WO2013072016A1

WO2013072016A1 - Method and device for welding and/or cutting structural elements, in particular pipes, for building off-shore structures

Info

Publication number: WO2013072016A1
Application number: PCT/EP2012/004547
Authority: WO
Inventors: Kai Steffen
Original assignee: WeserWind GmbH Offshore Construction Georgsmarienhütte
Priority date: 2011-11-16
Filing date: 2012-10-31
Publication date: 2013-05-23
Also published as: EP2780132A1; DE102011118615A1

Abstract

Pipes (10, 11) for building off-shore structures frequently have complex, three-dimensional intersection curves (12). For welding the pipes (10, 11) along the intersection curve (12), which is traditionally carried out mechanically, a welding material (18) is moved along a rail (14) that is detachably fastened to a pipe (10). The rail (14) has to be individually adapted to the progression of the welding seam (13) connecting the pipes (10, 11) at the intersection curve (12). This requires differing rails (14) for a respective intersection curve (12), or welding seam (13). According to the invention, a mobile robotic device (16) arranged on the rail (14) is provided, to which the welding material (18) is allocated. In this way, even complex, three-dimensional welding seams (13) can be formed using a straight rail (14), which can be used universally for differing welding seams (13) having diverging progressions.

Description

Method and device for welding and / or cutting components, in particular pipes, for the formation of offshore structures

description

The invention relates to a method for welding and / or cutting components, in particular tubes, for the formation of offshore structures, according to the preamble of claim 1. Furthermore, the invention relates to a device for welding and / or cutting according to the preamble of claim 7.

Offshore structures are formed from large and heavy components, in particular pipes. Wherever components to be joined meet, three-dimensional profiles, so-called intersecting curves, are produced, in particular in the case of pipes. At least the end of one of several pipes to be assembled must have a three-dimensional course corresponding to the intersection curve, which is produced by appropriate cutting. The pipes prepared in this way are then joined by welding.

In offshore structures, the relatively large and heavy tubes or similar components are not moved along a cutting or welding device, but at least the working means, such as a welding or cutting torch, of the device is moved relative to the stationary components. Accordingly, at least the working means of the cutting or welding device serving directly for cutting or welding would have to be movable along the welding or cutting seam. For this purpose, it is known to arrange on at least one of the components to be machined at least one rail, along which the working means of serving for cutting or welding device is movable. Such rails must follow the course of welding or cutting be adapted to the seam. This results in three-dimensional grading curves to elaborately designed rails. These rails must be individually adapted to the respective welding or cutting seam in the case of multi-dimensional grading curves. This is very expensive.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and a device which allow to easily cut and / or weld multidimensional intersection curves of components, in particular pipes, for the formation of offshore structures.

A method for achieving this object comprises the measures of claim 1. Accordingly, it is provided that at least one longitudinal guide is assigned to the component and a handling device leading at least to the working means of the welding or cutting device is moved along the longitudinal guide. By means of the handling device which can be moved on the longitudinal guide, the axis of the longitudinal guide is overlaid with the at least one additional axis of the handling device. The working fluid can thus be moved multi-axially. Because of this, the longitudinal guide does not need to follow the course of the intersection curve of the at least one component, because deviations from the course of the longitudinal guidance to the intersecting curve are compensated by the handling device. The result is that simple, straight-line guides can be used for any grading curve. The previously required individual adjustment of the longitudinal guide to the partially three-dimensional Verschneidungskurve thereby unnecessary.

In a preferred embodiment of the method is provided to move the working means, such as a welding or cutting torch, by means of the handling device on at least one additional, anti-parallel to the linear guide running path. As a result, a two-dimensional movement of the working medium is possible. If the handling device is designed to move the working fluid on at least two antiparallel tracks, the working fluid can be moved along three-dimensional grading curves. An advantageous development of the method provides, by moving the handling device along with the working means on the linear guide and additionally moving the working means from the handling device, to move the working means along the intersecting curve through the weld seam or cutting path. By an appropriate coordination of the paths and speeds of movement of the handling device on the linear guide and the movement of the working fluid on the part of the handling device can be realized arbitrarily complex gradients of the weld or the cutting path. This makes it possible, without hardware modifications of the linear guide and the handling device, to start any two- or even three-dimensional grading curves and, in particular, to mechanize, in particular automatically cut, and / or weld tubes for large offshore structures.

A preferred embodiment of the method provides for using a preferably mobile robot as handling device. Such a robot can be moved relative to the large, stationary components, in particular tubes, for offshore structures. In particular, it is provided to use a multi-axis, in particular two-axis or three-axis, in particular mobile, robot as the robot for forming the handling device. With a multiaxial, in particular mobile robot can be along with the linear guide any three-dimensional intersection curves depart along with its mobility and thus easily produce three-dimensional welds and / or cutting paths.

It is preferably provided to use a linear or optionally also curved rail as a linear guide. A straight rail is the easiest way to realize it. A curved rail, which partly follows an odd-numbered weld or cutting path, has the advantage that an axis of the handling device or of the robot running transversely to the rail can be shorter. Furthermore, it is preferably provided to detachably fasten the linear guide, in particular rail, to or in the vicinity of a component. For example, the rail can be releasably secured by magnets on the component, for example a pipe. The rail can also be releasably secured elsewhere, provided that the rail is in a fixed relative relationship to the component or pipe.

An apparatus for solving the above-mentioned problem has the features of claim 7. In this device, it is provided to arrange a handling device movable on an elongated rail, wherein the handling device is assigned to the working means for welding in particular and / or cutting. For example, the handling device may be associated with a cutting or welding torch, a laser for welding or cutting, or the like. Then the working means of the device for welding and / or cutting is movable both by the handling device and can be moved along with the handling device along the rail. In this way it is possible, with a universally applicable rail that does not need to be adapted to the course of the weld or welding path, make cuts or welds along a complex multi-axis, especially three-dimensional, the curve of the intersection of the component to be cut or corresponds to the components to be welded.

In particular, it can be provided to form the handling device for moving the working means on at least two different tracks or axles. By deviating in the direction of axes and an antiparallel course of the same to the rail, the working fluid can be moved in space and thereby depart three-dimensional paths. According to an advantageous development of the device, the handling device is designed as a multi-axis, preferably mobile, robot. As a result, the robot can move in three-dimensional space in relation to the stationary component to be processed. It can be so large components, especially pipes, as they are necessary for the formation of offshore structures, be processed economically, and are provided mainly with welds or cutting tracks that follow any spatial Verschneidungskurven. Furthermore, it is preferably provided that the robot is designed as an articulated-arm robot with an additional linear axis that deviates from the longitudinal axis of the rail. Such an articulated robot with an additional linear axis is compact and has a simple structure, so that it can be easily arranged at the respective welding or cutting location and can be easily moved relative to the component to be cut or the component to be welded.

The device may preferably be further developed in such a way that the at least one rail is provided with at least one means for fastening to a component or another object. The means may be, for example, one or more magnets, both permanent magnets and electromagnets, which hold the rail with the robot movable thereon and the welding means for working in a fixed non-displaceable relative arrangement on the component. The solvability of the rail can be used for other welding or cutting work, even if these other cutting or welding work requires a different course of the cutting path or the weld. Alternatively, it is conceivable to fasten the rail with detachable means to an object which is in a defined relative position to the component of the offshore structure. For example, this may be the component, in particular a pipe, previously welded brackets, but also separate brackets act.

According to a further advantageous embodiment of the device, the handling device or the robot are mounted on a carriage having its own drive and the carriage of his drive on the longitudinal guide, in particular the rail, movable. As a result, the handling device need not have its own drive to move along the rail. Rather, a commercial mobile robot can be used, which is moved by the carriage. The robot then only needs to have one movement axis for two-dimensional welding or cutting paths and two movement axes for three-dimensional cutting or welding paths.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will be explained in more detail with reference to the drawing. In this show:

1 is a schematic side view of two pipes to be welded at an acute angle to form part of an offshore structure,

2 shows a plan view of the weld along the intersection curve of the pipes to be welded together at an acute angle according to FIG. 1, and an enlarged detail from FIG. 2.

The figures show an example of the invention in connection with the welding of two tubes 10 and 11 of different diameters and an angle which is smaller than 90 °. The pipes 10 and 11 to be welded are part of an offshore structure, for example a foundation structure. Due to the different diameters of the pipes 10, 11 and the wrong-angled welding of the same, where the end face of the smaller pipe 11 strikes the jacket of the larger pipe 10, a spatial intersection curve 12 occurs. Along this intersecting curve 12 are the pipes 10 and 11 to weld with a corresponding three-dimensional weld 13.

For this purpose, at least one welding tool, for example a welding torch, a laser or the like, preferably with automatic feed of the welding material from the device according to the invention, is guided along the intersection curve 12 in a machine manner. To the along the circumscribing curve 12 extending weld 13th 2, several, in the embodiment shown four, devices are provided, preferably the same devices.

Each device has a preferably straight trained linear guide, which in the illustrated embodiment is a straight rail 14, a carriage 15 and a mobile handling device. In the following, the invention will be described in the context of a handling device designed as a mobile robot 16. The straight rail 14 is detachably connected to the outer surface of the larger pipe 10. This can be done by magnets, but also small welds, which are separated again after the production of the weld 13. In the embodiment of Fig. 2, two parallel to the longitudinal central axis 17 of the larger tube 10 extending the same rails 14 are provided on opposite sides of the smaller tube 11. In addition, two transverse to the longitudinal central axis 17 of the large tube 10 extending rails 14 are provided, of which only one is shown in FIG. 2. The transverse rail 14, not shown, is opposite the transverse rail 14 on the opposite transverse side of the smaller pipe 11. The transverse rails are bent around a portion of the shell of the large pipe 10 to follow the diameter of the pipe 10. In plan view (FIG. 2) they still run in a straight line just like the lateral rails 14, ie they lie in a cross-sectional plane perpendicular to the longitudinal central axis 17 of the large pipe 10. The lengths of the rails 14 are dimensioned so that the carriages 15 can be moved sufficiently far thereafter in order to be able to produce the circumferential weld seam 13 with working means only shown symbolically in the figures, namely welding working means 18.

The movable carriage 14 on each rail 15 is provided with its own drive. As a result, the carriage 15 can be arbitrarily moved along its associated rail 14.

On the self-propelled slide 15, the mobile robot 16 is fixed, preferably detachably, so that it also assigned to other slide 15 can be. The robot 16 is designed such that it can move the welding working means 18, for example a welding torch, on two differently directed axes, these two axes deviating from the longitudinal direction of the rail 14, ie not running parallel to the longitudinal center axis 17 of the large tube 10 , The mobile robot 16 shown here is designed as a so-called articulated-arm robot, whose cantilever arm 19 is formed by two cantilever arm parts 20 and 21. Both Auslegerarmteile 20, 21 are the same length in the embodiment shown. The two Auslegerarmteile 20, 21 are pivotally connected to each other about a bending axis 22. An opposite free end of the jib part 15 facing the carriage 15 is rotatably connected to a robot base 24 about a rotation axis 23 extending parallel to the bending axis 22. The axis of rotation 23 is associated with a linear axis 25, whereby the cantilever arm 19 formed on the axis of rotation 23 is movable up and down. The axis of rotation 23 extends perpendicular to the rail 14, from the outer surface of the larger tube 10 to the outside. Preferably, the axis of rotation 23 extends radially to the longitudinal central axis 17 of the larger tube 10 to the outside. The bending axis 22 is parallel to the axis of rotation 23. The free end of the Auslegerarmteils 21 directed away from the rotation axis 23, the welding working means 18 is assigned, preferably fixed, so immovable. However, it is also conceivable to associate the welding working means 18 with the free end of the boom arm part 21 about the longitudinal axis thereof, preferably pivotably.

The drive of the carriage 15 and the drives of the robot 16 for moving the cantilever arm 19 on the linear axis 25 and pivoting the Auslegerarmteile 20, 21 about the bending axis 22 and the rotation axis 23 are connected to a common control of the robot base 24 and / or the carriage 15 may be assigned. Through the control, the drives of the carriage 15 and the robot 16 can be coordinated, preferably by appropriate programming, that the welding work means 18 is movable at a predetermined feed rate along such a range of the intersection curve 12 as that of the respective apparatus for producing a part of the weld 13 is reachable. The method according to the invention for producing the peripheral weld seam 13 connecting the tubes 10 and 11 is described below:

In the exemplary embodiment shown, each device, which is first detachably fastened to the tube 10, produces a part of a section of the weld seam 13 that can be reached by it. In the embodiment of Fig. 2 find four except for the length and the course of the rails 14 the same devices use. Of the devices, the welding working means 18, for example a welding torch or a laser, is guided along a part of the intersecting curve 12 by machine and in each case a section of the welding seam 13 is produced. The movements of the welding tool 18 are thereby coordinated by the control of the robot 16 and the drive of the carriage 15 so that the portion of the weld 13 to be produced is guided along the corresponding section of the intersecting curve 12. By the travel of the carriage 15 along the rail 14 and the working area of the cantilever arm designed as a cantilever arm 19, the welding working means 18 in the dot-dashed line in the Fig. 2 range shown spatially move.

While the robot 16 is moved by the movable carriage 15 with the intended feed speed along the rail 14, the boom 16 is moved by the robot 16 on the linear axis 25 on a radially directed path to the longitudinal central axis 17 of the tube 10 and additionally pivoted about the axis of rotation 23 and / or the Auslegerarmteil 21 pivots about the bending axis 22 relative to the about the rotation axis 23 pivotable Auslegerarmteil 20. These movements may interact in whole or in part so that the welding tool 18 is moved in a superimposed path required to guide the welding tool 18 away from the device at the portion of the intersecting cam 11 reachable thereby, thereby forming part of the weld 13 manufacture. Depending on the shape of the intersection curve 12 and the weld seam 13 to be produced accordingly, it may be sufficient to execute only a portion of the possible movements of the robot 16 and the carriage 15 at the same time, for example, when the carriage 15 moves along the rail 14, only the extension arm 19 about the axis of rotation 23 and / or on the linear axis 25 too move while the buckling axis 22 remains unactuated. In the case of an only two-dimensional intersection curve 12 with a corresponding weld seam 13, it may be sufficient not to move the boom arm 19 on the linear axis 25 during the production of the relevant section of the weld seam 13 and to actuate only the rotation axis 23 and / or the articulation axis 22. During welding, the carriage 15 is usually always moved on the rail 14 with the intended feed rate, which may eventually change along the rail 14. The movements of the individual devices are preferably coordinated so that one or two devices begin to produce the weld 13 and thereafter the remaining devices to the beginnings of the first formed portions of the weld 13 then make the remaining portions of the weld 13.

To produce other welds, especially those with other gradients, the rails 14 are separated with the carriage 15 and the robots 16 from the outer surface of the large tube 10 and attached to another pipe or other component to produce welds with other gradients , It is also conceivable to previously separate the carriage 15 with the robot 16 from the rail 14, so that the respective rail 15 is separated from the pipe 10 alone. To make other welds, the control of the device will be reprogrammed. In particular, the relative position of the rail 14 of each device to the pipes or other components of the offshore structure to be welded is entered into the control.

An alternative method provides that the rails 14 are not fastened directly to one of the components to be welded, in particular tubes 10 and 11, but to fasten the respective rail to a holder. The attachment to the bracket then does not need to be solvable. The components to be welded are brought into a defined relative position to the holder, which is maintained during the production of the weld. From the holder then the weld for connecting the tubes 10 and 11 or other components of the offshore structure. The advantage of this method is that the devices need not be attached to the components to be welded and may remain for welding other components to the holder. The new parts to be welded are then only to bring in the intended relative position for mounting and fix here during the welding process.

The invention is not only suitable for welding, but also for cutting. For example, the intersection curve 12 on the small tube 11 can be made so automatically programmatically and then along the intersection curve 12, the small tube 11 are welded to the large tube 10. In this case, the same devices can be used for previously cutting the intersection curve 12. It is only for cutting the welding tool 18 by a suitable other working means, in particular a cutting tool in the form of a cutting torch or a cutting laser to replace. The rails 14, the carriage 5 and the robot 16 may be the same, including the controller. When the devices are permanently attached to at least one support, after cutting the intersection curve 12 at the end of the small tube 11 while maintaining the relative arrangement of the small tube 11 to the support and to the devices along the same trajectory, the welding of the smaller tube 11 with the larger tube 10 done without the need to change the programming. All that needs to be done is to exchange the cutting tool for a welding tool 18 and, if necessary, to change the feed rate if it deviates from the cutting during welding.

***** LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

10 tube (big)

11 pipe (small)

12 intersection curve

13 weld

14 rail

15 sleds

16 robots

17 longitudinal central axis

18 welding tools

19 boom arm

20 boom arm

21 boom arm

22 bending axis

23 axis of rotation

24 robot base

25 linear axis

Claims

claims

A method of welding and / or cutting components, in particular pipes (10, 11), for forming offshore structures, wherein a welding tool (18) or a cutting tool moves mechanically along at least part of a weld (13) or a cutting line is, characterized in that the component is assigned at least one longitudinal guide and along the longitudinal guide a the welding work means (18) and the cutting tool leading handling device is moved.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that for operating and guiding the welding working means (18) or the cutting working means of the handling device, the welding working means (18) or cutting work is moved on at least one antiparallel to the linear guide running path.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the welding work means (18) or the cutting work by the handling device on different tracks or axes is movable.

4. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that by a method of handling device with the welding work means (18) or the cutting work along the linear guide and / or moving the welding work (18) or the cutting work by the handling device, the welding work ( 18) or the cutting tool is guided along the weld seam (13) or cutting line to be produced.

5. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a preferably mobile robot (16) is used as a handling device, in particular as a robot (16) is a mobile multi-axis, in particular two-axis or three-axis, robot (16) is used.

6. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that as a linear guide, a preferably straight rail (14) is used and / or the rail (14) releasably on or adjacent to a component, in particular a tube (10 or 11) arranged becomes.

7. Apparatus for welding and / or cutting of components, in particular pipes (10, 11), for forming offshore structures with at least one elongate rail (14) and with a welding work (13) or a cutting line forming welding working means (18) or Cutting tool, which is movable along the rail (14), characterized in that on the rail (14) a handling device is arranged movable and the handling device is associated with the welding work means (18) and the cutting means.

8. The device according to claim 7, characterized in that the handling device for moving the welding work means (18) or the cutting working means is formed on at least two different tracks or axes.

9. Apparatus according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that the handling device is designed as a multi-axis, preferably mobile, robot (16), in particular as a articulated robot with an additional linear axis (25) extending from the extension direction of the rail (14). deviates, in particular perpendicular thereto.

10. Device according to one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that the rail (14) is provided with at least one means for fixing to a component or another arranged in a fixed relative position to the component object.

11. Device according to one of claims 7 to 10, characterized in that the handling device is arranged on a drive having its own slide (15) and the carriage (15) with the thereon arranged handling device by the drive along the rail is movable.

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