Patent ID: 7966786
Filing Date: 2011-06-28
Classification: E02D

Abstract:
1. A method of assembling a subterranean structure from a plurality of segments, each segment formed of a wall element cylindrically curved about a vertical axis having an inside surface and an outside surface, vertical side edges and horizontal top and bottom ends, a first of the vertical side edges including a protruding mating element that is vertically tapered, and a second of the vertical side edges including a slot that is vertically tapered, the method including the steps of: sliding a protruding mating element of one segment into the vertically tapered slot of an adjacent segment until the top and bottom ends of the adjacent segments are aligned, repeating the sliding step with additional segments until sufficient segments are joined together horizontally to complete a ring except for a last adjacent pair of vertical side edges, warping the joined segments by a distance sufficient to align the protruding mating element and tapered slot of the last pair of vertical side edges, and engaging the mating portions of the last pair of vertical side edges while un-warping the joined segments until the top and bottom ends of all the segments are aligned to complete the ring so that the vertical side edges including confronting surfaces are brought into abutting relationship solely by the interlocking engagement between the vertically tapered mating elements and vertically tapered slots on the horizontally adjacent segments.