EP3913145B1

EP3913145B1 - Packer and pile foundation structure

Info

Publication number: EP3913145B1
Application number: EP20880647.1A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Chuanhai SU; Runping Ma; Enshi JIA; Hao ZHAN; Huaisheng RUAN; Miao QIAN; Yunxin Liu; Leiping XU
Original assignee: China Railway Major Bridge Reconnaissance and Design Institute Co Ltd
Current assignee: China Railway Major Bridge Reconnaissance and Design Institute Co Ltd
Priority date: 2019-10-30
Filing date: 2020-05-19
Publication date: 2024-07-17
Anticipated expiration: 2040-05-19
Also published as: CN110747885B; EP3913145A4; EP3913145A1; CN110747885A; WO2021082405A1

Description

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to the technical field of ocean engineering, and in particular to a packer and a foundation pile structure.

Background of the Invention

Underwater piling in ocean engineering often uses sleeves to realize the connection between subsea foundation piles and the foundation of the water surface structure, wherein underwater grouting (adhesive injection) operation for the gap between the subsea foundation pile and the sleeve is a key step to realize the connection. In order to ensure that the adhesive slurry hardens smoothly after being poured into the gap, it is necessary to ensure that the adhesive in the gap does not flow violently during the hardening process. Therefore, the packer at the lower end of the sleeve is a key device to prevent the adhesive slurry in the gap from flowing downward under the action of gravity.
At present, there are hydraulic packers at home and abroad, comprising bladders made of special rubber materials. When the packer needs to be packed, the hydraulic device is used to inject liquid or gas into the bladder, so that the bladder expands to achieve gap packing. Or a simple rubber gasket packer is used, which mainly uses rubber gaskets in the gaps to implement isolation, and the rubber gaskets are fixed by means of bolts.
The above hydraulic packer has the following shortcomings:

1. Complex structure. The packer works in deep water, so hydraulic control device is usually placed above the water surface for ease of operation. The hydraulic pipeline is long, so faults that are hard to be eliminated are easily occurred, which will make the hydraulic packer fail.
2. During the process of pile driving, since the packer has not yet played the role of isolation, it cannot prevent the mud and sand aroused by piling from entering the gap with the water flow.
3. High cost and construction cost.

The above simple packer has the following shortcomings:

1. During the process of pile lowering and pile driving, the rubber sealing gasket and the positioning bolt thereof have a great blocking effect on the foundation pile, which is easy to cause the problem of pile jamming, so that the foundation pile cannot pass through the sleeve.
2. During the process of pile lowering and pile driving, the rubber sealing gasket and the positioning bolt thereof have a great blocking effect on the foundation pile, which is further easy to cause damage to the rubber sealing gasket and the positioning bolt thereof.

In addition, the deformation of the packer is designed according to the ideal void volume, that is, the foundation pile is considered to be located in the center of the sleeve. Once the position of the foundation pile is eccentric, the packer may be damaged, or the gap may not be completely packed, causing slurry leakage.
The documents GB2433540A , CN108708686A , and US954973A disclose a brush seal for grouting annuli, a packer and a fitting for pile castings.

Summary of the Invention

The purpose of the present invention is to solve the problems of complex structure, inconvenient construction, and high cost of the existing packers.
In order to achieve the above purpose, the present invention adopts the technical solution according to claim 1. Preferred embodiments are described in the dependent claims.
A packer, which is configured to pack the bottom of a gap between a foundation pile and a sleeve, comprises

a clamp assembly, which is sleeved on the foundation pile and connected with the bottom of the sleeve; the clamp assembly comprises a plurality of segments, and the segments are connected to each other to form an annular structure; and
a cantilever assembly, which comprises a plurality layers of cantilever units stacked on the inner side of the clamp assembly and in the vertical direction, each cantilever unit comprises cantilever members annularly and densely placed at intervals on the inner side of the clamp assembly, each cantilever member comprises a fixed end and a cantilever end, the fixed ends are connected with the clamp assembly, the cantilever ends are configured to resist on the foundation pile, and the length value of each cantilever member is not smaller than the difference value between the inner radius of the sleeve and the outer radius of the foundation pile.

Each segment comprises:

a bottom plate, which is provided with an end plate at both ends;
a fixed plate, which is arranged on the bottom plate, and the fixed plate is connected with the sleeve;
a mounting plate, which is arranged on the bottom plate, and the mounting plate is provided with mounting holes for mounting the cantilever members at intervals along the length direction of the bottom plate; and
a limiting plate, which is arranged on the bottom plate, and the limiting plate is configured to limit the movement of the cantilever members.

Preferably, the end plates of two adjacent segments are fastened in a welding way.
On the basis of the above technical solution, the cantilever member is a single steel wire, the fixed end of the single steel wire is provided with an upsetting head, and the size of the upsetting head is larger than that of the mounting hole.
On the basis of the above technical solution, the cantilever member is a U-shaped steel wire, and the fixed end of the U-shaped steel wire is penetrated and fixed on two mounting holes.
On the basis of the above technical solution, the surface of the cantilever member is painted with paint or grease.
On the basis of the above technical solution, the cantilever member is nylon wire or a composite member of steel wire and rubber.
In one embodiment, a composite packer is configured to pack the bottom of a gap between a foundation pile and a sleeve, comprising a plurality of the packers according to the present invention, and the plurality of the packers are stacked in a vertical direction and connected with the bottom of the sleeve.
In one embodiment, a foundation pile structure comprises

a foundation pile;
a sleeve, which is sleeved on the foundation pile; wherein a gap is reserved between the sleeve and the foundation pile, and an adhesive is filled in the gap; and
a packer according to claim 1.

Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages.
The packer has no need to be controlled by complicated hydraulic power, and have convenient construction and economical cost. During the process of pile driving, due to the function of the cantilever member, it has the function of preventing the sandy soil aroused by pile driving from entering the gap with the water flow, and because the cantilever member is annularly and densely placed at intervals along the foundation pile, there are small gaps between the cantilever members, then the adhesive slurry can be used to fill up the small gaps between the cantilever members because it is a paste fluid, and can isolate the gap between the foundation pile and the sleeve from seawater.

Description of the Drawings

Fig. 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a packer and foundation pile structure in the embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional diagram of a packer in the embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 3 is a structural schematic diagram of a segment of the packer in the embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 4 is another structural schematic diagram of a segment of the packer in the embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 5 is a structural schematic diagram of a composite packer in the embodiment of the present invention.

In the figures: 1. clamp assembly; 11. segment; 111. bottom plate; 112. fixed plate; 113. mounting plate; 114. limiting plate; 115. end plate; 2. cantilever assembly; 21. cantilever member; 211. fixed end; 212. cantilever end; 3. foundation pile; 4. sleeve; 5. adhesive.

Detailed Description of the Embodiments

The present invention will be further described below in detail with reference to the drawings in combination with the embodiments.
As shown in Fig. 1, one aspect of the embodiment of the present invention provides a packer, which is configured to pack the bottom of a gap between a foundation pile and a sleeve, comprising: a clamp assembly 1 and a cantilever assembly 2.
The clamp assembly 1 is sleeved on the foundation pile 3 and connected with the bottom of the sleeve 4; the clamp assembly 1 comprises a plurality of segments 11, and the segments 11 are connected to each other to form an annular structure.
The cantilever assembly 2 comprises a plurality layers of cantilever units stacked on the inner side of the clamp assembly 1 and in the vertical direction, each cantilever unit comprises cantilever members 21 annularly and densely placed at intervals on the inner side of the clamp assembly 1, each cantilever member 21 comprises a fixed end 211 and a cantilever end 212, as shown in Fig. 2, the fixed ends 211 are connected with the clamp assembly 1, the cantilever ends 212 are configured to resist on the foundation pile 3, and the length value of each cantilever member 21 is not smaller than the difference value between the inner radius of the sleeve 4 and the outer radius of the foundation pile 3, which is contribute to the cantilever member 21 to tightly resist on the foundation pile 3 even after the cantilever, so as to ensure the packing effect of the packer.
Specifically, as shown in Fig. 3, each segment 11 comprises: a bottom plate 111, a fixed plate 112, a mounting plate 113 and a limiting plate 114. An end plate 115 is respectively provided at both ends of the bottom plate 111, and the end plates 115 of two adjacent segments 11 are fastened in a welding way. As shown in Fig. 2, the embodiment of the present invention adopts 16 segments, which are connected to each other to form an annular structure. The fixed plate 112 is arranged on the bottom plate 111 and connected with the sleeve 4, and can use various conventional connection methods such as bolts, flanges, welding, etc., so the construction is convenient. The mounting plate 113 is provided on the bottom plate 111, and the mounting plate 113 is provided with mounting holes for mounting the cantilever members 21 at intervals along the length direction of the bottom plate 111. The limiting plate 114 is arranged on the bottom plate 111 and configured to limit the movement of the cantilever member 21, so as to prevent the cantilever member 21 from loosening.
Compared with the prior art, the packer in the embodiment of the present invention does not need to be controlled by complicated hydraulic power, has simple structure, convenient construction, and low construction cost. In the process of pile lowering and pile driving, since the stiffness of the cantilever member 21 is small, the resistance of the packer to the foundation pile 3 is very small, which will not lead to the phenomenon of pile jamming. The clamp assembly 1 is not in direct contact with the foundation pile 3, and the cantilever member 21 has a strong deformation recovery ability, so the packer will not be damaged by the foundation pile 3, and the ability to adapt to the eccentricity of the foundation pile 3 is strong. After the pile is lowered, the cantilever member 21 resists on the foundation pile 3, which preliminarily realizes the isolation of the bottom end of the gap during the process of the pile driving, so it has the function of preventing the coarse-grained sandy soil aroused by the pile driving from entering the gap with the water flow. In the process of grouting (adhesive injection), the adhesive is usually a paste fluid containing graded slurry and well-graded aggregates. The densely arranged cantilever member has a large surface area, and the gap between the cantilever members 21 is very small. Due to the adsorption of the adhesive slurry on the surface of the cantilever member 21 and the clamping of the adhesive aggregate by the gap between the cantilever members 21, the densely arranged cantilever members 21 form a whole under the action of the adhesive, so that the rigidity is improved, which can effectively prevent the slurry from leaking.
In addition, the clamp assembly 1 is connected with the sleeve 4, and the cantilever member 21 is in a deformable state of the cantilever, which can prevent parts with high rigidity of the clamp assembly 1 from being immersed in the range of the pile hole of the foundation pile 3, and the packer as a whole will not hinder the pile lowering and driving operations, or cause the phenomenon of pile jamming, and can further prevent the packer from being damaged during the pile lowering and pile driving operations.
As a preferred embodiment, as shown in Fig. 3, the cantilever member 21 is a single steel wire, the fixed end 211 of the single steel wire is provided with an upsetting head, and the size of the upsetting head is larger than that of the mounting hole. As shown in Fig. 4, the cantilever member 21 can further be a U-shaped steel wire, and the fixed end 211 of the U-shaped steel wire is penetrated and fixed on two mounting holes. The surface of the single steel wire or the U-shaped steel wire is painted with a paint layer to prevent seawater corrosion. Further, the cantilever member 21 is a nylon wire or a composite member of steel wire and rubber.
As shown in Fig. 5, another aspect of the embodiment of the present invention further provides a composite packer, which is configured to pack the bottom of a gap between a foundation pile and a sleeve, comprising a plurality of the packers in the above-mentioned embodiment, the plurality of the packers are stacked in a vertical direction and connected with the bottom of the sleeve 4, and the packing effect is increased through superimposing a plurality of the packers.
As shown in Fig. 1, another aspect of the embodiment of the present invention further provides a foundation pile structure, comprising: a foundation pile 3, a sleeve 4 and a packer. The sleeve 4 is sleeved on the foundation pile 3, a gap is reserved between the sleeve 4 and the foundation pile 3, and an adhesive 5 is filled in the gap.
The packer is configured to pack the bottom of the gap between the foundation pile 3 and the sleeve 4, and the packer comprises a clamp assembly 1 and a cantilever assembly 2.
The clamp assembly 1 is sleeved on the foundation pile 3 and connected with the bottom of the sleeve 4; the clamp assembly 1 comprises a plurality of segments 11, and the segments 11 are connected to each other to form an annular structure.
The cantilever assembly 2 comprises a plurality layers of cantilever units stacked on the inner side of the clamp assembly 1 and in the vertical direction, each cantilever unit comprises cantilever members 21 annularly and densely placed at intervals on the inner side of the clamp assembly 1, each cantilever member 21 comprises a fixed end 211 and a cantilever end 212, as shown in Fig. 2, the fixed ends 211 are connected with the clamp assembly 1, the cantilever ends 212 are configured to resist on the foundation pile 3, and the length value of each cantilever member 21 is not smaller than the difference value between the inner radius of the sleeve 4 and the outer radius of the foundation pile 3, which is contribute to the cantilever member 21 to tightly resist on the foundation pile 3 even after the cantilever, so as to ensure the packing effect of the packer.
Compared with the prior art, the foundation pile structure in the embodiment of the present invention does not need to be controlled by complicated hydraulic power, has simple structure, convenient construction, and low construction cost. In the process of pile lowering and pile driving, since the stiffness of the cantilever member 21 is small, the resistance of the packer to the foundation pile 3 is very small, which will not lead to the phenomenon of pile jamming. The clamp assembly 1 is not in direct contact with the foundation pile 3, and the cantilever member 21 has a strong deformation recovery ability, so the packer will not be damaged by the foundation pile 3, and the ability to adapt to the eccentricity of the foundation pile 3 is strong. After the pile is lowered, the cantilever member 21 resists on the foundation pile 3, which preliminarily realizes the isolation of the bottom end of the gap during the process of the pile driving, so it has the function of preventing the coarse-grained sandy soil aroused by the pile driving from entering the gap with the water flow. In the process of grouting (adhesive injection), the adhesive is usually a paste fluid containing graded slurry and well-graded aggregates. The densely arranged cantilever member has a large surface area, and the gap between the cantilever members 21 is very small. Due to the adsorption of the adhesive slurry on the surface of the cantilever member 21 and the clamping of the adhesive aggregate by the gap between the cantilever members 21, the densely arranged cantilever members 21 form a whole under the action of the adhesive, so that the rigidity is improved, which can effectively prevent the slurry from leaking.

Claims

A packer, which is configured to pack the bottom of a gap between a foundation pile (3) and a sleeve (4), comprising:
a clamp assembly (1), which can be sleeved on the foundation pile (3) and is connectable with the bottom of the sleeve (4); and

a cantilever assembly (2), which comprises a plurality layers of cantilever units stacked on the inner side of the clamp assembly (1) and in the vertical direction, each cantilever unit comprises cantilever members (21) annularly and densely placed at intervals on the inner side of the clamp assembly (1), each cantilever member (21) comprises a fixed end (211) and a cantilever end (212), the fixed ends (211) are connected with the clamp assembly (1), the cantilever ends (212) are configured to resist on the foundation pile (3), and wherein in use the length value of each cantilever member (21) is not smaller than the difference value between the inner radius of the sleeve (4) and the outer radius of the foundation pile (3);

characterized in that

the clamp assembly (1) comprises a plurality of segments (11), and the segments (11) are connected to each other to form an annular structure;

wherein each segment (11) comprises:
a bottom plate (111), which is provided with an end plate (115) at both ends;

a fixed plate (112), which is arranged on the bottom plate (111), and the fixed plate (112) is connectable with the sleeve (4);

a mounting plate (113), which is arranged on the bottom plate (111), and the mounting plate (113) is provided with mounting holes for mounting the cantilever members (21) at intervals along the length direction of the bottom plate (111): and

a limiting plate (114), which is arranged on the bottom plate (111), and the limiting plate (114) is configured to limit the movement of the cantilever members (21);

wherein the cantilever member (21) is a single steel wire, the fixed end (211) of the single steel wire is provided with an upsetting head, and the size of the upsetting head is larger than that of the mounting hole or

wherein the cantilever member (21) is a U-shaped steel wire, and the fixed end (211) of the U-shaped steel wire is penetrated and fixed on two mounting holes;

wherein the surface of the cantilever member (21) is painted with paint or grease;

wherein optionally the cantilever member (21) is nylon wire or a composite member of steel wire and rubber.
The packer according to claim 1, wherein the end plates (115) of two adjacent segments (11) are fastened in a welding way.
A composite packer comprising a plurality of the packers according to claim 1, the composite packer being configured to pack the bottom of a gap between a foundation pile (3) and a sleeve (4), , and the plurality of the packers are stacked in a vertical direction and are connectable with the bottom of the sleeve (4).
A foundation pile structure with a packer according to claim 1, the foundation pile structure comprising:
a foundation pile (3);

a sleeve (4), which is sleeved on the foundation pile (3); wherein a gap is reserved between the sleeve (4) and the foundation pile (3), and an adhesive (5) is filled in the gap.