Pipeline Crossing Bridge Arch Structure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Buried pipelines are prone to damage from vibration and compression due to road crossings, and existing solutions like thick clay layers are expensive and ineffective in fully mitigating damage.
Innovation Solution
A pipeline crossing bridge with ground contacting pads, ribs, and lateral stabilizing elements forming an arch structure that transfers load away from the pipeline, reducing damage and allowing for easier installation and transportation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If thick clay layers are used to mitigate pipeline damage from road crossings, then some protection is provided, but the solution is expensive and still ineffective in fully preventing damage
Solution Approach 1:
The bridge structure is divided into multiple ribs that are supported on ground-contacting pads, with lateral stabilizing elements between adjacent ribs. This segmentation allows the load to be distributed across multiple discrete support points rather than requiring a continuous thick clay layer, achieving better protection effectiveness while reducing material costs and construction complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The bridge structure acts as an intermediary element between the road crossing and the buried pipeline. By introducing this intermediate structure with ribs and lateral stabilizing elements, the harmful vibrations and compressional forces are isolated from the pipeline, providing effective protection without the need for expensive thick clay layers.
2Force
If traditional bridge structures are used to cross pipelines, then load transfer is provided, but vibration and compression damage still occur to the buried pipeline
Solution Approach 1:
The lateral stabilizing elements are installed between adjacent ribs before the bridge is subjected to traffic loads. This preliminary stabilization prevents the ribs from moving or folding under subsequent vibration and compression forces, allowing the structure to transfer loads effectively while protecting the pipeline from damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The bridge structure with its rib and lateral stabilizing element configuration provides beforehand cushioning against vibration and compression forces. The structure is designed to absorb and dissipate these harmful forces before they can reach the buried pipeline, preventing damage while maintaining load transfer capability.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the bridge structure uses sufficient lateral support to prevent rib folding, then structural integrity is maintained, but the structure becomes more complex and difficult to manufacture and transport
Solution Approach 1:
The bridge is segmented into multiple ribs with lateral stabilizing elements positioned between adjacent ribs. This segmentation provides the necessary structural integrity to prevent folding while keeping each individual rib relatively simple in design, making the overall structure easier to manufacture and transport compared to a monolithic design.
Solution Approach 2:
Lateral stabilizing elements are placed locally between adjacent ribs where needed to prevent folding, rather than requiring continuous lateral support throughout the entire structure. This localized approach maintains structural integrity while minimizing complexity and facilitating easier manufacturing and transportation.
Data Source
AI summary
A combination of a buried pipeline and a pipeline crossing bridge, the pipeline crossing bridge comprising: a first ground contacting pad and a second ground contacting pad spaced apart from one another; plural ribs with lateral stabilizing elements between adjacent ribs of the plural ribs, in which each rib of the plural ribs is supported on the first ground contacting pad and the second ground contacting pad and the ribs collectively form a raised arch extending between the first ground contacting pad and the second ground contacting pad; an upper crossing surface supported by the plural ribs, in which the pipeline crossing bridge is positioned over the buried pipeline, and in which the buried pipeline has a diameter, and the first ground contacting pad and the second ground contacting pad are spaced apart wider than the diameter of the buried pipeline.