Excavation and transport equipment

Underground Excavation and Movement Device Combining Four-Bar Linkage Friction Propulsion and Excavation Unit

This technology is an excavation and movement device where a four-bar linkage-based movement unit, installed on the outer surface of the excavation housing, performs linkage motion in response to the rotation of a link motor, utilizing friction with the ground to move forward or backward.

Existing steel pipe jacking devices have limitations in underground exploration and maintenance tasks due to their large size and restricted movement directions.

This technology proposes a method to reduce the overall size by embedding a motor within the excavation unit and to improve directional control and mobility underground by adopting a four-bar linkage structure. It can be applied to underground pipeline installation, ground exploration, and trenchless construction, allowing for underground operations without large-scale equipment, thereby significantly reducing construction costs and surface disruption.

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Key Features:

• An excavation housing that accommodates the excavation unit, featuring an open front end and a soil discharge outlet on the bottom.
• An excavation unit rotatably installed at the front end of the excavation housing to crush the ground and perform excavation.
• A duct unit that collects excavated soil and a blower unit that supplies air into the duct to discharge the soil.
• A four-bar linkage-based movement unit installed on the outer surface of the excavation housing that moves forward and backward through linkage motion and friction.

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This invention was developed with support from the Korea Agency for Infrastructure Technology Advancement for the development of a built-in guide type movement/work platform.