The adaptation of weapons and military equipment for use in the civilian sphere is always of certain interest from one point of view or another. However, some systems, such as artillery, have limited potential in the context of such rework. One of the most interesting projects for changing the purpose of an artillery gun was created in the late eighties. As part of the UZAS-2 project, Soviet designers proposed using the existing pile driving tool during the construction of various facilities.
For the installation of piles, which are one of the main structural elements of the structure, equipment of several types is used. Concrete, metal or reinforced concrete piles are driven into the ground using diesel or hydraulic hammers, vibratory hammers or pile pressing machines. Having certain advantages, all samples of such technology are not devoid of some disadvantages. For example, the impact method of pile driving is associated with prolonged loud noise, vibrations, etc. For a long time, domestic and foreign engineers have been looking for a way to reduce the negative impact of the piling process on the surrounding infrastructure and people.
The original project, designed to solve the existing problems, was developed in the second half of the eighties. The development of the original construction machine was carried out by specialists from the Perm Polytechnic Institute (now the Perm National Research Polytechnic University), headed by Professor Mikhail Yuryevich Tsirulnikov. For several decades M. Yu. Tsirulnikov was engaged in the creation of promising artillery guns of various classes, intended for operation in the army. Later, the experience gained was proposed to be used in a new area.
General view of the UZAS-2 installation in the transport position. Photo Strangernn.livejournal.com
A promising construction equipment project was named UZAS-2 - "Installation of anchor and pile driving". The project was based on an original proposal concerning the principles of driving piles into the ground. All existing samples of a similar purpose could sink the pile only gradually, at one speed or another. Diesel hammers, for example, perform this task with a sustained series of blows. The new sample, in turn, had to set the pile to the required depth in one or two blows. To obtain the required energy indicators, it was proposed to use a slightly modified artillery gun of the existing type. It was precisely this that was supposed to literally "shoot" the pile into the ground.
On the basis of an unusual proposal, the employees of the PPI under the leadership of M. Yu. Tsirulnikov soon formed a practically applicable method of installing building elements, characterized by high efficiency. The use of the so-called. impulse indentation allowed 2-2.5 times to increase the pile driving depth with one shot in comparison with other use of the same energy. At the same time, it was possible to use the maximum possible number of ready-made components and assemblies.
The design of the UZAS-2 unit was completed in 1988, soon after which the assembly of experimental equipment began. By the time this work began, the authors of the project managed to interest the management of the oil and gas industry. Thus, it was proposed to test the original sample of construction equipment at the construction sites of the Permneft enterprise. The assembly of the experimental equipment was carried out by one of the workshops of this enterprise with the active participation of specialists from the PPI and the Perm plant named after V. I. Lenin. The result of such cooperation soon became the emergence of three self-propelled units capable of driving piles at once.
One of the main ideas of the UZAS-2 project was the use of ready-made components. First of all, this concerned the driving system, which was planned to be built on the basis of the existing artillery gun. In addition, during the construction of experimental equipment, existing samples of self-propelled equipment were used, which made it possible to give special equipment the ability to independently move to the place of work.
A serial skidder of the TT-4 model was chosen as the basis for the UZAS-2 self-propelled unit. This machine had a tracked chassis and was originally intended to transport trees or packages of logs in a semi-submerged state. During the construction of the experimental UZAS-2, tractors were deprived of special equipment of the original model, instead of which pile driving means were installed. At the same time, significant design changes were not required, since all such equipment was installed on the existing cargo area.
Skidder TT-4 in original configuration. Photo S-tehnika.com
The TT-4 tractor had a frame structure of low height, which had space for the installation of target equipment. In the front part of the hull, it was planned to install a crew cabin and an engine compartment. The entire upper part of the hull behind the cockpit was given over to the equipment of the required type. The engine compartment was located directly inside the cab on the longitudinal axis of the tractor. Due to its large size, the engine and its radiator required the use of an additional casing with a grill, protruding from the main cab. Various transmission units were placed below the engine and inside the body.
The skidder was equipped with a 110 hp A-01ML diesel engine. Using a clutch, manual transmission, rear axle, final drives and transfer case, the engine was connected to the drive wheels of the chassis, a winch used for skidding, and a hydraulic pump. The reversible gearbox allowed a choice of eight forward speeds and four reverse. For control, a planetary gear with band brakes was used.
As part of the chassis, the TT-4 tractor had five road wheels on each side. A characteristic feature of the rollers was the curved-spoke design. The rollers were blocked using two bogies with their own springs: two were placed on the front bogie, three on the rear. In the front of the hull, there was a guide wheel, which was significantly removed from the first road roller. The leader was in the stern. The large diameter of the rollers eliminated the need for separate support rollers.
During construction, the “Anchor and Pile Driving Plant” received leveling systems mounted directly to the frame of the existing chassis. A detached unit with a vertically located hydraulic cylinder was attached to the front of the machine. Two more jacks were in the stern and had to be lowered to the ground by turning. Such a design of additional supports made it possible to hold the machine in the required position during operation.
The most interesting part of the UZAS-2 machine was located on the cargo area of the chassis, which was previously intended for attaching the skid plate. The construction of the site has been slightly changed, and in addition, it has a small fence. On special mountings, it was proposed to pivotally install an artillery unit directly responsible for driving piles. The basis of the oscillating unit was a frame of three longitudinal pipes connected by additional elements of the corresponding shape. The frame was transferred to the transport horizontal or vertical working position with the help of two hydraulic cylinders.
As a means of driving piles, it was proposed to use the 152-mm cannon of the M-47 corps artillery (GAU Index 52-P-547). This is a weapon developed by the Special Design Bureau of Plant No. 172 (now Motovilikhinskiye Zavody) with the most active participation of M. Yu. Tsirulnikov, was mass-produced from 1951 to 1957 and was used by the Soviet army for some time, after which it gave way to newer systems. The UZAS-2 project proposed some alteration of the existing tool of an obsolete type, after which it could serve as a source of energy for driving the piles into the ground.
M-47 cannon in the Military-Historical Museum of Artillery, Engineering Troops and Signal Corps (St. Petersburg). Photo Wikimedia Commons
One of the positive consequences of the implementation of a new project and the massive construction of such equipment could be savings on the disposal of existing weapons. In the fifties, Soviet industry built a total of 122 M-47 guns, which were later taken out of active service and sent to storage. In the future, these weapons were supposed to be recycled, but the construction of pile driving installations made it possible to postpone this moment, as well as to get some benefit from the decommissioned products.
In the original version, the M-47 cannon of the corps artillery was a 152 mm gun with a barrel length of 43, 75 caliber. The gun was equipped with a wedge gate, hydraulic recoil devices and a muzzle brake. The barrel group in the form of a barrel, breech and casing for fixing in the cradle with the help of the pins of the latter was mounted on a carriage, consisting of upper and lower machines. The upper machine was a U-shaped device with mounts and gun guidance drives, while the lower one was equipped with beds, wheel travel, etc. The design of the gun carriage made it possible to fire at targets in a horizontal sector with a width of 50 ° at elevation angles from -2.5 ° to + 45 °. The carriage was equipped with an armored shield. The maximum firing range reached 20.5 km.
As part of the UZAS-2 project, the existing M-47 gun had to undergo noticeable changes. First of all, it was deprived of the lower machine and other elements of the carriage. Also removed the armor shield, sight, muzzle brake and a number of other no longer needed units. The upper machine, cradle and other elements of the artillery system were proposed to be installed on the swinging frame of the self-propelled unit. In this case, the barrel was locked in a predetermined position, parallel to the tubes of the swinging frame. To reduce the size of the entire machine assembly and reduce the energy performance to the required level, it was decided to seriously cut the existing barrel. Now its muzzle protruded slightly beyond the level of the recoil devices.
Together with the modified pile driving tool, it was proposed to use the so-called. downhole. This device was made in the form of a large variable-shape part. The shank of the hammer had a cylindrical shape with an outer diameter of 152 mm, so that it could fit into the barrel of the gun. The head of the device was much larger and was intended to provide contact with the driven pile. Also in the structure of the slaughterhouse there was a so-called. replaceable chamber located on the shank. It was proposed to use it to install a powder charge. The use of standard shells from 152-mm artillery rounds was not provided.
Arriving at the place of work, the builders had to install the UZAS-2 machine in the required place and use jacks to place it in the correct position. Further, the frame with the artillery unit was lifted, a hammer coupled with a pile was placed in the barrel. After that, the installation operator gave the command to fire, and the pile, under the influence of powder gases, entered the required depth. The latter was changed using a variable charge.
In 1988, several Perm enterprises built three self-propelled units of the UZAS-2 type at once, which were immediately planned to be put into limited operation. It was proposed to test this technique simultaneously with the construction of certain objects. At the end of the eighties, Permneft and various divisions of this structure were actively involved in the construction of new facilities, so the installation of anchor and pile driving did not risk being left without work. They were to participate in the construction of various new projects for the oil and gas production department "Polaznaneft" and the enterprise "Zapsibneftestroy".
UZAS-2 on a pontoon that allows driving piles into the bottom of the reservoir. Photo Strangernn.livejournal.com
One of the first real problems solved by the UZAS-2 units already in 1988 was pile driving for the construction of two foundations for Zapsibneftestroy pumping units. During these works, the builders had to drive piles into the permafrost soil. Despite the complexity of such work, the specialists quickly installed all the necessary piles, giving fellow builders the opportunity to continue construction. According to some reports, reworked drill pipes were used as piles during such construction.
Subsequently, similar work was carried out at other facilities in different regions. It was found that the minimum driving depth is 0.5 m. When driving into clayey soil of medium density, the pile could be sent to a depth of 4 m with one shot. When working with more difficult soils, a second blow to the pile might be necessary. At the same time, most of the tasks were successfully solved with one shot per pile. Driving the piles with one shot made it possible to speed up the work. During actual operation, it was found that one UZAS-2 unit can drive up to a dozen piles per hour - up to 80 per work shift.
A characteristic feature of the UZAS-2 system was the minimum noise and vibration produced during operation. So, the existing diesel hammers, during operation, create a series of loud bangs and spread sufficiently powerful vibrations along the ground that can threaten the surrounding structures. The installation based on the M-47 gun, in contrast to such systems, made only one or two hits on the pile. In addition, locking the powder gases inside the barrel further reduced noise and negative impact on surrounding objects. In the course of construction work on the territory of the Perm Carriage Repair Plant, the UZAS-2 unit drove piles at a distance of up to 1 m or less from existing buildings. Reportedly, despite the many shots and the fulfillment of the assigned tasks, none of the nearby buildings was damaged, and all their glass remained in place.
With all its advantages, the UZAS-2 system had some disadvantages. So, the need to use an existing weapon could to some extent complicate the production of serial equipment due to bureaucratic and other factors. In addition, the proposed design of the machine imposed certain restrictions on the length of the pile to be driven. It should be noted that with the further development of the project, the existing shortcomings could well be corrected.
In the course of theoretical research and practical training, specialists from several organizations studied the possibility of using the UZAS-2 for solving special problems. For example, pile driving in swamp conditions was worked out. In this case, a shot was required to lead the pile through a layer of water, silt, etc., after which it had to enter solid ground. It was also proposed to deepen several metal electrodes, through which a high voltage electric current should be passed. Such an impact led to compaction of the soil, which could be used, for example, when building on slopes that require a certain strengthening. At the same time, shooting with piles was not ruled out with non-standard positions of the artillery unit.
Of particular interest is the design of a system for driving piles into the bottom of reservoirs. In this case, the self-propelled tracked vehicle had to be delivered to the place of work using a towed pontoon. On the latter, some special devices and means of securing the UZAS-2 installation were placed. A special control system was developed especially for the pontoon version of the installation, which ensures the correct firing of the pile. A special device was supposed to monitor the position of the pontoon and artillery unit and take into account the existing pitching. Upon reaching the required position, the device automatically gave a command to fire, due to which the pile went to the bottom with minimal deviations from the required trajectory. After passing through the water, the pile continued to move in the ground and reached a predetermined depth.
Modern version of a multi-barrel pile driving installation, drawing from patent RU 2348757
The operation of the three built UZAS-2 units continued until 1992. During this time, the machines managed to take part in the construction of many different objects of the mining industry. More than interesting conclusions were drawn from the results of such exploitation. The possibility of driving up to 80 piles per shift gave an increase in labor productivity by 5-6 times in comparison with traditional systems of a similar purpose. The cost of work was reduced by 3-4 times. Thus, the operational and economic advantages of the original technology fully compensated for all minor disadvantages. Installations UZAS-2 in practice showed all the prospects of the original proposal of M. Yu. Tsirulnikov and his colleagues.
The operation of three experimental units UZAS-2 was completed in the early nineties. In another period of Russian history, the project could be continued, as a result of which the construction industry would have mastered a large number of machines of a new type with high performance, capable of quickly and cheaply driving piles of various types during certain construction projects. However, this did not happen. The collapse of the Soviet Union and the ensuing problems put an end to many promising developments.
The further fate of the three UZAS-2 vehicles is not known for certain. Apparently, in the future they were dismantled as unnecessary. In addition, the TT-4 tractors could be converted according to the original design with a return to the appropriate job. New samples of such equipment were no longer built. For two decades, Russian builders have not used artillery pile driving devices in their work, using traditional construction systems.
However, the idea was not forgotten. Over the years, specialists from the Perm Polytechnic Institute / Perm National Research Polytechnic University continued to develop the original proposal, which has resulted in the emergence of a solid volume of theoretical materials, several projects and patents. In particular, it is proposed to use a multi-barreled system in which pile driving is carried out by simultaneously detonating several charges in three barrels. As part of such an installation, it is proposed to use a single large downhole, simultaneously interacting with all three shafts.
In the eighties, the original idea of increasing productivity in pile driving came to practical use and made a significant contribution to the construction of various industrial facilities. New projects have not yet achieved such success, remaining only in the form of a set of documentation. Nevertheless, one cannot exclude such a development of events in which new projects for the use of artillery when driving piles will nevertheless reach full implementation and use in practice.
