Patent Application
20190085689
The system described herein relates to separation of an object to be cut out of stone, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for separating an object to be cut out of stone.
The energy revolution in Germany and the massive development of renewable energies have resulted in a huge need for energy storage devices, in particular energy storage devices with very high storage capacity. One known promising concept from DE 10 2010 034 757 B4 in this regard consists of using potential energy storage devices in which a large mass is elevated relative to the earth's surface using a hydraulic fluid, for example water, in a hydraulic cylinder by way of pumping the hydraulic fluid through one or more lines such that the mass for practical purposes represents the piston which moves in the hydraulic cylinder, and such that energy is stored in the form of potential energy of the raised piston. In the process, the mass can be in the form of cut-out rock and the required hydraulic cylinder can be in the form of the stone surrounding the cut-out stone. The significant advantage of this design, wherein the piston diameters and lift heights can be hundreds of meters, lies in the very high storage capacity of the systems, which far exceeds the capacity of conventional storage power plants.
One of the problems that comes up in potential energy storage systems such as this is the development of a suitable procedure for separating the bottom surface of the piston, which always remains below the earth's surface during operation of the potential energy storage system, from the underlying base. This is also particularly difficult since on the one hand the high weight of the cutout piston is supported when there is no hydraulic fluid present, which calls for a large area of support but which raises the pressure required to initially lift the piston from a rest position.
It is therefore desirable to provide a mechanism for bottom-side separation of an object to be cut out of stone.
According to the system described herein, bottom-side separation of an object to be cut out of stone includes having a first part of a bottom surface of the object cut out of stone be separated by removing the stone below the bottom surface, and a second part of the bottom surface be separated by way of successive replacement of the stone below the bottom surface with a layer system which includes two un-connected separating layers. The object to be cut out of the stone is supported by the layer system in the area of the second part of the bottom surface of the object.
The term “un-connected separating layers” is to be understood to mean that the object, when it is cut out of the stone, may be raised such that the distance between the unconnected separating layers changes without the structure of the separating layers changing—regardless of possible elastic reactions to a pressure change in this process. Un-connected separating layers may thus be in surface contact with one another provided that they may be separated from one another and do not adhere to one another or become fused together due to the pressure of the object that was cut out of the stone.
The separating layer should therefore be made of a material that adheres well to stone and/or concrete, is sealed against penetration of hydraulic fluid—in other words is normally water-tight. Two separating layer surfaces brought into contact with one another while under pressure, in particular under the pressure of the object cut out of the stone when the object is only supported on the second part of the bottom surface thereof, do not bond with one another or with an intermediate layer placed between the separating layers. Sheet metal layers may be particularly well-suited as a separating layer.
By replacing the stone in an area of the bottom surface of the object cut out of the stone with a layer system with separating layers in this way, on one hand sufficient support of the object cut out of the stone may always be ensured. On the other hand, the two un-connected separating layers ensure that the hydraulic fluid under pressure may penetrate between the layers so that the same force may be introduced in the second part of the bottom surface of the object cut out of the stone when the object is raised.
Accordingly, the bottom surface of the object to be cut out of the stone that is prepared according to the system described herein is formed sectionally into roof areas in which stone was removed and sectionally by the upper separating layers or intermediate layers connected thereto. The roofs then form the first part and the separating layers or the intermediate layers form the second part of the bottom surface of the object to be cut out of the stone in the terminology herein.
A preferred type of layer system may include two concrete layers and two separating layers disposed at the surface of a concrete layer facing the respective other concrete layer, so that the separating layer of one concrete layer is separated at the separating layer of the other concrete layer which it borders so that in the area of this second part of the bottom surface of the object to be cut out of the stone, the object is supported by the concrete layers and the separating layers disposed therebetween.
The removal of stone may be achieved using known methods from tunnel construction and tunneling technology, and machines such as tunnel boring machines. In connection with replacement of the stone, the stone may also be removed in this way. In some instances, just a few meters behind a point at which the stone is removed, the filling with the layer system is done from the lower concrete layer (i.e. at a deeper depth relative to the earth's surface with the separating layer disposed thereon) and from the upper concrete layer (i.e. at a shallower depth relative to the earth's surface) with the separating layer disposed underneath.
However, in cases of very hard and stable stone in particular, a layer system which only includes the two separating layers or only the two separating layers and if necessary elastic intermediate layers disposed therebetween, for example a non-woven fabric or a rubber mat, may be an acceptable choice. In this case, to remove the stone to be replaced, it is sufficient for a corresponding gap to be sawed into the stone, which may only need to be a few centimeters high, for example using a rope saw, the separating layers and any intermediate layers then being pulled into the gap and attached, for example fused at the edges and or on the surface, if necessary also gluing on one side with a resin, respectively in the area of the separating layers extending inside the gap.
In the use of such a sawing technology, a breakage of the stone after it is sawed may be prevented, in particular by optionally having a sled moved or pulled in afterward that applies a gel in the sawed gap for temporary stabilization. This may also make the pulling of the separating layers into the sawed gap considerably easier.
In an embodiment of the system described herein, the separation of the first part of the bottom surface of the object to be cut out of stone includes the following:
The term “column web” thus refers to stone areas which initially remain between two secondary tunnels or between a secondary tunnel and the peripheral tunnel.
The central tunnel may be connected to the surface directly, for example, or by way of an access tunnel with shafts, or may be made indirectly accessible by way of an access tunnel which leads out of the stone mass from which the object is cut. In particular, when using an access tunnel it is also possible to first make the peripheral tunnel, which may be run circular, and then to build the central tunnel. This may have advantages when the peripheral tunnel is built since information about the geological characteristics of the stone may be collected on site, and this information may result in a preferred direction for the secondary tunnels and central tunnel to run since corresponding work is easier in the preferred direction or else may be done with less effort.
What must be noted here is that there may be inherent advantages if the peripheral tunnel does not run along a periphery of an object to be cut out, but rather somewhat inside a periphery line. This particularly applies if separation of the bottom of the object to be cut out occurs prior to cutting out the side areas thereof, which is advantageous since then the connection of the side areas to the stone surrounding the side areas may prevent the piston to be cut out from suddenly dropping due to insufficient supporting forces when the bottom is separated.
If a peripheral tunnel is made this way prior to separating the side areas, undesired effects or damage to the peripheral tunnel may occur when having to make a connection, and also damage to the column webs and secondary tunnels may occur if a necessary connection to the peripheral tunnel is made when separating the side surfaces from the top. Therefore, it is preferred to first leave behind a rock wall between the peripheral tunnel and the empty volume created from the separation of the side areas and then break through the wall by way of boring or sawing.
Further, in in an embodiment of the system described herein, separating the second part of the bottom surface of the object to be cut out of the stone is done by replacing at least one stone layer of each column web with an upper concrete layer bordered downward by a first separating layer connected to the upper concrete layer and a lower concrete layer bordered upward by a second separating layer connected to the lower concrete layer. Optionally, in one or both of the concrete layers, reinforcements, cooling pipes and/or drainage pipes may be embedded and/or expansion joints may be provided as required.
Of course, an entire column web may be replaced by a layer system so constructed, but it may also be that stone areas of the column web remain above and/or below the layer system.
Stone areas of the column web remain above and/or below the layer system in instances when a corresponding gap is sawed into the stone to remove the stone to be replaced, the gap possibly only needing to be a few centimeters high, for example using a rope saw, the separating layers and any intermediate layers present then being pulled into the gap and attached, for example fused at the edges and or on the surface, if necessary also glued on one side with a resin, respectively, in the area of the separating layers extending inside the gap. If this process is carried out at column webs, the option is created by pulling in the layer system of the separating layers from secondary tunnels into the sawed gap, which may represent a significant simplification due to a much shorter distance which must be traversed in a gap by a layer system from this direction when being pulled in in comparison to pulling in in the direction in which the column web runs between the central tunnel and the peripheral tunnel.
The system described herein may be carried out with much less effort if the direction in which the central tunnel and/or secondary tunnels run is aligned with geologic characteristics of the stone, in particular along fissures in the stone, since this may substantially reduce effort needed to remove stone in particular.
The secondary tunnels may be used to remove the stone to be replaced to the column webs during replacement of the stone. In some embodiments this may be done only in every other one of the secondary tunnels.
Moreover, in some embodiments an installation is provided in the secondary tunnels, the purpose of the installation being to feed a flushing fluid on the one hand, for example in order to process the stone at the point of its removal or point of advancement in the presence of the fluid, for example for cooling and/or for dust suppression, and on the other hand to be able to discharge fluid, in particular the flushing fluid, after use.
Concrete that is used for replacement of stone may be fed in from a concrete supply source at a fixed location, in some cases in the central tunnel, for example a concrete silo or a concrete preparation system, over an essentially flat line system, extendable if necessary, for example a piping or hose system, such as those known from concrete pump systems.
In this regard, in order to keep the logistical demand for removal and feed-in of material as low as possible, in some cases, at least some of the removed and/or replaced stone is used to prepare the concrete needed to replace the stone. For example, the stone may be broken up in the central tunnel and then further processed in a concrete preparation system located in the central tunnel.
In some embodiments, an upper and a lower border surface of the stone layer to be replaced is defined in the column webs by way of a sawing process before replacing the stone. This is possible using rope saws, for example—if necessary with the use of a liquid during sawing. This pre-sawing produces a defined break-off edge when replacing the stone, which leads in particular to improved adhesion of the concrete to the stone and good heat dissipation during concrete curing.
In some embodiments, replacement of the stone layer is carried out as follows:
In the system described herein, the lower separating layer which may bear or support an upper separating layer in a processing stage may be supported, particularly during the laying, for example by pushing in supports from a secondary tunnel. When the first separating layer and the second separating layer are laid, it may also be optional for another intermediate layer, for example a non-woven material or rubber mat layer, to be laid as well.
In an embodiment herein, the steps are carried out on an ongoing basis inside a column web—i.e., directly after the section of the column web is processed in the last respective step and at least parallel with one another in time at different points in the column web.
In other words, the removal of the stone layer begins with a tunnel boring machine or a stone mill, for example, at the end of the column web bordering the central tunnel, and is continued from there in ongoing advancement in a direction of a peripheral tunnel. In an area directly next to the tunnel being bored and opposite to the direction of advancement, the removed material is carried away. A bit further opposite to the direction of advancement, the separating layers are laid and if necessary supported, while even further opposite the direction of advancement in a section put in place for this purpose, the concrete filling is already taking place even as the tunnel boring machine or stone mill continues to operate. It should be noted that in this procedure, except for the beginning of the work, one end of the separating layers to be laid is always already embedded in concrete at a new column web at the intended height, which is why the lower separating layer does not come into contact with the bottom during the laying of the separating layers even when the lower layer is not supported, provided that the distance between the already filled area and the location at which the separating layers are currently being laid is not too large.
In some embodiments, the replacement of the stone in column webs adjacent to one another to be carried out in mutually opposing advancement directions. To this end, the system, which is made up of a plurality of machines or devices, is directed to a column web in the peripheral tunnel or the central tunnel at the end of each work step and is re-purposed for the column web to be processed next, which may be implemented quite easily using modular systems.
In some embodiments, at least one separating layer laid has a surface structuring, such a grooves or channels, and possibly a continuous structuring in particular in the direction of advancement, and/or has an intermediate layer between the separating layers, the intermediate layer being porous or having a surface structuring, in particular a structuring which is continuous in the direction of advancement.
Such a structuring which is continuous in the direction of advancement may be present in particular when hydraulic fluid may flow through the surface structures from the central tunnel to the peripheral tunnel when the separating layer is laid. Such a surface structuring may facilitate the introduction of force to the second part of the bottom surface in an initial lifting phase of the object to be cut out of the stone when the hydraulic fluid is pumped in. The same effect may be achieved using a porous intermediate layer between the separating layers.
The system described herein for the bottom-side separation of an object to be cut out of a stone includes at least the following components:
Here, a known tunnel boring or tunnel advancing machine may be used as the advancing unit.
The discharge conveying unit may be a conveyor belt system, for example, the transport direction of which is substantially perpendicular relative to a tunnel advancement direction and directed toward secondary tunnels or which includes at least one component (in the vectorial sense) in the direction toward a secondary tunnel perpendicular to the tunnel advancement direction so that with the conveyor belt system the stone removed by the advancing unit may be conveyed from the area of the column web to the secondary tunnel, from where the stone may then be further conveyed to the central tunnel using a conveyor belt system. The discharge conveying unit may also be integrated into the advancing unit if necessary.
The laying unit includes a material supply for the first and the second separating layer, which may be designed using corresponding rolls of separating layer material so that when the laying unit moves in a direction of advancement, the separating layers are rolled out. It may be useful to anchor the beginning of the separating layers in the tunnel from which the advancement proceeds, depending on the current direction of advancement, for example in a (concrete) lining of the central tunnel or peripheral tunnel. If a section of the column web has already been re-filled, the section of the separating layer located therein may be bonded to the concrete and hence likewise affixed. Accordingly, at every time in the process of laying the separating layers, a section of the separating layers between such a fixed point and the current roll-off point is either substantially self-supporting in the space or the section is supported by a support device which may, for example, be pushed in laterally from the direction of the secondary tunnels.
The filling unit includes at least one concrete feed unit as a component for filling with concrete the intermediate space between the bottom of the space created by the removal of the stone layer and the first separating layer. The filling unit also includes at least one concrete feed unit for filling with concrete the intermediate space between the roof of the space created by the removal of the stone layer and the second separating layer and a least one form for ensuring that the concrete filled into the spaces created by the removal of the stone layer, the spaces being separated from one another by way of separating layers, cures in the form of the corresponding section of the column web.
It goes without saying that there are access openings made in the form for the separating layers and the concrete feed units.
It must be noted that the concrete feed unit for filling with concrete the intermediate space between the bottom of the space created by the removal of the stone layer and the first separating layer and the concrete feed unit for filling with concrete the intermediate space between the roof of the space created by removal of the stone layer and the second separating layer does not necessarily have to be designed in such a way that both spaces may be filled simultaneously, so that this feature is also implemented when, for example, a concrete line is only connected to a fill nozzle which passes through a form wall to one space and then, after this space is filled, is connected to a fill nozzle which passes through a form wall to the other space.
In some embodiments, There is a space between the discharge conveying unit and/or the advancing unit on the one hand and the laying unit and/or the filling unit on the other hand. The space is accessible from the secondary tunnels. This may be very useful, for example, if there are problems with the discharge, if technical access to the advancing unit is required, if the concrete feed unit is not functioning properly or if access to the laying unit is required, for example to replace separating layer rolls.
As discussed elsewhere herein, it is possible to execute the different processing steps for replacing the stone in a column web at different points within the column web at the same time. In order to implement this, it is advantageous for at least one advancing unit, at least one discharge conveying unit, at least one laying unit or at least one filling unit to be designed to be movable, which is the case in particular when the unit is disposed on a tracked vehicle. It is useful to structure all of the units to be movable, in particular commonly movable.
However, in some embodiments, the advancing unit, the discharge conveying unit, the laying unit and/or the filling unit are separable from one another, i.e. not inseparably connected together. The reason for this is that in this way, the process may be carried out in an efficient way using the system, where the replacement process is carried out in column webs which are adjacent to one another in opposite advancement directions without it being necessary to build a peripheral tunnel and secondary tunnels with a large cross sectional area or diameter since the individual units may be taken apart one after the other and then turned around.
Similarly, it is also posible for the system to include at least two or more advancing units, and also at least two discharge conveying units, respectively, two laying units or filling units, where similar kinds of units may be connected together modularly such that the units may be placed in parallel with one another in the same cutting plane. In this way, not only may a curvature of the peripheral tunnel be utilized, but also the tunnel diameter required to rotate the system during a transition to the next column web may be kept small.
However, it should be noted that it is also possible to transport machines having a working width corresponding to the width of a column web back to the central tunnel using the peripheral tunnel, so that a modular design as such is not necessarily required. For example, rolls of separating layers may be provided in lengths that are pre-tailored to the length of the corresponding column web and any support structures for these rolls may then be carried away using the peripheral tunnel. The next separating layer roll used for processing the next column web is then fed in by a secondary tunnel and brought to the layout position after the advancing units have worked their way sufficiently far enough into the column web in order to allow introduction of the separating layer roll.
In some embodiments, at least one advancing unit, at least one discharge conveying unit, at least one laying unit and/or at least one filling unit support a tunnel wall and/or brace a tunnel wall, using, for example, dies that may be operated hydraulically, struts and/or tension straps.
The system described herein is explained in more detail below with the aid of figures showing exemplary embodiments.
A central tunnel 10 may be seen, and a peripheral tunnel 20 which in this exemplary embodiment runs in a circle, with an inner radius rl of 112.5 m and an outer radius r2 of 125 m, and secondary tunnels 30 running parallel to one another with a tunnel width b which may be 5 meters, for example. The secondary tunnels 30 in this example run at right angles to the central tunnel 10, where the respective centerlines m of two secondary tunnels 30 adjacent to one another run at a distance D from one another, which may be 25 meters, for example. The central tunnel 10 may be made accessible by way of shafts or an access tunnel, which are not shown.
An optional locally-fixed concrete supply unit 11, for example in the form of a concrete silo, may be disposed in the central tunnel 10 and for conveying material therefrom through a flexible line system 12 which is laid into a respective secondary tunnel 30 currently needing concrete and which may be extended if necessary, and which in
Furthermore, a conveyor belt system 13, which may also be adaptable as necessary, may be disposed in the central tunnel 10 to carry away removed or replaced stone, and which also leads into a secondary tunnel 30, where the conveyor belt system 13 may be retrofitted such that the conveyor belt system 13 leads into another secondary tunnel 30 or else branches off so that the conveyor belt system 13 may lead into a plurality of secondary tunnels 30.
As an option, the removed or replaced stone may also be broken up using a crushing system 14 disposed in the central tunnel and used directly to produce concrete in the concrete supply unit 11 so as to reduce transport requirements.
Between the secondary tunnels 30, there initially remain stone connections between the bottom surface of the object to be cut out of the stone and the surrounding stone, namely the column webs 40. In the area of these column webs, the second part of the bottom surface is then separated by replacing stone lying beneath the bottom surface using a layer system which includes two un-connected separating layers which do not lie in the plane shown in
Such cutting processes may on one hand be used in very stable stone in the manner shown as an example in
On the other hand, such cutting processes may also be carried out at the height of the upper edge and/or the lower edge of a stone layer to be removed prior to the removal thereof in order to keep the roof and/or the bottom of the space created from the removal of a stone layer relatively smooth and free of broken edges. In many types of stone, and when replacing a thicker stone layer with a correspondingly thicker layer system which also includes concrete layers in particular, such as the layer systems shown in
The system 1000 is made up of
In the embodiment according to
The form 1450 is supported by struts 1451, 1452 in the area outside the form volume at the roof 1421 and bottom 1441.
In a first step shown in
In the second step shown in
Fastened to the side of the transport bar 3301 opposite to the direction of motion using fastening elements 3530, there are sealing tracks 3520, each of which includes an adhesive coating 3521, 3522 on the side of the respective element facing the stone 2000. Disposed between the sealing tracks 3520 is a non-woven material 3525 or a studded rubber mat, the material being fastened to the transport bar 3301 using a fastening element 3535. This layer system may thus be pulled into the gap 3200 by moving the transport bar 3301.
Below, with the aid of
Other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from a consideration of the specification and/or an attempt to put into practice the invention disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with the true scope and spirit of the invention being indicated by the following claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2016 101 983.6 | Feb 2016 | DE | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2017/051838 | 1/27/2017 | WO | 00 |
