Safety structure for at least one object in a building, in particular in a shaft or channel

Abstract

Securing structure for at least one object (3) in a structure (1), in particular in a shaft or channel (1), wherein the structure (1) comprises a receptacle (2) for the object (3) and a cover (4), characterized in that a materially bonded and inseparable connection is provided between the object (3) and the receptacle (2).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a securing structure for at least one object in a building, in particular in a shaft or channel, wherein the building comprises a receptacle for the object and a cover.

[0002] Structures in the form of canals and shafts are found in many areas of irrigation and drainage, as well as in connection with energy, electricity, gas, telephone, or district heating networks. The shafts are usually connected to the canals and serve to accommodate cable connections and branching points. In addition to applications in telecommunications, energy supply, electrical, transport, and industrial companies, these structures are also particularly required for use in railway operations facilities.

[0003] The present invention relates to shafts or channels in which objects such as pipes or electrical cables are arranged. The structures in question generally comprise a receptacle, e.g. in the form of a trough, and a cover that rests on the trough. The structures are often prefabricated from concrete and are accessible to the public. Although opening a cover requires some force, this is not sufficient to protect the objects contained in the structure. Criminal activities with regard to the theft of non-ferrous metals are taking a negative turn. Electrical conductors or pipes are usually made of copper, but also of aluminum or suitable metal alloys, for which prices can be achieved on the bulk market. In this respect, there is an incentive for criminals to remove electrical cables or pipes from publicly accessible structures.

[0004] The structures in question are also required in track construction within railway facilities, particularly to adequately accommodate electrical cables for signaling technology. The criminal removal of electrical cables from cable ducts and cable shafts in railway construction has catastrophic consequences in terms of train cancellations, line closures, and costly repairs. Negative consequences also occur in other areas when pipes made of non-ferrous metals, such as copper pipes, or parts thereof, are improperly and without authorization removed from ducts or shafts used by the utility industry. In this case, it is also necessary to accept that the extracted material may leak out and be lost or cause environmental pollution, resulting in millions of euros in damage.

[0005] For maintenance purposes, the covers of the shafts and ducts must remain accessible to qualified personnel. Adding additional locking devices to the structures is costly and subject to corrosion, and, above all, relatively easy for criminals to defeat.

[0006] The invention is based on the object of providing a security structure of the type in question which prevents damage to sewer and shaft structures caused by criminal interference.

[0007] The above object is achieved by the features of claim 1. According to this, a securing structure of the type in question is designed in such a way that a materially bonded and non-detachable connection is provided between the object and the receptacle.

[0008] Due to the increasing incidence of crime involving the theft of cables and pipes made of copper and other non-ferrous metals from publicly accessible structures, particularly in the form of sewers and shafts, and the associated enormous damage to the national and private sectors, the need for security measures has been fundamentally recognized. Furthermore, it has been recognized that sealing measures on structures are not very effective in stopping criminals. The invention recognizes that damage to sewer and shaft structures caused by criminal intervention can be prevented if the objects placed in the structure cannot be removed. Finally, the invention recognizes that removal can be prevented by providing a permanent, materially bonded connection between the object and the structure's support.Objects such as irreversible pipes or lines, electrical wires, cables are permanently fixed so that unauthorized removal by pulling the objects out meter by meter is no longer possible.

[0009] The use of an adhesive material to create the cohesive bond in the form of an adhesive joint has proven particularly advantageous in terms of reasonable costs. Suitable adhesive materials include water glass, resins such as single- or multi-component epoxy resins, polymers, or single- or multi-component polyurethanes, particularly KPU, a specially developed polyurethane material. When the adhesive material of the adhesive joint cures, familiar processes such as polymerization take place.

[0010] According to a very simple variant of the securing structure according to the invention, the support of the structure could have a support surface for the object, with the material connection acting at least between the object and the support surface. Irreversible cables or pipes could be simply glued in place. Particularly advantageously, the support surface could have the required number of recesses for precisely positioning the object. Such recesses could be filled with the adhesive material, resulting in a larger-area wetting of the object than on a flat support surface.

[0011] As an alternative to simply gluing the objects to the support surface or in its recesses, the securing structure according to the invention could also be formed by covering the object in the structure with adhesive material or at least partially embedding it therein. After pouring by hand or machine, the adhesive material hardens, and the securing structure is created. The chemical composition of the adhesive material is matched to and compatible with the surface of the object. From a process engineering perspective, the receptacle could be filled with the adhesive material before or after insertion of the fixable objects. The adhesion of the adhesive material to the inner wall of the receptacle is just as important as the adhesion of the adhesive material to the object.

[0012] The amount of relatively expensive adhesive material required to create the securing structure could be significantly reduced if the bond is adhesive and includes bulk material. The bulk material could be gravel, crushed stone, or other filler material, including recycled filler material. The volume occupied by the bulk material eliminates the need for adhesive. Bulk material has the advantage of being inexpensive, but the destruction of mineral materials is also more difficult than a pure adhesive compound, which can be chemically added. Small-format bulk material is less suitable due to the large surface area of ​​its numerous individual components, as the flow of the adhesive material to the support surface for the objects and to the side wall of the support must be ensured. The object to be secured could be completely covered by the bulk material within the structure, particularly the trough of the canal or shaft.Embedding would also be conceivable, because even if the object were partially visible after the cover was removed, it would still remain fixed. However, to prevent any damage, complete covering is the preferred method.

[0013] The manufacturing process for the safety structure according to the invention allows for many different steps and sequences. Filling recesses in the support surface of the holder with adhesive, laying the irreversibly laid objects, such as cables, pipes, or electrical lines, covering them with the bulk material, and introducing the adhesive material could all follow one another. It would also be possible to prepare an adhesive-bulk material mixture to combine two steps. In any case, the ratio of bulk material to adhesive must be adjusted so that the components of the bulk material are at least partially bonded to one another, that the components of the bulk material are at least partially bonded to the object, and that the components of the bulk material are at least partially bonded to the holder—its support surface and its side wall.The securing structure can then be created by incorporating the bulk material into the fixture through the curing of the adhesive material of the bonded joint. In principle, it is also possible to simply place the objects into the fixture and then cover them with the adhesive material, or alternatively, to apply bulk material to the inserted objects and then fill them with the adhesive material.

[0014] As already explained in the introduction to the description, the aim is to protect against theft of non-ferrous metals, especially copper, through damage to structures such as cable ducts or cable shafts. The security structure according to the invention ensures the object's indetachability within the structure and its permanent connection to the structure.

[0015] Since pipes or electrical cables are laid in the building, shaft or duct and their reversibility must be maintained because they have to be replaced more frequently and are particularly prone to failure, it is advantageous if the safety structure is at a distance from the cover. Additional objects, cables or pipes could be placed on the upper end surface of the safety structure, which is at a distance from the support surface. For example, this applies to line cables for railway systems, whose copper content only affects an internal core whose diameter is in the mm range. Since the end surface of the safety structure can be uneven, especially when filler is used to form the safety structure, a positioning and support device could rest on the end surface of the safety structure, which will then already be hardened.

[0016] There are now various possibilities for advantageously embodying and developing the teaching of the present invention. For this purpose, reference is made, on the one hand, to the claims subordinate to claim 1, and, on the other hand, to the following explanation of two exemplary embodiments of the invention with reference to the drawings. In conjunction with the explanation of the exemplary embodiments of the invention, generally preferred embodiments and further developments of the teaching are also explained. The drawings show: Fig. 1 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a structure in the form of a cable duct according to the state of the art, Fig. 2 the object from Fig. 1 with inlaid objects in the form of electrical cables according to the state of the art, Fig. 3 the object from Fig. 2 with a security structure according to the invention according to a first embodiment and Fig. 4 the object from Fig. 2 with a security structure according to the invention according to a second embodiment.

[0017] The Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 shows a structure 1 according to the prior art in the form of a channel 1 with a receptacle 2 for several objects 3 in the form of electrical cables 3, which has a high copper content. The receptacle 2 is closed with a removable cover 4.

[0018] According to the invention, the security structure comprises a material-to-material and non-detachable connection between the object 3 and the receptacle 2. The connection is an adhesive bond using adhesive material 5.

[0019] The holder 2 has a support surface 6 for the object 3, which is equipped with unspecified recesses into which the electrical cables 3 can be precisely inserted. The adhesive material 5, which is introduced into the holder 2 in liquid form, acts between the object 3 and the support surface 6, as well as between the object 3 and the side wall 7 of the holder 2.

[0020] According to the Fig. In the first embodiment of the securing structure according to the invention shown in Figure 3, the object 3 in the structure 1 is covered by the adhesive material 5. The securing structure S is created by curing the adhesive material 5 of the cohesive connection.

[0021] According to the Fig.In the second exemplary embodiment of the securing structure according to the invention shown in Figure 4, the integral connection, in the form of an adhesive bond, comprises bulk material 8. The electrical lines 3 in the structure 1 are covered by the bulk material 8. Components 9 of the bulk material 8 are at least partially integrally connected to one another. Furthermore, the components 9 of the bulk material 8 are at least partially integrally connected to the object 3. Finally, the components 9 of the bulk material 8 are at least partially integrally connected to the receptacle 2, its support surface 6, and its side wall 7. The securing structure S is created by incorporating the bulk material 8 through curing of the adhesive material 5 of the integral connection.

[0022] The formation of the safety structure S comprises, as a first step, the filling of adhesive material 5 into the receptacle 2, specifically into the recesses of the support surface 6. The electrical cables 3 are then inserted into the recesses, and finally, the adhesive material 5 is poured over them. In the second embodiment, after the electrical cables 3 have been laid in the recesses of the support surface 6, the bulk material 8 is first poured in as filler for the safety structure S, followed by the adhesive material 5—in a significantly smaller quantity than in the first embodiment.

[0023] Thanks to the securing structure according to the invention, the five electrical lines 3 are arranged in the channel 1 in a captive and secure manner. The bulk material 8 is gravel.

[0024] The channel 1 contains additional reversible cables 11. These cables 11 rest on the end surface 10 of the securing structure S. The end surface 10 is spaced from the cover 4 at such a distance that sufficient space is available to accommodate the unsecured reversible cables 11. Especially in the second embodiment, the end surface 10 is very uneven, which is why a positioning and support device (not shown here) is provided for interposing and supporting the end surface 10 of the securing structure S.

[0025] For further features not shown in the figures, reference is made to the general part of the description.

[0026] Finally, it should be noted that the teaching of the invention is not limited to the two embodiments discussed above.

Claims

[1] Securing structure for at least one object (3) in a building (1), in particular in a shaft or channel (1), wherein the building (1) comprises a receptacle (2) for the object (3) and a cover (4), characterized by that a material-locking and non-detachable connection is provided between the object (3) and the receptacle (2). [2] Security structure according to claim 1, characterized by that the material connection is an adhesive connection and comprises adhesive material (5). [3] Security structure according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by that the receptacle (2) has a support surface (6) for the object (3) and that the material connection acts at least between the object (3) and the support surface (6). [4] Security structure according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized bythat the object (3) in the structure (1) is covered by the adhesive material (5) or at least partially embedded in it and that the securing structure is created by curing of the adhesive material (5) or the material-locking connection formed therefrom. [5] Security structure according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized by that the material connection comprises bulk material (8). [6] Security structure according to claim 4, characterized by that the object (3) in the structure (1) is covered by the bulk material (8). [7] Security structure according to claim 6, characterized bythat components (9) of the bulk material (8) are at least partially materially bonded to one another, that the components (9) of the bulk material (8) are at least partially materially bonded to the object (3) and that the components (9) of the bulk material (8) are at least partially materially bonded to the receptacle (2) and that the securing structure, including the bulk material (8), is created by curing of the adhesive material (5) or the materially bonded connection formed therefrom. [8] Security structure according to claim 7, characterized by that the securing structure is created by covering the object (3) with the bulk material (8) and then adding an adhesive material (5) or that the securing structure is created by covering the object (3) with a mixture of bulk material (8) and adhesive material (5). [9] Security structure according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized bythat the object (3) is at least one copper pipe and / or one copper cable (3) which is arranged in the building (1) in a captive manner by the securing structure. [10] Security structure according to one of claims 5 to 9, characterized by that the bulk material (8) is gravel or crushed stone. [11] Security structure according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized by that the securing structure has an end surface (10) which is at such a distance from the cover (4) that space is available to accommodate unsecured, reversible lines (11) or pipes. [12] Security structure according to claim 11, characterized by that the structure (1) contains unsecured, reversible lines (11) or pipes which rest on the securing structure (S) - if necessary with the interposition of a positioning and support device.

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