Suspension tunnel constraint structure

Abstract

The invention discloses a suspension tunnel restraining structure. The structure is composed of an upper cross beam, connecting rods, air springs, spherical hinges, shaft hinges, a lower cross beam, a foundation and the like. The upper cross beam is fixedly connected with the tunnel; the lower cross beam is fixedly connected with the foundation; the end parts of the connecting rods are connected with the upper and lower cross beams through spherical hinges or shaft hinges; the spherical hinge is a universal rotating mechanism; the shaft hinge can be a sliding shaft hinge or a fixed shaft hinge, the fixed shaft hinge can rotate around a hinge shaft of the fixed shaft hinge, and the sliding shaft hinge can rotate around the hinge shaft of the sliding shaft hinge and can also slide along the hinge shaft; due to the movable function of the spherical hinge and the shaft hinge, the upper cross beam and the lower cross beam can rotate around respective internal hinge lines within a designed angle range, and transverse relative displacement is allowed to occur between the upper cross beam and the lower cross beam; the air springs are symmetrically arranged relative to the sliding shaft hinge in the upper cross beam; when the structure moves transversely, the upper cross beam and the sliding shaft hinge slide relatively in the axial direction, so that the air spring is compressed, and the air spring forms transverse elastic constraint on the structure.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of suspended tunnels, and more particularly to a suspended tunnel restraint structure. Background Art

[0002] The floating tunnel is a very good concept for a strait channel structure, which is equivalent to an underwater bridge. The floating tunnel has the characteristics of both a bridge and an immersed tube tunnel. At present, the floating tunnel is still in the conception and theoretical research stage and has not yet entered practical application. The key to realizing a floating tunnel is to find a constrained structural solution that is structurally safe and reliable, feasible to construct, and can meet the complex requirements of the underwater environment. For example, under normal use, the structural strength, stiffness, stability, reliability, durability, maintainability and other requirements need to be met. Under extreme sea conditions, the structure needs to meet the requirements of wave load resistance. In the event of an earthquake, the structure needs to meet the requirements of seismic resistance.

[0003] Therefore, developing a floating tunnel constraint method that can meet the requirements of various extreme working conditions is an urgent problem that needs to be solved by those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of this, the present invention provides a constraint method that can meet various extreme working conditions of a strait floating tunnel.

[0005] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0006] Structural components include: tunnel body, upper beam, lower beam, connecting rod, ball joint, sliding shaft joint, fixed shaft joint, air spring, foundation;

[0007] The tunnel body is fixed to the upper crossbeam;

[0008] The lower cross beam is consolidated with the foundation;

[0009] The ends of the connecting rods are connected to the upper and lower crossbeams respectively. The connection method of the connecting rod ends is one of the three: ball joint, sliding axis joint, and fixed axis joint. The various hinges at the same end (upper end or lower end) of each connecting rod have a common rotation axis (this connection allows the upper and lower crossbeams to rotate about their respective hinge axes, thereby releasing the longitudinal constraints on the tunnel);

[0010] The air spring is symmetrically arranged about the sliding hinge in the upper crossbeam; the function of the air spring is to limit the axial relative sliding between the sliding hinge and the upper crossbeam; when the tunnel is laterally displaced with the upper crossbeam under the action of lateral load, relative sliding will occur between the sliding hinge and the upper crossbeam, causing the air spring to be compressed, thereby forming a lateral elastic constraint on the structure.

[0011] It can be seen from the above technical solutions that, compared with the prior art, the present invention provides a floating tunnel constraint structure, which has the following beneficial effects:

[0012] This constraint method can provide strong vertical constraints for the tunnel. In the horizontal direction of the tunnel, it uses the elasticity of the air spring to effectively isolate the seismic effects; in the longitudinal direction, it has almost no constraints on the tunnel, which not only facilitates the adaptation of the tunnel's free expansion and contraction, but also resolves the longitudinal horizontal seismic effects. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solution of the present invention, the technical principle thereof is described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the following description is only some embodiments of the present invention, and other embodiments can be obtained according to the same technical principle in specific applications.

[0014] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the present invention in a single-tube suspended tunnel;

[0015] Figure 2 This is an enlarged view of the local structure of the upper crossbeam, air spring and sliding shaft hinge;

[0016] Figure 3 for Figure 2 Middle AA section view;

[0017] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the working principle of the air spring and its service system;

[0018] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of an embodiment of a restraint structure when two suspended tunnels are juxtaposed;

[0019] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of an embodiment of a restraint structure when three suspended tunnels are juxtaposed;

[0020] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the construction hoisting restraint structure;

[0021] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the construction hoisting of the suspended tunnel.

[0022] The component numbers in the figure are as follows:

[0023] 1-Suspended tunnel body;

[0024] 2-upper beam;

[0025] 3- lower crossbeam;

[0026] 4-connecting rod;

[0027] 5-Ball hinge;

[0028] 61-sliding hinge; 62-fixed hinge; 601-hinge shaft; 602-support ring;

[0029] 7-Air spring;

[0030] 701-cylinder; 702-cylinder end cover; 703-piston; 704-airbag;

[0031] 705-airbag inspection cover; 706-piston stroke control pump;

[0032] 71-gas line;

[0033] 72-Air pressure service system;

[0034] 721- air relief valve; 722- gate valve; 723- pressure relief valve; 724- check valve; 725- gas storage tank;

[0035] 726-air pump; 727-air pressure gauge; 728-air pressure monitor; 729-pressure limiting valve;

[0036] 73-Maintenance passage;

[0037] 74-Inspection door;

[0038] 8-Basics;

[0039] 9-anti-corrosion seal; 91-anti-corrosion grease; DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] The technical solution of the present invention is described clearly and completely below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0041] Figure 1 This is an embodiment of the present invention for a single-tube tunnel. In the figure, tunnel tube 1 is secured to upper crossbeam 2; crossbeam 3 is secured to foundation 8; upper crossbeam 2, lower crossbeam 3, and connecting rod 4 form a planar truss; the ends of connecting rod 4 are connected to upper and lower crossbeams 2 and 3 using a ball joint 5, a sliding hinge 61, or a fixed hinge 62 (one of three types of movable connections).

[0042] The spherical joint 5 can rotate around the spherical center within the designed rotation angle range.

[0043] The working principle of the sliding hinge 61 is as follows Figure 2 、 Figure 3 .

[0044] The sliding hinge 61 consists of a hinge shaft 601 and a support ring 602; the sliding hinge 61 is a rotation + axial sliding mechanism, and its hinge shaft 601 can rotate around its axis within the designed rotation angle range, and slide axially within the upper beam 2 within the designed displacement range; a transverse partition is provided in the upper beam 2 and a circular hole is opened on the partition, and the support ring 602 is embedded in the circular hole of the transverse partition; the support ring 602 and the hinge shaft 601 have smooth and low-friction contact (such as a combination of smooth stainless steel plate and Teflon plate).

[0045] The fixed hinge 62 has the same working principle as the sliding hinge 61 except that the hinge shaft cannot slide axially.

[0046] The air spring 7 is symmetrically arranged about the sliding hinge 61 ( Figure 1 、 Figure 2 Air springs are fixed at both ends of hinge shaft 601. Air springs 7 provide elastic constraints on the axial relative displacement between crossbeam 2 and sliding hinge shaft 61. When the tunnel is free of lateral load, the air spring forces at both ends of sliding hinge shaft 61 cancel each other out. When the tunnel is lateral loaded, the air spring forces on both sides of sliding hinge shaft 61 become unbalanced. This unbalanced force is the source of the tunnel's lateral bearing capacity.

[0047] When lateral relative displacement occurs between the upper crossbeam 2 and the lower crossbeam 3, the hinge axis of the sliding hinge 6 slides axially within the upper crossbeam 2, causing the air spring 7 to be compressed. This air spring then forms a lateral elastic constraint on the structure. The stiffness characteristics of this lateral constraint are determined by the stiffness characteristics of the air spring, which can be flexibly designed. Therefore, the stiffness characteristics of a suspended tunnel constrained in this way can be designed according to structural requirements.

[0048] The air spring is connected to the air pressure servo system 72 through the air path 71. The function of the air pressure servo system 72 is to monitor and control the working air pressure of the air spring to ensure that the working air pressure of the air spring is maintained within a set normal range.

[0049] Figure 4 Shown is the working principle of air spring and air pressure service system.

[0050] Figure 4In the figure, the piston 703 of the air spring can slide in the cylinder 701, and its maximum extension stroke is limited by the cylinder end cover 702; to reduce gas leakage, an air bag 704 is set inside the cylinder (the air bag is equivalent to the inner tube of a tire); the air spring can be repaired during operation. When maintenance is required, the gate valve 722 is closed, and the gas in the air spring is released through the bleed valve 721. The piston 703 can be retracted into the cylinder by the piston stroke control pump 706. The air bag maintenance cover 705 is unscrewed, and the air bag can be taken out to be repaired or replaced (similar to repairing a tire or replacing an inner tube). The space between the piston 703 of the air spring and the cylinder end cover 702 can be filled with a semi-solid material (such as polytetrafluoroethylene particles) that is easily plastically deformed under high pressure, so that the piston stroke can be adjusted (when the piston stroke needs to be increased, the filling material is squeezed out; when the piston stroke needs to be reduced, more filling material is pumped in).

[0051] During tunnel operation, the air spring's operating pressure range can be set through the air pressure service system 72. For example, one possible setting is: the internal pressure of the air tank is set as the lower limit of the air spring's operating pressure. When the internal pressure of the air spring is lower than the internal pressure of the air tank, the air tank 725 automatically replenishes air to the air spring through the one-way valve 724; when the air spring is over-compressed and its internal pressure reaches the specified upper limit, the high-pressure gas in the air spring will automatically flow to the air tank through the pressure relief valve 723; the role of the air pressure monitoring controller 728 is to constantly monitor and maintain the internal pressure of the air tank. When the internal pressure of the air tank is lower than the set value, the air pump 726 is started to inflate the air tank; the role of the pressure limiting valve 729 is to limit the maximum working pressure of the entire air pressure system to ensure safety.

[0052] When the air spring system needs maintenance and overhaul during the operation of the suspended tunnel, the air springs and associated components can be accessed from within the tunnel through access doors 74 and access passages 73. To ensure a healthy operating environment for the air spring system, the support ring 602 of the sliding hinge 61 must provide a seal to isolate the air spring's operating space from the external water environment.

[0053] In order to ensure that the ball joint 5, sliding shaft joint 61, fixed shaft joint 62 and other movable mechanisms maintain good working conditions, anti-corrosion seals 9 can be installed at the movable parts where the connecting rods connect with the upper and lower cross beams to isolate the seawater from the movable mechanisms and prevent them from being corroded by seawater. The movable space at the end of the connecting rod protected by the anti-corrosion seals 9 is filled with anti-corrosion grease 91 (such as Figure 2 、 Figure 3 shown).

[0054] Figure 5 、 Figure 6 This is an application embodiment of the present invention when multiple suspended tunnels are juxtaposed. Figure 5 、 Figure 6 The illustrated embodiments and Figure 1 The principles of the embodiments shown are the same.

[0055] The construction of the floating tunnel and restraining structure adopts the construction process of prefabrication-assembly-offshore hoisting. The restraining structure and the floating tunnel pipe are pre-assembled on the dock or sea ramp, and then towed to the installation location by barge for offshore hoisting. Figure 7 、 Figure 8 .

[0056] The above description of the disclosed embodiments is intended to enable one skilled in the art to implement or use the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown herein but is intended to conform to the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A suspended tunnel constraint structure, characterized in that: include: Tunnel tube (1), upper crossbeam (2), lower crossbeam (3), connecting rod (4), ball joint (5), sliding shaft joint (61), fixed shaft joint (62), air spring (7), foundation (8); The tunnel tube (1) is fixed to the upper crossbeam (2); The lower cross beam (3) is fixed to the foundation (8); The two ends of the connecting rod (4) are respectively connected to the upper crossbeam (2) and the lower crossbeam (3); the connection method is one of the three: a ball joint (5), a sliding shaft joint (61), and a fixed shaft joint (62); and the various hinges at the upper end or the lower end of each connecting rod have a common rotation axis; The air springs (7) are symmetrically arranged at both ends of the sliding hinge (61); the function of the air springs is to limit the axial relative sliding between the sliding hinge (61) and the upper crossbeam (2); when the tunnel is laterally displaced together with the upper crossbeam under the action of a lateral load, relative sliding occurs between the sliding hinge (61) and the upper crossbeam (2), thereby causing the air springs (7) to be compressed, thereby forming a lateral elastic constraint between the upper crossbeam (2) and the lower crossbeam (3).

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