DEVICE FOR LAYING PIPES IN THE GROUND

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device for laying pipes (1) in the ground, the device comprising a ploughshare (2) with a ploughshare shoe (3), wherein the ploughshare shoe (3) has at least one displacement element (5) protruding in a laying direction (4), a drill (6), which drill (6) is connected to the ploughshare (2) and comprises at least one drill head (7) arranged in a drill head housing section (7a) of a drill housing and a conveyor device (8) arranged in a conveyor housing section (8a) of the drill housing for removing drilled material, and a connection device (9) for connecting a pipe (1) to be laid to the drill (6), wherein the ploughshare (2) is arranged behind the drill (6) when viewed in the laying direction (4).

Claims

1. Device for laying pipes (1) in the ground, the device comprising a ploughshare (2) with a ploughshare shoe (3), wherein the ploughshare shoe (3) has at least one displacement element (5) protruding in a laying direction (4), a drill (6), which drill (6) is connected to the ploughshare (2) and comprises at least one drill head (7) arranged in a drill head housing section (7a) of a drill housing and a conveyor device (8) arranged in a conveyor housing section (8a) of the drill housing for removing drilled material, and a connection device (9) for connecting a pipe (1) to be laid to the drill (6), wherein the ploughshare (2) is arranged behind the drill (6) when viewed in the laying direction (4).

2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the conveyor housing section (8a) is arranged to run transversely to the laying direction (4) in order to convey the drilled material above ground.

3. Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the drill (6) is connected to the ploughshare (2) by means of a coupling element (10) so that a free space (11) remains between the coupling element (10) and the drill head (7).

4. Device according to claim 3, characterized in that the coupling element (10) acts on the drill (6) at least in the area of the drill head (7), in particular the drill head housing section (7a), and in the area of the conveyor device (8), in particular of the conveyor housing section (8a).

5. Device according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the drill (6) is connected to the ploughshare (2) and/or the coupling element (10) so that it can be pivoted horizontally.

6. Device according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the drill (6) is connected to the ploughshare (2) and/or the coupling element (10) so that it can be pivoted vertically.

7. Device according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the displacement element (5) is arranged in such a manner that when the device is used as intended, soil is displaced and/or loosened before it is gripped by the drill head (7).

8. Device according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the displacement element (5) is arranged substantially at the same height as the drill head (7).

9. Device according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the drill housing comprises a widened housing section (12) with an enlarged cross-section compared to the drill head housing section (7a), wherein the drill head housing section (7a) is arranged behind the widened housing section (12) when viewed in the laying direction (4), wherein the widened housing section (12) preferably directly adjoins the drill head housing section (7a).

10. Device according to claim 9, characterized in that the connection device (9) is arranged within the widened housing section (12) or on an end region of the widened housing section (12) facing away from the drill head (7).

11. Device according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the ploughshare shoe (3) is held on the ploughshare (2) so that its orientation can be adjusted.

12. System comprising a laying vehicle (13) and a device according to one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the ploughshare (2) of the device is connected to the laying vehicle (13) or is part of the laying vehicle (13).

13. System according to claim 12, characterized in that the laying vehicle (13) has a control device for controlling at least the orientation of the ploughshare shoe (3) and/or a rotational speed of the drill head (7) and/or a conveying speed of the conveyor device (8).

14. System according to claim 13, characterized in that the control device is connected to the ploughshare shoe (3) and/or the drill head (7) and/or the conveyor device (8) via control means running in the ploughshare (2).

15. Method for laying a pipe (1) in the ground between a starting position and an end position by means of a system according to any one of claims 12 to 14, comprising the following method steps: connecting the pipe to be laid (1) to the connection device (9) of the device before the device has reached the initial position or when the device is in the initial position; pulling the laying vehicle (13) in the laying direction (4) whilst simultaneously operating the drill head (7) and the conveyor device (8); detaching the tube (1) from the connection device (9) after the device has reached the end position.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0040] The invention will now be explained in more detail using one (of the) exemplary embodiment (s). The drawings are exemplary and are intended to explain the idea of the invention, but in no way restrict or even definitively reproduce it.

In the Drawings:

[0041] FIG. 1 shows the device according to the invention in a side view (schematic representation)

[0042] FIG. 2 shows the device from FIG. 1 in an axonometric view

[0043] FIG. 3 shows a schematic representation of the device connected to a laying vehicle.

WAYS TO CARRY OUT THE INVENTION

[0044] The structure of the device according to the invention in an exemplary embodiment can be seen from FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0045] The device itself initially comprises a ploughshare 2, at the lower end of which a ploughshare shoe 3 is arranged. This ploughshare shoe 3 is held movably, in particular tiltably, on the ploughshare 2 and makes it possible to adjust or change a laying depth, at which laying depth a pipe 1 to be laid is to be laid in the ground. The ploughshare 2 can be connected to a laying vehicle 13 (see FIG. 3), such as a plough or can be formed in one piece with this.

[0046] In addition to two flat, wing-like sections 15, which extend on both sides of the ploughshare 2 and preferably orthogonally thereto, the ploughshare shoe 3 also has a displacement element 5, which displacement element 5 protrudes from the ploughshare 2 in the laying direction 4. This displacement element 5 can comprise one or more wedge-shaped extensions which taper with increasing distance from the ploughshare 2. In particular, both the width and the height of the wedge-shaped extension or extensions can decrease in the laying direction 4.

[0047] Preferably, the ploughshare shoe 3 is attached rotatably to the ploughshare 2 about a point located in the contact area between the displacement element 5 and the wing-like sections 15, wherein the end of the wing-like sections 15 facing away from the displacement element 5 is adjustable by means of an (not shown) actuating element.

[0048] If the ploughshare 2 is now moved in a horizontal directionfor example by means of the laying vehiclethe vertical position of the ploughshare shoe 3 relative to the earth's surface, i.e. the laying depth, can be set or changed by appropriately selecting the position of the ploughshare shoe 3: if the ploughshare shoe 3 is located in the position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the laying depth will not vary significantly with horizontal movement; however, if the displacement element 5 points towards the ground surface (so that the wing-like sections 15 of the ploughshare shoe 3 point in the opposite direction), the ploughshare shoe 3 will move towards the earth's surface in the course of the horizontal movement of the device; similarly, the laying depth will increase if the wing-like sections 15 point towards the earth's surface.

[0049] Soil located in front of the ploughshare shoe 2 is grasped and loosened by the movement of the device by the displacement element 5 and/or the ploughshare shoe 3 and/or the ploughshare 2; obstacles in the soil, such as stones and the like, are pushed into higher or lower layers of the earth, or into lateral layers. The loosened soil is then grasped by a drill head 7 of a drill 6 connected to the ploughshare 2 by means of a coupling element 10 and conveyed away via a conveyor device 8 so that a borehole for the pipe 1 to be laid is formed. For this purpose, the ploughshare 2 is arranged behind the drill 6 when viewed in the laying direction; this corresponds to the sequence shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0050] The drill head 7 is accommodated in a drill head housing section 7a of the drill 6 and the conveyor device 8 is accommodated in a conveyor housing section 8a of the drill 6. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the coupling element 10 can be connected horizontally pivotally to the ploughshare 2 and vertically pivotally to the drill 6. In this case, the coupling element 10 can act on the drill in the area of the drill head housing section 7a and in the region of the conveyor housing section 8a. This results in a free space 11 between the coupling element 10 and the drill head 7, in which free space 11 soil that has been loosened and/or displaced by the displacement element 5 and/or the ploughshare shoe 3 and/or the ploughshare 2 can collect and then be grasped by the drill head 7.

[0051] Due to a widened housing section 12 of the drill 6, which widened housing section 12 is provided between the drill head housing section 7a and a connection device 9 provided on the drill 6 for connecting the pipe 1 to be laid to the device, the inner wall of the borehole created by the drill head 7 is consolidated and secured against collapsing. For this purpose, the drill 6 has a larger diameter in the widened housing section 12 than in the drill head housing section 7a. The drill head housing section 7a particularly preferably goes over directly into the widened housing section 12 in the area of a diameter expansion of the drill 6, as is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0052] Consequently, the problem known from the prior art of soil falling onto the pipe 1 to be laid and the associated increase in the frictional forces acting on the pipe 1 is solved by means of the device according to the invention; the pipe 1 connected to the device by means of the connection device 9, which for this purpose can also have a coupling 14 to produce a positive connection with the connection device 9, is pulled directly into the stabilized borehole by the movement of the device, which is free of larger stones or other obstaclesthese were previously displaced by the displacement element 5 and, if necessary, pressed firmly into the inner wall of the borehole by the widened housing section 12as well as loosened soil, since this is conveyed away by means of the conveyor device 8 provided in the drill 6 immediately after it has been grasped by the drill head 7, in particular was conveyed to the earth's surface.

[0053] As can be seen from FIG. 3, the laying vehicle 13 itself is pulled in the laying direction 4 by a caterpillar winch 16. Here the caterpillar winch 16 is equipped with a winch 18 and an anchor fluke 19 and arranged at some distance, for example 110 metres in front of the laying vehicle 13. The caterpillar winch 16 is connected to the laying vehicle 13 via one or more steel cables 17. In the operating state, the anchor fluke 19 is lowered into the ground in order to ensure a stable position of the caterpillar winch 16 before the winch is actuated in order to wind up the steel cables 17 in the laying direction 4.

REFERENCE LIST

[0054] 1 Pipe [0055] 2 Ploughshare [0056] 3 Ploughshare shoe [0057] 4 Laying direction [0058] 5 Displacement element [0059] 6 Drill [0060] 7 Drill head [0061] 7a Drill head housing section [0062] 8 Conveyor device [0063] 8a Conveyor housing section [0064] 9 Connection device [0065] 10 Coupling element [0066] 11 Free space [0067] 12 Widened housing section [0068] 13 Laying vehicle [0069] 14 Coupling of the pipe [0070] 15 Wing-like sections [0071] 16 Caterpillar winch [0072] 17 Steel cable [0073] 18 Winch [0074] 19 Anchor fluke