a widened tunnel T2. The widened tunnel has a cross-sectional area greater than that of the aforementioned pilot tunnel T1.

Here, since a space with the inner wall of the pilot tunnel T1 is sealed due to the expansion of the expansion part 140, scattering products generated by the blasting of the expansion blasting part T2 may not scattered to the excavation part 110 and the path part 120, which are disposed in the front of the expansion blasting part T2.

(Scattering Product Collection Process)

After the expanded blasting part blasting process is performed, a process of collecting and removing the scattering products such as falling rocks scattered behind the protective shield part 130 using a cart (not shown) disposed at the rear side thereof is performed.

After collecting the scattering products and removing the scattering products to the outside of the tunnel, the above-described blasting protective part installation process and the expanded blasting part blasting process are repeated to perform the expanded blasting while following the pilot tunnel. Here, the excavation part 110 including equipment such as the TBM gradually advances to excavate the pilot tunnel forward. Accordingly, the protective shield part 130 is also disposed forward, and then, the expanded blasting part blasting process is performed at the rear side thereof.

As described above, while this invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and various combination between the embodiments in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Therefore, the scope of the invention is defined not by the detailed description of the invention but by the appended claims, and all differences within the scope will be construed as being included in the present invention.

Claims

1. A tunnel excavation apparatus comprising:

an excavation part configured to excavate a tunnel;

a path part installed on a bottom of an excavation surface of the tunnel;

an expanded blasting part configured to expand the tunnel;

a protective shield part installed to protect the inside of the tunnel between the excavation part and the expanded blasting part; and

an expansion part installed on the protective shield part to block a gap between the tunnel and the protective shield part and comprising an expansion tube provided as a plurality of layers.

2. The tunnel excavation apparatus of claim 1, wherein the expansion part comprises:

a first expansion tube disposed along a circumference of the protective shield part;

a second expansion tube disposed to be expandable inside the first expansion tube; and

an injector configured to inject a fluid into the second expansion tube.

3. The tunnel excavation apparatus of claim 2, wherein the injector comprises a plurality of injection member connected to different portions of the second expansion tube to supply the fluid to a plurality of regions of the second expansion tube.

4. The tunnel excavation apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first expansion tube has a thickness greater than that of the second expansion tube.

5. The tunnel excavation apparatus of claim 2, wherein one expansion part is provided to surround an outer circumferential surface of the protective shield part at a preset position, or a plurality of expansion parts are provided to surround an outer circumferential surface of the protective shield part at different positions.

6. The tunnel excavation apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a protective panel part installed between the expanded blasting part and the expansion part to protect the expansion part.

7. The tunnel excavation apparatus of claim 6, wherein the protective panel part comprises:

a panel member;

a hinge member configured to rotatably connect the panel member to the protective shield part; and

a driving member installed to provide rotating driving force to the panel member.

8. The tunnel excavation apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a shield carrier part movably disposed along the path part and connected to the protective shield part to allow the protective shield part to move.

9. The tunnel excavation apparatus of claim 8, wherein the shield carrier part comprises:

a moving cart; and

a fixing member configured to selectively fix the moving cart.

10. The tunnel excavation apparatus of claim 9, wherein the protective shield part comprises:

an upper shield configured to cover a space above the moving cart;

a lower shield connected to a lower portion of the upper shield to cover a space below the moving cart; and

a connection member having one side connected to the connection part between the upper shield and the lower shield and the other side connected to a side surface of the moving cart, wherein the connection member is separable from at least one of the upper shield or the lower shield.

11. The tunnel excavation apparatus of claim 10, wherein the protective shield part further comprises a pad installed below the lower shield to absorb an impact.

12. The tunnel excavation apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a protective cover part installed to cover the path part; and

a cover carrier part movably disposed along the path part to support the protective cover part, thereby allowing the protective cover part to move.

13. The tunnel excavation apparatus of claim 12, wherein the cover carrier part comprises:

a moving cart; and

a support member installed on a lower portion of the moving cart to separably support the protective cover part.

14. The tunnel excavation apparatus of claim 13, wherein the protective cover part comprises a plurality of cover members, and

the support member is provided in plurality, which are disposed in a longitudinal direction and respectively support the cover members.

15. The tunnel excavation apparatus of claim 14, wherein the cover member has a length greater than that of the moving cart in a width direction crossing the longitudinal direction.

16. A tunnel excavation method comprising:

a pilot tunnel forming process of excavating a pilot tunnel having a cross-sectional area less than that of a widened tunnel;

a blasting protective part installation process of installing a blasting protective part comprising a protective shield part behind the pilot tunnel; and

an expanded blasting part blasting process of blasting a predetermined position behind the installed blasting protective part to form the widened tunnel.

17. The tunnel excavation method of claim 16, wherein the blasting protective part installation process comprises:

a protective shield part installation process of allowing the protective shield part to move in front of the expanded blasting part so as to install the protective shield part; and

an expansion part expansion process of expanding the expansion part to seal a space between an inner wall of the pilot tunnel and the protective shield part.

18. The tunnel excavation method of claim 16, further comprising, before the expanded blasting part blasting process, a protective cover part installation part of allowing a protective cover part for protecting a path part formed in the tunnel to move according to a position of the expanded blasting part to install the protective cover part on the path part.