FI90899B - Underwater machine for laying pipelines under water - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to an underwater machine 1 for laying pipelines 2 under water, which machine is provided with excavating devices of the chain type 4, 5 which are arranged in a V-shape when they are in their use position, each excavating device being provided with at least two chains 8, 9, 10; 8', 9', 10' which are positioned adjacent to one another and have different lengths so that corresponding chains of two excavating devices can wedge themselves in one another without contact with one another. Preferred embodiments are also described. <IMAGE>

Description

1 90899

UNDERWATER MACHINE FOR INSTALLING PIPELINES UNDERWATER

The present invention relates to an underwater machine for submerging pipelines underwater, comprising a platform 5 which moves along a seabed pipeline by means of a transfer device and supports an open ground excavation system comprising two chain-type excavators equipped with lifting devices suitable for excavating equipment. from their approximately horizontal rest position to their position of use, in which they are set in the "V" shape, and to motors the chains of both excavator circulating chain wheels which use excavation tools 1 ai chains to rotate, in which case the engine is supplied with water from the surface. via power supply and machine control hose.

Underwater machines for the installation of underwater pipelines are now known which are suitable for forming an open section under an underwater pipeline in which this pipeline is to be installed under its own weight by bending.

Such a machine comprises, mainly by means of a transfer device, a movable base 25 supporting an open-cutting system, in which case the necessary power is supplied to said machine from a surface level, this power supply and control of the machine taking place by means of a hose therefor.

Today, this problem of digging an open section under an underwater pipeline is solved in various ways in connection with the previously known machines mentioned above.

According to one such method, high pressure water jets are used which can be easily applied to the seabed area to be treated. Unfortunately, such a method is very cumbersome and expensive, as it requires the transfer of high powers to the underwater moving machine 2 via said hose for power supply and machine control, which must therefore be dimensioned appropriately. Using this method also requires an accessory capable of removing soil excavation -5 from the area. Such a device generally comprises ejector pumps operated by the same high-pressure water as the water jets, or by applying other solutions which require additional power and which significantly increase the weight, overall dimensions and cost of the machine.

10

According to another previously known solution, opposing cutters mounted on moving arms are used to dig an open ground cut.

Also in connection with this previously known method, although it requires a lower power for mechanical cutting by a cutting device, even if this cutting is performed with higher efficiency than hydraulic cutting of high pressure water jets, an efficient and expensive soil removal device is required, this device usually comprising a medium , or other special systems, which still leads to problems with weight, overall dimensions and cost.

Another previously known system, which avoids the above-mentioned disadvantages, uses two chain-type excavating devices set in a "V" shape in their working position, these devices performing a double function of digging the soil and keeping the excavated earth at the surface without any additional removal devices.

This method has proven to be very effective in that it combines the advantages of soil cutting with chain-mounted digging tools with the advantages of highly efficient mechanical transport of the excavated material from the same open cut with the same chain. Unfortunately, however, there is a serious drawback, in particular when it comes to digging a very deep open section of ground, namely that it does not ensure a generally triangular soil with a generally triangular shape 5 under the pipeline to be installed immediately on the seabed, effective removal. The two chains alone are not able to efficiently move all the land under the seabed pipeline, with much of this land falling outside the operating range of said chains behind these chains.

To eliminate this disadvantage, a kind of combined solution has previously been proposed by directing high-pressure water jets towards the part of the soil where the chains do not reach. Unfortunately, such a solution again contains the above-mentioned disadvantages in connection with water jets and also requires the use of cumbersome and expensive equipment for removing soil excavated and liquefied by water jets.

20

Another previously known solution involves the use of three chain-type excavating devices, these devices being set in the "VH" form and staggered relative to each other so that the last excavating device is able to process and recover the soil excavated by its predecessor. the device is disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 4,409,744.

Unfortunately, this solution also has disadvantages caused by the use of said third excavator, since a third motor and all the mechanical component parts required to operate the chain of said third device are required. In addition, the extension of the excavator, which becomes necessary when using a third excavator, significantly increases the weight of the excavator and causes problems in controlling underwater submerged excavators, which necessitates increasing the dimensions of the machine's transfer device and strengthening its base. Moreover, as the weight and complexity of the machine increases, and thus the cost, such a solution does not even provide assurance that the ground cut remains open without clogging the ground clippings that have not been removed by the chains and that the depth of cut is appropriate.

5

In addition to chain-type excavating equipment, screw conveyors adapted to make the ground section for the pipeline have also been proposed, which are mainly arranged in a vertical position. This has been done according to U.S. Pat. No. 3,852,972. It has two rows of conveyors with their own motors, which are mounted in the shape of a downward-pointing V-letter. The conveyors can be raised and lowered in the direction of their axes. The whole device rests on the pipeline to be installed and no longer along it. The weight of the equipment and the stresses caused by the excavation work put a heavy load on the pipeline and can damage it while making the trench depth uneven. In addition, individual screw conveyors cannot be separated from their rows, but all rise or fall at the same time, and all must be rotated, even if the work does not require it.

20

The object of the present invention is to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks and to provide an underwater machine for laying pipelines on the seabed, this machine allowing its own dimensions and weight without interfering with this operation and without the use of cumbersome auxiliary equipment, efficient and rational excavation in connection with deep ground cuts.

Il 3 90899 This object is achieved mainly by using equipment for excavating and removing soil, comprising two chain-type excavating devices facing each other in a "V" shape in their working position and approximately symmetrically with respect to the center line of the machine and the pipeline to be installed, each excavator being provided with two or more with a set chain of different lengths so that the respective chains of the two devices can wedge into each other 10 without touching each other.

In this case, the use of adjacent chains operating simultaneously in the excavation area in question ensures efficient soil treatment 15 and removal in the predominantly downward triangular soil area below the entire pipeline to be installed, with the entire excavation area being excavated as an effective excavation area. . On the other hand, the structural tightness of this machine is obvious.

20

According to the present invention, each excavator with chains equipped with excavating tools is started by means of a single motor-driven shaft to which the sprockets driving the individual chains of the excavator are connected, thus clearly simplifying the mechanical component parts and saving machine and operating costs.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, each excavator chain is provided with its own lifting device capable of moving the chain from its approximately horizontal rest position to its operating position, all axes of the aforementioned joints being compatible with each other and said single motorized shaft.

In this case, the chains can be rotated in an independent manner, which has the advantage that the depth of the open ground section can be changed by moving only the most suitable chains of the excavating equipment to their operating position and leaving the other chains in their own rest position. Such an operation, which can also be performed while the machine is running, makes it possible to reduce the cross-section of the open ground section, allowing a larger installation depth, thus reducing the power consumed by the growth process, or allocating the entire digging power to a smaller growth area. especially in hard and firm soils, which of course lowers the operating costs of the machine.

Finally, a further feature of the invention is the fact that the sprockets of the excavators using individual chains are interchangeable and with sprockets containing different amounts of sprockets.

In this way, the individual chains can be made to operate at different speeds, which is generally required in the case of a special type of soil, in order to increase the digging of the digging tools.

The invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, which show a preferred embodiment of the invention, which is illustrative only and not intended to be limiting, so that technical and structural changes may be made at any time without departing from the scope of the present invention.

30

In the drawings:

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of an underwater machine for underwater installation of pipelines according to the present invention; Figure 2 shows on an enlarged scale a partially sectioned perspective view of an underwater machine for the underwater installation of the pipelines of Figure 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of Fig. 1; 7 90899

Figure 4 shows a longitudinal sectional center view of an underwater machine for the underwater installation of the pipelines of Figure 1;

Fig. 5 shows a considerably enlarged cross-sectional view of the detail of Fig. 1 in accordance with a variation of the invention;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line B-B of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 shows a cross-sectional view similar to Fig. 3, showing a particular mode of operation of the present invention.

Referring to the figures, reference numeral 1 denotes an underwater machine for underwater pipelines, the base of which is able to move along the pipe-15 line 2 to be installed by means of a transfer device with tracks 3 supporting two chain-type excavating devices, 4 and 5. Said chain-type excavating devices 4 and 5 are placed opposite and approximately symmetrically with respect to the center line 20 of the machine and the pipeline 2 to be installed (especially with reference to Figure 3) when the pipeline and 2 are installed below it in said open excavation (7). ), these excavating devices 4 and 5 being in their operating position shifted to the "V" shape.- Each excavating device 4 or 5 comprises three chains of 25 different lengths placed side by side, denoted by reference numerals 8, 9 and 10, respectively (8 ', 9', 10 ' ) and provided with excavating tools 11, said chains wedging into each other without contacting each other (reference is made in particular to Figures 3 and 7 in this connection), thus covering practically completely the cross-sectional area of the open earth section 7 to be excavated. Each chain passes between a sprocket 12 and a wheel 13 driven by it, said wheels being supported on protruding hubs 35 (15) supported by adjacent holders 16 attached to the base 1 of the machine. Fig. 5) an articulated fork frame 14. In this way each chain with its own pivot joint can be moved from its approximately horizontal rest position 8a (referring in particular to Figs. 18 through. This possibility is used, as shown in Fig. 7, when digging an open section of soil with a shallower depth, which requires only two of the three chains with an excavator. The drive wheels 12 of the chains of each individual excavator 4 or 5 are driven by a single motor-driven shaft comprising a groove shaft connected to the motor unit 20, the motor unit 20 being mounted in one holder 16 and controlled from the water level via a power-10 supply and machine control hose 21. Said groove shaft 19 is concentric with the pivot joints of said chain-supporting fork frames 14 comprising said projecting hubs 15, which in turn support the hubs 23 of said sprockets 12 (see Figures 5 and 6) rotatably within the forks 22 of the frames 14, which are sprockets. 12 said groove shaft 19 passing through them is used.

Said sprockets 12 further comprise three parts (of which there may be only two or more than three), denoted by reference numerals 24, 25 and 26, respectively, which are fastened by means of bolts 27 to said hubs 23. In this way, said drive wheels can be easily interchanged and also with other sprockets 25 with different numbers of sprockets.

Finally, it should be noted that reference numerals 28 and 29 in the drawings denote control systems which control the passage of the machine along the underwater pipeline 2.

Claims (5)

90899 An underwater machine (1) for submerging pipelines, comprising a platform moving along the seabed pipeline (2) by means of a transfer device (3) and supporting an excavation system for excavating an open ground section (7) comprising two chain-type excavating devices (4). , 5) provided with lifting devices (18) suitable for moving the excavating devices (4,5) from their approximately horizontal rest position to their operating position in which they are set in the "V" shape, and with motors (20 'for rotating the sprockets (12), each sprocket .12 is adapted to circulate device chains (8,9,10,8 ', 9', 10 ') provided with tools (11), whereby the motor (20) is supplied with the power required from the water surface for its operation via a power supply and machine control hose , characterized in that the chain-type excavating devices (4,5) are set opposite to each other in the "V" shape in their position of use and symmetrically with respect to the center line (6) of the machine (1) and the pipeline (2) to be installed, and that each excavating device comprises two or more adjacent chains (8,9,10,8 *, 9 *, 10 *), with different lengths. Underwater machine for installing pipelines underwater according to claim 1, characterized in that the respective chains (8,9, 10,8 ^, 9 ^, 10. ^) Of each excavating device (4,5) can be wedged into each other. without touching each other. An underwater machine for underwater pipelines according to claim 1, characterized in that both sprockets (12) drive individual chains (8,9,10,8 ', 9', 10 ') of each excavator head. is connected to a single motor-driven shaft (19). An underwater machine for installing put lines under water according to claim 1, characterized in that the sprockets (12) driving the individual chains (8,9,10) of each excavator can be interchanged with each other and with sprockets with different numbers of sprockets. A claim according to any preceding claim. underwater machine for underwater pipelines, characterized in that each chain of excavating equipment (8,9, 10,8 ', 9', 10 ') is provided with its own lifting device (18) suitable for moving the chain from its approximately horizontal rest position to its operating position, all above the axes of said lifting devices being compatible with each other ib with the motor-driven shaft (19). \ II 90899