Umbilical cable bending limiter

Abstract

The invention belongs to the technical field of ocean engineering, and particularly relates to an umbilical cable bending limiting device which comprises a plurality of inner cylinder parts and a plurality of outer cylinder parts, the inner cylinder parts are used for an umbilical cable to penetrate through, first bosses are annularly arranged at the two ends of the outer side of each inner cylinder part, and the two end faces of each first boss are inclined faces; the two inclined faces are obliquely arranged in the opposite directions, the axial size of the outer side of the first boss is smaller than that of the inner side of the first boss, concave cavities used for containing the first boss are annularly formed in the middles of the inner sides of the multiple outer barrel pieces, and the two ends of each inner barrel piece are correspondingly arranged in the two axially adjacent outer barrel pieces. According to the invention, irregular motion of the umbilical cable caused by the acting force of ocean current, sea wave and the like can be avoided, the phenomena of trailing, winding and cable disorder are effectively prevented, the influence on the attitude control and positioning precision of the submersible is avoided, and the service life of the submersible is prolonged. The underwater operation efficiency is improved; and the operation continuity is guaranteed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of marine engineering technology, and specifically relates to an umbilical cable bend limiter. Background Technology

[0002] As human exploration of the ocean deepens, deep-sea tethered submersibles are playing an increasingly important role in marine scientific research and resource exploration. The umbilical cable is a crucial connection to the mother ship, used to transmit power, signals, and control commands, providing power and communication support. Umbilical cable trailing refers to the phenomenon where the umbilical cable drags behind the underwater equipment during its movement. When operating in the complex currents of the deep sea, due to the complex and ever-changing ocean dynamics such as currents and waves, the umbilical cable connecting the tethered submersible to the mother ship can be dragged behind the submersible. This trailing phenomenon, influenced by various factors such as currents and the submersible's movement, can cause irregular swaying. This not only affects the submersible's attitude control and positioning accuracy, impacting its motion performance and stability, but can also lead to the umbilical cable becoming entangled with the surrounding environment (such as seabed reefs and marine life), damaging the umbilical cable or affecting the normal operation of the submersible, and even potentially causing the failure of the entire exploration mission. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The technical problem to be solved by this invention is to provide an umbilical cable bend limiter, which aims to avoid affecting the deployment and recovery of submersibles and normal underwater operations. It can prevent irregular movement of the umbilical cable caused by ocean currents, waves and other forces, effectively prevent tailing, entanglement and cable mess, and avoid affecting the attitude control and positioning accuracy of the submersible, thereby improving the efficiency of underwater operations and ensuring the continuity of operations.

[0004] The present invention includes several inner cylinders and several outer cylinders. The inner cylinders are used for the umbilical cable to pass through. Both ends of the outer side of the inner cylinders are provided with a boss. Both end faces of the boss are inclined surfaces, and the two inclined surfaces are inclined in opposite directions. The axial dimension of the outer side of the boss is smaller than the axial dimension of the inner side. The middle of the inner side of the outer cylinders is provided with a cavity for accommodating the boss. The two ends of a single inner cylinder are respectively arranged in two axially adjacent outer cylinders, and the boss at the opposite end of the two axially adjacent inner cylinders is located in the cavity of a single outer cylinder.

[0005] Furthermore, the inner diameters at both ends of the outer cylinder gradually increase from the connection point with the cavity to the end face of the outer cylinder.

[0006] Furthermore, the outer edges of both end faces of the outer cylinder are provided with chamfered bevels.

[0007] Furthermore, the inner diameter of the cavity gradually decreases from the middle of the cavity to both ends. When the umbilical cable bending limiter is in its maximum bending state, the side of the boss at one end of two adjacent inner cylinders in the axial direction abuts against the inner wall of the cavity.

[0008] Furthermore, the inner diameter of the inner cylinder gradually increases from the middle to both ends, and the inner sidewall of the inner cylinder is an arc-shaped surface.

[0009] Furthermore, it also includes an adapter, which has an axial through hole for the umbilical cable to pass through. One end of the outer side of the adapter has a second boss, which has the same structure as the first boss and is located in the cavity of the outer cylinder at the head. The other end of the outer side of the adapter has a flange plate for fixing to the submersible bullet head.

[0010] Furthermore, it also includes a conical sleeve, the inside of which the umbilical cable can pass through, and the end of the conical sleeve with the larger outer diameter is provided with a cylinder for the umbilical cable to pass through. The end side of the cylinder is provided with a third boss in a circumferential manner. The third boss has the same structure as the first boss, and the third boss is located in the cavity of the outer cylinder at the tail.

[0011] Furthermore, the conical sleeve is formed by two conical half-sleeves that are fixed to each other.

[0012] Furthermore, each inner cylinder component is formed by two mutually fixed inner cylinder half-tiles, and each outer cylinder component is formed by two mutually fixed outer cylinder half-tiles.

[0013] Furthermore, the inner cylinder half-tile is made of polyurethane, and the outer cylinder half-tile is made of a buoyant material or has buoyant material inside.

[0014] The beneficial effects of this invention are that it can protect the umbilical cable, and the bend limiter can achieve a bend range of about 90°, which will not affect the deployment and recovery of the submersible or its normal underwater operations. When the bend limiter bends to the locking angle, the first boss, the second cavity, and the adjacent first boss form a surface-to-surface contact state, realizing bending lock, effectively adding extra bending stiffness to the umbilical cable, slowing down its further bending, avoiding irregular movement of the umbilical cable due to the forces of ocean currents, waves, etc., effectively preventing tailing, entanglement, and cable tangling, and avoiding affecting the attitude control and positioning accuracy of the submersible, improving the underwater operation efficiency of the submersible and ensuring the continuity of operations. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the umbilical cable bending limiter of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 2 This is a first-view structural schematic diagram of the inner cylinder half-tile of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the inner cylinder half-tile structure from a second perspective.

[0018] Figure 4 This is a first-view structural schematic diagram of the outer cylinder half-tile of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the outer cylinder half-tile structure from a second perspective.

[0020] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the adapter half-watt of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the straight state of the umbilical cable bend limiter of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the umbilical cable bending limiter of the present invention in its maximum bending state.

[0023] In the diagram: 1. Inner cylinder; 11. Inner cylinder half-sleeve; 111. Boss one; 112. Inclined surface; 113. Fixing hole one; 2. Outer cylinder; 21. Outer cylinder half-sleeve; 211. Cavity; 212. Chamfered bevel; 213. Fixing hole two; 3. Adapter; 31. Adapter half-sleeve; 311. Boss two; 312. Flange plate; 4. Conical sleeve; 41. Cylinder; 42. Channel; 100. Umbilical cable. Detailed Implementation

[0024] like Figures 1-8 As shown, the present invention provides an umbilical cable bending limiter, comprising several inner cylindrical components 1 and several outer cylindrical components 2. The inner cylindrical components 1 are used for the umbilical cable 100 to pass through. Each of the outer ends of the inner cylindrical components 1 is circumferentially provided with a boss 111. The two axial end faces of the boss 111 are inclined surfaces 112, and the two inclined surfaces 112 are inclined in opposite directions, i.e., the inclination directions of the two inclined surfaces 112 are opposite. Figure 2 Taking the shown perspective as an example, the left end of boss 111 is tilted to the right, and the right end is tilted to the left, making the axial dimension of the outer side of boss 111 smaller than the axial dimension of the inner side. A cavity 211 is circumferentially provided in the middle of the inner side of several outer cylinder members 2, and this cavity 211 is used to accommodate the boss 111. The two ends of a single inner cylinder member 1 are correspondingly located in two axially adjacent outer cylinder members 2, and the boss 111 at the opposite end of two axially adjacent inner cylinder members 1 is located in the cavity 211 of a single outer cylinder member 2, i.e., as shown... Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown.

[0025] In this invention, the inner cylinder 1 and the outer cylinder 2 are nested sequentially, and the inner cylinder 1 and the outer cylinder 2 can rotate relative to each other within a certain range. Based on the specific structural arrangement of the inner cylinder 1 and the outer cylinder 2, the umbilical cable 100 can be protected. When in use, the bending limiter can achieve a bending range of about 90°, which will not affect the deployment and recovery of the submersible or its normal underwater operations. When the bending limiter bends to the locking angle, the boss 111, the cavity 211, and the adjacent boss 111 form a surface-to-surface contact state, realizing bending lock, effectively adding extra bending stiffness to the umbilical cable 100, slowing down its further bending, and preventing irregular movement of the umbilical cable 100 due to the forces of ocean currents, waves, etc., effectively preventing tailing, entanglement, and cable tangling, and avoiding affecting the attitude control and positioning accuracy of the submersible, improving the underwater operation efficiency of the submersible and ensuring the continuity of operations.

[0026] The inner diameters of both ends of the outer cylinder 2 gradually increase from the connection point with the cavity 211 to the end face of the outer cylinder 2, meaning that both ends of the outer cylinder 2 have a flared structure. Based on this design, while achieving the bendability of the bend limiter, the inner diameters at the connection points between the two ends of the outer cylinder 2 and the cavity 211 can be set to be smaller. This provides support for the deflection of the inner cylinder 1 when the bend limiter bends, improving the stability and reliability of the overall structure of the bend limiter, while also ensuring the reliability of the limiting position during bending lock.

[0027] The outer edges of both end faces of the outer cylinder 2 are provided with chamfered bevels 212, which ensures that the bending limiter can achieve a bending range of about 90° without increasing the axial distance between adjacent outer cylinders 2. At the same time, the bending radius is smaller, which helps to improve the flexibility of underwater operations of the submersible.

[0028] The inner diameter of the cavity 211 gradually decreases from the middle of the cavity 211 to both ends, such as... Figure 4 As shown, the left and right parts of the inner wall of the cavity 211 are both inclined, so that in the maximum bending state of the bend limiter, the side of the boss-111 at the opposite end of the two axially adjacent inner cylinder parts 1 abuts against the inner wall of the cavity 211, that is, as Figure 8 As shown. Based on this setting, the contact area between the boss 111 and the cavity 211 during bending locking can be increased, further improving the reliability and effectiveness of its bending limit.

[0029] The inner diameter of the inner cylinder 1 gradually increases from its middle to both ends, and the inner sidewall of the inner cylinder 1 is an arc-shaped surface, which can better fit the curved umbilical cable 100.

[0030] In this invention, a single inner cylinder component 1 is formed by two mutually fixed inner cylinder half-slabs 11. Specifically, each inner cylinder half-slab 11 has a fixing hole 113, which allows the two inner cylinder half-slabs 11 to be fixed with bolts and nuts, or to be bound together with metal cable ties passing through the fixing hole 113. A single outer cylinder component 2 is formed by two mutually fixed outer cylinder half-slabs 21. Specifically, each outer cylinder half-slab 21 has a fixing hole 213, which allows the two outer cylinder half-slabs 21 to be fixed with bolts and nuts, or to be bound together with metal cable ties passing through the fixing hole 213. The method of binding with metal cable ties, compared to bolt connections, can withstand greater loads and tensions, avoiding or reducing the problem of easy breakage at the connection point under heavy loads.

[0031] Preferably, the inner cylinder half-shield 11 is made of polyurethane, which has high elasticity and wear resistance, effectively buffering the impact force on the umbilical cable 100 during bending and reducing friction and wear between the umbilical cable 100 and the inner cylinder half-shield 11. Preferably, the outer cylinder half-shield 21 is made of lightweight, high-strength, seawater-corrosion-resistant composite material, such as polyurethane or other materials, and the outer cylinder half-shield 21 is filled with a low-density buoyancy material. Based on this configuration, sufficient buoyancy can be provided for the bend limiter, which can offset part of the weight of the umbilical cable 100, reducing the weight burden of the entire system, constraining the umbilical cable 100 to float upward, and preventing the umbilical cable 100 from being dragged behind the submersible, thus reducing the weight burden of the umbilical cable 100 in the water and reducing bending stress caused by its own weight. At the same time, it can make the system more stable and reduce the amplitude of swaying and displacement. In other embodiments, the outer cylinder half-shield 21 can also be made entirely of a buoyancy material.

[0032] The invention also includes an adapter 3, which has an axially penetrating through hole for the umbilical cable 100 to pass through. One end of the adapter 3 has a second boss 311 circumferentially arranged, which has the same structure as the first boss 111 and is located in the cavity 211 of the outer cylindrical member 2 at the head. The outer cylindrical member 2 at the head is one of several axially arranged outer cylindrical members 2 located at one end. The other end of the adapter 3 has a flange plate 312 for fixing to the submersible warhead. Specifically, the flange plate 312 has several fixing holes 3, through which bolts are passed to fix the adapter 3 to the submersible warhead. Based on this arrangement, one end of the bend limiter can be effectively fixed, preventing uncontrollable axial relative displacement between the bend limiter and the umbilical cable 100, which would affect the bend limiting effect.

[0033] The adapter 3 is specifically formed by two mutually fixed adapter half-tiles. The two adapter half-tiles 31 are provided with fixing holes 4, which can be fixed by bolts and nuts, or by metal cable ties passing through fixing holes 4 to bind and fix the two adapter half-tiles.

[0034] The invention also includes a conical sleeve 4, the interior of which allows the umbilical cable 100 to pass through. The larger outer diameter end of the conical sleeve 4 has a cylindrical section 41 through which the umbilical cable 100 passes. A third boss is circumferentially arranged on the side of the end of the cylindrical section 41. The third boss has the same structure as the first boss 111 and is located in the cavity 211 of the outer cylinder 2 at the tail. Based on this arrangement, the tip of the conical sleeve 4 is positioned away from the bend limiter. During recovery operations, the conical sleeve 4 can use its tip to break open the latch on the deployment system's oscillator, facilitating the automatic recovery of the submersible.

[0035] The conical sleeve 4 is formed by two conical half-tiles that are fixed to each other. Specifically, several channels 42 are provided on the side of the conical half-tiles, and metal cable ties are used to bind and fix the two conical half-tiles in the channels 42.

[0036] Those skilled in the art should understand that the discussion of any of the above embodiments is merely exemplary and is not intended to imply that the scope of protection of this application is limited to these examples; within the framework of this application, the technical features of the above embodiments or different embodiments can also be combined, the steps can be implemented in any order, and there are many other variations of different aspects of one or more embodiments of this application as described above, which are not provided in detail for the sake of brevity.

[0037] One or more embodiments in this application are intended to cover all such substitutions, modifications, and variations that fall within the broad scope of this application. Therefore, any omissions, modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of one or more embodiments in this application should be included within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. An umbilical cable bend limiter, characterized in that, It includes several inner cylinders (1) and several outer cylinders (2). Several inner cylinders (1) are used for the umbilical cable (100) to pass through. Both outer ends of several inner cylinders (1) are circumferentially provided with bosses (111). The two end faces of the bosses (111) are inclined surfaces (112). The two inclined surfaces (112) are inclined in opposite directions. The axial dimension of the outer side of the bosses (111) is smaller than the axial dimension of the inner side. The middle of the inner side of several outer cylinders (2) is circumferentially provided with cavities (211) for accommodating the bosses (111). The two ends of a single inner cylinder (1) are correspondingly arranged in two axially adjacent outer cylinders (2), and the bosses (111) at the opposite end of two axially adjacent inner cylinders (1) are located in the cavity (211) of a single outer cylinder (2).

2. The umbilical cable bend limiter as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The inner diameters of both ends of the outer cylinder (2) gradually increase from the connection point with the cavity (211) to the end face of the outer cylinder (2).

3. The umbilical cable bend limiter as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The outer edges of both end faces of the outer cylinder (2) are provided with chamfered bevels (212).

4. The umbilical cable bend limiter as described in any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The inner diameter of the cavity (211) gradually decreases from the middle of the cavity (211) to both ends of the cavity (211). Under the maximum bending state of the umbilical cable limiter, the side of the boss (111) at one end of the two adjacent inner cylinders (1) in the axial direction abuts against the inner wall of the cavity (211).

5. The umbilical cable bend limiter as described in any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The inner diameter of the inner cylinder (1) gradually increases from the middle to both ends, and the inner sidewall of the inner cylinder (1) is an arc-shaped surface.

6. The umbilical cable bend limiter as described in any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, It also includes a connector (3), which has an axial through hole for the umbilical cable (100) to pass through. One end of the outer side of the connector (3) is provided with a second boss (311), which has the same structure as the first boss (111) and is located in the cavity (211) of the outer cylinder (2) at the head. The other end of the outer side of the connector (3) is provided with a flange plate (312) for fixing to the submersible bullet head.

7. The umbilical cable bend limiter as described in claim 6, characterized in that, It also includes a conical sleeve (4), the inside of which the umbilical cable (100) can pass through, and the end of the conical sleeve (4) with a large outer diameter is provided with a cylinder (41) through which the umbilical cable (100) can pass through. The end side of the cylinder (41) is provided with a boss three in a circumferential manner. The boss three has the same structure as the boss one (111), and the boss three is located in the cavity (211) of the outer cylinder (2) at the tail.

8. The umbilical cable bend limiter as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The adapter (3) is formed by two mutually fixed adapter half-tiles (31), and the conical sleeve (4) is formed by two mutually fixed conical half-tiles.

9. The umbilical cable bend limiter as described in any one of claims 1-3, 7, and 8, characterized in that, Each inner cylinder member (1) is formed by two inner cylinder half-tiles (11) fixed to each other, and each outer cylinder member (2) is formed by two outer cylinder half-tiles (21) fixed to each other.

10. The umbilical cable bend limiter as described in claim 9, characterized in that, The inner cylinder half-tile (11) is made of polyurethane, and the outer cylinder half-tile (21) is made of a buoyant material or has a buoyant material inside.

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