A cutting and clamping device for underwater cables

Abstract

A cutting and clamping device for underwater cable, comprising a cutting and clamping assembly, the cutting and clamping assembly comprises a box, an inner cavity is arranged in the box, a clamping groove is arranged at the lower part of the left side plate of the inner cavity, the clamping groove is communicated with the inner cavity, a through hole is arranged on the left side of the inner cavity away from the bottom surface of the box, a cutter seat and at least two clamping blocks are arranged in the inner cavity and spaced apart in the front-rear direction, the bottom of the cutter seat is connected with a cutter, the lower end of the cutter and the clamping block is above the clamping groove, and the middle part of the cutter seat and the clamping block is hinged to the box through a first rotating shaft. The cutting and clamping process of the cable is carried out synchronously, the process of salvaging one section of the cable is saved, the operation efficiency is greatly improved, meanwhile, about 1 to 1.5 times of the water depth of the standby cable can be saved, the cost is saved, and the effect is more obvious especially in deep water repair operation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of machinery, and more particularly to underwater cable salvage technology, especially a cutting and clamping device for underwater cables. Background Technology

[0002] With the explosive growth of human communication needs, submarine optical cables are becoming increasingly numerous and important. Simultaneously, with the increase in human underwater activities, damage to optical and electrical cables in deep water areas is also constantly increasing. Current technology requires cable repair to be salvaged and brought aboard a vessel. The cable salvage process involves two steps: first, cutting the cable using a cable cutting device; second, clamping the cable using a cable clamping device before retrieval. This method requires a large amount of equipment, is complex to operate, time-consuming, and inefficient. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to provide a cutting and clamping device for underwater cables, which solves the technical problems of existing underwater cable salvage technologies, such as the need for numerous equipment, complex operation, long time consumption, and low efficiency.

[0004] This invention discloses a cutting and clamping device for underwater cables, comprising a cutting and clamping assembly. The cutting and clamping assembly includes a housing with an inner cavity. A locking groove is provided on the lower part of the front side plate of the housing, the locking groove being a V-shaped opening facing left and communicating with the inner cavity. A through hole is provided on the upper part of the left side plate of the inner cavity. A knife holder and at least two locking blocks are spaced apart along the front-rear direction in the inner cavity. A cutter is connected to the bottom of the knife holder. The lower ends of the cutter and locking blocks are located above the locking groove. The cutter and the front side plate form a shearing structure. The middle parts of the knife holder and locking blocks are hinged to the front and rear side plates of the housing via a first rotating shaft. The upper ends of the knife holder and locking blocks are hinged to the right end of a pull rod via a second rotating shaft. The left end of the pull rod passes through the through hole. A fixing seat is provided on the front and rear sides of the pull rod on the left side of the housing, and a pin is connected between the two fixing seats. A groove is provided on the bottom surface of the left end of the pull rod, and the pin is located in the groove.

[0005] Furthermore, the number of cutting clamping assemblies is four, arranged sequentially from left to right, and the second rotating shaft of any cutting clamping assembly is hinged to the pull rod of the cutting clamping assembly to its right via a third rotating shaft.

[0006] Furthermore, the bottom surfaces of the four cutting and clamping components are oriented from left to right as follows: downward, backward, upward, and forward, with each locking slot positioned to match the corresponding bottom surface of the enclosure. All four locking slots face left, but are positioned differently to ensure the cable can be gripped from various angles.

[0007] Furthermore, a shackle is connected to the left end of the pull rod.

[0008] Compared with existing technologies, the effects of this invention are positive and significant. This invention provides a cutting and clamping device for underwater cables, which can be used for cutting and retrieving cables with diameters ranging from 20 mm to 60 mm in both shallow and deep water cable repair. It simultaneously performs the cutting and clamping processes, saving the step of retrieving a section of cable, greatly improving operational efficiency. It also saves approximately 1 to 1.5 times the amount of spare cable needed for deeper water operations, reducing costs. The effect is particularly pronounced in deep-water repair operations. Attached Figure Description

[0009] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a cutting and clamping device for underwater cables according to the present invention.

[0010] Figure 2 This is a perspective view of a cutting and clamping assembly in a cutting and clamping device for underwater cables according to the present invention.

[0011] Figure 3 This is a front view schematic diagram of a cutting and clamping assembly in a cutting and clamping device for underwater cables according to the present invention.

[0012] Figure 4 This is a side view of a cutting and clamping assembly in a cutting and clamping device for underwater cables according to the present invention.

[0013] Figure 5 This is a top view schematic diagram of a cutting and clamping assembly in a cutting and clamping device for underwater cables according to the present invention.

[0014] Figure 6 This is a first perspective view of the housing in a cutting and clamping device for underwater cables according to the present invention.

[0015] Figure 7 This is a second perspective view of the housing in a cutting and clamping device for underwater cables according to the present invention.

[0016] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the cutter holder, locking block, and pull rod in a cutting and clamping device for underwater cables according to the present invention.

[0017] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of a pull rod in a cutting and clamping device for underwater cables according to the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0018] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. Any similar structures and similar variations of the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention. The use of directions such as up, down, front, back, left, and right in the present invention is only for the convenience of description and is not intended to limit the technical solution of the present invention.

[0019] like Figures 1-9 As shown, a cutting and clamping device for underwater cables according to the present invention includes a cutting and clamping assembly 1. The cutting and clamping assembly 1 includes a housing 2, in which an inner cavity 3 is provided. A locking groove 5 is provided on the lower part of the front side plate of the housing 2. The locking groove 5 is a V-shaped opening facing the left and communicates with the inner cavity 3. A through hole 6 is provided on the upper part of the left side plate of the inner cavity 3. A blade holder 7 and at least two locking blocks 8 are arranged at intervals along the front-back direction in the inner cavity 3. A cutting blade 9 is connected to the bottom of the blade holder 7. The lower ends of the cutting blade 9 and the locking blocks 8 are located in the locking groove 5. Above, the cutter 9 is adjacent to the front side plate to form a shearing structure. The middle part of the cutter holder 7 and the locking block 8 is hinged to the front side plate and the rear side plate of the box 2 through the first rotating shaft 4. The upper end of the cutter holder 7 and the locking block 8 is hinged to the right end of a pull rod 11 through the second rotating shaft 10. The left end of the pull rod 11 passes through the through hole 6. A fixing seat 12 is provided on the front and rear sides of the pull rod 11 on the left side of the box 2. A pin rod 13 is connected between the two fixing seats 12. A groove 14 is provided in the bottom surface of the left end of the pull rod 11, and the pin rod 13 is located in the groove 14.

[0020] Furthermore, the number of cutting clamping assemblies 1 is four, arranged sequentially from left to right, and the second rotating shaft 10 of any cutting clamping assembly 1 is hinged to the pull rod 11 of the cutting clamping assembly 1 on its right side through a third rotating shaft 15.

[0021] Furthermore, the bottom surfaces of the four cutting clamping assemblies 1 are oriented from left to right as follows: downward, backward, upward, and forward. The positions of each locking groove 5 are adapted to the corresponding bottom surface of the housing 2. All four locking grooves 5 face to the left, but their positions are different, ensuring that the cable 16 can be gripped from all angles.

[0022] Furthermore, a shackle is connected to the left end of the pull rod 11.

[0023] Specifically, in this embodiment, the tool holder 7, the cutting blade 9, the locking block 8, the pull rod 11, the pin rod 13, etc., all adopt well-known solutions in the prior art, which are already known to those skilled in the art, and will not be described in detail here.

[0024] Taking the cutting and salvage of a 20mm diameter deep-sea cable 16 as an example, the working process is as follows: 1. The hull is connected to the shackle via a cable. The hull drags the pull rod 11 through the shackle in a direction perpendicular to the route of the cable 16. Once the cable 16 enters the locking groove 5, the cable 16 is hooked and applies a force to the right to the box. The cable applies a force to the left to the pull rod 11. The pull rod 11 pulls the upper end of the knife holder 7 and the locking block 8 to the left via the second rotating shaft 10. The knife holder 7 and the locking block 8 rotate around the first rotating shaft 4, which is hinged in the middle, as the fulcrum. The lower ends of the knife holder 7 and the locking block 8 move towards the bottom plate of the box 2. At the same time, the second rotating shaft 10 moves to the left, reducing the distance between the right end of the pull rod 11 and the left side plate of the box 2. The upper edge of the through hole 6 in the left side plate presses down the left end of the pull rod 11.

[0025] 2. Continue to drag, pull rod 11 presses down on pin rod 13, the cable tension increases, and the pressure of pull rod 11 on pin rod 13 increases synchronously. When the tension increases to more than 2 tons, pin rod 13 breaks. At the moment of breakage, pull rod 11 drives the locking block 8 and the knife holder 7 to rotate counterclockwise around the first rotating shaft 4 through the second rotating shaft 10, impacting the cable 16. The locking block 8 presses down on the cable 16 and clamps the cable 16 with the bottom plate of the box 2. The cutter 9 completes the cutting of the cable 16 with a radial depth of about 12mm, and there is still 8mm of cable with a radial depth that has not been cut.

[0026] 3. Continue dragging, the tension continues to increase, the clamping force of the locking block 8 on the cable 16 becomes greater and greater, and the cutter 9 continues to apply cutting force to the cable 16 at the cut until the cable 16 is completely cut off under the combined action of the cable 16 and the cutter 9.

[0027] 4. After cutting cable 16 into two sections, the first section of cable 16 is clamped in the clamping groove 5 by the clamping block 8, while the second section of cable 16 detaches. As dragging continues, the tension on the first section of cable 16 continues to increase, and the clamping block 8 clamps the first section of cable 16 tighter and tighter, preventing it from loosening. Finally, the device and the first section of cable 16 are retrieved together, achieving the simultaneous retrieval of the first section of cable 16 during the cutting process. This method saves time and cable loss associated with secondary retrieval of the first section of cable 16. The second section of cable 16 is retrieved using conventional methods.

[0028] The present invention provides a cutting and clamping device for underwater cables, which can be used for cutting and retrieving cables with a diameter of 20 mm to 60 mm in shallow and deep water cable repair. The cutting and clamping processes of the cable are carried out simultaneously, saving the step of retrieving a section of the cable, greatly improving the efficiency of operation, and saving about 1 to 1.5 times the amount of spare cable in water depth, thus saving costs. The effect is even more obvious in deep water repair operations.

Claims

1. A cutting and clamping device for underwater cables, characterized in that: The device includes a cutting clamping assembly, which comprises a housing with an inner cavity. A locking groove, a V-shaped opening facing left, is located on the lower part of the front side panel of the housing and communicates with the inner cavity. A through hole is located on the upper part of the left side panel of the inner cavity. A blade holder and at least two locking blocks are spaced apart along the front-to-back direction within the inner cavity. A cutter is connected to the bottom of the blade holder. The lower ends of the cutter and locking blocks are located above the locking groove. The cutter and the front side panel form a shearing structure. The middle parts of the blade holder and locking blocks are hinged to the front and rear side panels of the housing via a first pivot. The upper ends of the blade holder and locking blocks are hinged to the right end of a pull rod via a second pivot. The left end of the pull rod passes through the through hole. A fixing seat is located on the front and rear sides of the pull rod on the left side of the housing, and a pin is connected between the two fixing seats. A groove is located in the bottom surface of the left end of the pull rod, and the pin is located in the groove.

2. The cutting and clamping device for underwater cables according to claim 1, characterized in that: The number of cutting clamping assemblies is four, arranged sequentially from left to right. The second rotating shaft of any cutting clamping assembly is hinged to the pull rod of the cutting clamping assembly to its right via a third rotating shaft.

3. The cutting and clamping device for underwater cables according to claim 2, characterized in that: The bottom surfaces of the four cutting clamping components are oriented from left to right as follows: downward, backward, upward, and forward. The position of each clamping slot is adapted to the corresponding bottom surface of the box. All four clamping slots face to the left, but their positions are different, ensuring that the cable can be gripped from all angles.

4. The cutting and clamping device for underwater cables according to claim 1, characterized in that: The left end of the pull rod is connected to a shackle.

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