Importance

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Abstract

The present invention relates to a drive device for a diaphragm wall cutter (1), having a drive housing and/or gear housing (11), which encloses an interior (16) for accommodating drive and/or gear elements and comprises two housing parts (13, 14) which are rotatable relative to one another and which are sealed with respect to one another by a sealing device (15), and having a pressure equalization device (19) for pressure equalization between the interior and the surroundings. The invention also relates to a diaphragm wall cutter having such a drive device. It is proposed here not to pressurize the entire interior of the housing, but only an interspace (20) arranged upstream with respect to the surroundings, and to seal said interspace with respect to the interior on the one hand and with respect to the surroundings on the other hand. According to the invention, the pressure equalization device comprises at least one intermediate chamber (20), which is pressurized by a pressure source and is sealed with respect to the interior by an inner seal (21) and with respect to the surroundings by an outer seal (22). By virtue of such a sealed intermediate chamber between the housing interior and the surroundings that can be considerably smaller in terms of volume than the interior, the pressurization for pressure equalization between interior and surroundings is considerably simpler.

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First Claim