Formwork system

• US 9,945,229 B2
• Filed: 03/06/2017
• Issued: 04/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kern Tunneltechnik SA
• Original Assignee: Kern Tunneltechnik SA
• Inventors: Kern, Annalisa
• Primary Examiner(s): Fiorello, Benjamin F
• Assistant Examiner(s): Toledo-Duran, Edwin J
• Application Number:
  US15/450,799
• Publication Number:
  US 20170254202A1
• Time in Patent Office: 407 Days
• Field of Search: 405132-153, 2940701, 2940705, 29705-707, 29709, 29714, 298973, 249 20- 22, 425 63- 65
• CPC Class Codes: E04G 21/02 Conveying or working-up concrete or similar masses able to be heaped or cast in connection with finishing work E04F; construction and surfacing of floorings made of similar material to roads or pavements E01C; in connection with barrages E02B7/00; in connection with foundations E02D15/00; composition of concrete C04B; working concrete in general, e.g. mixing machines B28C
• CPC Class Codes: E21D 11/10 with concrete cast in situ; Shuttering also lost shutterings, e.g. made of blocks, of metal plates or other equipment adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: E21D 11/102 Removable shuttering; Bearing or supporting devices therefor
• CPC Class Codes: E21D 11/105 Transport or application of concrete specially adapted for the lining of tunnels or galleries in building E04F21/08, E04G21/02; Backfilling the space between main building element and the surrounding rock, e.g. with concrete
• CPC Class Codes: E21D 5/04 with brick, concrete, stone, or similar building materials E21D5/01, E21D5/012, E21D5/016 take precedence

Abstract

A formwork system (10; 60), especially for tunnel construction, includes at least one support arrangement (14) for supporting at least one formwork element (16-26; 72-78). The formwork system further includes at least one concrete pump (36), a plurality of concrete supply units (42) for supply to the formwork element and at least one controller (32). On the formwork element (16-26; 72-78) and/or on the support arrangement (14) at least two pressure sensors (44; 92) are disposed at different vertical positions and are connected to the controller (32) of the formwork system, which pressure sensors (44; 92) are designed to measure the pressure acting upon the formwork elements (16-26; 72-78) at a minimum of two different heights of the formwork element, and that the controller (32) is designed to control the concrete supply units (42) individually, dependent on the signal from the pressure sensors (44; 92).

Claims

1. A formwork system for tunnel construction, comprising:

at least one support arrangement for supporting at least one formwork element, the formwork system further comprising at least one concrete pump, a plurality of concrete feeders to the at least one formwork element and at least one control unit, at least two pressure sensors arranged at vertically different positions on the at least one formwork element or on the support arrangement to measure a pressure acting on the at least one formwork element at at least two different heights of the formwork element, the at least one control unit is connected to a control unit of the formwork system and controls the concrete feeders individually as a function of a signal of the at least two pressure sensors, and wherein the at least one support arrangement has at least one hydraulic support beam for supporting the at least one formwork element, the control unit also directly controls support pressure on the at least one hydraulic support beam as a function of pressure values measured with the at least two pressure sensors, and wherein the at least one control unit is connected to at least one vibrator, the at least one vibrator being integrated into the at least one formwork element and the control unit can individually control a single vibrator dependent on values of the at least two pressure sensors in order to achieve selective compacting of poured concrete in different areas of a tunnel wall, the tunnel wall being directly connected to the at least one formwork element by the poured concrete filling an empty space between the at least one formwork element and the tunnel wall, thereby ensuring a concrete quality of the poured concrete filling the empty space with a highest possible homogeneity over the tunnel wall, wherein the at least one support arrangement contains the at least one hydraulic support beam to support the formwork elements with a specified pressure against the poured concrete.

2. The formwork system according to claim 1, wherein the at least two pressure sensors are arranged at connecting points between the at least one support beam and the at least one formwork element.

3. The formwork system according to claim 1, wherein the at least two pressure sensors are arranged distributed over the at least one formwork element.

4. The formwork system according to claim 1, wherein the at least two pressure sensors are arranged between the at least one formwork element and the at least one hydraulic support beam.

5. The formwork system according to claim 1, further comprising a shuttering system, including a plurality of jogging devices arranged at different points of a shuttering element, and the control unit controls the jogging devices individually as a function of signals of the at least two pressure sensors.

6. The formwork system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one vibrating device is arranged in a concrete feed.

7. The formwork system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit controls a concrete pump as a function of signals of the at least two pressure sensors.

8. The formwork system according to claim 7, wherein the concrete pump is connected to the concrete feeders via at least one distributor device output means in response to the signals from the at least two pressure sensors.

9. The formwork system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit has a screen for displaying the formwork elements and the pressure values measured there.

10. The formwork system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the formwork system has at least four formwork elements, which are supported against the support arrangement by at least four supporting cylinders.

11. The formwork system according to claim 10, wherein the at least four formwork elements are curved and form a formwork for a tunnel vault.

12. The formwork system according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of support arrangements, arranged horizontally one behind the other, with their own formwork elements, and that the control unit controls a pressurization of the formwork elements of the plurality of individual support arrangements as a function of the pressure values of the at least two pressure sensors.

13. A method for building a concrete wall with the formwork system according to claim 1, comprising the steps of:

applying pressure on the at least one formwork element;

controlling the at least two pressure sensors; and

controlling at least one concrete pump and the concrete feeders as a function of the signals of the at least two pressure sensors.

14. The method according to claim 13, whereby at least one vibrating device is controlled as a function of the signals of the at least two pressure sensors.

15. The method according to claim 13, whereby at least one distributor device is controlled between the concrete feeds as a function of the signals of the at least two pressure sensors.