EP0053861B1 - Artificial island - Google Patents

Artificial island Download PDF

Info

Publication number
EP0053861B1
EP0053861B1 EP81201329A EP81201329A EP0053861B1 EP 0053861 B1 EP0053861 B1 EP 0053861B1 EP 81201329 A EP81201329 A EP 81201329A EP 81201329 A EP81201329 A EP 81201329A EP 0053861 B1 EP0053861 B1 EP 0053861B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
legs
platform
artificial island
pontoon
supporting
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired
Application number
EP81201329A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0053861A1 (en
Inventor
Bart Boon
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Gusto Engineering BV
Original Assignee
Gusto Engineering BV
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Gusto Engineering BV filed Critical Gusto Engineering BV
Publication of EP0053861A1 publication Critical patent/EP0053861A1/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0053861B1 publication Critical patent/EP0053861B1/en
Expired legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E02—HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING; FOUNDATIONS; SOIL SHIFTING
    • E02B—HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING
    • E02B17/00—Artificial islands mounted on piles or like supports, e.g. platforms on raisable legs or offshore constructions; Construction methods therefor
    • E02B17/02—Artificial islands mounted on piles or like supports, e.g. platforms on raisable legs or offshore constructions; Construction methods therefor placed by lowering the supporting construction to the bottom, e.g. with subsequent fixing thereto
    • E02B17/021—Artificial islands mounted on piles or like supports, e.g. platforms on raisable legs or offshore constructions; Construction methods therefor placed by lowering the supporting construction to the bottom, e.g. with subsequent fixing thereto with relative movement between supporting construction and platform
    • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E02—HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING; FOUNDATIONS; SOIL SHIFTING
    • E02B—HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING
    • E02B17/00—Artificial islands mounted on piles or like supports, e.g. platforms on raisable legs or offshore constructions; Construction methods therefor
    • E02B2017/0056—Platforms with supporting legs
    • E02B2017/006—Platforms with supporting legs with lattice style supporting legs
    • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E02—HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING; FOUNDATIONS; SOIL SHIFTING
    • E02B—HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING
    • E02B17/00—Artificial islands mounted on piles or like supports, e.g. platforms on raisable legs or offshore constructions; Construction methods therefor
    • E02B2017/0056—Platforms with supporting legs
    • E02B2017/0073—Details of sea bottom engaging footing
    • E02B2017/0082—Spudcans, skirts or extended feet

Definitions

  • the invention relates to an artificial island comprising a platform, such as a pontoon and at least three legs for placing the island on the sea bottom and for supporting the platform, said platform and legs being provided with means for moving the legs and platform with respect to each other in vertical direction and for locking the platform on the legs, said legs being rigidly interconnected at a common level between the outer ends of the legs by means of a frame structure, said legs and frame structure being located outside the perimeter of the platform.
  • An artificial island of this type is known from US-A 3 402 557.
  • pontoon and legs are free to move with respect to each other in a vertical direction due to the fact that the legs together with the interconnecting frame structure, lie completely outside the perimeter of the pontoon.
  • the legs are not only interconnected by a rigid frame structure halfway the height of the legs but also by a similar rigid frame structure near the top of the legs and close to the lower ends. This means that the legs and interconnecting frame structures form a heavy unit. This unit can be moved to the place of destination by making use of the buoyancy of the pontoon whereafter the entire supporting structure formed by all the legs and interconnecting frame structures can be lowered by using the jacking mechanism. When the supporting structure is placed the pontoon can be moved upwards along the legs up to a level out of reach of the waves.
  • the pontoon During lowering of the supporting structure the pontoon, however, is subjected to the movements of the waves. This means that any movement of the pontoon about the horizontal axis results in a swinging movement of the supporting structure.
  • the pontoon carries a heavy pendulum swinging over the bottom which pendulum at further lowering of the structure will hit the bottom.
  • This means the sudden occurrence of heavy loads must be taken up by the frame structure without disturbing the connection between the pontoon and the legs.
  • the pontoon is guided upon the legs such that the bending moments, which at the connection with the pontoon have a high value, can be taken up.
  • Purpose of the invention is to provide an artificial island having a light construction, which island is better suited for great water depths and/ or heavy weather conditions and yet is simple of construction.
  • said object is achieved in that the supporting joints between each leg and the platform is a pivot joint and at least the leg sections below the rigid frame structure are only interconnected by a cross configuration of cables or ties located outside the perimeter of the platform.
  • the connection between the platform or pontoon and each leg, although made such that leg and platform cannot move apart, does not take up any moment and that the supporting structure preferably is only formed by the legs and the interconnecting rigid structure at half height of the legs, the taking up of moments being performed by the crosswise extending cables or the like extending in planes outside the perimeter of the platform.
  • Said cables form a light construction whereas the connection between platform and legs also allows a light construction.
  • the result is a supporting structure which during lowering is not a heavy but a light pendulum; which surprisingly can be handled well during the dynamic situation occurring during lowering the supporting structure or raising respectively and which in the stationary operative position is capable of taking up occurring toads from wind and waves and from the operations for which the island has been designed.
  • an artificial island comprising the combination of a supporting frame structure standing upon a pontoon and a buoyant platform. Both components are prefabricated and floated towards the destination where the supporting structure is lowered upon the sea bottom by adding ballast, is embedded in the sea bottom and filled with concrete to obtain a non-removable supporting structure.
  • the lowering of such a structure is different from the lowering of a structure suspended from a pontoon because the pontoon is ballasted and does not act as . a a pendulum.
  • the platform is separately floated to the already placed supporting structure and lifted out of the water by means of hoisting devices provided temporarily after which the platform is provided with laterally extending supports or arms which rest upon the supporting structure by means of bearings which act as a pivot point. Due to this way of supporting the platform no moments are transferred towards the supporting structure.
  • the support is the same as usual for supporting a bridge. This manner of supporting the platform is not able to take up horizontal forces or with other words it is not a joint.
  • the horizontal beams are thereby located at the half height of said legs.
  • the connections positioned above the horizontal beams can be embodied removable.
  • Such removable cable connection can also be useful to couple the upper ends of said legs together when said legs are in the raised position.
  • the invention makes it possible to alter the horizontal cross-section of each leg in the height or longitudinal direction of said leg.
  • Said cross-section can be adapted to the acting momental load such that the cross-section narrows from the horizontal beams to the ends of the legs. It is also possible to enlarge the cross-section of the part underneath said beams to get an increased standing surface and therewith an increased stability.
  • legs are coupled to each other into a rigid configuration it is not possible as by the known islands to adapt said legs independent of each other in vertical direction and also adaptions to bottom irregularities are not simply possible anymore.
  • One of the measures to avoid inclination and to make adaptions possible is to provide the legs with extendible and retractable jacks or auxiliary legs. These means are individually known from the prior art, just as the possibility to provide the under side of the legs with displacing means, such as endless-track units.
  • an artificial island comprising a supporting frame with in vertical direction in relation thereto displaceable supporting legs and rigidly thereto connected upwards directed columns for moving the pontoon there along and arresting said pontoon.
  • the moments resulting from horizontal loads are transferred through the columns and the legs with the thereto coupled supporting frame and have a value which is approximately half the value generated in islands having throughgoing columns whereby the coupling between the legs and the pontoon is realized by means of leg guiding elements onto said pontoon.
  • the necessity to use guiding elements for said legs which are able to receive said moments however, still consists and the supporting frame carrying said columns therefore is still a heavy construction.
  • the island illustrated in Fig. 1 comprises three legs 1, 2 and 3 contained into a framework. Between said legs the platform 4, embodied as a pontoon, is supported by not in detail illustrated couplings 5, 6, 7 respectively, embodied as pivot joint supports for supporting the legs 1, 2 and 3 and in the upstanding sections 8 and 9 thereof a jacking and latching mechanism, which is also not illustrated in detail is housed.
  • Such mechanism can be realized by jacking and latching cylinders cooperating with latching beams and working with gear racks or toothed sections or other known means.
  • the legs 1 to 3 are coupled into a stiff configuration by means of the horizontal beams 12, 13 and 14 which, as is the best illustrated in Fig. 2, extend such that they are positioned outside the vertical bounding surface of the perimeter of the pontoon 4 and by means of cross-configurated tie beams or cables 15 and 16.
  • the legs 1 to 3 have extendible leg portions 17 at their bottom ends to make adaptions for instance to an inclined sea bottom possible.
  • Fig. 3 differs from that illustrated in Fig. 1 in fact only in that the legs have a cross-sectional shape with a maximum dimension at the height of the horizontal- beams 12 and a cross-sectional dimension which is narrowing in the upwards and downwards leg direction as adaption of the necessary material to the generated maximal momental load.
  • the legs 1 and 2 which are rigidly coupled by the beams 12 and the cross-configurations 15, 16, are enlarged by the sidewards extending broadenings 18 and 19 such that an increased carrying surface is realized.
  • Fig. 4 also indicates that it is possible to install one or more cross-configurations 20, 21 and/or horizontal tie cables 22 in the section above the horizontal beam 12.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Civil Engineering (AREA)
  • Structural Engineering (AREA)
  • Bridges Or Land Bridges (AREA)
  • Prostheses (AREA)
  • Transition And Organic Metals Composition Catalysts For Addition Polymerization (AREA)
  • Foundations (AREA)
EP81201329A 1980-12-09 1981-12-04 Artificial island Expired EP0053861B1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
NL8006679 1980-12-09
NL8006679A NL8006679A (nl) 1980-12-09 1980-12-09 Kunstmatig eiland.

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0053861A1 EP0053861A1 (en) 1982-06-16
EP0053861B1 true EP0053861B1 (en) 1985-03-20

Family

ID=19836301

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP81201329A Expired EP0053861B1 (en) 1980-12-09 1981-12-04 Artificial island

Country Status (3)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0053861B1 (no)
NL (1) NL8006679A (no)
NO (1) NO151835C (no)

Families Citing this family (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
NL8501456A (nl) * 1985-05-21 1986-12-16 Rsv Gusto Eng Bv Hefeiland.
FR2731727B1 (fr) * 1995-03-14 1997-06-27 Solmarine Plate-forme maritime a haubans
EP3584369A1 (en) * 2018-06-18 2019-12-25 Vallourec Deutschland GmbH Device for levelling an offshore foundation construction

Family Cites Families (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2210408A (en) * 1938-09-08 1940-08-06 Lee C Moore & Company Inc Marine working platform substructure
US3367119A (en) * 1966-01-20 1968-02-06 Signal Oil & Gas Co Flotation device for offshore platform assembly
US3402557A (en) * 1966-08-24 1968-09-24 Clayton R. Steele Supporting structure for offshore drilling rigs
GB1220689A (en) * 1967-12-29 1971-01-27 Nederlandse Offshore Co Method and apparatus for the construction of an offshore platform
GB1380586A (en) * 1971-02-08 1975-01-15 Redpath Dorman Long North Sea Structure and a method and apparatus for founding a structure
US3727414A (en) * 1971-06-28 1973-04-17 Bowden Drilling Services Ltd Off shore drilling platform construction

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
EP0053861A1 (en) 1982-06-16
NO814183L (no) 1982-06-10
NO151835C (no) 1985-06-12
NL8006679A (nl) 1982-07-01
NO151835B (no) 1985-03-04

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