Method and apparatus for continuously boring and lining tunnels and other like structures

A method for continuously and simultaneously boring and lining a tunnel comprising the steps of:

• (a) excavating a bore through a solid medium;
• (b) lining the excavated bore where the lining comprises at least two continuous passageways formed in the lining;
• (c) removing excavation debris through at least one of the continuous passageways formed in the lining;
• (d) transporting hardenable liner material through at least one of the continuous passageways formed in the liner;
• (e) controlling the excavation, lining, removal of excavation debris, and transportation of hardenable liner materials.

An apparatus for continuously and simultaneously boring and lining a tunnel comprising:

• (a) a housing having an excavator end, liner end and a longitudinal axis;
• (b) a bulkhead having an excavator side and liner side where the bulkhead is disposed within the housing substantially perpendicular to the housing's longitudinal axis;
• (c) an excavation debris area defined by the area inside the housing between the excavator end of the housing and the excavator side of the bulkhead;
• (d) a liner make-up area defined by the area between the liner side of the bulkhead and the liner end of the inner form;
• (e) a slip form system comprising:
• i. the housing as an outer form;
• ii. an inner form having an excavator end and a liner end where the inner form is partially disposed within excavation debris area and shares substantially the same longitudinal axis as the housing;
• iii. a wall connecting the outer form to the excavator end of the inner form where the wall is disposed substantially perpendicular to the housings longitudinal axis;
• and
• iv. at least one mandrel connected to the wall and disposed between the outer form and the inner form where the longitudinal axis of the mandrel is essentially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the housing;
• (f) an excavator having:
• i. a cutting head;
• ii. a shaft attached to the cutter head;
• iii. a motor;
• iv. the shaft and motor are disposed within the housing and supported by the bulkhead;
• and
• v. the cutting head extends past the excavator end of the housing;
• (g) means for lining the tunnel where a hardenable material is introduced into the slip form between the outer form and inner form and around each mandrel to form a tunnel lining having continuous cast-in-place passage ways formed by each mandrel;
• (h) an excavation debris removal system comprising:
• i. at least one mandrel;
• ii. the cast-in-place passage way corresponding to each mandrel used;
• iii. a debris pipe in fluid communication with the excavation debris area and each mandrel;
• iv. means for introducing a fluid into the excavation debris area;
• v. means for removing fluid and excavation debris from the excavation debris area through the pipe, mandrel and cast-in-place passage way and out the tunnel;
• (i) means for driving the apparatus forward.