NL9400467A - Method and device for fixing a cloth (canvas) or similar sheet-like flexible material to the underwater bed - Google Patents

Abstract

The cloth is laid on the underwater bed and pins with a thickened top end are driven through the cloth into the underwater bed, and these pins are driven mechanically into the underwater bed. The invention also relates to a device for carrying out this method.

Description

Work device for fixing a cloth or Q-corresponding foil-shaped flexible material to the underwater bottom.

The invention relates to a method for attaching a cloth or corresponding foil-shaped flexible material to the under-water bottom, wherein the cloth is placed on the under-water bottom and pins with a thickened top end pass through the cloth in the be driven under-water-bottom.

In the construction of breakwaters, dams and the like on a sandy under-water bottom, it is usually necessary to provide a transition layer between the sandy bottom and the stones of the breakwater. This layer, the zinc piece, formerly a willow and reed construction, now mostly made of a plastic fabric, is lowered from the water surface with the help of weights, such as stones. These weights serve to sink the zinc piece and / or to hold it in place on the underwater bottom.

The object of the invention is to improve the mounting of the zinc piece on the underwater sub-base as well as the fixation of the zinc piece relative to the underwater sub-base.

To this end, it is proposed to lay the zinc piece in a rolled-up state on the sub-underwater bottom, and then to roll that roller, supported on the sub-underwater bottom, over it. This makes it possible to place the zinc piece more precisely in its position on the underwater bottom. In addition, it is proposed with the invention to drive pins through the cloth or the zinc piece into the under-water bottom, which pins are provided with a thickened top end which will hook behind the cloth. This means that it is no longer necessary to pour weights onto the zinc piece in order to fix the zinc piece in a displacement-resistant manner on the underwater bottom.

In order to facilitate the provision of the pins in the cloth and the underwater bottom, the invention furthermore proposes to move an arm extending over the width of the cloth behind the cloth roll rolling over the underwater bottom which arm is provided with automatic driving elements which are arranged spread over the width of the cloth and which float through the cloth and into the under-water bottom, while the arm is advancing forwardly from a magazine, pins fed through supply elements. Due to this fully mechanical design of driving the pins into the underwater bottom, whereby the arm can be mechanically coupled to the reel rolling over the underwater bottom on which the cloth is wound, the use of divers becomes a minimally limited, with which the method according to the invention can be applied to great depths. In addition, by mechanically driving the pins into the under-water bottom, a better quality of the attachment of the cloth with the under-water bottom can be guaranteed, as well as a higher unwinding speed, which is considerably more favorable.

In the following, the invention is further elucidated on the basis of a non-limiting exemplary embodiment with reference to the enclosed figures. In the drawing shows:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of an off-shore location where a cloth is applied to the underwater bottom using the method of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a detail of FIG. 1, showing in more detail a top view of the device according to the present invention; and

Fig. 3 is a side view of the device shown in FIG. 2, with the underwater bottom shown in section.

Fig. 1 shows an anchored floating pontoon 6. With that pontoon 6 coupled via pull cables 5 is a device 10 resting on the underwater bottom according to the present invention. An energy cable 7 also runs from the pontoon 6 to the device 10.

The device 10 is shown in more detail in Figs. 2 and 3. As shown, the device 1 comprises a reel 2 on which a cloth 1 is rolled up. The reel 2 rests on the underwater bottom. Each of the longitudinal ends of the reel 2 is provided with a bracket element 3, each of which has a substantially horizontal position. While the reel 2 rolls over the underwater bottom, while it rotates about its longitudinal axis, the boom elements 3 remain unchanged. A driving arm 11 which extends over the full width of the fabric 1 is mounted between the free ends of the boom elements 3. Pin machines 4 are coupled to the driving arm 11, with the aid of which pins 12 are driven through the cloth 1 and into the sub-water bottom. The energy supply cable 7 serves to energize those pin machines 4. A signaling device 8 is mounted on top of the driving arm 11. With that signaling device 8 it is possible to follow the movements of the device 10 over the underwater bottom from the sea surface. By shortening the pull cables 5, the device 10 is dragged over the underwater bottom, whereby the fabric 1 is automatically unwound from the reel 2.

Optionally, the device 10 may have its own propulsion system, so that the use of an element to be held in place, such as the anchored floating pontoon 6, is not required. For example, the energy supply may be on a floating body, which is towed by the device 10.

It is important that the rolled-up cloth is first lowered onto the underwater bottom and then unrolled lying on the underwater bottom. In addition, the securing of the cloth relative to the under-water bottom takes place by driving pins through the cloth and into the under-water bottom, the pins having a widened head to hook behind the cloth. Furthermore, according to the invention, pin-driving elements distributed over the width of the cloth and distributed at the same speed as the reel at some distance behind it can be used advantageously.

Claims (3)

1. A method for attaching a cloth or corresponding foil-shaped flexible material to the under-water bottom, wherein the cloth is placed on the under-water bottom and pins with a thickened top end pass through the cloth in the under-water- bottom driven, with the characteristic. that these pins are driven mechanically in the subsea bottom. A method according to claim 1, wherein the cloth is initially wound on a reel or the like, the cloth being rolled out over the underwater bottom by rolling said reel over the underwater bottom, characterized that an arm (11) extending over the full width of the reel (2) is moved over the cloth at a speed substantially equal to the speed of advancement of the reel at a substantially constant distance to that reel which arm has arranged driving elements (k) distributed over the length of said arm, which drive pins (12) through the cloth (1) and into the underwater bottom, while the arm (11) is constantly advancing. Apparatus for carrying out the method according to claim 1 or 2, comprising a reel (2) rotatable about its longitudinal axis for winding a cloth (1) thereon, each longitudinal end of the reel (2) being coupled in each case to one end of an associated boom element (3), which boom element is freely rotatable around the reel (2), and that the longitudinal end of a driving arm (11) extending between these boom elements is coupled at the other end of each boom element, which rotating behind the longitudinal axis forwards moving reel (2), the drive arm (11) is provided with drive elements (4) spaced apart in the longitudinal direction of the drive arm with pin feed members and pin drive members.