Pipe laying apparatus

摘要

A pipe laying apparatus including an excavator propulsion unit located in a starting pit. The excavator includes an excavator body having a first axis, an excavating tool having a second axis and located at a forward end portion of the excavator body, and injection ports formed in the excavating tool for injecting a viscosity imparting liquid into soil as excavated. The excavator body has a rearward portion thereof disposed adjacent pipes to be laid each having an outer diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the excavating tool and positioned at a rearward end thereof against the propulsion means, and is operative to excavate the earth to form a hole therein while the viscosity imparting liquid is being injected through the injection ports into the soil as excavated to thereby produce a viscosity imparting liquid containing soil which is conveyed rearwardly through an outer periphery of the excavator body while being filled in an annular clearance defined between the hole formed in the earth and the pipes to be laid, so that the pipes can be successively laid as the excavator body and the pipes are propelled forwardly by the propulsion unit.