Abstract: A riser formed from a plurality of curved cylindrical segments with vertical side edges having mating vertically tapered projections and slots brought into interlocking engagement to pull confronting surfaces together as the tapered elements become increasingly mechanically engaged. The segments are assembled by a sliding engagement of the protruding mating element of one segment into the vertically tapered slot of an adjacent segment. When sufficient segments are joined together horizontally to complete a ring except for a last adjacent pair of vertical side edges, the ring is warped to align the protruding mating element of the last adjacent pair of vertical side edges with an opposite end of the adjacent tapered slot. Thus aligned, the final protruding mating element and tapered slot are then slipped together while un-warping the joined segments forming the remainder of the ring until the top and bottom ends of all the segments are aligned.

Abstract: A tunnel excavation apparatus comprises a frame mounted on crawler tracks and provided with pistons comprising stabilizer feet, a power unit, a working unit, and auxiliary movement and positioning services. The working unit is arranged on an arm mounted on one end of telescopic uprights, which are hinged at their other ends to the frame about an axis substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the machine, and consists of a rectilinear rigid structure, at the perimeter of which excavation tools are arranged on a chain, to circulate along the side and front of the structure. The tools are hinged to a caisson open on the side opposite the hinged side and provided with apparatus for conveying concrete into its interior.

Abstract: In a tunnel lining method an apparatus, comprising at least one excavation tool of the chain, belt or band type or the like, is positioned to coincide with the longitudinal axis of the tunnel at a point on its extrados; the tool is made to advance to a predetermined depth in a direction diverging from the tunnel axis so as to create a substantially rectangular cavity from which the tool is withdrawn; said cavity is then filled with concrete to form a cast segment; the aforesaid stages are repeated until a frusto-conical section formed from adjacent cast segments is completed, after which the material within the formed section is excavated to a depth less than the axial length of the section, and the apparatus is advanced through a distance substantially equal to the axial length of the cast segments, the stages being repeated to form each successive section in order to form a lining in which the wider final portion of one section is superposed on the narrower initial portion of the next section; during the ex

Abstract: A slide formwork with a formwork body (10) comprising several formwork segment groups (12, 22, 32) lying adjacent to one another in circumferential direction. Each of the formwork segment groups (12, 22, 32) is rigidly connected with one of several support frames (40) and is mounted onto the remaining support frames in slidable manner. Each formwork segment (14) comprises an outer formwork plate (16) supported on an associated longitudinal carrier (18) via hydraulic elements. The formwork plate (16) and associated longitudinal carrier (18) are coupled with one another in non-shiftable manner in longitudinal direction. Hydraulic presses (52) are arranged between the individual support frames (40), with which each support frame is shiftable with respect to the remaining support frames.

Abstract: A machine for consolidating the soil for underground drilling excavations by means of the technique of the protective umbrella comprises a frame or chassis mounted on ground engaging motor driven crawler tracks and is provided with pistons having stabilizing feet. A power unit, which works a rotary unit and auxiliary units, is used for moving and positioning the machine. A rotary unit is located on a boom mounted on one end of telescopic standards hinged to the other end of the frame, around an axis that is substantially parallel with respect to the longitudinal axis of the machine. The standards are fixed to step bearings that realize said hinge and that are able to pivot with a 180 degree angle under the action of an engine. Said bearings have cursors sliding along vertical slides of the frame.

Abstract: Device (26) to feed reinforcement rods (25), which is suitable to cooperate with an excavation equipment (14) in providing lengthwise reinforcements in tunnels, particularly in excavations of a great depth amounting to about twenty meters or more, the excavation equipment (14) being borne on an excavator machine (10) and being able to rotate by an angle "alpha" from one or the other of two lateral inactive positions (A-B), the device (26) comprising means (27) for connection to the excavation equipment (14), support means (28) that bear means (30) that uphold and lift the reinforcement rods (25), means (32), that draw the reinforcement rods (25) and means (34-35) that guide and align the reinforcement rods (25).

Abstract: The method for boring a tunnel consists in placing an excavation tool at a point of the extrados of the tunnel and in excavating a cavity by imparting the tool an advancement movement having divergent direction with respect to the axis of the tunnel. While the cavity is being filled with concrete, a further cavity is excavated in another point of the extrados and is then also filled with concrete. These operations are repeated until a plurality of voussoirs is obtained which are arranged adjacent to one another along the extrados and give rise to a frustum-shaped vault. The soil inside the vault is then excavated for a depth which is smaller than the axial extension of the vault itself, and a subsequent vault is formed having a narrower initial portion internal to the wider terminal portion of the previously executed vault.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for building a thin lining on a tunnel to be excavated. The method includes the steps of boring a slot along an outer periphery of a cross section of the tunnel, filling lining material into the slot so as to form the lining material into the thin lining and removing bedrock surrounded by the thin lining so as to expose the thin lining. The apparatus includes a boring device for boring a slot in the tunnel and an injection device for injecting lining material into the slot. The boring device further includes a hollow frame, a plurality of rods fitted axially movably into the hollow frame, and a drive mechanism for rotating the rods and striking rear ends of the rods.