Method for Tunnel Construction
There is provided a method of constructing a section of a half-tunnel in a slope (10) of a mountain or hill (12), including the steps of forming a lock block (18) along the section (16) above the upper edge of the half-tunnel to be excavated, inserting lock elements (22) traversing the lock block and extending into the mountain, excavating portions of the mountain beyond and below the lock block defining roof and bottom portions of the half-tunnel, and repeating the excavating procedure until the entire section of the half-tunnel is formed.
The present invention relates to the construction of tunnels, and more particularly, to a method of constructing or widening a half-tunnel in a ground typically in a hillside or mountainside.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThe building or widening of roads along mountains or hill sides presents major problems, inter alia, with respect to damage caused to the environment including forests, and may cause instability and landslides, as is well known and understood by men skilled in the art. With a view to overcome the problems, the construction of half tunnels was developed, however, so far has not provided an optimal solution, at least from the practical aspect of the necessity to support the roof of such a half tunnel. As illustrated in
It is therefore a broad object of the present invention to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art half-tunnel construction and to provide a method for constructing a half-tunnel, which does not include supporting posts at the open side of the tunnel.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method for constructing a half-tunnel, the roof of which is securely supported by lock elements inserted into the ground above the roof.
In accordance with the present invention there is therefore provided a method of constructing a section of a half-tunnel in a slope of a mountain or hill, comprising the steps of: a) forming a lock block along said section above the upper edge of the half-tunnel to be excavated; b) inserting lock elements traversing said lock block and extending into said mountain; c) excavating portions of the mountain beyond and below said lock block defining roof and bottom portions of said half-tunnel, and d) repeating step c) until the entire section of said half-tunnel is formed.
The invention will now be described in connection with certain preferred embodiments with reference to the following illustrative figures so that it may be more fully understood.
With specific reference now to the figures in detail, it is stressed that the particulars shown are by way of example and for purposes of illustrative discussion of the preferred embodiments of the present invention only, and are presented in the cause of providing what is believed to be the most useful and readily understood description of the principles and conceptual aspects of the invention. In this regard, no attempt is made to show structural details of the invention in more detail than is necessary for a fundamental understanding of the invention, the description taken with the drawings making apparent to those skilled in the art how the several forms of the invention may be embodied in practice.
In the drawings:
The method of constructing a section of a tunnel in a slope of a mountain or hill according to the present invention will now be described with reference to the construction stages. The first stage is illustrated in
When the ground of the slope 10 of a hill or mountain 12 in which the half-tunnel is to be formed is composed of unstable material such as crushed or weathered stones, fill-in soil or the like, it is recommended to first stabilize the ground by known techniques, such as injection of hardenable chemicals or any soil reinforcement materials, or still otherwise, by driving in anchors or soil nails in a grid-like pattern.
Once the ground above the planned half-tunnel is secured by the lock block 18 and lock elements 22, excavation of the half-tunnel from top to bottom as indicated by the arrow E, can commence, as illustrated in
Referring to
It will be evident to those skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to the details of the foregoing illustrated embodiments and that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof. The present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.
Claims
1. A method of constructing a section of a half-tunnel in a slope of a mountain or hill, comprising the steps of:
- a) forming a lock block along said section above the upper edge of the half-tunnel to be excavated;
- b) inserting lock elements traversing said lock block and extending into said mountain;
- c) excavating portions of the mountain beyond and below said lock block defining roof and bottom portions of said half-tunnel, and
- d) repeating step c) until the entire section of said half-tunnel is formed.
2. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the step of forming a recess in the slope above the upper edge of the half-tunnel to be excavated.
3. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising inserting soil nails in the roof portion extending in directions substantially normal to the roof of the half-tunnel.
4. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the step of applying shot crete to the roof portion after step c).
5. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the step of applying a shot crete to the roof of the entire half-tunnel section after step d).
6. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the step of injecting hardenable chemicals or any soil reinforcement materials, or driving in anchors or soil nails in a grid-like pattern, prior to, or after step a).
7. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the step of applying a facing to the roof of the half-tunnel.
8. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising attaching a projection to the exposed face of the lock block protecting against falling soil and rock.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 26, 2006
Publication Date: Aug 28, 2008
Inventors: Mordechai Yuger (Kadima), Shlomo Liberman (Ra'anana)
Application Number: 11/996,514
International Classification: E21D 9/00 (20060101);