Top-Down Prefabricated Shaft Construction Method
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing cost and complexity of erecting functional buildings like parking garages or warehouses above ground in urban areas due to limited space and high land prices, along with the challenges of constructing underground structures safely and efficiently.
Innovation Solution
A method involving sinking a shaft, using a lifting/lowering device and locking mechanism to assemble structure sections from the top, eliminating the need for direct shaft access and allowing for prefabricated module assembly, which reduces costs and enhances worker safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If construction pits are produced and secured against water ingress with complicated safeguarding measures, then underground structures can be erected, but the costs and technical outlay increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the hazardous assembly operations from the confined construction pit environment and relocates them to the surface level. Structure sections are pre-assembled and locked together above ground, then the completed assembly is lowered as a single unit into the shaft. This eliminates the need for complicated water safeguarding measures during assembly while maintaining construction safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention applies preliminary action by pre-assembling and pre-locking structure sections at the surface before lowering them into the shaft. The locking mechanism is engaged above ground in safe conditions, and then the entire locked assembly is lowered together. This preliminary assembly eliminates the need for complex safeguarding measures during in-situ construction.
2Ease of manufacture
If structure sections are assembled directly inside the construction pit, then the structure can be erected, but worker safety is compromised and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts all hazardous assembly operations from the construction pit environment and relocates them to the surface. Workers assemble and lock structure sections in safe above-ground conditions, then the completed assembly is lowered mechanically. This completely eliminates worker exposure to shaft hazards during assembly operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention performs all assembly operations preliminarily at the surface before lowering. Structure sections are pre-assembled, pre-aligned, and pre-locked together above ground in safe conditions. This preliminary action transfers all worker safety hazards from the shaft environment to the safe surface environment.
3Ease of manufacture
If material transport and assembly operations are conducted inside the shaft, then the structure can be constructed, but time and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention performs all material preparation, assembly, and locking operations preliminarily at the surface before lowering. Structure sections are pre-assembled with all necessary components in place above ground. This eliminates time-consuming material transport and assembly operations inside the shaft, reducing overall erection time.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention merges multiple separate operations (material transport, assembly, alignment, locking) into a single integrated surface-level assembly process. The structure sections are assembled and locked together as one operation above ground, then lowered as a single unit. This consolidation eliminates repetitive transport and assembly cycles inside the shaft.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for erecting an underground structure, wherein the method is intended to ensure that the underground structure is assembled as safely as possible. The method is characterized in that a shaft is sunk at the erection site and the shaft is closed off by a cover in which an opening is provided, in that a lifting/lowering device is provided in the region of the opening, in that a locking mechanism is provided in the shaft below the opening, in that a section of the structure is provided in the region of the opening and is connected to the lifting/lowering device, is lowered through the opening down to the locking mechanism and locked and is then released from the lifting/lowering device after locking, in that a process cycle is performed in which a further section of the structure is provided in the region of the opening, said section is connected to the lifting/lowering device and to the locked section of the structure, then the locking of the previous section is released, the structure sections situated in the shaft are lowered until the uppermost section is situated in the locking region, and the uppermost section of the structure is locked, and this process cycle is repeated until the sections required for erecting the underground structure have been inserted into the shaft.