An automatic device for removing marine growth from a tubular marine member

Abstract

This invention discloses a device for removing and protecting deposits from a tubular marine foundation structure, comprising: a detachable sleeve fitted onto a support post, a rolling element circumferentially mounted on the sleeve, a helical pusher obliquely fixed to the sleeve, and an annular scraper mounted on the sleeve. This application adjusts the combination of materials of different densities on the device to make its overall apparent density close to that of seawater, allowing the device to float in seawater. Utilizing the kinetic energy of waves to propel the device along its length, it achieves automatic lifting, lowering, and rotation on the support post without the need for a power or control system, automatically peeling off and removing deposits from the post surface. This eliminates the need for manual operation, significantly reducing labor costs and operational risks. Furthermore, this application features a simple structure, small size, low cost, and convenient assembly and disassembly, allowing free and random movement within the effective length of the tubular support post and components, effectively improving the efficiency of deposit removal.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of marine infrastructure surface attachment removal technology, specifically a tubular marine infrastructure attachment removal and protection device. Background Technology

[0002] In recent years, marine infrastructure and large-scale marine equipment have been expanding from nearshore to deep-sea applications, incorporating a large number of tubular structural components and connecting parts. Tubular structures are widely used in practical engineering projects due to their excellent mechanical properties in marine environments, optimal geometric characteristics for resisting wind and wave impacts, and economical and convenient manufacturing efficiency. Examples include bridge piers for cross-sea bridges, pipe piles for high-pile wharves, various pipelines on drilling platforms, and longitudinal and transverse pipes for floating marine structures.

[0003] However, marine organism attachment is a common problem faced by marine structures. Whether steel or concrete, once placed in seawater, a certain number of marine organisms will attach to the structure, with barnacles, shellfish, and algae being common examples. The amount of marine organisms attached to the structure increases over time, significantly increasing the load on the structure and causing biological corrosion. For floating structures, the impact of bioattachment is even more severe, affecting not only the structure's service performance but also potentially causing it to sink. Therefore, timely removal of marine organisms from structures is essential.

[0004] Currently, the removal of marine structures by high-speed jet flushing is one method, but the power unit is relatively complex and costly, and it is very difficult to remove underwater structures. Manual removal is also an option, but it is a time-consuming, labor-intensive, inefficient, and dangerous task.

[0005] Existing technology publication number CN112832299A discloses a device for cleaning surface attachments on marine pile foundations, relating to the field of pile foundation surface attachment cleaning technology. This invention includes at least one pile foundation with limiting grooves distributed along its axial direction. A drive mechanism is fixedly installed on the top of the pile foundation. A rotating component with its bottom end located externally is movably installed within the drive mechanism, and a motor is mounted on the drive mechanism to drive the rotating component. A cleaning part is movably connected to a hinged seat at the bottom end of the rotating component, and the other end of the cleaning part is movably connected to a counterweight. The counterweight is sleeved on the outside of the pile foundation, and a locking seat that mates with the limiting grooves is provided on the inner side of the pile foundation. The installed cleaning part moves around the inner side of the pile foundation, and a cleaning mechanism that fits against the pile foundation surface is provided on the moving surface of the cleaning part. This invention, through the cleaning part connected to the rotating component and the cleaning mechanism provided on the cleaning part, removes shellfish attached to the surface of the pile foundation.

[0006] The aforementioned marine pile foundation surface attachment removal device mainly uses a motor to control the cleaning structure on it to remove the pile foundation surface. It cannot rely on the undulating movement of the waves to make the cleaning device move up and down and rotate on the pile foundation. Therefore, this application proposes a tube-shaped marine foundation structure attachment removal and protection device. Summary of the Invention

[0007] This invention provides a device for removing and protecting attachments from tubular marine foundation structures, aiming to solve the problem that the aforementioned devices for cleaning attachments on the surface of marine pile foundations cannot rely on the undulating motion of ocean waves to make the cleaning device move up and down and rotate on the support to clean the attachments on the support surface.

[0008] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides a descaling and protection device for tubular marine foundation structures, comprising:

[0009] The sleeve is detachably fitted onto the support column and can float in water;

[0010] The rolling element is circumferentially mounted on the sleeve, so that the sleeve is rotatably mounted on the support.

[0011] The spiral pusher is inclined and fixed to the sleeve so that the sleeve can move up, down and rotate on the support.

[0012] An annular scraper is located at the upper and lower ends of the sleeve to clean the attached substances on the surface of the support.

[0013] The hoop moves up and down on the support by the undulating motion of the waves. Under the action of the screw pusher, the undulating motion of the waves causes the hoop to rotate and move up and down on the support, so that the annular scraper on the hoop can remove the attached objects on the support axially and circumferentially.

[0014] Preferably, the clamp has a multi-layer structure, including a first clamp and a second clamp. One end of the first clamp is hinged to one end of the second clamp, and the other ends of the first clamp and the second clamp are detachably connected by a locking element. The locking element is a plug rod, and both the first and second clamps have insertion holes at their other ends. The first and second clamps are closed so that their insertion holes are vertically aligned. One end of the plug rod is inserted into the insertion hole and connected to a nut to lock the closed first and second clamps.

[0015] Preferably, there are multiple spiral pushers, and the spiral pushers are made of a buoyancy material; the spiral pushers are evenly distributed circumferentially on the upper and lower parts of the sleeve. It also includes a spiral scraper, the two ends of which are fixedly connected to adjacent annular strips on the sleeve, and the middle part of the spiral pusher is connected to the spiral scraper. The spiral scraper and the spiral pusher are fitted together.

[0016] Preferably, the rolling element is a ball bearing or bullseye bearing to ensure stable movement of the sleeve on the support. The multi-layer sleeve is provided with multiple annular strips, which are connected by connecting rods. Annular scrapers are provided at the upper and lower ends of the sleeve, and serrations are evenly distributed along the circumference of the annular scrapers.

[0017] Compared with existing technologies, it has the following beneficial effects:

[0018] (1) This application adjusts the combination of different density materials on the device to make its overall apparent density close to that of seawater, so that the device is suspended in seawater; without the need for a power system and control system, it utilizes the abundant wave energy in the ocean to realize the automatic lifting and rotation of the cleaning and protection device on the support column, so as to automatically peel off and remove the attachments on the surface of the support column structure. No manual operation is required, which can greatly reduce labor costs and work risks.

[0019] (2) The removal and protection device of this application has a simple structure, small size, low cost, convenient loading and unloading, low related investment, and can move freely and randomly within the effective length of the tubular support and component, which can effectively improve the removal efficiency of the attached material. Attached Figure Description

[0020] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only preferred embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a descaling and protection device for a tubular marine foundation structure according to this application;

[0022] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the attachment removal and protection device for a tubular marine foundation structure according to this application;

[0023] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the removal protection device installed on the column according to this application;

[0024] Figure 4 This is a front view of the cleaning protection device of this application;

[0025] Figure 5 This is a front view of another embodiment of the protection device for clearing the obstruction of this application;

[0026] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the first and second sleeves of this application;

[0027] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram showing the fit between the spiral pusher and the spiral scraper in this application;

[0028] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of the spiral pusher of this application;

[0029] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the spiral pusher of this application.

[0030] Reference numerals: 1-Clamping sleeve; 11-First clamping sleeve; 12-Second clamping sleeve; 13-Locking component; 14-Nut; 15-Annular strip; 16-Connecting rod; 2-Rolling component; 3-Spiral pusher; 4-Annular scraper; 41-Sawtooth; 42-Annular scraper; 5-Support column; 6-Spiral scraper. Detailed Implementation

[0031] To better understand the structure, functional features, and advantages of the present invention, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings:

[0032] Example:

[0033] like Figures 1 to 7 As shown, the present invention provides a descaling and protection device for tubular marine foundation structures, comprising:

[0034] The sleeve 1 is detachably fitted onto the support column 5 and floats on the water surface to drift with the waves;

[0035] Rolling element 2 is circumferentially mounted on sleeve 1, so that sleeve 1 is rotatably mounted on support 5;

[0036] The spiral pusher 3 is fixed at both ends to the sleeve 1 by screws, so that the sleeve 1 can move up and down and rotate on the support column 5;

[0037] An annular scraper 4 is provided on the sleeve 1 to remove the attached substances from the surface of the support column 5;

[0038] The sleeve 1 moves up and down on the support column 5 by the undulating motion of the waves. Under the action of the spiral pusher 3, the undulating motion of the waves pushes the sleeve 1 to rotate and move up and down on the support column 5, so that the annular scraper 4 on the sleeve 1 can remove the attached material on the support column 5 axially and circumferentially.

[0039] Each component of the clearing protection device must have its weight and volume precisely measured, and counterweights or weight reductions may be necessary to ensure that the overall apparent density of the clearing protection device is comparable to that of seawater. This characteristic allows the device's movement in seawater to depend primarily on wave motion, exhibiting randomness and multidirectionality, while eliminating interference from unidirectional buoyancy and gravity.

[0040] The above-mentioned device can be installed on the surface of vertical, horizontal and oblique tubular structural components. Under the random undulation and impact of waves, the attachment removal and protection device can move up and down with the waves, move left and right, and rotate around the axis of the tubular component, thereby achieving the removal of the attachment.

[0041] As another embodiment of this application, such as Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, the sleeve 1 of this application has a multi-layer structure. The multi-layer sleeve 1 includes a first sleeve 11 and a second sleeve 12. One end of the first sleeve 11 is hinged to one end of the second sleeve 12, and the other end of the first sleeve 11 is detachably connected to the other end of the second sleeve 12 through a locking member 13.

[0042] See Figure 2 In this application, the locking component 13 is a plug rod. The other ends of the first sleeve 11 and the second sleeve 12 are provided with plug holes. The first sleeve 11 and the second sleeve 12 are closed so that the plug holes on them are vertically aligned. One end of the plug rod is connected to the nut 14 through the plug hole to lock the closed first sleeve 11 and the second sleeve 12.

[0043] As another embodiment of this application, such as Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, this application includes multiple spiral pushers 3, and the material of the spiral pushers 3 is a buoyancy material; furthermore, the spiral pushers 3 are made of wood or lightweight materials such as foam plastic or plastic. The spiral pushers 3 are evenly distributed circumferentially on the upper and lower parts of the sleeve 1. Further, see... Figure 1 and Figure 9 The spiral pushers 3 are evenly distributed circumferentially on the sleeve 1; there are 3-5 spiral pushers 3. When there are 4 spiral pushers 3, they are evenly distributed circumferentially on the sleeve 1 at a 90-degree angle. Furthermore, the two ends of the spiral pushers 3 of this application protrude beyond the upper and lower ends of the sleeve 1.

[0044] See Figure 2 and Figure 7 This application also includes a spiral scraper 6, whose two ends are fixedly connected to adjacent annular strips 15 on the sleeve 1, and the middle part of the spiral pusher 3 is connected to the spiral scraper 6. By setting the spiral scraper 6, the sleeve 1 can circumferentially scrape off the deposits on the surface of the tubular support 5 and the component when rotating on the surface of the component, further improving the deposit removal efficiency of the cleaning and protection device. Furthermore, the spiral scraper 6 is made of corrosion-resistant metal material. When the spiral pusher 3 of this application is... Figure 8 As shown, the spiral pushers 3, which are distributed vertically, are all connected to the spiral scrapers 6; when the spiral pushers 3 of this application are Figure 9As shown, each spiral pusher 3 is connected to two spiral scrapers 6, so that each layer of the sleeve 1 is provided with the same number of spiral scrapers 6 as the spiral pusher 3, and the number of spiral scrapers 6 on the entire sleeve 1 is twice that of the spiral pusher 3.

[0045] See Figure 7 In this application, the spiral scraper 6 is fitted with the spiral pusher 3 to increase the contact area between the waves and the spiral scraper 6, so that the sleeve 1 can respond quickly to the undulations of the waves.

[0046] See Figure 4 and Figure 5 The multi-layered clamp 1 of this application is provided with multiple annular strips 15, which are connected by connecting rods 16. The clamp 1 of this application adopts an annular frame structure composed of annular strips 15 and spiral pusher 3. The overall apparent density of the attachment removal and protection device obtained with the clamp 1 of this annular frame structure as the main body is close to the density of seawater. The device can thus be freely suspended along the pipe structure in seawater, thereby overcoming the influence of unidirectional driving forces such as gravity and buoyancy, and providing feasibility for the removal and protection device to move randomly and in multiple directions up and down, left and right, and diagonally.

[0047] See Figure 2 The rolling element 2 is a ball bearing or bullseye bearing, so that the sleeve 1 can be stably rolled, lifted and rotated on the support column 5 by means of the ball bearing or bullseye bearing.

[0048] Furthermore, universal bullseye bearings are installed on the annular bar 15 at certain intervals (the included angle between two adjacent points does not exceed 45°), that is, no less than 8 bullseye bearings are installed on each annular bar 15. These bullseye bearings have protruding steel balls that contact the tubular support 5 and the surface of the component, ensuring the flexibility and stability of the device during movement. The number and installation position of the universal bullseye bearings should emphasize symmetry and balance to ensure smooth up-and-down and left-and-right movement of the device. Furthermore, the annular bar 15 is made of stainless steel.

[0049] As another embodiment of this application, such as Figure 4 As shown, the annular scraper 4 of this application is disposed at the upper and lower ends of the sleeve 1. The annular scraper 4 is provided with serrations 41 evenly distributed along the circumference, so as to remove the attached substances on the surface of the support column 5 by setting the serrations 41.

[0050] Further, see Figure 5 Furthermore, the annular scraper 4 of this application can also be equipped with an annular scraper 42 to replace the saw teeth 41. The annular scraper 42 is a flat blade structure. The annular scraper 42 can also be a structure with one end higher and the other end lower, so that when the sleeve 1 rotates, the annular scraper 42 can clean the attached material located on the outer surface of the support column 5.

[0051] Since the sleeve 1 is composed of two semicircular first sleeve 11 and second sleeve 12, its annular scraper 4 is also composed of two semicircular first annular scraper and second annular scraper. In order to facilitate the installation of the insertion rod, the annular scraper 4 composed of the first annular scraper and the second annular scraper is provided with a notch.

[0052] The working principle of this application is as follows: In use, the nut 14 at one end of the insertion rod on one side of the sleeve 1 is loosened and the insertion rod is pulled out to open the sleeve 1 and then it is closed by fitting it onto the support column 5. Then, the insertion rod is inserted into the insertion hole and connected to the waterproof nut 14 to fix the sleeve 1 onto the support column 5. After installation, the sleeve 1 floats on the water surface under its own buoyancy. When the above-mentioned cleaning protection device is installed on the vertical pipe support column 5, since the influence of gravity and buoyancy on this device is eliminated, the cleaning protection device can rise and fall on the support column 5 with the wave action. The wave simultaneously drives the helical pusher 3 to rotate the cleaning protection device around the support column 5. When the cleaning protection device is installed on a horizontal pipe-shaped component, the wave drives the helical pusher 3 to rotate and push the sleeve 1 to move laterally.

[0053] During the sliding, moving, and rotating process of the cleaning protection device, the circumferential and oblique annular scrapers 4 remove the deposits on the surface of the support column 5 and the component. Because multiple universal bullseye bearings are installed on the annular strip 15, in which the protruding steel balls roll against the outer surface of the support column 5, a certain gap is maintained between the annular scraper 4 and the surface of the support column 5, so that the sleeve 1 will not damage the tubular support column 5 and the component itself during the sliding process.

[0054] When the length of the tubular support column 5 and components in the marine structure is very large, the tubular support column 5 and components can be divided into two or more sections. Accordingly, each section of the tubular support column 5 or component is equipped with a desiccant removal and protection device, and each desiccant removal and protection device is responsible for cleaning the desiccant from the section of the tubular support column 5 or component. The tubular structure of this application can be a foundation structure (support column) for underwater support, or a reinforcing component (tubular component) for underwater reinforcement structure. Among them, the tubular component is mostly a reinforcing component that is horizontally or inclinedly installed in the water.

[0055] The above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention in any way. Any person skilled in the art can make many possible variations and modifications to the technical solutions of the present invention, or modify them into equivalent embodiments, without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, any modifications, equivalent changes, and alterations made to the above embodiments based on the technology of the present invention without departing from the scope of the present invention are within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An attachment cleaning protection device for a tubular marine foundation structure, characterized in that include: The sleeve (1) can be detachably fitted onto the support column (5) and suspended in the water; A rolling element (2) is disposed on the sleeve (1) in the circumferential direction, so that the sleeve (1) is rolled on the support (5); The spiral pusher (3) is inclined and fixed on the sleeve (1) so that the sleeve (1) can move up and down and rotate on the support (5); An annular scraper (4) is provided on the sleeve (1); The hoop (1) moves up and down on the support column (5) by the undulating motion of the waves, and under the action of the spiral pusher (3), the undulating motion of the waves pushes the hoop (1) to rotate and move up and down on the support column (5), so that the annular scraper (4) on the hoop (1) can remove the attachments on the support column (5) axially and circumferentially. It also includes a spiral scraper (6), the two ends of which are fixedly connected to adjacent annular strips (15) on the sleeve (1), and the middle part of the spiral pusher (3) is connected to the spiral scraper (6); the spiral scraper (6) and the spiral pusher (3) are fitted together; The sleeve (1) is a multi-layer structure, which includes a first sleeve (11) and a second sleeve (12). One end of the first sleeve (11) is hinged to one end of the second sleeve (12), and the other end of the first sleeve (11) is detachably connected to the other end of the second sleeve (12) through a locking member (13). The locking component (13) is a plug rod. The other ends of the first sleeve (11) and the second sleeve (12) are provided with plug holes. The first sleeve (11) and the second sleeve (12) are closed so that the plug holes on them are vertically aligned. One end of the plug rod is inserted into the plug hole and connected to the nut (14) to lock the closed first sleeve (11) and the second sleeve (12). There are multiple spiral pushers (3), and the material of the spiral pushers (3) is a buoyancy material; the spiral pushers (3) are evenly distributed in the upper and lower parts of the sleeve (1) along the circumference; The annular scraper (4) is disposed at the upper and lower ends of the sleeve (1), and the annular scraper (4) is evenly provided with serrations (41) along the circumferential direction. Multiple annular strips (15) are provided on the multi-layered sleeve (1), and the multiple annular strips (15) are connected by connecting rods (16).

2. The attachment removal and protection device for tubular marine foundation structures according to claim 1, characterized in that, The rolling element (2) is a ball bearing or a bullseye bearing.

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