A small offshore platform for offshore piling operations

Abstract

The present invention provides a small offshore platform for offshore piling operations, belonging to the field of marine engineering technology. The platform comprises a boom mounted on the platform, a pile driver connected to the top of the boom and extending forward from the platform's operating end, a telescopic cylinder located in the middle of the platform, and a stabilization structure located on the platform away from the operating end. The telescopic cylinder has a cylinder body fixed to the platform, a push rod of the telescopic cylinder is rotatably connected to a first fixed pulley, the stabilization structure comprises a water pipe fixed to the platform, a mounting plate fixed to the lower opening of the water pipe, an impeller rotatably connected to the mounting plate, and a drive shaft fixed to the axis of the impeller. The opening of the water pipe is rotatably connected to a second fixed pulley, the upper end of the drive shaft has a worm, and the second fixed pulley has a worm wheel that cooperates with the worm. The telescopic cylinder pulls down the middle of the cable to simultaneously drive the pile driver to strike and rotate the drive shaft. The platform has the characteristics of strong stabilization performance and low cost.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of marine engineering and relates to a small offshore platform for offshore piling operations. Background Art

[0002] During coastal embankment reinforcement, reclamation and other operations, offshore piling construction is sometimes required (when coastal operating space is limited or geological conditions do not allow the movement of operating equipment). Currently, most of these operations are performed using ship-borne engineering machinery. However, the length of the engineering machinery's operating arm is limited, and when the offshore water depth is insufficient or there are reef disturbances, the ships carrying the engineering machinery are unable to perform the task. This requires the use of offshore operating platforms equipped with long-arm cranes. Offshore operating platforms are divided into moored, fixed-pile lifting and floating types. Due to the high switching frequency of the piling position, moored and floating types meet the operating conditions.

[0003] Due to the long crane arm and the pile hammer being located far away from the center of the platform, coupled with the longitudinal reciprocating motion of the pile hammer, maintaining stability during piling of non-fixed pile offshore platforms becomes a problem. Currently, the platform's anti-rolling ability is generally improved by increasing its draft, that is, by increasing the platform area and the platform's submerged depth to increase the draft (increasing its own weight or adding additional weights). The water depth for offshore operations is shallow and unstable. In addition, the relocation of large platforms is cumbersome and the costs are high. For this reason, the applicant proposed a small offshore platform based on coastal embankment piling construction, aiming to effectively enhance its anti-vibration and anti-rolling ability with a smaller platform area, reflecting the characteristics of small platforms such as low construction cost and low maintenance cost. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a small offshore platform for offshore piling operations in order to solve the above-mentioned problems existing in the existing technology. The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is how to make the offshore platform for offshore operations smaller and the piling operation more stable.

[0005] The purpose of the present invention can be achieved through the following technical solutions: a platform balance control device is set on the side away from the platform working end, and a balance hammer generates downward pressure on the platform working end on the side away from the platform working end to ensure that the platform will not tilt due to the hammer. In addition, the pile hammer is connected by a cable, so that the falling hammer has less impact on the stability of the platform.

[0006] Specifically, it includes a platform, a boom arranged on the platform, a pile hammer connected to the top of the boom and extending forward to the working end of the platform, a telescopic cylinder located in the middle of the platform and a stabilizing structure located on the platform away from the working end. The cylinder body of the telescopic cylinder is fixed on the platform, and a first fixed pulley is rotatably connected to the push rod of the telescopic cylinder. The stabilizing structure includes a water pipe fixed on the platform, a mounting plate fixed at the lower opening of the water pipe, an impeller rotatably connected to the mounting plate and a drive shaft fixed at the axis of the impeller. The opening of the water pipe is rotatably connected to a second fixed pulley. A fixed pulley, a worm gear is provided at the upper end of the drive shaft, and the top of the boom is rotatably connected to the third fixed pulley, and also includes a cable, which passes through the second fixed pulley, the first fixed pulley and the third fixed pulley in sequence. A tension spring is connected between the end of the cable close to the water pipe and the platform, and the second fixed pulley has a worm wheel that cooperates with the worm gear. The telescopic cylinder pulls down the middle part of the cable to simultaneously drive the pile hammer to strike and the drive shaft to rotate. When the telescopic cylinder pulls down the middle part of the cable until the impeller rotates, the seawater under the platform can be transported to the platform through the water pipe.

[0007] The logic of this solution is to use the tensioning force generated by the hammer on the cable to drive the second fixed pulley to rotate, and then the drive shaft, that is, the impeller, to rotate, forming negative pressure at the lower end of the aqueduct. Seawater is sucked into the aqueduct and discharged from the top of the aqueduct. In the process of seawater being pumped out from bottom to top, downward pressure is exerted on the side of the platform close to the aqueduct. This downward pressure and the downward pressure on the side of the platform close to the pile hammer when the hammer is lifted are respectively located on both sides of the vertical line where the center of gravity of the platform is located, and can partially offset each other to maintain the stability of the platform, or reduce the forward tilt and shaking of the platform caused by the hammer.

[0008] When the hammer is dropped, since the pile hammer is flexibly connected with a cable, the impact force generated by the hammer will not have a significant impact on the stability of the platform. The reverse rotation of the impeller will not have a significant impact on the platform because there is air above the water pipe. Therefore, this solution can maintain good stability during piling and can significantly reduce the size of the platform, which on the one hand reduces costs and on the other hand improves the flexibility of platform shifting.

[0009] Furthermore, the platform is equipped with an extension arm, on which a guide hammer is fixed. The pile hammer is longitudinally slidably connected within the guide hammer barrel. The guide hammer barrel can ensure the trajectory of the pile hammer and is also used to cooperate with the pile head to ensure that the impact is at the center of the pile head.

[0010] Furthermore, the pile hammer is connected to a movable pulley, and the end of the cable closest to the pile hammer is connected to the middle of the boom. The presence of the movable pulley can reduce the power of the telescopic cylinder, increase the push-pull displacement of the telescopic rod, and make the rotation of the impeller more continuous. In addition, it can achieve labor-saving hammering.

[0011] Furthermore, the telescopic cylinder body is located below the platform, and the push rod of the telescopic cylinder is located above the platform. The telescopic cylinder can be a hydraulic cylinder, and most of the telescopic cylinder and the water conduit are located below the platform, which can effectively lower the center of gravity of the platform.

[0012] Furthermore, the water pipe consists of a cylindrical tube and a conical tube, with the cylindrical tube positioned above the conical tube, and the large-diameter end of the conical tube facing downward. The conical structure at the bottom of the water pipe increases the platform's dewatering resistance. Furthermore, the downward pressure generated by the impeller's rotation is applied over a larger surface area, resulting in more uniform pressure.

[0013] Furthermore, a screen is provided at the large diameter end of the cone, which can prevent underwater organisms from interfering with the impeller and can also prevent non-biological objects of varying sizes from entering and affecting the operation of the impeller.

[0014] Furthermore, a pressure regulating hole is provided on the side wall of the cone, and a valve is provided in the pressure regulating hole.

[0015] Furthermore, the preload force of the tension spring is adjustable.

[0016] As the telescopic cylinder controls the increase of cable tension, the stretching amplitude of the tension spring is limited, and the stretching rate gradually decreases as the pile hammer moves upward. Correspondingly, the rotational torque of the impeller also gradually decreases, which corresponds to the forward tilting pressure of the platform caused by the hammer. The impact of the pile hammer on the stability of the platform is the greatest at the moment of hammering, and then decreases. Therefore, the impeller rotation is basically synchronized with it, and the platform's anti-roll balance force is also adapted to it.

[0017] The adjustment of the preload force of the tension spring can regulate the rotation speed of the impeller. In addition, the opening of the pressure regulating hole can regulate the water pressure in the water pipe. Together with the tension spring, the platform balancing force generated by the water pipe can be adjusted.

[0018] It is not difficult to see that, in comparison, this solution can realize long-arm piling operations on smaller platforms. The interference of the piling process on the stability of the platform can be adaptively reduced. The balancing force does not require external force drive and complex control, and is automatically applied according to the piling rhythm. The balancing force is separated from the hammer force of the piling and has no effect on the drop hammer. It is suitable for offshore coastal dam piling operations and has low platform cost. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic structural diagram of a small offshore platform for offshore piling operations provided by the present invention;

[0020] Figure 2 It is a cross-sectional view of the aqueduct;

[0021] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a small offshore platform used for offshore piling operations.

[0022] In the figure, 1. platform; 2. boom; 3. pile hammer; 4. telescopic cylinder; 5. first fixed pulley; 6. water guide pipe; 61. cylinder; 62. cone; 63. valve; 7. mounting plate; 8. impeller; 9. worm gear; 10. worm; 11. tension spring; 12. second fixed pulley; 13. third fixed pulley; 14. drive shaft; 15. cable; 16. extension arm; 17. guide hammer cylinder; 18. movable pulley; 19. active stabilization structure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] The following are specific embodiments of the present invention and are combined with the accompanying drawings to further describe the technical solutions of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.

[0024] A platform 1 balancing control device is provided on the side away from the working end of the platform 1, which generates downward pressure on the working end of the platform 1 by balancing the hammer, ensuring that the platform 1 will not tilt due to the hammer. In addition, the pile hammer 3 is connected with a cable 15, so that the falling hammer has less influence on the stability of the platform 1.

[0025] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, it includes a platform 1, a boom 2 set on the platform 1, a pile hammer 3 connected to the top of the boom 2 and extended forward to the working end of the platform 1, a telescopic cylinder 4 located in the middle of the platform 1 and a stabilizing structure located on the platform 1 away from the working end. The cylinder body of the telescopic cylinder 4 is fixed on the platform 1, and a first fixed pulley 5 is rotatably connected to the push rod of the telescopic cylinder 4. The stabilizing structure includes a water pipe 6 fixed on the platform 1, a mounting plate 7 fixed at the lower opening of the water pipe 6 and an impeller 8 rotatably connected to the mounting plate 7. A drive shaft 14 is fixed at the axis of the impeller 8, and a worm 10 is provided at the upper end of the drive shaft. The opening of the water pipe 6 is rotatably connected to the impeller 8. It is connected to a second fixed pulley 12, which has a worm gear 9 that cooperates with the worm 10. The cable 15 passes through the second fixed pulley 12, the first fixed pulley 5 and the third fixed pulley 13 in sequence. The end of the cable 15 close to the aqueduct 6 passes around the second fixed pulley 12 and is connected to the platform 1 through a tension spring. The telescopic cylinder 4 pulls down the middle of the cable 15 to simultaneously drive the pile hammer 3 to start the hammer and rotate the impeller 8. The rotation of the second fixed pulley 12 causes the worm gear 9 to drive the worm 10 to rotate, and then the impeller 8 rotates. When the impeller 8 rotates, the seawater under the platform 1 can be transported to the top of the platform 1 through the aqueduct 6.

[0026] The logic of this solution is to use the tensioning force generated by the hammer on the cable 15 to drive the impeller 8 to rotate, forming a negative pressure at the lower end of the water pipe 6. The seawater is sucked into the water pipe 6 and then discharged from the top of the water pipe 6. In the process of pumping seawater from bottom to top, a downward pressure is exerted on the side of the platform 1 close to the water pipe 6. This downward pressure and the downward pressure on the side of the platform 1 close to the pile hammer 3 when the hammer is pulled are respectively located on both sides of the platform 1, which can partially offset each other to maintain the stability of the platform 1 and prevent the platform 1 from tilting forward due to the hammer.

[0027] When the hammer is dropped, since the pile hammer 3 is flexibly connected with the cable 15, the stability of the platform 1 will not be greatly affected during the process of the pile driving impact force generated by the hammer. The reverse rotation of the impeller 8 will not have a significant impact on the platform 1 because there is air above the water pipe 6. Therefore, this solution can maintain good stability during pile driving and can significantly reduce the size of the platform 1, which on the one hand reduces costs and on the other hand improves the displacement flexibility of the platform 1.

[0028] The platform 1 can be a floating type, a moored type, or a fixed pile type. When used with a fixed pile type, this solution can reduce the pulling force on the fixed pile during the piling process.

[0029] An extension arm 16 is provided on the platform 1, and a guide hammer cylinder 17 is fixedly provided on the extension arm 16. The pile hammer 3 is longitudinally slidably connected to the guide hammer cylinder 17. The guide hammer cylinder 17 can ensure the trajectory of the pile hammer 3. At the same time, the guide hammer cylinder 17 is also used to cooperate with the pile head to ensure that the striking effect is at the center position of the pile head. The extension arm 16 is retractable and is used to adjust the forward position of the guide hammer cylinder 17. Figure 3 As shown, when piling, the pull-out position of the extension arm 16 is adjusted according to the distance between the force application position and the platform 1, that is, the position of the guide hammer cylinder 17 is adjusted within a certain range by utilizing the flexibility of the cable 15; the platform 1 is rectangular, and the water pipe 6 and the guide hammer cylinder 17 are respectively located at the two ends of the length direction of the platform 1. In this way, the balance force offset control method set in this scheme has a more obvious effect on maintaining the stability of the platform 1.

[0030] Pile hammer 3 is connected to a movable pulley 18. The end of cable 15, closest to pile hammer 3, is connected to the middle of boom 2. Telescopic cylinder 4 is located below platform 1, while its push rod is located above it. Telescopic cylinder 4 can be a hydraulic cylinder, and both it and water conduit 6 are largely located below platform 1, effectively lowering its center of gravity.

[0031] The water conduit 6 comprises a cylinder 61 and a cone 62. Cylinder 61 is positioned above cone 62, with the larger diameter end of cone 62 facing downward. The tapered structure of the lower portion of the water conduit 6 increases the dewatering resistance of the platform 1. Furthermore, the downward pressure generated by the impeller 8 during rotation is applied to a larger surface area, resulting in more uniform pressure.

[0032] In addition, in order to improve the controllability and adaptability of stabilization, an active stabilization structure 19 similar to the water pipe 6 is set on the platform inside the water pipe 6. The difference between the two is that an electric paddle is set in the active stabilization structure, which can rotate to generate downward pressure in the rear direction of the platform 1. The principle is the same as that of the water pipe 6, except that the water pipe 6 is passively stabilized and adapted to the pile driving rhythm, while the active stabilization structure 19 is an actively controlled boosting structure, which is opened when needed to increase the downward pressure in the rear direction of the platform 1.

[0033] The specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the spirit of the present invention. Persons skilled in the art may make various modifications, additions, or substitutions to the described specific embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present invention or exceeding the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A small offshore platform (1) for offshore piling operations, characterized in that: The invention comprises a platform (1), a boom (2) arranged on the platform (1), a pile hammer (3) connected to the top of the boom (2) and extending forward from the working end of the platform (1), a telescopic cylinder (4) located in the middle of the platform (1), and a stabilizing structure located on the platform (1) away from the working end, wherein the cylinder body of the telescopic cylinder (4) is fixed on the platform (1), a push rod of the telescopic cylinder (4) is rotatably connected to a first fixed pulley (5), the stabilizing structure comprises a water pipe (6) fixed on the platform (1), a mounting plate (7) fixed at the lower opening of the water pipe (6), an impeller (8) rotatably connected to the mounting plate (7), and a drive shaft (14) fixed at the axis of the impeller (8), a second fixed pulley (12) is rotatably connected to the opening of the water pipe (6), and the upper end of the drive shaft (14) is connected to the second fixed pulley (12). The invention has a worm (10), the top of the boom (2) is rotatably connected to a third fixed pulley (13), and also includes a cable (15), the cable (15) passes through the second fixed pulley (12), the first fixed pulley (5) and the third fixed pulley (13) in sequence, a tension spring (11) is connected between the end of the cable (15) close to the water pipe (6) and the platform (1), the second fixed pulley (12) has a worm wheel (9) matched with the worm (10), the telescopic cylinder (4) pulls down the middle of the cable (15) to drive the pile hammer (3) to start hammering and the drive shaft (14) to rotate at the same time, and the telescopic cylinder (4) pulls down the middle of the cable (15) to the impeller (8) to rotate, so that the seawater under the platform (1) can be transported to the platform (1) through the water pipe (6).

2. The small offshore platform (1) for offshore piling operations according to claim 1, characterized in that: An extension arm (16) is provided on the platform (1), a guide hammer cylinder (17) is fixedly provided on the extension arm (16), and the pile hammer (3) is longitudinally slidably connected in the guide hammer cylinder (17).

3. The small offshore platform (1) for offshore piling operations according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The pile hammer (3) is connected to a movable pulley (18), and one end of the cable (15) close to the pile hammer (3) is connected to the middle of the boom (2).

4. The small offshore platform (1) for offshore piling operations according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The cylinder body of the telescopic cylinder (4) is located below the platform (1), and the push rod of the telescopic cylinder (4) is located above the platform (1).

5. The small offshore platform (1) for offshore piling operations according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The water conduit (6) comprises a cylinder (61) and a cone (62), wherein the cylinder (61) is located above the cone (62), and the large-diameter end of the cone (62) faces downward.

6. The small offshore platform (1) for offshore piling operations according to claim 5, characterized in that: The large diameter end of the cone (62) is provided with a spacer.

7. The small offshore platform (1) for offshore piling operations according to claim 5, characterized in that: A pressure regulating hole is provided on the side wall of the cone (62), and a valve (63) is provided in the pressure regulating hole.

8. The small offshore platform (1) for offshore piling operations according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The preload force of the tension spring (11) is adjustable.

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