Tunnel Formwork Sensor Feedback Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tunnel lining methods face challenges in ensuring safe and efficient concrete filling, particularly due to hydrostatic pressure issues, which can lead to formwork damage and require experienced personnel to manage pressure and filling levels effectively.
Innovation Solution
A device equipped with sensors to continuously measure state variables such as pressure, temperature, and conductivity within the annular space, allowing for real-time comparison with target values from a reference concreting process, enabling automated regulation of the concrete pump to maintain optimal filling conditions without experienced personnel.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the hydrostatic pressure in the annular space is increased to accelerate concreting, then the filling speed improves, but the formwork may be mechanically overloaded and damaged
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback control system where pressure sensors continuously monitor the hydrostatic pressure in the annular space, and the monitoring device compares measured values with target values to automatically regulate the concrete pump's volume flow. This closed-loop feedback mechanism enables the system to accelerate concreting speed while dynamically adjusting pressure to prevent formwork overload, resolving the contradiction between productivity and safety.
2Ease of operation
If the concreting process is automated to reduce dependency on experienced personnel, then labor costs decrease, but measurement and control complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs self-service automation where the monitoring device autonomously compares sensor measurements with stored target values and automatically regulates the concrete pump without human intervention. The system serves itself by using pre-stored reference data from successful concreting processes to guide automated decision-making, reducing operational complexity despite increased device complexity through intelligent self-regulation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary action by storing target values from successfully completed concreting processes in a data memory before actual operation. These pre-recorded reference values (pressure, temperature, conductivity measurements over time) enable the automated system to compare and regulate current processes against proven benchmarks, simplifying operation while managing complexity through preparatory data collection.
3Extent of automation
If pressure sensors are used to monitor concrete filling, then automation capability improves, but measurement accuracy decreases due to concrete's rheological properties
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple measurement approaches by combining pressure sensors with temperature and conductivity sensors to monitor the concreting process. This multi-parameter measurement system compensates for the limitations of pressure-only measurement by incorporating additional physical properties of concrete, enabling more accurate assessment of concrete state and filling progress while maintaining high automation capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses the concrete's own physical properties (temperature, conductivity) as intermediary indicators to infer filling state and pressure conditions. Rather than relying solely on direct pressure measurement which is affected by rheological properties, the system uses these intermediary measurements to indirectly assess concrete state, improving measurement precision while supporting automation.
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 solution ensures a technically verifiable, efficient, and safe tunnel expansion process, even with inexperienced personnel, by monitoring and controlling the concreting process to prevent formwork overload and ensure complete filling, thereby reducing risks and costs.
Implementation Method 1
at least one sensor is provided, with which a state variable of a concrete located in the cavity and/or a load on the formwork element can be measured continuously during a concreting process
Implementation Method 2
a device for transporting liquid concrete through the concreting opening into a cavity arranged behind the formwork element, in particular a concrete pump
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a device (1) for the construction of a tunnel, comprising at least one formwork element (3) with at least one concreting opening (7), a device for transporting liquid concrete (4) through the concreting opening (7) into a cavity arranged behind the formwork element (3), in particular a concrete pump (5a).In order to enable the reliable construction of a tunnel even with inexperienced personnel, the invention provides that at least one sensor is provided with which a state variable of a concrete (4) located in the cavity and/or a load on the formwork element (3) can be continuously measured during a concreting process, wherein a monitoring device is provided with which a measured value of the at least one sensor is comparable with a target value stored in a data storage device, wherein the target value depends on the progress of the concreting process, in particular on a measured time and/or on a quantity of concrete (4) already transported into the cavity.The invention further relates to a method for the construction of a tunnel, wherein liquid concrete (4) is transported by means of a device, in particular a concrete pump (5a), through at least one concreting opening (7) into a cavity between a formwork element (3) and a rock (2).