A supporting structure for underwater equipment protection cover

Abstract

A support structure for underwater equipment protective cover plates, primarily used to support the cover plates, comprises a base, a piston, and a locking push plate. During installation, the cover plate's weight pushes the piston, which in turn pushes the locking push plate to lock the cover plate's support legs. If the cover plate's support legs shift position due to thermal expansion or contraction or other factors, the locking push plate can be adjusted through a hydraulic oil chamber to maintain locking. This structure requires no diver's operation, is simple to install, and features support leg position adjustment, mitigating stress damage within the cover plate.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a support structure for a protective cover plate of underwater equipment, in particular to a support structure for a cover plate used to protect underwater equipment. Background Art

[0002] Throughout the development of underwater equipment, protecting it has been a key research topic. Threats to underwater equipment primarily come from fallen objects and fishing boat trawls. Currently, a common approach is to use protective covers, which are installed on the underwater equipment's foundation to cover it and provide protection.

[0003] The installation of underwater cover panels is a major challenge in marine engineering. Currently, this is primarily accomplished using cranes, divers, and underwater robots. However, the underwater environment in some areas is complex, with low visibility. Furthermore, deepwater installation requires high-quality divers, and operating space is limited. These issues contribute to the difficulty and high cost of underwater cover panel installation.

[0004] Due to manufacturing errors in the underwater protective cover and problems such as thermal expansion and contraction, vibration, etc. encountered during long-term use, the spacing between different support legs will change, and the traditional locking method may lead to the emergence of large internal stress. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In order to solve the problems of difficult underwater installation operations, high installation costs and possible internal stress, the present invention proposes an underwater equipment protection cover support structure, which has autonomous centering and autonomous locking functions, while allowing lower centering accuracy and allowing the cover support leg position to change by a small distance during long-term operation.

[0006] The present invention solves the technical problem by adopting the following solution: the present invention comprises a base, a piston, and a locking push plate. During installation, the cover plate support leg pushes the piston under the cover plate's own weight. The piston, base, and locking push plate form a hydraulic chamber filled with hydraulic oil. Under the piston's push, the locking push plate presses against the cover plate support leg. The hydraulic chambers connected to each locking push plate are interconnected, allowing the locking push plates to advance asynchronously. This design allows the cover plate support leg to be positioned off-center on the base and allows for the leg's position to change during long-term use.

[0007] The present invention provides self-centering and self-locking capabilities, while allowing the cover support legs to move during use and remaining locked. Installation requires no divers, resulting in simple and cost-effective installation. Furthermore, the support legs can be moved to reduce internal stress and remain locked during long-term use. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the appearance of the present invention.

[0009] Figure 2 This is a front sectional view of the present invention.

[0010] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view after installation of the present invention.

[0011] Among them, 1. Cover plate support leg, 2. Base, 21. Centering plate, 22. Cylinder wall, 23. Hydraulic chamber, 24. Flow channel, 25. Push rod sealing ring groove, 3. Locking push plate, 31. Push rod, 32. Push plate, 4. Piston, 41. Piston plate, 42. Piston column, 43. Piston sealing ring groove, 5. Push rod sealing ring, 6. Piston sealing ring. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0012] Depend on Figure 1 、 2 As shown, the present invention mainly includes several parts, such as a base 2, a locking push plate 3 and a piston 4. The upper part of the base 2 is a centering plate 21, which is trumpet-shaped, so as to facilitate the centering installation of the cover support leg 1. The lower part of the centering plate 21 is connected to the main body of the base 2. This part extends from the cylinder wall 22, and there are three such extension structures around the cylinder wall 22. This structure plays a role in bearing the force on the centering plate 21, and can avoid the deformation of the centering plate 21 caused by the collision of the cover support legs during the installation process. The support structure extending from the cylinder wall 22 to the centering plate 21 includes a flow channel 24 and a hydraulic chamber 23, both of which have cylindrical cross-sections. One end of the flow channel 24 is connected from the bottom of the base 2 to the inner side of the cylinder wall 22, and the connection position, size and shape are adapted to the piston column 42. The other end of the flow channel 24 is connected to the hydraulic chamber 23, which can guide the liquid flowing in from the bottom of the base 2 to the hydraulic chamber 23. The locking push plate 3 consists of a push rod 31 and a push plate 32. The push rod 31 is a cylindrical structure that matches the dimensions of the hydraulic chamber 23. The push plate 32 is a cubic structure with multiple chamfered and rounded corners. This structure ensures that it can effectively secure the cover support leg 1 when subjected to hydraulic thrust and in contact with the cover support leg 1. It also provides a certain centering effect during the installation and lowering of the cover support leg 1. The piston 4 is sealed against the inner wall 22 by the piston seal 6 in the piston seal groove 43 on the piston plate 41. The piston column 42 has a hole connecting the space below the piston plate 41 with the flow channel 24. The push rod 31 is sealed by the push rod seal 5 in the push rod seal groove 25. There are three piston columns 42, and their positions coincide with the flow channel 24 at the bottom of the base 2. The space below the piston plate 41, the flow channel 24, and the hydraulic chamber 23 form a sealed space, which is filled with hydraulic oil.

[0013] Depend on Figure 1 、 2As shown, during the assembly process of the base 2, its bottom is first welded to the basic structure of the protective cover plate of the underwater equipment, and then the piston 4 is installed into the inner side of the cylinder wall 22 at the same height as the hydraulic chamber 23. At this time, hydraulic oil is added from the gap between the piston 4 and the cylinder wall 22 at the position of the hydraulic chamber 23 or the communication position of the flow channel 24 inside the hydraulic chamber 23. After the hydraulic oil fills the flow channel 24 and the space where the piston 4 is lowered, the piston 4 is pushed down until the piston column 42 is partially inserted into the flow channel 24. At this time, the piston plate 41 is located below the assembly position of the push plate 32, and then the three locking push plates 3 are respectively installed in the three hydraulic chambers 23.

[0014] Depend on Figure 2 、 3 As shown, during installation, after the cover plate support leg 1 is aligned with the centering plate 21, it is inserted into the cylinder wall 22, pushing the piston 4 downward. The hydraulic oil under the piston plate 41 enters the flow channel 24 through the hole of the piston column 42 and then enters the hydraulic chamber 23, thereby pushing the push rod 31. The push plate 32 supports and locks the cover plate support leg 1. If the cover plate expands or contracts due to heat or other conditions, causing the cover plate support leg 1 to move, the total volume of hydraulic oil does not change. When one locking push plate 3 is pressed back into the hydraulic chamber 23, the other locking push plate 3 will be pushed out of the hydraulic chamber 23, keeping the cover plate support leg 1 locked.

Claims

1. A support structure for an underwater equipment protective cover, characterized by: It comprises a base (2), a locking push plate (3) and a piston (4); the number of the locking push plates (3) is three; the assembly position of the piston (4) is lower than the assembly position of the locking push plate (3); the piston (4) comprises a piston column (42); the number of the piston columns (42) is three; The upper part of the base (2) is a centering plate (21); the centering plate (21) is trumpet-shaped; the support structure extending from the cylinder wall (22) to the centering plate (21) includes a flow channel (24) and a hydraulic chamber (23); the locking push plate (3) includes a push rod (31) and a push plate (32), and the push rod (31) is a cylindrical structure; the push plate (32) is a cubic structure with multiple chamfers and rounded corners; the piston (4) is sealed on the inner side of the cylinder wall (22) through the piston sealing ring (6) in the piston sealing ring groove (43) on the piston plate (41), and the piston column (42) has a hole to connect the space below the piston plate (41) with the flow channel (24), and the push rod (31) is sealed through the push rod sealing ring (5) in the push rod sealing ring groove (25).

Images