Multi-Layer Quay Anchoring Reduces Wall Bending Moments
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for constructing quays require high material and production costs due to the need for dimensioning walls to withstand significant vertical and horizontal loads, including earth and water pressure, and involve costly anchoring systems that require excavation pit drainage.
Innovation Solution
A method where soil material is applied in layers with tie rods and anchor boards connected to the wall, allowing for multi-layer back anchoring, reducing bending moments and transverse forces, and eliminating the need for pit drainage by using sliding profiles and vibrators for anchor rod placement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If traditional single-layer anchoring is used, then the wall can withstand loads, but the wall must be dimensioned with high material and production costs
Solution Approach 1:
The anchoring system is segmented into multiple layers vertically distributed along the wall height. Instead of a single anchoring layer, the patent employs several anchoring layers at different elevations, dividing the load-bearing function across multiple discrete anchoring points. This segmentation reduces the bending moment and transverse forces at any single location, allowing for optimized wall dimensioning and reduced material quantities while maintaining overall structural strength.
2Strength
If thick-walled profiles are used for high load capacity, then the wall can withstand significant forces, but the production cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The load-bearing function is segmented across multiple anchoring layers rather than concentrated in a single thick wall section. This allows the use of thinner, more economically manufacturable wall profiles while achieving equivalent or superior load resistance through the distributed anchoring system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the spatial distribution parameters of the anchoring system by varying the vertical spacing and horizontal positioning of anchor rods across multiple layers. This parameter optimization allows for reduced wall thickness while maintaining strength, as the multi-layer anchoring creates a more favorable structural configuration that reduces bending moments and transverse forces.
3Ease of operation
If excavation pit is pumped out for anchoring, then anchors can be installed, but water pressure acts on the back of the wall during construction
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful water pressure into a beneficial counterforce by allowing water to remain in the excavation pit during anchor installation. The water pressure acting on the back of the wall during construction creates a counterbalancing force that offsets the external water pressure on the front of the wall, eliminating the need for pit dewatering while actually providing structural support during the construction phase.
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 enables the use of lighter load-bearing piles, reduces material and production costs, and allows for flexible quay construction with reduced water pressure considerations during construction, optimizing wall dimensioning for post-completion traffic loads.
Implementation Method 1
the sliding connection of the tie rods is vibrated by means of a vibrator as it is lowered. The vibrator can act on the connecting part on the tie rod and ensure, by vibrating, that the tie rod slides easily along the slide profile
Implementation Method 2
the water pressure in the excavation, which acts on the back of the wall, forms a counterforce to the water pressure on the outside of the wall
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~5
AI summary
The erection process for a quay involves producing a wall (10) which during the final back-filling with bottom material is anchored with the aid of anchor rods (22) to a rear anchor table (24) over the bottom (14). The bottom material is filled in layers to the top level (16), and the anchor rods are at a horizontal spacing from each other under the water, where they are connected at their ends to the anchor table.