METHOD FOR STABILIZING THE GROUND AND APPARATUS FOR APPLYING THE METHOD

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for stabilizing the ground, in which raw materials in at least two different tanks (1, 2) are mixed together in the desired proportions and led to the ground. Furthermore, the invention relates to a system for stabilizing the ground, which comprises tanks (1, 2) to contain the raw materials which are to be mixed, and apparatuses (3, 4, 5) for mixing the raw materials and leading the substance to the desired place. Raw materials in a method formed in accordance with the invention are mixed together in a transferring apparatus (3) and led immediately thereafter to the desired place by the feeding apparatus (4). A transfer apparatus (3) for raw materials in a system formed in accordance with the invention is a mixing apparatus for the raw materials, into which the raw materials are arranged so that they can be transferred from the tanks in the desired proportions, and the mixing apparatus (3) is connected to the feeding apparatus (4) for the mixed substance.

Description: METHOD FOR STABILIZING THE GROUND AND APPARATUS FOR APPLYING THE METHOD The present invention relates to a method for stabilizing the ground, by which materials contained in at least two different tanks are mixed together in the desired proportions and transferred to the ground. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a system for stabilizing the ground, which comprises tanks in which the materials are mixed and apparatuses for mixing the materials and for transferring them to the desired place. Soft ground is an obstacle to the effective use of large areas of land. There are currently existing methods and systems which can stabilize the soft material in the soil, and the land area can in this way be made useful. Vertical pillars, or corresponding supports, which are produced by mixing materials which are known to be stabilizing materials into the soil, can be formed in the ground. Mixing the substance into the ground and the stabilization of the ground transpires, for example, by drilling a special boring implement into the ground, which disperses the stabilizing substance into the soil when it is turned, and at the same time mixes it into the soil materials. A dry substance, which is made from at least two raw materials is generally used as a stabilizing substance. At present, the raw materials are mixed together, for example, in a factory and are transported to the work grounds as a prepared mixture in a separate tank. The substance is transferred from this tank to the ground as needed using a work implement. The problem is that, at present, the information about and the control of the quantities of raw materials and the proportions in which they are mixed is not accurate. Different soils react differently to different binding agents, both qualitatively and quantitatively, so that they could be altered according to the circumstances. The current problem is that the proportions of the materials contained in the substance in the tank cannot be modified in a simple way after they have been mixed together. The object of the present invention is to provide a method for stabilizing the ground, by which the disadvantages associated with the present method will be eliminated. In particular, the object of the invention is to provide a method, which uses one system to both mix together different raw materials in the desired proportions and to transfer them to the desired place. Furthermore, the object of the invention is to provide a system which is advantageous in its cost, and simple and functional in its structure. The objective of the invention is accomplished with a method and a system, the characteristics of which are set forth in the claims. In a method formed in accordance with the invention, raw materials are mixed together in a transferring apparatus and the mixed substance is immediately transferred to the desired place by a feeding apparatus after it has been mixed. The method does not require the use of separate storage tanks, nor does the prepared mixed substance need to be transported, so that the method is more economically advantageous than the current method. Furthermore, the proportions of the raw materials in the mixture can reliably be maintained as desired, or they can be easily and simply altered according to specific circumstances. The transferring apparatus for the raw materials in a system formed in accordance with the invention is also the mixing apparatus for the raw materials, in which the raw materials are arranged so that they are transferred from their tanks in the desired proportions, and which is connected to the feeding apparatus for the mixed substance. The system does not require a tank for the mixed substance, rather the system only has different tanks for the different stabilizing raw materials. A structure formed in accordance with the invention is simple, advantageous and functional. In a certain advantageous application of the invention, a compressor unit has been arranged to every raw material tank of the system for transferring the raw material. The air pressure produced in the compressors enables the control of the transference of raw materials in the desired proportions from the tanks to the mixing apparatus and to the feeding apparatus. In an advantageous application of the invention, the system comprises tanks, a transfer apparatus for the raw materials, a feeding apparatus and compressor units, all of which are arranged to a mobile carriage. Thus, the entire system can be transported to the desired place in the vicinity of the boring implement. In the following advantageous application of the invention, the system comprises transducers, arranged on or near the tanks, for measuring the quantity of raw material which comes from the tanks. The transducers enable the flow of raw materials coming from the tanks to be monitored accurately and the desired proportions can be maintained in the mixture, and/or changed to the desired proportion. The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 illustrates a certain system formed in accordance with the invention, as viewed from the side, Figure 2 illustrates a system formed in accordance with Figure 1, as viewed from the top, Figure 3 illustrates a system formed in accordance with Figure 1, as viewed from the other end. A system formed in accordance with the figures comprises tanks 1, 2, arranged to a mobile carriage 6, compressor units 5 located in the vicinity of the tanks, and apparatuses 3, 4 for mixing the raw materials and for transferring the mixed substance to the desired place. The number of tanks can vary in different applications of the invention, such that every stabilizing raw material has its own tank. Every tank has its own compressor unit 5. The pipes leading from the tanks function as the transferring apparatus 3, and the compressors are then connected to the pipes. These pipes are joined into one pipe by the pipe fitting 7 at the other end of the system, the one pipe being connected to the feeding apparatus 4. Thus, the flows of the raw materials coming from different pipes are mixed together, and the mixed substance is transferred to the feeding apparatus 4 and through it to the desired place. The feeding apparatus in the application according to Figure 1 is a conventional boom-like feeding apparatus. The system additionally comprises transducers (not illustrated in the figures), known per se, for measuring the raw materials coming from the tanks, and which are mounted to the tanks or in their vicinity. In an application of a method formed in accordance with the invention, the raw materials in at least two different tanks 1, 2 are mixed together in the desired proportions in a pipe 3 which also functions as a transferring apparatus, and the mixed substance is led directly thereafter to the desired place with the help of the feeding apparatus 4, for example, with a boring implement into the ground. In the method, two or more different raw materials are mixed together in a controlled way and transferred to the desired place by air pressure. The transducers enable the quantity and proportion of the raw materials flowing into the mixture to be monitored. The proportions in the mixture can easily be regulated by changing the quantity of one or more of the raw materials. The system is controlled hydraulically and it functions by remote control, for example by radio control. The invention is not limited to the advantageous application set forth herein. The invention is versatile and its form may vary within the frames of the idea of the invention put forth in the claims.

Claims: Claims 1. A method for stabilizing the ground, in which raw materials in at least two different tanks (1, 2) are mixed together in the desired proportions and led into the ground, characterized in that, the raw materials are mixed together in the transferring apparatus (3) and led immediately after they have been mixed to the desired place by feeding apparatus (4). 2. A system for stabilizing the ground, which comprises tanks (1, 2) for the raw materials which are to be mixed and apparatuses (3, 4, 5) for mixing the raw materials and for leading the substance to the desired place, characterized in that, the transferring apparatus (3) for the raw materials is a mixing apparatus in which the raw materials are arranged to be transferred in the right proportions from the tanks, and said mixing apparatus (3) is connected to the feeding apparatus (4) for the mixed substance. 3. A system for stabilizing the ground formed in accordance with Claim 2, characterized in that, each individual tank (2) and raw material has its own compressor unit (5) connected to the tank for transferring the raw material. 4. A system for stabilizing the ground formed in accordance with Claims 2 or 3, characterized in that, the tanks (2), the raw material transferring apparatus (3), the feeding apparatus (4) and the compressor units (5) of the system are all mounted on a mobile carriage (6). 5. A system for stabilizing the ground formed in accordance with one of the Claims 2-4, characterized in that, the system comprises transducers for measuring the raw materials coming from the tanks, and said transducers are mounted to the tanks, or in the vicinity of the tanks.

Inventors: HEINONEN PENTTI, HEINONEN, PENTTI
Applicants: HEINONEN PENTTI, JUNTTAN OY, HEINONEN, PENTTI
Application year: 1999
Main classification: E02D3
IPC codes: E02D3