Fluid driven below ground motor for sinking a caisson

Claim 1

An apparatus for sinking a caisson to the bottom of the water comprising a hollow caisson to be sunk to the bottom of the water, a housing provided at its peripheral wall with a plurality of equally spaced grippers and a first group of oil jacks for projecting said grippers out of said housing and retracting thereinto so as to lock said housing with said caisson and release said housing therefrom, said housing being further provided with an air lift pipe extending therethrough and for hanging down said housing and removing excavated soil together with water, a cutter body connected to the lower end of said housing and provided at its upper end with a rotary drum formed integral with said cutter body and a bearing ring coaxially surrounding said rotary drum and slidably engaged with the peripheral frame of said housing, at its end disc with a plurality of equally spaced boring cutters for boring the bottom of the water and openings for passing the excavated soil together with water therethrough, and around its peripheral wall with windows, a second group of oil jacks each of which is pivoted at its lower end to the upper end of said bearing ring and each plunger of which is pivoted at its free end to the transverse frame of said housing, a third group of oil jacks pivoted to said bearing ring and each plunger of which is provided at its free end with a ratchet engaged with a ratchet wheel secured to the upper end of said rotary drum, said cutter body being given downward thrust through said bearing ring by said second group of oil jacks and being given rotating torque through said rotary drum by said third group of oil jacks, a plurality of equally spaced and radially extending reaming cutters each pivoted to said cutter body and connected through connecting rods to shoes slidably engaged with guide rails secured to said air lift pipe, a fourth group of oil jacks pivoted to a plurality of equally spaced arms secured to said bearing ring And each plunger of which is pivoted at its free end to said shoe and adapted to rotate through said connecting rod said reaming cutters so as to project them out of said windows and retract thereinto, the projecting rotating torque of said reaming cutters acting to enlarge the hole excavated by said boring cutters, a suction pipe incorporated into said cutter body and slidably fitted in the lower end of said air lift pipe and provided at its lower parts with inlets for receiving soil excavated by said boring cutters together with water and with inlets for receiving soil excavated by said reaming cutters together with water, and a control chamber formed in said housing and for operating said first, second, third, and fourth groups of oil jacks.

Claim 2

An apparatus for sinking a caisson to the bottom of the water comprising a hollow caisson to be sunk to the bottom of the water, a housing provided at its peripheral wall with a plurality of equally spaced grippers and a first group of oil jacks for projecting said grippers out of said housing and retracting thereinto so as to lock said housing with said caisson and release said housing therefrom, said housing being further provided with an air lift pipe extending therethrough and for hanging down said housing and removing excavated soil together with water, a cutter body connected to the lower end of said housing and provided at its upper end with a rotary drum formed integral with said cutter body and a bearing ring coaxially surrounding said rotary drum and slidably engaged with the peripheral frame of said housing, at its end disc with a plurality of equally spaced boring cutters for boring the bottom of the water and openings for passing the excavated soil together with water therethrough, and around its peripheral wall with windows, a second group of oil jacks each of which is pivoted at its lower end to the upper end of said bearing ring and each plunger of which is pivoted at its free end to the transverse frame of said housing, a third group of oil jacks pivoted to said bearing ring and each plunger of which is provided at its free end with a ratchet engaged with a ratchet wheel secured to the upper end of said rotary drum, said cutter body being given downward thrust through said bearing ring by said second group of oil jacks and being given rotating torque through said rotary drum by said third group of oil jacks, a plurality of equally spaced and radially extending reaming cutters each pivoted to said cutter body and connected through connecting rods to shoes slidably engaged with guide rails secured to said air lift pipe, a fourth group of oil jacks pivoted to a plurality of equally spaced arms secured to said bearing ring And each plunger of which is pivoted at its free end to said shoe and adapted to rotate through said connecting rod said reaming cutters so as to project them out of said windows and retract thereinto, the projecting rotating torque of said reaming cutters acting to enlarge the hole excavated by said boring cutters, a suction pipe incorporated into said cutter body and slidably fitted in the lower end of said air lift pipe and provided at its lower parts with inlets for receiving soil excavated by said boring cutters together with water and with inlets for receiving soil excavated by said reaming cutters together with water, and a control chamber formed in said housing and for operating said first, second, third, and fourth groups of oil jacks.