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US 4,889,448 AGranted
Tunnel construction
OwnerNoel G. Bellinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of construction of tunnels under water by pre-fabricating them in short sections with their ends adapted to make fluid-tight joints with adjacent sections, transporting, sinking and joining them together and forming the sections into sets by installing a bulkhead in the last section of each set and dewatering the sets and tying the sections together.
Claims6
A method of constructing tunnel under water by pre-fabricating short sections of tunnel,
- making the length of the sections suitable for fabricating and transporting on land and adapting their ends to make a fluid-tight joints with adjacent sections,
- transporting a section to site with its ends open and lowering it into position under water and then transporting and lowering succeeding sections with their ends open and joining them to those previously placed to form sets of a convenient number of sections,
- installing a bulkhead in the last section of a set and attaching a pump to the bulkhead to dewater the set,
- dewatering the set of tunnel sections and,
- allowing working inside the tunnel, for example tying the sections of tunnel together, grouting joints, placing roadway slabs and installing ventilation and lighting systems, to proceed simultaneously with the placing of sections outside.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.