Counter-Rotating Disk Drill for Brittle Soil Tunneling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional shield tunneling methods face challenges in constructing tunnels through brittle soils like coral reefs, due to soil collapse and rupture caused by unidirectional forces.
Innovation Solution
A rotary digging drill with three disk drills and a guide drill, where adjacent disk drills rotate in opposite directions to cancel out torque, is used in conjunction with an amphibious tunnel construction robot to excavate tunnels efficiently and minimize soil collapse.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional shield tunneling method is used, then tunnel construction can be performed, but soil collapse and rupture occur in brittle soils due to unidirectional forces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies reverse rotation of adjacent disk drills to counteract the unidirectional torque problem. Instead of all drills rotating in the same direction, adjacent drills rotate in opposite directions, creating balancing torques that eliminate soil collapse and rupture in brittle formations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses counter-rotating disk drills where the torque from one drill acts as a counterweight to the torque from adjacent drills. This balanced torque system prevents the harmful unidirectional forces that cause soil collapse, effectively applying counterbalancing forces to maintain tunnel stability.
2Productivity
If conventional unidirectional disk drills are used, then excavation can be performed, but torque causes soil collapse in brittle soils
Solution Approach 1:
The patent reverses the rotation direction of adjacent disk drills to create balanced torques. This inversion approach maintains excavation efficiency while preventing soil structure collapse by eliminating the net unidirectional torque that would otherwise damage brittle soil formations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the operational parameter of disk drill rotation direction from uniform (all same direction) to alternating (adjacent opposite directions). This parameter change transforms the torque distribution from unbalanced to balanced, preventing soil collapse while maintaining excavation productivity.
3Extent of automation
If amphibious tunnel construction robot is used, then automated excavation can be performed, but complex operation conditions in underwater environments remain
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs an amphibious tunnel construction robot that can operate in both underwater and land environments. The robot integrates multiple functions including excavation, soil transport, and tunnel support, making it universally applicable to different construction conditions and reducing operational complexity despite the challenging environments.
Data Source
AI summary
A rotary digging drill includes three disk drills arranged in ascending order of diameter, each with a cavity therein. The disk drill includes two circular ring seats arranged side by side, multiple toothed digging buckets disposed at peripheries of the two circular ring seats, and ring gear racks respectively disposed on inner sides of the two circular ring seats. Adjacent ones of the disk drills have the toothed digging buckets facing opposite directions, and the disk drills all rotate in a direction facing a large opening, enabling adjacent two of the three disk drills to rotate in opposite directions. The rotary digging drill further includes three disk drill supports that match the three disk drills in quantity and are configured to support and drive the three disk drills.