Draining Mesh Module Segmentation for Tunnel Drainage Blockage Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing drainage mesh modules in tunnel constructions face challenges with blockages due to interconnected channels, where flushing agents tend to circumvent blockages rather than clear them, and the limited number of access tubes makes it difficult to reach and remove obstructions effectively.
Innovation Solution
The drainage mesh module features semi-pipes forming channels that extend from one end to the other with attachment means for connecting adjacent modules, ensuring channels are either disconnected or interconnected at longitudinal ends, facilitating flushing and water drainage while using degradable materials and translucent or transparent materials for easy detection and removal of blockages using GPR scanning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If channels are interconnected at every intersection to provide drainage pathways, then drainage coverage is improved, but blockage removal becomes difficult as flushing agents circumvent rather than clear blockages
Solution Approach 1:
The drainage mesh is divided into modular sections with discrete channels that are interconnected at intersections but can be independently accessed. Each module can be separately flushed or repaired without affecting the entire system, allowing blockage removal while maintaining overall drainage coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
Access tubes are introduced as intermediary elements that provide direct pathways to blocked channels. These tubes allow flushing agents to reach blockages directly rather than attempting to force them through the interconnected channel network, solving the circumvention problem.
2Device complexity
If a limited number of access tubes are provided to reduce complexity, then device complexity is reduced, but the distance between blockages and access tubes increases making flushing difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The drainage system is segmented into multiple modules, each with its own access tubes positioned at strategic locations. This segmentation ensures that no blockage is far from an access point while keeping each module's complexity manageable.
Solution Approach 2:
Access tubes extend in the longitudinal direction from the mesh surface to the exterior, creating a new dimensional pathway for flushing. This allows access to blocked channels without increasing the number of tubes in the planar mesh structure.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If degradable materials are used for environmental sustainability, then environmental impact is reduced, but detection and blockage removal become more challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The degradable mesh material incorporates pigments or markers that change color or become visible under specific conditions (such as UV light or chemical reactions), enabling easy detection of the mesh structure and any blockages while maintaining environmental degradability.
Solution Approach 2:
Traditional mechanical inspection methods are replaced with non-invasive detection techniques such as acoustic sensing or electrical impedance measurement that can detect blockages without physically disturbing the degradable mesh material.
4Ease of repair
If channels are mutually disconnected between longitudinal ends to facilitate flushing, then blockage removal is improved, but water damming increases when channels are blocked
Solution Approach 1:
The channel system is segmented into discrete sections that are disconnected between longitudinal ends, allowing isolated flushing of blocked segments. Cross-channels provide alternative pathways that limit water damming by redirecting flow around blockages rather than allowing upstream accumulation.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of providing complete interconnection at all intersections, cross-channels are provided at selected locations to provide sufficient alternative pathways for water flow while maintaining the flushing advantages of disconnected channels. This partial connection approach balances both requirements.
Data Source
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AI summary
A draining mesh module (1) for building into a construction, such as a tunnel wall, to provide draining channels in said construction, comprises at least one semi pipe (21) of a flexible material. The draining mesh module (1) has a longitudinal direction (A) and a cross direction (B) extending crosswise to the longitudinal direction. The semi pipe (21) constitutes a part of a channel (2) extending from one longitudinal end (1a) to an opposite longitudinal end (1b) of the draining mesh module (1), and that the longitudinal ends of the draining mesh module comprise attachment means (11, 12) for interconnecting longitudinal ends of two adjacent draining mesh modules (1-1, 1-2), whereby a channel (2) in one of those two draining mesh modules is connected to a channel (2) in the other of those two draining mesh modules.