WO1980001309A1

WO1980001309A1 - Hollow universal joint

Info

Publication number: WO1980001309A1
Application number: PCT/JP1979/000311
Authority: WO
Inventors: H Okuda
Original assignee: Sumitomo Metal Ind; Koyo Seiko Co; H Okuda
Priority date: 1978-12-14
Filing date: 1979-12-06
Publication date: 1980-06-26

Abstract

A Hollow universal joint consists of a pair of hollow yokes rotatable around two axes which cross each other. A plurality of rigid tubes are connected by the hollow universal joint to thereby provide fluid transporting means.

Description

Specification

[Title of Invention: r

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a hollow universal joint, and more particularly, to a mooring of a storage terminal or the like floating above the sea from the seabed in an offshore oil field or the like. The present invention relates to a hollow universal joint used in a method or apparatus for transferring a fluid such as crude oil from a mooring object floating offshore or from a mooring object to a storage tank on a quay.

(Background technology)

Transliteration

Conventionally, a swivel joint has been used as a coupling for a fluid transmission pipe. Since this swivel joint has only one degree of freedom in one direction, it must be designed with consideration given to the resistance to external forces from other directions. If it is necessary to have a degree of freedom in the directions of X, γ, and z in the fluid line, at least three swivel joints must be provided in the line. No. As described above, the swivel joint has a drawback that the structure is complicated and the transmission line itself is complicated. ^ Generally, fluid transmission in an offshore oil field or the like is performed by using a storage terminal based on an offshore base force, as disclosed in, for example, US Pat. No. 5,708,811. When sending fluid such as crude oil to a mooring object such as

O PI

, WIPO They need to be moored at a base so that they can float in a certain area according to natural phenomena such as wind waves. For this reason, the transmission of crude oil, etc., from submarine bases to moorings offshore is performed by flexible hoses attached to chains or wires. However, when mooring is to be moored to a submarine base for a long period of time, the hose is easily damaged by wind waves, and if the hose is damaged, it must be repaired or replaced each time, and the maintenance work is remarkable. In addition to being troublesome, there was the inconvenience of causing great danger.

[Disclosure of the Invention] An object of the present invention is to provide a hollow universal joint that is compact, has excellent durability, has a high degree of freedom in design, and is easy to maintain.

In the hollow universal joint of the present invention, the bowl bottom of the bowl-shaped body is opened, a cylindrical portion communicating with the opening is projected from the bowl top of the bowl-shaped body, and a bifurcated portion is formed at a position substantially opposed to an outer peripheral edge of the bowl bottom. And a pair of yokes each having a trunnion protruding radially outward from the tip of the bifurcated part, and an annular intermediate wheel disposed outside the bifurcated fP by a trunnion. The pair of yoke traverses are pivotally supported so that they intersect with each other so that they intersect with each other. A connection ring forming a concave spherical seat positioned between the pair of yokes, having a spherical outer diameter surface engaged with the concave spherical seat, and forming a connection hole having an inner diameter surface communicating with the through hole. In a configuration with a body interposed Has become. The hollow universal joint further supports an annular sliding seal between the concave spherical seat of the yoke and the spherical outer diameter surface of the connection ring, and seals between the two by the seal.徵.

The annular sliding seal may be pressed against the spherical outer diameter surface of the connecting ring by an elastic member. The hollow universal joint further includes a connector for integrally connecting the connection ring to the intermediate wheel, and the connection ring follows a change in the bending angle of the pair of yokes. The hollow universal joint is provided with a protruding portion on the outer diameter surface of the connecting ring body, which protrudes from the center portion in the width direction and can contact the opposing end surface of each yoke, in place of the connecting element. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the connecting ring follows the change in the bending angle of the pair of yokes. The hollow universal joint may be further covered with a telescopic cover for preventing intrusion of mud having seawater introduction small holes. The hollow universal joint as described above is used for mooring floating on the sea.

A fluid feeding method or device for a mooring device for mooring an object to a mooring base, wherein a plurality of rigid pipes are connected in series to a plurality of hollow universal joints in H series, and ... A connection hole with sufficient resistance to internal and external pressures is also formed by bending operation, and the rigid holes are connected by connecting the holes of multiple rigid tubes through the connection holes of the hollow universal joint. And one end of the connected body is anchored to a tether and the other end is anchored.

OMP- Connected to the base, respectively, by the connected body! ) Used in a method or apparatus for returning fluid between a mooring object and a mooring base.

Since the hollow universal joint of the present invention is configured as described above, when an external force is applied to the joint, the force is transmitted from one yoke through the intermediate wheel to the other yoke, so that the joint is connected. An excessive load is applied to the ring. Therefore, if the yoke and the intermediate wheel are designed with sufficient strength, a joint that can withstand a large load can be obtained. If a roller is used at the connection between the yoke and the intermediate wheel, a smooth bend can be obtained. Further, by disposing a seal member on the engagement surface between the yoke and the connecting ring, a fluid seal that can withstand high pressure can be obtained. Therefore, as a whole,

A compact and strong hollow universal joint for fluid transmission can be obtained. As described above, fluids such as crude oil are transferred from submarine terminals to moorings such as storage terminals at sea or to moorings.

1

When the hollow universal joint of the present invention is used for a method or an apparatus for transferring the steel to a quay storage tank or the like, no auxiliary means such as a chain or a wire is used at all, for example, a rust-resistant metal A plurality of rigid tubular bodies can be connected in series using a hollow universal joint to form a rigid and flexible connected body. In addition, the hollow universal joint is formed with a connection hole that is sufficiently resistant to internal and external pressures and that is in communication with the rigid pipe and bore, and is itself fluid.

(. OMPI one

WIPG- It is configured to also serve as a part, has sufficient resistance to wind, rain, and waves, and is optimal as a joint for fluid feed pipes for moorings moored on the sea for a long time. The use of a chain wire is extremely easy to handle and easy to assemble, and the work of installation and maintenance in the deep sea is also easy.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an illustration showing an example of use of the hollow universal joint of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the hollow universal joint of the present invention. FIG. S is a half longitudinal sectional view taken along line II of FIG. FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along line FF of FIG. FIG. 5 is a half longitudinal sectional view of another embodiment of the hollow universal joint of the present invention. [Best mode for carrying out the invention]

First, an example of use of the hollow universal joint of the present invention will be briefly described with reference to FIG. In the figure, a fluid pipe 2 for crude oil and the like laid on the seabed A is connected to the mooring terminal 1 which is fixed to the seabed A. A mooring object ₃ such as a storage terminal is suspended on the sea surface B. c The mooring base 1 and the mooring object 3 are composed of a plurality of rigid pipes 4 and a plurality of hollow universal joints 5 according to the present invention. The connection is made by a rigid body that is connected in series by a rigid body. That is, one end 18 of the connector 4 ′ 5 is pivotally connected to the mooring object 5, and the other end 19 of the connector 45 is connected to the mooring base 1 in fluid communication. Mooring 3 is caused by the ebb and flow of the tide, wind waves, etc. You can move as shown by the line.

The hollow universal joint 5 is mainly made of a pair of yokes ό, a connecting ring 15 and an intermediate wheel 9, as best shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The yoke ό is generally a bowl having a concave spherical seat ό5. The bottom of the bowl-shaped body is open, and a bifurcated portion # 1 is provided at a position substantially opposite to the outer peripheral edge. A cylindrical portion # 2 communicating with the opening is provided at the top of the bowl-shaped body. The through hole ό5 of the cylindrical portion ό2 is not connected to the hole 41 of the rigid tube 4. A trunnion 64 is formed to project radially outward from the tip of the forked portion.

Two pairs (four in total) of bearing fitting holes 91 are provided in the diametric direction of the intermediate wheel 9, and the bearing 10 is fitted into these bearing fitting holes 91, and the bearing 1 is further fitted. 0 fits the traverse-on ό 4 of each yoke ό. With such a configuration, as shown in FIG. 4, it is possible to bend the yoke ό such that the center axes of the yokes 整列 are aligned with each other so as to generate an arbitrary angle.

On the inner surface of the pair of yokes facing each other, there is provided a concave spherical seat 5 located substantially on the same spherical surface over the pair of yokes, and communicates with the through hole 3. A connecting ring 13 having a spherical outer surface 13 1 engaging with the concave spherical seat 5 is interposed in the pair of concave spherical seats 5. The ring body 13 is provided with a connection hole 132 communicating with the tube hole 41 of the rigid tube 4 through the through hole 3 of the yoke ό.

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OMPI WIPO In addition, as shown in FIG.

The distal end of the connector 15 made of an appropriate number of bolts and the like screwed into and fixed to-is fitted into the concave groove 13 formed on the outer periphery of the center in the width direction of the connecting ring 1S. The connection ring 13 is integrally connected to the intermediate wheel 9.

Figure 4 is a ® centerline 1 3 4 a pair of connecting rings body 1 3 - center axis ό ό clauses O, folding ό ό intersect each;. ^ Corner almost 2 etc. supplementary angle Θ of _α This shows the state located on the branch line. For the spherical outer diameter surface 13 1 of the connecting ring 13, an appropriate number of annular sliding seals 1 または made of metal or plastic, etc., supported in place on the concave spherical seat 5 of the yoke ό 5 Press strongly with a cylinder spring 17 etc. to completely seal the gap between the two against internal and external pressure. If the annular dynamic seal 1 弾性 is made of an elastic material, the spring 17 does not need to be provided.

As shown in Fig. 3, the yoke ό and the rigid tube 4 are provided with appropriate fixing means such as bolts, nuts, rivets, etc. Linked by. Reference numeral 22 denotes a bearing outer cover, reference numeral 23 denotes a bellows-like joint having a seawater introduction small hole (not shown) for preventing intrusion of a muddy joint r-cover, and reference numerals 24 and 25 cover 25 This is a tightening band wound on the outer periphery of the end.

The spherical contact length between the connecting ring 15 and the pair of yokes ό is determined in consideration of the maximum required bending angle α and the length and position of the sealing body. In this case, the connecting ring 13 is connected to the yoke ό Care must be taken not to block through hole ό5. For this purpose, it is effective to form a projection at the center of the outer diameter surface of the connecting ring 13 to have a function of a stopper. FIG. 5 shows an example of a mechanism for achieving this purpose. In FIG. 5, the same components and portions as those in FIG. 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals. As shown in the figure, this mechanism is used to connect the intermediate wheel 9 and the connecting ring 15 with a connector 15 <Fig. 4) instead of the central part in the width direction of the connecting ring 1S. A concave groove 27 is provided around the outer periphery of the yoke 突出, a protrusion 20 is fitted and fixed in the concave groove 27, and the protrusion is made to face the opposite end surface 28 of the pair of yokes 、, and the yoke 折 is bent. The projection 2 2 is brought into contact with the yoke end face ό 8 and the connecting ring 13 can follow the change in the angle. Also, in the case of Fig. 5, the joints and force pars are omitted. Instead, each part of the bearing 10 is replaced by ◦.rings 29, 30, 30, 31 and sealing rings 32, etc. Sealed. In other words, the seal between the U intermediate wheel 9 and the bearing outer cover 22 is provided by the 0 ring 29, and the seal between the outer ring of the intermediate wheel 9 and the bearing is provided by the 0 ring 30. And seals between the inner ring of the bearing 10 and the inner ring of the bearing 10, and a seal ring 52 is attached between the outer ring and the inner ring of the bearing. The inside of the bearing is sealed.

When the hollow universal joint 5 as described above is used in, for example, a fluid feeding method or apparatus as shown in FIG. 1, for example, the maximum bending angle <<

Assuming that 20 rigid pipes 4 are connected in series as 20 and the movement range of the mooring object 3 is 20 in the vertical direction and 80 ^ in the horizontal direction, the maximum water depth is about 130 It is possible to bend and stretch the body 45 in the minimum water range of about 1.10. The length of rigid pipe 4 has been changed! ), By appropriately selecting the number of oils to be used '], and to use it for the transportation of crude oil from a few meters of shallow water to, for example, 250 to 300 m deep water. Can be.

[Industrial applicability]

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention is effective when a fluid such as oil, water, mud, gas, or the like is sent in the ocean, river, lake, or underground, or when mooring an object in the fluid.

Claims

The scope of the claims

(1) Opening the bowl bottom of the bowl-shaped body, projecting a cylindrical portion communicating with the opening at the top of the bowl of the bowl-shaped body, and providing a bifurcated portion at a position substantially opposite to the outer periphery of the bowl bottom. A pair of yokes, each having a trunnion protruding radially outward from the tip of the forked portion, are attached to the annular intermediate wheel disposed on the outer side of the forked portion using a trunnion. Concave spherical surfaces which are pivotally supported so that the axes of the yoke trunnions cross each other, and which communicate with the through-holes of the cylindrical portions on the opposing surfaces of the pair of yoke bowls, and are respectively located on the same spherical surface. Forming a connection ring between the pair of yokes, the connection ring having a spherical outer diameter surface engaged with the concave spherical seat, and an inner diameter surface forming a connection hole communicating with the through hole; Hollow universal joint.

(2) An annular sliding seal is supported between the concave spherical seat of the yoke and the spherical outer diameter surface of the connecting ring, and the seal between the two is sealed. The hollow universal joint according to (1).

(3) An annular sliding seal is supported between the concave spherical seat of the yoke and the spherical outer surface of the connecting ring, and the annular sliding seal is spherically outer diameter of the connecting ring by an elastic member. The hollow universal joint according to claim 1, wherein the joint is pressed against a surface. ―

(4) A connecting member for integrally connecting the connecting ring to the intermediate wheel, wherein the connecting ring follows a change in a bending angle of the pair of yokes. )

Ο ΡΙ

,, WIPO Hollow universal joint.

(5) A connecting element for integrally connecting the connecting ring to the intermediate wheel is provided, and the connecting ring is connected to the yoke to change the bending angle of the pair of yokes.

Claims (2) characterized by following the

Hollow universal joint.

(6) The connecting ring is integrally connected to the intermediate wheel.

The hollow universal joint according to claim (3), wherein a connector is provided, and said connecting ring is made to follow a change in a bending angle of the pair of yokes.

· (7) On the outer diameter surface of the connecting ring, the central part in the width direction

(1) The connecting ring according to claim 1, characterized in that a protruding portion is provided which protrudes from the yoke and can contact the opposing end faces of the respective yokes, and the connecting ring body follows a change in the bending angle of the pair of yokes. Empty universal joint.

(8) An outer diameter surface of the connecting ring is provided with a protruding portion protruding from a central portion in a width direction thereof and capable of abutting against an opposing end surface of each yoke. The mid-air universal joint according to claim (2), characterized by obeying the following.

(9) On the outer diameter surface of the connecting ring, there is provided a protruding portion projecting from the central portion in the width direction thereof and capable of abutting against the opposing end surface of each yoke. The mid-air universal joint according to claim (3), characterized in that the body is followed.

αο) Telescopic mud with seawater introduction holes

ΟΜΡΙ

WIPO, The hollow universal joint according to claim 1, wherein the hollow universal joint is covered with a force par.

ι) The hollow universal joint according to claim (2), characterized in that the hollow universal joint is covered with a stretchable mud penetration preventing force par having seawater introduction small holes.

(4) The hollow universal joint according to the above (3), wherein the joint is covered with a shrinkable mud intrusion prevention cover. '

(13) A fluid feeding method for a mooring device for mooring mooring mooring at sea at a mooring base, wherein a plurality of rigid pipes are connected in series with a plurality of hollow universal joints, and the hollow universal joint is connected to the hollow universal joint. Rigid and flexible connecting body by forming connection holes with sufficient resistance to internal and external pressures even by bending operation, and connecting the holes of multiple rigid pipes through the connection holes of the hollow universal joint One end of the connecting body is connected to the mooring object and the other end is connected to the mooring base, respectively, and fluid is fed between the mooring object and the mooring base. hollow universal joint as claimed in any one of up to the (^ term from fluid unto ¹ feed range billed which was Toku徵to be used in the method paragraph (1) to.

A fluid transfer device for a mooring device for mooring a mooring object floating on the sea at a mooring base, wherein a plurality of rigid tubes are connected in series by a plurality of hollow universal joints, Forming a connection hole with sufficient resistance to internal and external pressures even by bending operation, and hollowing out the holes of multiple rigid tubes

OI.1PI, V / IPO 'A rigid body-flexible connecting body is formed by passing each other through the connecting hole of the universal joint, and one end of the connecting body is connected to the mooring object and the other end is connected to the mooring base. Yo! ) The scope of the claim, which is characterized in that the fluid is sent between the mooring material and the mooring base, which is characterized by being used in a fluid ¾ ^ device, from items (1) to (12) Hollow universal joint as described in any one of the above.