JP6981651B2 - Submarine foundation construction robot - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a seafloor foundation construction robot for automating the foundation construction of a marine structure on the seabed.

With the rapid increase in global energy demand in recent years, various attempts have been made to use renewable renewable energy without the risk of depletion, pollution and pollution as an alternative energy source to the fossil fuels and nuclear power that have been dependent on them. Research and development are underway. Solar and wind power are typical examples of such renewable natural energy. In the case of wind power, the development of offshore wind power generation is progressing because larger wind power can be obtained at sea than on land. However, both solar and wind power have the disadvantage of being susceptible to weather and seasons. On the other hand, it is desired to put into practical use of ocean current power generation, which is almost constant regardless of the weather and seasons, and which obtains electric power by using abundant and energy-dense ocean currents, at a commercial level. ..

In addition, it is known that a large amount of methane hydrate exists in the strata near Japan, and it is also desired to mine this methane hydrate and use it as a new energy source.
Furthermore, it has been confirmed by various explorations that there are many seafloor deposits with metal resources such as gold, copper, lead, zinc, nickel, cobalt, platinum and other rare metals and rare earths on the seafloor in the deep sea exceeding 1000 m in depth. There is. It is also desired to mine and utilize such metal resources.
In order to carry out such marine current power generation, methane hydrate mining, metal resource mining, offshore wind power generation, etc., marine structures are required, and it is necessary to fix the marine structures at sea or in the sea.

As a method of fixing marine structures, the method of fixing to the seabed / underwater using weights or anchors has been widely used except for very shallow sea areas, but the problem with this method is that it uses gravity to fix the ocean. Since the structure is fixed, it is assumed that the force applied to the marine structure will be large during a typhoon, and the weight and anchor tend to become huge. In addition, there are uncertainties such as slippage due to the unevenness of the seafloor and the difference in the surface material of the seafloor, and it was difficult to permanently hold the marine structure in a predetermined position. In addition, a large work boat was required to install the huge weights and anchors, and the construction period was long and the cost was high, which put a brake on the construction of offshore structures.

On the other hand, there is also a method of avoiding weights and anchors and building a foundation on the seabed to fix the marine structure, but in this case, the existing technology is to build a turret on a large pontoon and build the foundation directly on the seabed bedrock. Since it is a method, this method also has a long construction period and high cost, which is an obstacle. In recent years, it has become possible to lower an excavator of the foundation method to be constructed on land to the seabed, make a hole, and construct the foundation with another machine. However, the operation was premised on the operation by a person wearing diving clothes, and the foundation could only be constructed to a certain depth. Even with this method, the construction period and cost did not change.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 63-130829

When constructing a foundation assuming a pull-out force of about 1000 tons that does not move permanently at one point on the seabed including the deep sea, the general construction method is to use a large work boat from the sea and connect the shafts from the sea to build the foundation. Working in the open ocean is affected by sea conditions, limiting the number of working days per year and increasing the cost of using large work vessels. In the latest construction method, a method of submerging the foundation on the ground to the seabed has also been developed, but it is constructed using multiple submarine heavy machinery for the work from drilling to foundation construction, and it is a direct foundation construction method. Although it has improved by comparison, the construction period and cost are still in a difficult state.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and can permanently fix marine structures on the sea or in the sea at low cost in a short period of time. Foundations, foundations for offshore wind power generation equipment, foundations for seabed work when mining metal resources from deep seabeds, foundations for float installation of deep shore protection works, and foundations for installation of various float marine structures The purpose is to provide a submarine foundation construction robot that can be constructed.

In order to achieve the above object, the submarine foundation construction robot of the present invention is a submarine foundation construction robot that builds a foundation on the seabed by punching a hole in the bedrock of the seabed and inserting the foundation into the hole, and at the lower end. A hole punching machine provided with a multi-tube having a cutting edge, and the multi-tube is rotated and moved up and down to make a hole in the bedrock, a casing accommodating a plurality of foundations to be inserted into the hole, the hole punching machine, and the above. It is a part that supports the casing, and is provided with a gantry having at least three legs at the bottom and a moving mechanism for moving the hole punch and the casing accommodating the plurality of foundations on the gantry. It is a feature.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a rotatable spiral blade for transporting the excavated gala excavated by the cutting edge upward is provided between two adjacent pipes of the multi-tube. It is a feature.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the moving mechanism is characterized in that the punch and the casing are integrally moved, or the punch and the casing are individually moved.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a jack for moving each leg up and down with respect to the gantry is provided.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, each leg is provided with a drill pin that projects diagonally downward from the bottom of each leg.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the multiplex tube is characterized in that each tube is connected to a rotation mechanism in which each tube is individually rotated.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the foundation comprises a columnar steel pipe combined type foundation in which a steel pipe is filled with PRC (prestressed concrete).
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the foundation is characterized by comprising a capsule filled with an adhesive at the lower end.

The present invention has the effects listed below.
(1) The offshore structure can be permanently fixed on the sea and in the sea at low cost in a short period of time, and the foundation of ocean current power generation, the foundation of methane hydrate for seafloor work, the foundation of offshore wind power generation equipment, and the depth. It is possible to build a foundation for seabed work when mining metal resources from a certain seabed, a foundation for float installation of deep shore protection work, and a foundation for installation of various other float marine structures.
(2) The preceding submarine rock excavation construction method uses multiple heavy machines even in the separate method, but the present invention performs the work from submarine rock excavation to foundation construction with a single robot and stays at a fixed point to construct the foundation. Can be completed.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the seabed foundation construction robot according to the present invention, and is a schematic front view of the seabed foundation construction robot. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the seabed foundation construction robot according to the present invention, and is a schematic plan view of the seabed foundation construction robot. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a configuration in which a casing accommodating a steel pipe combined foundation and a hole puncher are integrally moved with respect to a gantry. FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the IV portion of FIG. FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the V portion of FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the submarine foundation construction robot according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. In FIGS. 1 to 5, the same or corresponding components are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicate description will be omitted.
1 and 2 are diagrams showing a configuration example of the seabed foundation construction robot according to the present invention, FIG. 1 is a schematic front view of the seabed foundation construction robot, and FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the seabed foundation construction robot. be. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the submarine foundation construction robot has a gantry 1 constructed by connecting three beam members 1a, 1b, 1c in a triangular shape, and three beam members 1a, 1b, 1c. It is provided with three substantially columnar legs 2 provided at the connection point of the above. The bottom portion 2a of each leg 2 is formed in a substantially conical shape, and a drill pin 3 is provided at the center of the bottom portion 2a. Each drill pin 3 is configured to project diagonally downward from the bottom 2a of the leg 2, and the gantry 1 can be fixed to the seabed SB by diagonally inserting each drill pin 3 into the bedrock of the seabed SB. ..

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a hydraulic jack 4 is installed between the gantry 1 and each leg 2, so that the leg 2 can be moved up and down with respect to the gantry 1 by the hydraulic jack 4. It has become. As a result, the gantry 1 can be held horizontally even if the seabed SB is inclined or the seabed SB is uneven. On the gantry 1, a box-shaped casing 7 capable of accommodating a plurality of columnar steel pipe combined foundations 6 (6 in the illustrated example) in which PRC (prestressed concrete) is filled in the steel pipe is installed. .. A plurality of steel pipe combined foundations 6 are housed upright in a casing 7 in a row. A hole punch 8 is arranged at one end of the casing 7.

The drilling machine 8 includes an outer cylinder 9 made of a hollow steel pipe fixed to a casing 7, multiple pipes 10A, 10B, and 10C made of a plurality of steel pipes housed in the outer cylinder 9 so as to be vertically movable. A cutting edge 50 made of cemented carbide fixed to the lower ends of 10A, 10B, 10C, and a hydraulic cylinder 51 provided at the upper end of the outer cylinder 9 to move the multiple pipes 10A, 10B, 10C up and down in the outer cylinder 9. It is equipped with. The casing 7 accommodating a plurality of steel pipe combined foundations 6 and the hole puncher 8 fixed to the casing 7 are integrally configured to be reciprocating in the direction of arrow A (see FIG. 1) on the gantry 1. There is. A wire W is connected to the casing 7, and the wire W extends to a work ship at sea. A guidance robot 5 is provided in the middle of the wire W, and the submarine foundation construction robot can be softly landed on the submarine SB.

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a configuration in which the casing 7 accommodating the steel pipe combined type foundation 6 and the hole puncher 8 are integrally moved with respect to the gantry 1. As shown in FIG. 3, rails 15 and 15 arranged in parallel on the gantry 1 are installed. A support member 16 having a U-shaped portion 16a provided so as to cover the lower portion of the casing 7 and horizontal portions 16b and 16b extending from the upper end of the U-shaped portion to both sides is fixed to the casing 7. , The horizontal portions 16b, 16b of the support member 16 are placed on the rails 15, 15 in parallel. As a result, the casing 7 and the hole puncher 8 can be integrally moved on the rails 15 and 15 by a moving mechanism (not shown) such as a hydraulic cylinder, a motor, and a ball screw. A sliding member 17 for reducing the coefficient of friction is interposed between the horizontal portion 16b of the support member 16 and the rail 15, and the casing 7 and the hole puncher 8 move smoothly on the rails 15 and 15. can. The moving mechanism may be a mechanism for individually moving the casing 7 and the hole puncher 8.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the IV portion of FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the multiple pipes (triple pipes in the illustrated example) 10A, 10B, 10C are connected to the motors 20A, 20B, respectively, via a gear mechanism, and the multiple pipes 10A, 10B, 10C rotate, respectively. It is configured to be possible. That is, a large-diameter driven gear 21A is fixed to the outer circumference of the large-diameter tube 10A having the largest outer diameter, and a drive gear 22A is fixed to the drive shaft of the motor 20A, and the rotation of the motor 20A is rotated by a gear mechanism. It is transmitted to the large-diameter tube 10A via 22A and 21A so that the large-diameter tube 10A is rotated.
Further, a medium-diameter driven gear 21B is fixed to the outer periphery of the medium-diameter tube 10B having an intermediate outer diameter, and a drive gear 22B is fixed to the drive shaft of the motor 20B to rotate the motor 20B by a gear mechanism. It is transmitted to the medium-diameter tube 10B via 22B and 21B so that the medium-diameter tube 10B is rotated.
Further, a driven gear 21C having a small diameter is fixed to the outer circumference of the small diameter pipe 10C having the smallest outer diameter, and a drive gear 22C is fixed to the drive shaft of the motor 20B. It is transmitted to the small diameter tube 10C via 21C so that the small diameter tube 10C is rotated.

As shown in FIG. 4, a steel pipe 25 provided with a spiral blade 25S for transporting the excavated scrap excavated by the cutting edge 50 (see FIG. 1) is provided on the outer peripheral side of the medium diameter pipe 10B. Further, on the outer peripheral side of the small diameter pipe 10C, a steel pipe 27 provided with a spiral blade 27S for transporting the excavation scrap excavated by the cutting edge 50 (see FIG. 1) is provided. The steel pipe 25 and the steel pipe 27 are respectively connected to the motor 20C via a gear mechanism, and the steel pipe 25 having the spiral blade 25S and the steel pipe 27 having the spiral blade 27S are respectively configured to be rotatable. That is, a large-diameter driven gear 21F is fixed to the outer periphery of the steel pipe 25 having the spiral blade 25S, a drive gear 22F is fixed to the drive shaft of the motor 20C, and the rotation of the motor 20C is rotated by the gear mechanism 22F. , 21F is transmitted to the steel pipe 25 so that the steel pipe 25 and the spiral blade 25S are rotated. Further, a driven gear 26F having a small diameter is fixed to the outer periphery of the steel pipe 27 having the spiral blade 27S, and a drive gear 23F is fixed to the drive shaft of the motor 20C, so that the rotation of the motor 20C is rotated from the drive gear 23F. It is transmitted to the driven gear 26F via the intermediate gears 24F and 25F so that the steel pipe 27 and the spiral blade 27S are rotated.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the V portion of FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, a cutting edge 50 made of cemented carbide is fixed to the lower ends of the multiplex tubes 10A, 10B, and 10C, respectively. Of the multiple pipes 10A, 10B, and 10C, the medium-diameter pipe 10B and the small-diameter pipe 10C have a tapered portion TP, and the donut-shaped bedrock R excavated by the cutting edge 50 is expanded by the tapered portion TP to be small. It is designed to be split. On the outer peripheral side of the medium-diameter pipe 10B, a steel pipe 25 provided with a spiral blade 25S for transporting the excavated glass excavated by the cutting edge 50 upward is provided. Further, on the outer peripheral side of the small diameter pipe 10C, a steel pipe 27 provided with a spiral blade 27S for transporting the excavated glass excavated by the cutting edge 50 upward is provided.
When the hole puncher 8 is operated and the bedrock is scraped by the cutting edge 50, dust is generated, and the dust sinks to the bottom of the hole and hinders the rotation of the multiple pipes 10A, 10B, 10C. Therefore, seawater is always blown to the seabed. Equipment is needed. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1, a pressure-resistant hose H from the sea and a seawater injection hole h formed in the central portion of the small-diameter pipe 10C are provided, and the pressure-resistant hose H and seawater injection are provided. It is connected to the hole h.

As shown in FIG. 5, at the lower end of the gantry 1, a nested partition wall 60 in which a plurality of rings 60A, 60B, 60C are combined in a nested manner is installed, and the nested partition wall 60 is installed inside the nested partition wall 60 from the outside. It is designed to form a partitioned space. As a result, the excavation glass automatically carried out by the spiral blades 25S and 27S does not fall into the holes punched by the hole puncher 8. By forming the nested partition wall 60 with a plurality of rings 60A, 60B, 60C, the step on the seabed SB is eliminated.

Next, the overall operation of the submarine foundation construction robot configured as shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 will be described.
First, the wire W is extended from the work boat on the sea and the guidance robot 5 is operated to softly land the seabed foundation construction robot on the seabed SB. After that, the three legs 2 are moved up and down by the hydraulic jack 4 so that the gantry 1 takes a horizontal posture on the seabed SB. When the horizontal posture of the gantry 1 is established, the drill pins 3 provided on each leg 2 are diagonally inserted into the bedrock of the seabed SB. As a result, the gantry 1 is fixed to the seabed SB. These drill pins 3 can resist the rotational force applied to the gantry 1 when punching by the hole puncher 8, and can prevent the gantry 1 from moving.

Next, the casing 7 and the hole puncher 8 are integrally moved on the rails 15 and 15 by a moving mechanism (not shown) such as a hydraulic cylinder, a motor, and a ball screw, and when the hole puncher 8 reaches the hole punching position. At that position, the casing 7 and the hole puncher 8 are stopped. Then, the multiple pipes 10A, 10B, and 10C are rotated, and the punching machine 8 is lowered to perform punching work. At this time, the donut-shaped bedrock R excavated by the cutting edge 50 is expanded by the tapered portion TP of the medium-diameter pipe 10B and the small-diameter pipe 10C and is divided into small pieces. Then, the spiral blades 25S and 27S are slowly rotated to automatically convey the excavation glass. At this time, the nesting type partition wall 60 prevents the automatically transported excavation gala from falling into a hole made in the bedrock.

When the hole punching work by the hole puncher 8 is completed, the multiple pipes 10A, 10B, and 10C are raised. After that, the casing 7 and the hole puncher 8 are advanced integrally, and when the steel pipe combined foundation 6 at the tip housed in the casing 7 reaches above the hole made in the bedrock, the casing 7 and the hole puncher 8 are reached. And stop. The holding portion (not shown) holding the steel pipe combined foundation 6 inside the casing 7 is released, and the steel pipe combined foundation 6 is inserted into a hole made in the bedrock. A capsule 6a containing a special adhesive for fixing the steel pipe combined foundation 6 to the bedrock is attached to the lower end of the steel pipe combined foundation 6. Therefore, when the steel pipe combined foundation 6 is inserted into the hole, the capsule 6a bursts, the special adhesive fills the gap between the steel pipe combined foundation 6 and the hole, and the bedrock and the steel pipe combined foundation 6 are integrated. The adhesive strength of the special adhesive is set so that the assumed pull-out strength of the steel pipe combined type foundation 6 can be secured at 1000 tons or more. It is also possible to pressurize and fill the cement-based adhesive from the sea by using the pressure-resistant hose H and the seawater injection hole h. After the foundation is completed, the casing 7 and the hole puncher 8 are returned to their original positions in order to construct the next foundation, and the drill pins 3 of the three legs 2 are pulled out from the bedrock.

Since a plurality of steel pipe combined foundations 6 are housed in the casing 7 of the seabed foundation construction robot, it is possible to reduce the ascent of the seabed foundation construction robot to the sea and improve the work efficiency.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described so far, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and it is needless to say that the present invention may be implemented in various different forms within the scope of the technical idea.

1 Stand 2 Legs 3 Drill pins 4 Hydraulic jacks 6 Steel pipe united foundation 6a Capsule 7 Casing 8 Drilling machine 9 Outer cylinder 10A Large diameter pipe 10B Medium diameter pipe 10C Small diameter pipe 15 Rail 16 Support member 16a U-shaped part 16b Horizontal part 17 Moving member 20A, 20B, 20C Motor 21A, 21B, 21C, 21F, 26F Driven gear 22A, 22B, 22C, 22F, 23F Drive gear 24F, 25F Intermediate gear 25, 27 Steel pipe 25S, 27S Spiral blade 50 Cutting edge 51 Hydraulic cylinder 60 Negative partition 60A, 60B, 60C Ring H Pressure resistant hose h Seawater injection hole

Claims (8)

A submarine foundation construction robot that builds a foundation on the seabed by making a hole in the bedrock of the seabed and inserting the foundation into the hole.
A hole puncher that has a multi-tube with a cutting edge at the lower end and rotates the multi-tube and moves it up and down to punch holes in the bedrock.
A casing that accommodates a plurality of foundations to be inserted into the holes,
A pedestal that supports the hole puncher and the casing and has at least three legs at the bottom.
A submarine foundation construction robot provided with a moving mechanism for moving the hole punch and the casing accommodating the plurality of foundations on the gantry. The seabed according to claim 1, wherein a rotatable spiral blade is provided between two pipes adjacent to each other among the multiple pipes to carry the excavated gala excavated by the cutting edge upward. Foundation construction robot. The submarine foundation construction robot according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the moving mechanism moves the punch and the casing integrally, or moves the punch and the casing individually. The submarine foundation construction robot according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a jack for moving each leg up and down with respect to the gantry is provided. The submarine foundation construction robot according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein each leg is provided with a drill pin that projects diagonally downward from the bottom of each leg. The submarine foundation construction robot according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the multiple pipes are connected to a rotation mechanism in which each pipe is individually rotated. The submarine foundation construction robot according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the foundation comprises a columnar steel pipe combined type foundation in which a steel pipe is filled with PRC (prestressed concrete). The submarine foundation construction robot according to claim 7, wherein the foundation includes a capsule filled with an adhesive at the lower end.

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