Endless Screw Soil Mortar Wall Mixing Homogeneity

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing methods for producing soil mortar walls often result in inconsistent mixing, leading to material loss and contamination, especially when dealing with different soil layers, which affects the tightness and strength of the wall.

Innovation Solution

The method involves drilling two endless screws into the ground, loosening soil, and then mixing the soil material with a binding agent suspension in a lower mixing area formed by partially withdrawing the augers, allowing for intensive mixing and conveying the soil mortar upwards while conveying unmixed soil material downwards, ensuring a homogeneous mixture across the borehole depth.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If additional mixing strokes are performed to achieve homogenization of soil mortar in different soil layers, then mixing quality is improved, but material loss and contamination occur as floor mortar escapes to the surface

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvehomogeneity of soil mortarVSAvoidmaterial loss and contamination
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The mixing process is segmented into two distinct phases: initial mixing at the bottom of the borehole, and subsequent conveying upward. This segmentation prevents the need for additional surface-level mixing strokes that cause material escape and contamination, while still achieving thorough homogenization through the controlled bottom-up mixing approach.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The conventional approach mixes soil mortar from the top down or performs additional mixing strokes that push material upward. This invention inverts the approach by performing the primary mixing operation at the bottom of the borehole and then conveying the mixed material upward, thereby preventing material escape and contamination during mixing.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

2Quantity of substance

If binding agent suspension is supplied throughout the entire borehole depth, then mixing coverage is improved, but mixing homogeneity deteriorates due to premature mixing in upper areas

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebinder distribution coverageVSAvoidmixing homogeneity
Core Design Contradiction:
Quantity of substanceVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The binding agent suspension is supplied locally only to the lower mixing area at the bottom of the borehole rather than distributed throughout the entire borehole depth. This localized supply ensures intensive mixing in the lower area where soil material is readily available, achieving homogeneous soil mortar without premature mixing in upper areas where soil material has not been loosened.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The binding agent suspension is supplied after the endless screws have drilled to the final depth and loosened the soil material. This preliminary preparation of soil material in the lower area ensures that when the binder is supplied, immediate and homogeneous mixing occurs without the binder prematurely contacting soil in upper areas.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Productivity

If multiple endless screws are used to improve mixing and conveying efficiency, then productivity is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemixing and conveying efficiencyVSAvoiddrilling device structure
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Each endless screw in the plurality of parallel screws performs multiple functions: drilling and loosening soil material, conveying soil material downward into the lower mixing area, and conveying mixed soil mortar upward to the surface. This multi-functionality of each screw component improves overall productivity without proportionally increasing device complexity, as the same basic component structure is replicated rather than requiring specialized components for each function.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

This approach achieves a highly homogeneous soil mortar mixture with reduced material loss and contamination, enhancing the quality and consistency of the soil mortar wall, even when drilling through varying soil layers, by shifting the mixing process to the lower region of the borehole.

Implementation Method 1

the at least two endless screws being drilled into the ground and soil material being loosened in the process

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectMechanical loosening:

Implementation Method 2

the loosened soil material is mixed with the supplied binder suspension to form the soil mortar

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectMixing:

Implementation Method 3

at least one endless screw for conveying soil material upwards from the lower mixing area... are driven at least until floor mortar is promoted from the lower mixing area to the floor surface

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectMechanical conveying:

Implementation Method 4

which hardens into the soil grout wall after removal of the at least two augers in the borehole

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectHardening:

Data Source

PatentEP2666911B1Method for producing a floor mortar wall in the floor
Publication Date: 2015.09.23 BAUER SPEZIALTIEFBAU GMBH
  • EP2666911B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2666911B1 patent drawingFigure 2~4
  • EP2666911B1 patent drawingFigure 5~6

AI summary

The method involves drilling endless screws (20a-20c) to a hole with specific depth for loosening of soil. The endless screws are lifted up to an intermediate position in the borehole by supplying binder suspension. A lower mixing region is formed between a bottom hole and the intermediate position in the borehole, and in which loosened soil is mixed with the supplied binder suspension to form mortar. The loosened soil is fed above the lower mixing region from an upper borehole to be above the intermediate position when the mortar is transported to the soil surface. Independent claims are included for the following: (1) a mortar floor; and (2) a drilling equipment.