NL2022553B1

NL2022553B1 - Pile installation template

Info

Publication number: NL2022553B1
Application number: NL2022553A
Authority: NL
Inventors: Rombout Cornelis
Original assignee: Temporary Works Design Eng B V
Priority date: 2019-02-11
Filing date: 2019-02-11
Publication date: 2020-08-19
Also published as: EP3693515A1

Abstract

Pile installation template comprising guide means for guiding a pile, and comprising a baseplate or mud mat to be placed on a bottom, preferably a sea bottom, so as to support the template, wherein the baseplate or mud mat is equipped 5 with a skirt embodied as a wall that extends downwardly from the baseplate or mud mat, wherein the baseplate or mud mat and the skirt together define a receptacle suitable to receive ma— terial from the bottom on which the baseplate or mud mat is placeable.

Description

Pile installation template The invention relates to a pile installation template comprising guide means for guiding a pile, and comprising a baseplate or mud mat to be placed on a bottom, preferably a sea bottom, so as to support the template. Within the scope of this invention the guide means can be embodied in different ways, for instance as a roller box or roller boxes, or as a sleeve or sleeves.

EP 2 492 402 discloses such a positioning template comprising a number of mutually connected sleeves arranged in a geometric pattern and adapted to receive and guide one or more piles to be driven into a bottom below water level. Each of the sleeves comprises a mechanism with which support ribs are displaceable in the radial direction of the sleeve between a radially inward support position for the pile, and a radial- ly more outward position in which the support ribs are re- leased from the pile. Each of the sleeves is further equipped with a baseplate to be placed on the underwater bottom. The baseplate is also known as mud mat.

Although EP 2 492 402 discloses a pile installation template with plural sleeves for placement of multiple piles into the ground, the instant invention has more broader appli- cation and is not restricted to a template with plural sleeves, but can also be applied with a template with a single sleeve to drive a monopile into the ground. In fact the inven- tion may as already indicated in the preamble not even apply sleeve (s) for guiding the pile(s), but may instead make use of a so-called roller box or boxes to guide the pile(s). To re- flect this, the general term guide means is used in many plac- es throughout this specification, rather then the more specif- ic terms ‘sleeve’ and ‘roller box’, which are however both covered by this invention.

There are several problems with the positioning tem- plate known from the prior art, which the instant invention seeks to address.

One of the problems is that the bearing capacity of the baseplate or mud mat is limited, and even can be insuffi-

cient for particular soil conditions as they may exist in some parts of the world.

Still another problem is that the known pile instal- lation template must have sufficient weight in order to secure steady placement of the installation on the ground below water level.

Another problem is that operating the known pile in- stallation template can be costly because it requires much op- erational time to secure the placement of the installation on the ground.

Yet another problem is that the known pile installa- tion template is relatively sensitive to earthquakes.

Further levelling of the known pile installation tem- plate is burdensome.

The invention aims to address one or more of the above problems, and therefore proposes a pile installation template with the features of one or more of the appended claims.

In a first aspect of the invention the baseplate or mud mat is equipped with a skirt embodied as a wall that ex- tends downwardly from the baseplate or mud mat, wherein the baseplate or mud mat and the skirt together define a recepta- cle suitable to receive material from the bottom on which the baseplate or mud mat is placeable. The skirt thus can be driv- en into the bottom, preferably up to the point that the baseplate or mud mat engages the bottom. The skirt being driv- en into the bottom provides several advantages, notably: se Higher bearing capacity of the mud mat with skirt. me In some soil conditions the bearing capacity is now suf- ficient where it could not be achieved by regular mud mats without skirt, for example in Taiwan. es The mud mat with skirt has also a pulling capacity which . reduces the required bearing capacity of the mud mat, since this is partly defined by the so- called moment of the template at which it over- turns due to environmental loads. = enables to reduce the weight of the template in comparison with a mud mat without skirt,

wherein the template should have sufficient weight to be self-standing. se The template exhibits a shortening of operational time in comparison with using suction buckets for anchoring to the ground. me Fasier to remove from the ground than suction buckets me Less sensitive to earthquakes es Better control of the verticality of the template ne Require less deck space me Better resistance to dynamic loading.

In another aspect of the invention which can be ap- plied in addition to, or separate from the aforementioned fea- ture of the downwardly extending skirt, the baseplate or mud mat is provided with a vibratory driver. The application of the vibratory driver reduces the operational time required for secure placement of the template on the bottom and into the ground, even when the mud mat is not provided with a downward- ly extending skirt. Moreover it is easier to level the tem- plate by appropriately using the vibratory driver (s) of the template.

When the baseplate or mud mat has a skirt, the vibra- tory driver can be effectively used to drive the skirt at least partially into the bottom, and preferably up to the point that the mud mat engages the bottom.

Suitably the vibratory driver is of the type embodied with rotating eccentric weights. This type of vibratory driver is well known to the skilled person, and requires no further elucidation. A typical example of such a vibratory driver is for instance disclosed by US 9,873,997.

As mentioned the invention can be applied on a tem- plate wherein the guide means are embodied with one selected from the group comprising a roller box and a sleeve, either plural or single. In a suitable embodiment the template com- prises guide means that are embodied with multiple sleeves, each sleeve being equipped to guide a single pile, wherein the sleeves are interconnected with a truss work to provide a sturdy construction with high positional accuracy.

It is further preferable that the template is provid- ed with one or more constraining rods, and hydraulic cylinders that operate on the baseplates or mud mats for levelling of the template, wherein the said constraining rods are arranged to prevent that transversal loads may affect the hydraulic cylinders.

This feature can be applied in addition or separate from all the abovementioned other features of the template of the invention.

The invention will hereinafter be further elucidated with reference to the drawing of some nonlimiting exemplary embodiments of pile installation templates according to the invention.

The drawing shows in: -figure 1 a single pile template useable for driving a monopile into the ground; figure 2 a pile installation template with multiple sleeves useable for driving multiple piles into the ground; and figure 3 an isometric view from below to one of the sleeves of the pile installation template of figure 2. Whenever in the figures the same reference numerals are applied, these numerals refer to the same or similar parts.

As mentioned the instant invention is not restricted to a template 1 with plural sleeves 2'' as (part of) guide means 2 as is shown in figure 2, but can also be applied with a template 1 with a single sleeve.

Instead of using a sleeve or sleeves as (part of the) guide means 2 it is also possible to use a roller box or roller boxes 2’ as (part of the) guide means 2 as is shown in figure 1. Figure 1 shows a template 1 which can be used to drive a monopile into the ground.

Figure 2 further shows that optionally the guide means 2 embodied with sleeves 2'’' can be provided with a catcher 9 to facilitate the introduction of a pile 3 into the sleeves 2'', Also optionally the guide means 2 embodied with sleeves 2'' can be provided with a release organ 10 to selec- tively clamp or release the pile 3 that is received in the sleeves 277’. Obvious examples of how the release organ 10 may be construed are provided by for instance EP 2 492 402 andwo2017/155402. When a roller box or boxes 2' are used as (part of the) guide means 2 as depicted in figure 1, these roller boxes 2’'’' can also function as release organ 10 to selectively clamp or release the pile 3 that is guided by the roller boxes 5 27.

As mentioned figure 2 relates to a pile installation template 1 with multiple sleeves 2 and this figure shows that the sleeves 2 are interconnected by a truss work 8. Conven- tionally levelling of the template is done with a guide frame or winches from deck level. According to the invention level- ling can be done otherwise, i.e. the template 1 is provided with one or more constraining rods 12, wherein for levelling hydraulic cylinders 11 are applied that operate on the baseplates 4 or mud mats of the template 1. The said con- straining rods 12 prevent that transversal loads may affect the hydraulic cylinders 11.

Both figure 1 and figure 2 show the aspect of the in- vention that the baseplate 4 or mud mat is equipped with a skirt 5 embodied as a wall that extends downwardly from the baseplate 4 or mud mat. The construction is best understood from figure 3 which shows that the baseplate 4 or mud mat and the skirt 5 together define a receptacle 6 that is arranged to receive material from the bottom on which the baseplate 4 or mud mat is placeable.

The figures 1 - 3 only show embodiments wherein in- deed the baseplate 4 or mud mat is equipped with a skirt 5. In these figures 1 - 3 it is also shown that the baseplate 4 or mud mat is provided with a vibratory driver 7. The application of such a vibratory driver 7 can however also be advantageous when the baseplate 4 or mud mat is not equipped with a skirt. There are however particular advantages when the vibratory driver 7 is applied to a baseplate 4 which has a skirt 5, no- tably that the vibratory driver 7 can then be effectively used for driving the skirt 5 at least partially into the ground.

Preferably the skirt 5 will be driven so far into the ground that the mud mat 4 will engage the ground.

It is remarked the vibratory driver 7 is also effec- tive for removing the mud mat 4, respectively the skirt 5 of the template 1 from the ground.

Although the invention has been discussed in the foregoing with reference to exemplary embodiments of the pile installation template of the invention, the invention is not restricted to this particular embodiment which can be varied in many ways without departing from the invention. The dis- cussed exemplary embodiments shall therefore not be used to construe the appended claims strictly in accordance therewith.

On the contrary the embodiments are merely intended to explain the wording of the appended claims without intent to limit the claims to these exemplary embodiments. The scope of protection of the invention shall therefore be construed in accordance with the appended claims only, wherein a possible ambiguity in the wording of the claims shall be resolved using these exem- plary embodiments.

Aspects of the invention are itemized in the follow- ing section.

1. Pile installation template (1) comprising guide means (2, 27, 2!) for guiding a pile (3), and comprising a baseplate (4) or mud mat to be placed on a bottom, prefer- ably a sea bottom, so as to support the template (1), characterized in that the baseplate (4) or mud mat is equipped with a skirt (5) embodied as a wall that extends downwardly from the baseplate (4) or mud mat, wherein the baseplate (4) or mud mat and the skirt (5) together define a receptacle (6) suitable to receive material from the bottom on which the baseplate (4) or mud mat is placeable.

2. Pile installation template according to the preamble of claim 1 or according to claim 1, characterized in that the baseplate (4) or mud mat is provided with a vibratory driver (7).

3. Pile installation template according to claim 1 or accord- ing to claim 2, characterized in that the baseplate (4) or mud mat is provided with a vibratory driver (7) to drive the skirt (5) at least partially into the bottom.

4. Pile installation template according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the vibratory driver (7) is of the type embodied with rotating eccentric weights.

5. Pile installation template according to any one of claims 1 - 4, characterized in that the guide means (2, 27, 277%)

are embodied with one selected from the group comprising a roller box (2') and a sleeve (277).

6. Pile installation template according to any one of claims 1 - 5, characterized in that the template (1) comprises guide means (2, 2', 2'') that are embodied with multiple sleeves (2''), each sleeve (2’’) being equipped to guide a single pile (3), wherein the sleeves (277) are intercon- nected with a truss work (8).

7. Pile installation template according to the preamble of claim 1 or according to any one of claims 1 - 6, charac- terized in that the template (1) is provided with one or more constraining rods (12), and hydraulic cylinders (11) that operate on the baseplates (4) or mud mats for level- ling of the template (1), wherein the said constraining rods (12) are arranged to prevent that transversal loads may affect the hydraulic cylinders (11).

Claims

CONCLUSIONS

A pile installation template (1) comprising guide means (2, 27, 2'7) for guiding a pile (3), and comprising a base plate (4) or mud mat to be placed on a bottom, preferably a sea bottom. , for supporting the template (1), characterized in that the base plate (4) or mud mat is provided with a skirt (5) formed as a wall extending downward from the base plate (4) or mud mat, wherein the base plate (4) or mud mat and the skirt (5) together define a receiving member (6) suitable for receiving material from the bottom on which the base plate (4) or mud mat can be placed.

Pile installation template according to the preamble of claim 1 or according to claim 1, characterized in that the base plate (4) or mud mat is provided with a vibrating drive member (7).

Pile installation template according to claim 1 or according to claim 2, characterized in that the base plate (4) or mud mat is provided with a vibrating drive means (7) for driving the skirt (5) at least partially into the ground.

Pile installation template according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the vibrating drive member (7) of the type is equipped with rotating eccentric weights.

Pile installation template according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the guide means (2, 2, 277) are equipped with one selected from the group comprising a roller box (27) and a sleeve (277).

Pile installation template according to any one of claims 1 - 5, characterized in that the template (1) comprises guide means (2, 2 ', 2} equipped with multiple sleeves (277), each sleeve {27} being equipped for guiding a single post (3), the sleeves (2 ''} being interconnected with a frame (8).

Pile installation template according to the preamble of claim 1 or according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the template (1) is provided with one or more restriction rods (12), and hydraulic cylinders (11) which are operative. are on the base plates (4) or mud mats for leveling the template (1), said restriction rods (12) being arranged to prevent transverse loads from affecting the hydraulic cylinders (11).