Mixing tool for treating a portion of soil

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9895729-B2
Application number	US-201314650637-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 5, 2013
Priority date	Dec 11, 2012
Publication date	Feb 20, 2018
Grant date	Feb 20, 2018

Abstract

A device ( 10 ) for treating a portion of soil comprises a rotary shaft ( 20 ), at least one deployable mixer tool ( 40 ) secured to the rotary shaft ( 20 ), and a longitudinal pipe ( 22 ) for injecting a fluid in the proximity of the mixer tool ( 40 ). According to the invention, the treatment device ( 10 ) further includes a boring tool ( 24 ) situated at the bottom end of the shaft ( 20 ), an outer tubular element ( 30 ) extending parallel to the rotary shaft ( 20 ), the rotary shaft ( 20 ) being arranged inside said tubular element ( 30 ), and a coupling system ( 50 ) between the rotary shaft ( 20 ) and the tubular element ( 30 ). In a first configuration, the coupling system ( 50 ) is suitable for constraining the tubular element ( 30 ) and the rotary shaft ( 20 ) to move together in rotation about the main axis (X), in at least one direction of rotation, and for constraining the tubular element ( 30 ) and the rotary shaft ( 20 ) to move together in translation along the main axis (X), at least in the downstream direction. These movements in rotation and translation can be released in a second configuration of the coupling system ( 50 ).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A treatment device for treating a portion of soil, the device comprising:
a rotary shaft extending along a main axis and comprising a top end pointing upstream and a bottom end pointing downstream;
a deployable mixer tool fastened to the rotary shaft in the vicinity of the bottom end of the rotary shaft;
a longitudinal pipe configured to inject a fluid into the proximity of the bottom end of the rotary shaft;
a boring tool situated at the bottom end of the rotary shaft;
a tubular element extending along an axis parallel to the main axis of the rotary shaft, the rotary shaft being arranged inside said tubular element; and
a coupling system coupling the rotary shaft with the tubular element, and configured to be selectively set in a first configuration and a second configuration, wherein:
in the first configuration, said coupling system is configured to:
constrain the tubular element and the rotary shaft to jointly move together in rotation about the main axis, in at least one direction of rotation, and
constrain the tubular element and the rotary shaft to jointly move together in translation along the main axis, at least in the downstream direction, and

in the second configuration, the coupling system is configured to release the tubular element and the rotary shaft from the joint movement in rotation and the joint movement in translation;

wherein:
in the first configuration, the deployable mixer tool is housed in the tubular element and fastened to the tubular element; and
in the second configuration, the deployable mixer tool is unfastened from the tubular element and configured to radially extend from the tubular element into a portion of soil to be treated.

2. The treatment device according to claim 1 , wherein the coupling system comprises a bayonet system.

3. The treatment device according to claim 2 , wherein:
the coupling system comprises at least one lug formed on the inside face of the tubular element and a corresponding number of catches formed on the rotary shaft, wherein:
in the first configuration, the at least one lug is configured to come into abutment radially and axially against a catch, and
in the second configuration, the at least one lug is configured to release from the catch.

4. The treatment device according to claim 1 , wherein the deployable mixer tool comprises at least one deployable mixer arm fastened to the bottom end of the rotary shaft and configured to:
in the first configuration, be retained in a retracted position by the housing; and
in the second configuration, extend laterally relative to the main direction of the shaft, such that a span of the mixer tool is greater than the outside diameter of the tubular element to enable the portion of soil to be treated by rotating the shaft.

5. The treatment device according to claim 4 , wherein the mixer tool further comprises a spring configured to:
extend the mixer arm to from the tubular element, and
retract the mixer are to the retracted position while the bottom portion of the shaft is housed in the tubular element.

6. The treatment device according to claim 1 , wherein the coupling system is configured to constrain the tubular element and the rotary shaft to move together in rotation about the main axis in both clockwise and anticlockwise directions of rotation.

7. The treatment device according to claim 1 , wherein the coupling system is also adapted to constrain the tubular element and the rotary shaft to move together in translation along the main axis in the upstream direction.

8. The treatment device according to claim 7 , wherein the coupling system further includes an abutment adapted to co-operate with the rotary shaft so that the rotary shaft and the tubular element are constrained to move together in translation in the upstream direction regardless of the angular position of the rotary shaft.

9. A treatment device for treating a portion of soil, the device comprising:
a rotary shaft extending along a main axis and presenting a top end pointing upstream and a bottom end pointing downstream;
at least one deployable mixer tool fastened to the rotary shaft in the vicinity of its bottom end;
a longitudinal pipe for injecting a fluid into the proximity of the bottom end of the rotary shaft;
a boring tool situated at the bottom end of the shaft;
an outer tubular element extending along an axis parallel to the main axis of the rotary shaft, the rotary shaft being arranged inside said tubular element; and
a coupling system between the rotary shaft and the tubular element, said coupling system being suitable in a first configuration for constraining the tubular element and the rotary shaft to move together in rotation about the main axis, in at least one direction of rotation, and for constraining the tubular element and the rotary shaft to move together in translation along the main axis, at least in the downstream direction, and said coupling system being suitable in a second configuration for releasing said movement in rotation and in translation;
wherein the deployable mixer tool is housed in the tubular element when the coupling system is in the first configuration;
wherein the deployable mixer tool is adapted to be extracted and extended radially from the tubular element and to be introduced into a portion of soil to be treated when the coupling systems is in the second configuration,
wherein the coupling system further includes an abutment adapted to co-operate with the rotary shaft so that the rotary shaft and the tubular element are constrained to move together in translation in the upstream direction regardless of the angular position of the rotary shaft, and
wherein the abutment comprises a collar formed on the inside face of the tubular element, the inside diameter of said collar being smaller than the maximum diameter of the rotary shaft on the portion of said shaft that is situated downstream from said collar.

10. The treatment device according to claim 1 , including at least two mixer devices that are spaced apart axially along the main axis.

11. A treatment device for treating a portion of soil, the device comprising:
a rotary shaft extending along a main axis and presenting a top end pointing upstream and a bottom end pointing downstream;
at least one deployable mixer tool fastened to the rotary shaft in the vicinity of its bottom end;
a longitudinal pipe for injecting a fluid into the proximity of the bottom end of the rotary shaft;
a boring tool situated at the bottom end of the shaft;
an outer tubular element extending along an axis parallel to the main axis of the rotary shaft, the rotary shaft being arranged inside said tubular element; and
a coupling system between the rotary shaft and the tubular element, said coupling system being suitable in a first configuration for constraining the tubular element and the rotary shaft to move together in rotation about the main axis, in at least one direction of rotation, and for constraining the tubular element and the rotary shaft to move together in translation along the main axis, at least in the downstream direction, and said coupling system being suitable in a second configuration for releasing said movement in rotation and in translation;
wherein the deployable mixer tool is housed in the tubular element when the coupling system is in the first configuration;
wherein the deployable mixer tool is adapted to be extracted and extended radially from the tubular element and to be introduced into a portion of soil to be treated when the coupling systems is in the second configuration, and
wherein the coupling system is provided in the vicinity of the bottom end of the rotary

Assignees

• Soletanche Freyssinet

Inventors

• Perpezat Daniel
• Mosser Jean François

Classifications

• E02D5/46 Primary

  making in situ by forcing bonding agents into gravel fillings or the soil (consolidating soil in general E02D3/12) · CPC title

• B01F7/16

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B09C2101/00

  In situ · CPC title

• B09C1/08

  chemically · CPC title

• B09C1/02 Primary

  Extraction using liquids, e.g. washing, leaching {, flotation} · CPC title