Plant for manufacturing elongated tensile members and method of building such a plant

Abstract

A factory 2 for manufacturing elongated tensile members is provided. The factory comprises at least one apparatus for manufacturing elongated tensile members. The at least one apparatus comprises a feeder, a processing device and at least one end fitting device. The feeder is arranged to provide input material. The input material comprises at least one load carrying wire and / or at least one load carrying metal wire and / or load carrying fiber. The processing device is arranged to twist and / or twist and / or bundle the input material provided by the feeder. The at least one end fitting device is arranged to provide a proximal end fitting and a distal end fitting for the elongated tensile member. The factory further comprises a floating body 4, the floating body being arranged to support the at least one apparatus for manufacturing elongated tensile members.

Description

[0001] This invention relates to a factory for manufacturing elongated tensile members as described in the preamble of claim 1. The invention also relates to a method for constructing such a factory as described in the preamble of claim 16.

[0002] Elongated tension members are used to bear loads, particularly tensile loads. They are used in various industrial sectors, including but not limited to offshore, mining, heavy lifting, and construction. In the offshore industry, such tension members serve as mooring lines for ships and structures such as floating oil exploration or production facilities or floating wind turbines. Another example of a floating structure is a tension leg platform, where an elongated tension member acts as the tension leg. In the mining and heavy lifting industries, elongated tension members are used as suspension devices for cranes. In the construction industry, elongated tension members can be used for bridges or roofs.

[0003] An apparatus for manufacturing an elongated tensile member is known from WO-A1-2017 / 099589. This document discloses manufacturing the tensile member by positioning two loops relative to each other at a predetermined distance and winding at least one wire around the loops until a predetermined number of layers of coils are provided at both loops.

[0004] Long tension components typically exceed 100 meters in length, and some even reach or exceed 250 meters. The considerable length of these components makes transporting them to deployment sites, such as offshore wind farms, a complex and costly operation. Therefore, local manufacturing of these components is necessary. However, this requires the construction of factories. For example, factories producing wind turbine components are often located in coastal areas near future wind farms. This necessitates significant land use, which may not always be feasible. Furthermore, once the wind farm is completed, the factory is no longer used. This represents a waste of land use. In some cases, authorities require the factory to be dismantled after construction, which incurs substantial costs.

[0005] The present invention aims to solve these problems, or at least provide an alternative. In particular, the present invention aims to provide a factory for the local manufacture of long tensile components, which avoids the waste of land use and / or the cost of forced demolition or destruction of the factory.

[0006] This objective is achieved by the factory as described in claim 1.

[0007] The plant includes at least one piece of equipment for manufacturing elongated tensile members. The at least one piece of equipment includes: a feeder, a processing device, and at least one end-assembly device. The feeder is arranged to provide input material. The input material includes: at least one load-bearing wire and / or at least one load-bearing metal wire and / or load-bearing fiber. The processing device is arranged to wind and / or twist and / or bundle the input material provided by the feeder. The at least one end-assembly device is arranged to provide proximal end-assemblies and distal end-assemblies for the elongated tensile members. The plant also includes a float arranged to support the at least one piece of equipment for manufacturing the elongated tensile members.

[0008] The plant according to the invention enables the local manufacture of elongated tensile components. The floating body allows the plant to be transported on water to manufacture elongated tensile components near a construction site—such as an offshore wind farm—without requiring a local land-based construction site. The floating body includes, for example, a vessel, ship, or floating platform. The plant may include propulsion devices such as engines and / or propellers, but preferably, the plant is non-motorized, i.e., without engines and / or propellers, in which case it can be transported by towing. After construction at the construction site is completed, the plant can be relocated to different deployment sites.

[0009] Long tension members can also be called cables or tendons.

[0010] Input materials may include, for example, metals and / or synthetic materials and / or fibers, such as carbon fiber, basalt fiber, polyamide fiber, polyester fiber, polypropylene fiber, polyethylene fiber, aramid fiber, para-aramid fiber, HMPE fiber, LCAP fiber, or PBO fiber.

[0011] Preferred embodiments are defined in the dependent claims and the following paragraphs.

[0012] In one embodiment, the input material comprises at least one wire. The processing device is arranged to wind the at least one wire around two loops, from the first loop to the second loop and back to the first loop, repeating this winding until a sufficient number of turns are extended between the two loops, which are located at opposite ends of an elongated tension member. Proximal and distal end fittings of the elongated tension member include these two loops. The at least one end fitting includes a first loop retainer and a second loop retainer, which are positioned a distance apart from each other. Each loop retainer is designed to retain one of the two loops.

[0013] In the context of this specification, a thread is defined as a bundle of untwisted or twisted fibers or filaments, which may be one or more types. Preferably, a thread comprises a bundle of untwisted fibers.

[0014] In this embodiment, the at least one device manufactures elongated tension members through a process known as "circular winding." Tension members manufactured by circular winding exhibit high strength and long service life compared to, for example, steel wire ropes or ropes made of twisted and / or braided plastic fibers.

[0015] Preferably, the processing apparatus includes an elongated guide and a carriage, wherein a feeder is connected to the carriage. The elongated guide and the carriage are movably connected to each other so that the carriage can move relative to the elongated guide along the length of the elongated guide. The feeder includes at least one spool retainer for holding the spool having at least one wire, and the output guide for guiding the at least one wire to the elongated tension member during winding. The output guide and a first loop retainer, and the output guide and a second loop retainer, are movable relative to each other at least in a direction perpendicular to the length of the elongated guide to guide the at least one wire to rotate half a turn around the first and second of the two loops, respectively, during winding.

[0016] As an alternative to ring winding, the elongated tension member comprises a rope, such as a metal wire rope or a plastic rope, and the input material comprises a metal wire (such as a steel wire) or a fiber (such as a plastic fiber, basalt fiber, or carbon fiber). In this alternative embodiment, the processing apparatus is arranged to twist or braid the metal wire or fiber.

[0017] In one embodiment, the float is a vessel comprising a hull and an upper deck.

[0018] In another embodiment, the at least one device is arranged within the hull of the vessel, below the upper deck. By arranging the at least one device within the hull, it is protected from saltwater corrosion, which would otherwise cause corrosion of the device components. Furthermore, environmental control of the hull can be implemented, for example through heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, which is beneficial to the personnel operating the at least one device.

[0019] In another embodiment, a reel is provided on the upper deck of the vessel for winding one or more elongated tension members onto the reel, and the upper deck includes hatches for feeding the elongated tension members, manufactured within the hull by the at least one device, onto the reel on the upper deck. Thus, the tension members can be stored on the upper deck and transported from the upper deck to a nearby deployment location. Preferably, the elongated tension members are corrosion-resistant, allowing them to be stored on the upper deck unaffected by saltwater. For example, the input material for the tension members is corrosion-resistant (e.g., synthetic fibers) and / or the tension members are provided with a protective cover (e.g., a protective cover made of synthetic material).

[0020] In one embodiment, the vessel's hull comprises a double-hulled structure, at least partially filled with ballast material comprising a flowable solid material and / or fresh water. Traditionally, seawater has been used as ballast, which has the disadvantage of causing hull corrosion. The inventors recognize that the floating plant of the present invention can be permanently ballasted because the load borne by the vessel does not change significantly over time compared to, for example, container ships or oil tankers. Therefore, the vessel can be ballasted with fresh water, which is less corrosive than seawater, thereby extending the plant's service life. In one embodiment, the vessel is ballasted with a flowable solid material. Flowable solid materials include one or more of the following: sand, concrete, and rock. For example, flowable solid materials may include gravel or crushed rock / hornfels. An additional advantage of sand is that it has lower thermal conductivity than water, thus providing insulation for the hull, which reduces energy consumption when environmentally controlling the hull.

[0021] In one embodiment, the vessel is a converted motorboat, wherein the engine of the motorboat is removed from the vessel's engine room to reuse the engine room, preferably reusing it as a storage room for input materials. Preferably, the vessel is towed to the desired location.

[0022] In one embodiment, the vessel is a converted oil tanker, such as a Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC), whose hull includes a tank structure in which at least one inner deck is mounted to provide multiple manufacturing compartments, wherein the at least one piece of equipment is disposed in one of the manufacturing compartments. The inventors have found that the tank structure of an oil tanker is particularly suitable for mounting one or more inner decks, for example, for forming multiple manufacturing layers within the vessel.

[0023] Specifically, the cabin structure typically includes reinforcing beams. In one embodiment, at least one inner deck is mounted to the reinforcing beam. The inner deck mounted to the reinforcing beam may be referred to as a "reinforcing beam deck". Preferably, multiple reinforcing beam decks are provided within the hull of the vessel.

[0024] In one embodiment, at least one inner deck is provided in the floating body (e.g., the hull of a ship). In one example, multiple inner decks are provided. Each of the one or more inner decks is provided with multiple devices for manufacturing elongated tensile members. The multiple devices are arranged in parallel on the respective inner decks to form parallel manufacturing lines. Preferably, the at least one inner deck is also provided with a weaving machine for weaving a protective covering around the elongated tensile member. The weaving machine is movable between at least two manufacturing lines. For example, the weaving machine is provided with wheels and / or rails to enable movement between manufacturing lines. Weaving can also be referred to as "weaving," and the weaving machine can also be referred to as a "weaving machine."

[0025] In an alternative embodiment, multiple inner decks are provided in the float (e.g., a ship), each inner deck being provided with a single device for manufacturing elongated tensile components.

[0026] In one embodiment, the floating body (e.g., a ship) is equipped with solar panels and / or wind turbines, preferably vertically oriented wind turbines. Preferably, the solar panels and / or wind turbines are located on the upper surface of the floating body (e.g., the upper deck of a ship). Optionally, the floating body (e.g., a ship) is equipped with batteries. Preferably, the plant also includes a hydrogen production facility and / or hydrogen storage device and / or hydrogen fuel cells. In this way, the entire plant can operate using renewable energy. If the plant is equipped with a hydrogen production facility, the hydrogen fuel cells are used to generate electricity to operate the plant.

[0027] The present invention also relates to a method for constructing a factory for manufacturing elongated tensile members according to claim 16. This method provides the same technical effects as those described above regarding the factory of the present invention. Furthermore, the preferred and / or optional features for the apparatus described above are also preferred and / or optional features for this method.

[0028] The method includes providing at least one device for manufacturing an elongated tensile member. The at least one device includes a feeder, a processing device, and at least one end-assembly device. The feeder is arranged to provide input material. The input material includes at least one load-bearing wire and / or at least one load-bearing metal wire and / or load-bearing fiber. The processing device is arranged to wind and / or twist and / or bundle the input material provided by the feeder. The at least one end-assembly device is arranged to provide proximal end fittings and distal end fittings for the elongated tensile member. The method also includes providing a float and mounting the at least one device in or on the float.

[0029] This method produces a factory with the same or similar technical effects as described above.

[0030] In one embodiment, providing a float includes modifying a vessel with a hull and an upper deck, wherein preferably, the vessel is an oil tanker.

[0031] In one embodiment, the conversion of a vessel includes removing the vessel's engine from the engine room and reusing the engine room, preferably reusing the engine room as a storage room for input materials.

[0032] In one embodiment, the conversion of a vessel includes: filling at least partially the vessel's double hull with ballast material comprising a flowable solid material and / or fresh water, wherein the flowable solid material preferably comprises at least one of the following: sand, concrete, or rock.

[0033] In one embodiment, the modification of a vessel includes: installing at least one inner deck in the vessel for supporting the at least one device, wherein preferably, the at least one inner deck is mounted to a reinforcing beam of the vessel's cabin structure.

[0034] The invention, its effects and advantages will be explained in more detail based on the illustrative drawings, in which: Figure 1 This is a perspective view of a factory according to an embodiment of the present invention, the factory including a modified oil tanker equipped with a ring winding machine; Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A side view of the factory; Figure 3 yes Figure 1 A longitudinal cross-sectional view of the factory; Figure 4 yes Figure 1 A top-down view of the factory; Figure 5 Detailed illustration Figure 3 The first part V; Figures 6-8 They are shown separately Figure 1 A transverse cross-sectional view of the web frame, corrugated bulkhead and bow section of the oil tanker. Figure 9A This is a schematic perspective view of a ring-wound device used to manufacture long tensile components; Figure 9B yes Figure 9A A schematic side view of a circular winding device; Figure 10 It shows the result of Figure 9A and Figure 9B One end of an elongated tensile member manufactured by a ring winding device; Figure 11 A top view shows a portion of the tanker's hold structure before it was converted into a factory; Figure 12 It shows Figure 11 Top view of the cabin structure after conversion into a factory according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 13 It shows Figure 11 Bottom view of the cabin structure (before modification); and Figure 14 It shows Figure 13 Bottom view of the cabin structure (after modification).

[0035] Figures 1-4 A factory according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown, the factory comprising a vessel, the vessel being generally indicated by reference numeral 2. In this example, vessel 2 is a converted oil tanker 2, more specifically a converted Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC).

[0036] Vessel 2 includes a hull 4 and an upper deck 6. On the upper deck 6, a reel 8 is provided for storing long, elongated tension components manufactured within the hull 4 (details below). In this example, two cranes 10 are provided on the upper deck 6 for unloading the manufactured tension components from vessel 2. The reel 8 and cranes 10 are located at the bow of vessel 2 and form part of the unloading / loading area 11 of vessel 2. The cranes' operating range is within… Figure 4 It is indicated by reference numeral 13 in the attached drawing. In this example, crane 10 can carry 40 tons and has an operating radius of 40 meters.

[0037] In this example, the upper deck 6 is also equipped with solar panels 12 and a vertically mounted wind turbine 14 for generating electrical energy to operate the vessel 2. The vessel may also optionally include batteries (not shown) for storing electrical energy.

[0038] Vessel 2 is moored to single-point mooring system 18 via mooring rope 16.

[0039] Personnel can enter the vessel 2 via a gangway 20 connected to the ship's landing point 22. In this example, the vessel 2 also includes an optional helicopter platform 24.

[0040] Figure 3 The cross-sectional view shows engine room 26, from which the engine was removed during the conversion of the tanker into a factory for manufacturing long tension components. In this example, engine room 26 is reused as a storage room for storing input materials for manufacturing long tension components. The propeller of vessel 2, located at reference numeral 28, was also removed during the conversion of vessel 2. This reduces the ship's drag when towing vessel 2. Preferably, the shaft connecting the propeller and the engine is also removed. In this case, the stern tube 30, which previously held the propeller shaft, is sealed.

[0041] In the example shown in the attached figure, the exhaust chimney was also removed from vessel 2 during the conversion. The chimney was previously located in the area indicated by reference numeral 31. The removal of the chimney provided additional space on the upper deck 6. In this example, this additional space was used to accommodate the crew cabin.

[0042] Figure 3 Multiple inner decks 32, 34, and 36 constructed during the conversion of vessel 2 are also shown. In this example, three inner decks 32, 34, and 36 are provided. Together with the interior bottom 37 of vessel 2, the inner decks 32, 34, and 36 provide four levels within vessel 2. Staircases 38 are installed to allow personnel access to each manufacturing level.

[0043] bow section V ( Figure 3 )exist Figure 5The details are shown below. The upper deck 6 is provided with a hatch 40 for winding tension members manufactured within the hull 4 of the vessel 2 onto a reel 8. The tension members are indicated by reference numeral 42. At the bow portion V, the inner decks 32, 34, and 36 are provided with openings 44 for feeding the manufactured tension members 42 toward the reel 8 on the upper deck 6. In this example, the reel 8 can accommodate tension members up to 1000 meters long, for example, four tension members each 250 meters long. In this example, the diameter of the reel 8 is four meters.

[0044] Figures 6-8 These are transverse cross-sectional views of the aft, midships, and forward sections of vessel 2. The aft, midships, and forward sections are also referred to as the web frame section, the corrugated bulkhead section, and the bow section, respectively. Multiple annular winding devices 46, 48, and 50 for manufacturing elongated tensile members are provided on each layer of vessel 2. In this example, a total of 44 annular winding devices are shown. Devices 46, 48, and 50 have different lengths but are otherwise identical in this embodiment.

[0045] Figures 9A-9B An example of a loop winding device 50 is shown. This device corresponds to the loop winding device described in WO-A1-2017 / 099589 above, but other types of loop winding devices may also be used according to the present invention. Device 50 is designed to produce a loop-wound cable 42 by winding at least one wire—in this embodiment, up to ten wires simultaneously—around two loops 52, 54. Figure 9B The two loops 52 and 54 are located at opposite ends of the cable 42. The device 50 includes an elongated guide 56, a carriage 58, a line feeder 60, a first loop retainer 62, and a second loop retainer 64. In this embodiment, the elongated guide 56 includes two elongated I-profiles 57. The elongated guide 56 is suspended from the top wall of the corresponding compartment of the vessel 2, for example, from the underside of the upper deck 6 or the bottom wall of the inner decks 32, 34, and 36.

[0046] In this embodiment, the wire feeder 60 includes ten spool retainers, each designed to hold a spool 70. Each of the ten spools 70 holds one wire. The wire feeder 60 also includes an output guide 72 for guiding all ten wires to the cable 42 during winding. In this embodiment, the output guide 72 includes rollers for guiding the ten wires, and the output guide 72 is in a fixed position relative to the wire feeder 60. This fixed position is offset from the center of the wire feeder 60.

[0047] The wire feeder 60 is connected to the carriage 58, in this embodiment via a pivot 74 located at the center of the wire feeder 60. This allows the wire feeder 60 to rotate relative to the carriage 58 about a vertical axis. This rotation causes the output guide 72 to move relative to the elongated guide 56 and therefore relative to the first loop retainer 62 and the second loop retainer 64 along an arc—in this example, along a semicircle. This semicircle includes movement in a direction perpendicular to the length direction of the elongated guide 56 and allows the output guide 72 to rotate half a turn around the first loop 52 at the first loop retainer 62 and the second loop 54 at the second loop retainer 64 during winding, just as the output guide 72 extends beyond the respective one of the two loops 52, 54.

[0048] Devices 46, 48, and 50 extend across a significant portion of the length of vessel 2. In this example, the devices extend across more than 50% of the length of vessel 2. In this example, vessel 2 is 340 meters long, 60 meters wide, and 31 meters deep. The lengths of devices 46, 48, and 50 are between 190 and 250 meters, with the elongated guide 56 being particularly long at 190-250 meters. In the example shown, device 50 (e.g., 250 meters) in the middle section of vessel 2 is longer than devices 46 and 48 (e.g., 190-235 meters) in the port and starboard sections of vessel 2.

[0049] exist Figure 6 and Figure 7 In the examples, devices 46, 48, and 50 each include a vertically extending frame 51 for positioning the line feeder 60 at a height of 1.5 to 2.5 meters for easy operator access. Figure 6 and Figure 7 In the example, the line feeder 60 is connected to the carriage via a vertical extension frame 51.

[0050] Tension member 42 uses braiding machine 76 ( Figure 8 A protective cover is provided, and the braiding machine 76 is located at the bow section. In this example, a single braiding machine 76 is provided for each layer, which can move laterally (across the ship's surface) of the vessel 2. In this way, a single braiding machine 76 can be used for all the toroidal winding devices 46, 48, 50 on the same layer. Each toroidal winding device 46, 48, 50 forms a manufacturing line, and the braiding machine 76 can move between manufacturing lines. Typically, the braiding process requires less time than the toroidal winding process, so using a single braiding machine for more than one toroidal winding device does not increase manufacturing time. For example, the braiding machine 76 is provided with rails and / or wheels to enable movement between manufacturing lines. Optionally, the braiding machine can also move longitudinally of the vessel.

[0051] Figure 10 An example of an elongated tension member is shown at one end, which in this embodiment is an annularly wound cable 42 with a loop 52 manufactured by one of the annular winding devices 46, 48, 50 and the braiding machine 76.

[0052] Refer again Figures 6-8 The cross-sectional view shows that vessel 2 includes a double hull (also known as a double-walled hull). The double hull provides space 78 between its two walls for ballast material. In this example, the ballast material includes sand.

[0053] like Figures 6-8 As shown, the structure of vessel 2 includes longitudinal bulkheads 80, which divide the hull into three compartments: port compartment P, central compartment C, and starboard compartment S. The vessel's structure also includes... Figure 5 The transverse bulkhead 82 is shown.

[0054] Figure 11 A top view of a portion of the tanker's compartment structure before conversion is shown. In particular, the structure of the central compartment C is shown. Figure 11 A longitudinal bulkhead 80 and a transverse bulkhead 82 are shown. In this embodiment, the transverse bulkhead 82 is a corrugated bulkhead. The longitudinal bulkhead 80 includes horizontal stiffeners 84 and a vertically extending web frame 86.

[0055] Before the modification, the longitudinal bulkheads 80 were equipped with reinforcing beams 88, which extended horizontally along the longitudinal bulkheads 80 and connected them to each other. The reinforcing beams were arranged at regular height intervals. In this embodiment, the height between the reinforcing beams 88 was 4 meters.

[0056] Figure 12 The modified version was shown. Figure 11 The compartment structure. The inner deck 90 is mounted to the reinforcing beam 88. Furthermore, openings 92 are formed in the longitudinal bulkheads 80, particularly in their lower portions, to allow personnel to move between the port, central, and starboard sections of the compartment structure, thus enabling access to all manufacturing lines on the same level (see also...). Figure 6 (It also indicates that the opening is 92).

[0057] Figure 13 The bottom view of the tanker's compartment structure before conversion is shown, while Figure 14 The modified state is shown. Specifically, Figure 14 It is shown that during the modification process, an opening 94 was formed in the transverse bulkhead 82. Figure 14 An opening 94 is shown, in Figure 5 Multiple openings 94 are indicated in the diagram. Reinforcing members 96 are provided along the edges of the openings 94 to ensure sufficient rigidity of the cabin structure.

[0058] Within the scope of the appended claims, variations of the embodiments of the illustrated apparatus and method are entirely possible. One or more features of one embodiment may be combined with one or more features of another embodiment. Features of the above embodiments may be replaced by any other features within the scope of the appended claims, such as those described in the following paragraphs.

[0059] The example in the accompanying drawings shows that the vessel houses 44 devices for manufacturing long tensile components. However, any suitable number of devices can be installed, particularly fewer. In the currently preferred embodiment, three to five devices are installed on each deck. Not every deck needs to have such devices, and some decks may be used for different purposes. In an alternative embodiment, at least one device is located on the upper deck.

[0060] In one embodiment, the plant includes twelve units of equipment for manufacturing long tensile components. For example, the plant includes a four-deck vessel, with three units on each deck.

[0061] In the example, the attached diagram shows three inner decks installed in the hull of a vessel to provide four manufacturing layers. However, any suitable number of inner decks can be installed. For example, one or two inner decks exist in existing vessels, or are installed in oil tankers to form two or three layers.

[0062] More than one knitting machine can be installed on each floor.

[0063] The accompanying diagram shows annular winding devices of different lengths. Alternatively, devices with the same length can be used.

[0064] In one embodiment, the diameter of one or more reels used to hold the finished tension member is greater than four meters, for example, five or six meters. In one embodiment, the loop retainer of the annular winding device is connected to the elongated guide of the device. In another embodiment, the loop retainer of the annular winding device is connected to the inner deck of a buoy (e.g., a ship).

[0065] In one embodiment, a battery for storing electrical energy (e.g., electrical energy generated by solar panels and / or wind turbines) is located in an empty engine compartment.

[0066] In one embodiment, the hydrogen production facility, hydrogen storage unit, and / or hydrogen fuel cell are located in an empty engine room. In an alternative embodiment, the hydrogen storage unit is located in an existing cabin space of the (converted) ship, such as a fuel tank, diesel tank, or ballast tank.

[0067] Preferably, at least one of the devices used for manufacturing elongated tensile members is suitable for manufacturing tensile members of different lengths. For example, in the case of the annular winding machine as described above, the distance between the two interlocking retainers can be adjustable to set the desired length of the tensile member.

Claims

1. A factory (2) for manufacturing elongated tensile members (42), said factory comprising: At least one device (46, 48, 50) for manufacturing the elongated tensile member (42), the at least one device (46, 48, 50) comprising a feeder (60), a processing device (56, 58), and at least one end-assembly device (62, 64), the feeder being arranged to provide input material comprising at least one load-bearing wire, and / or at least one load-bearing metal wire, and / or load-bearing fiber; the processing device being arranged to wind and / or twist and / or bundle the input material provided by the feeder (60); the at least one end-assembly device being arranged to provide a proximal end-assembly (52) and a distal end-assembly (54) to the elongated tensile member, and A float (4) is arranged to support at least one device (46, 48, 50) for manufacturing the elongated tensile member (42).

2. The factory (2) according to claim 1, wherein: The input material includes at least one wire; The processing device is arranged to wind the at least one wire around two loops (52, 54), from the first (52) of the two loops to the second (54) of the two loops, and back to the first (52) of the two loops, repeating the winding until a sufficient number of turns are extended between the two loops (52, 54), the two loops being located at opposite ends of the elongated tension member (42); The proximal end fitting and the distal end fitting of the elongated tension member include the two interlocking rings (52, 54); and The at least one end fitting device includes a first ring retainer (62) and a second ring retainer (64), the first ring retainer and the second ring retainer being disposed at a distance from each other and respectively designed to retain one of the two rings (52, 54).

3. The factory (2) according to claim 2, wherein the processing device comprises an elongated guide (56) and a carriage (58), wherein: The feeder (60) is connected to the carriage (58); The elongated guide (56) and the carriage (58) are movably connected to each other so that the carriage (58) moves relative to the elongated guide (56) along the length direction of the elongated guide (56); The feeder (60) includes at least one spool retainer and an output guide (72), the at least one spool retainer for retaining the spool (70) having at least one wire, and the output guide for guiding the at least one wire to the elongated tension member (42) during winding; and The output guide (72) and the first loop retainer (62), and the output guide (72) and the second loop retainer (64), are movable relative to each other at least in a direction perpendicular to the length direction of the elongated guide (56) in order to guide the at least one wire to rotate half a turn around the first (52) and the second (54) of the two loops respectively during winding.

4. The factory (2) according to claim 1, wherein the elongated tension member (42) comprises a rope, the input material comprises fiber or metal wire, and the processing device is arranged to twist or braid the fiber or the metal wire.

5. The factory (2) according to any one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the float is a vessel comprising a hull (4) and an upper deck (6).

6. The plant (2) according to claim 5, wherein the at least one piece of equipment (46, 48, 50) is arranged inside the hull (4) and below the upper deck (6).

7. The plant according to claim 6, wherein a spool (8) is provided on the upper deck (6) for winding one or more elongated tension members (42) onto the spool (8), and the upper deck (6) includes a hatch (40) for feeding the elongated tension members (42) manufactured by the at least one device (46, 48, 50) within the hull (4) onto the spool (8) on the upper deck (6).

8. The plant (2) according to claim 5, 6 or 7, wherein the hull (4) comprises a double hull, the double hull being at least partially filled with ballast material comprising flowable solid material and / or fresh water.

9. The plant (2) according to claim 8, wherein the ballast material comprises a flowable solid material selected from the group consisting of sand, concrete and rock.

10. The plant (2) according to any one or more of claims 5-9, wherein the vessel is a converted motor vessel, wherein the engine of the motor vessel is removed from the engine room (26) of the vessel to reuse the engine room (26), preferably the engine room is reused as a storage room for storing the input materials.

11. The factory (2) according to any one or more of claims 5-10, wherein the vessel is a converted tanker, the hull (4) includes a compartment structure, wherein at least one inner deck (90) is installed in the compartment structure to provide a plurality of manufacturing compartments, and wherein the at least one piece of equipment (46, 48, 50) is disposed in one of the manufacturing compartments.

12. The plant (2) according to claim 11, wherein the cabin structure includes a reinforcing beam (88), and the at least one inner deck (90) is mounted to the reinforcing beam (88).

13. The plant (2) according to any one or more of claims 1-12, wherein at least one inner deck (90) is provided in the float, and the at least one inner deck (90) is provided with a plurality of devices (46, 48, 50) for manufacturing elongated tension members (42), the plurality of devices (46, 48, 50) being arranged parallel to each other to form parallel manufacturing lines, wherein preferably, the at least one inner deck (90) is further provided with a weaving machine (76) for weaving a protective covering around the elongated tension member (42), wherein the weaving machine (76) is movable between at least two manufacturing lines.

14. The factory (2) according to any one or more of claims 1-13, wherein the float is provided with a solar panel (12) and / or a wind turbine (14), preferably a wind turbine with a vertical axis, wherein preferably, the solar panel (12) and / or the wind turbine (14) are provided on the upper surface (6) of the float, wherein a battery is optionally provided.

15. The plant (2) according to claim 14, the plant further comprising a hydrogen production facility and / or a hydrogen storage device and / or a hydrogen fuel cell.

16. A method for constructing a factory (2) for manufacturing elongated tensile members (42), the method comprising: At least one apparatus (46, 48, 50) is provided for manufacturing the elongated tensile member (42), the at least one apparatus (46, 48, 50) comprising a feeder (60), a processing device (56, 58) and at least one end-assembly device (62, 64), the feeder being arranged to provide input material comprising at least one load-bearing wire, and / or at least one load-bearing metal wire, and / or load-bearing fiber, the processing device being arranged to wind and / or twist and / or bundle the input material provided by the feeder (60), and the at least one end-assembly device being arranged to provide a proximal end-assembly (52) and a distal end-assembly (54) for the elongated tensile member (42). Provide buoys (4); and The at least one device (46, 48, 50) is installed in or on the float (4).

17. The method of claim 16, wherein providing the float (4) comprises modifying a vessel including a hull (4) and an upper deck (6), wherein preferably, the vessel is an oil tanker.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein modifying the vessel comprises: The ship's engine is removed from the engine room (26) and the engine room is reused, preferably as a storage room for storing the input materials.

19. The method according to claim 17 or 18, wherein modifying the vessel comprises: The vessel's double hull is at least partially filled with ballast material, which includes flowable solid material and / or fresh water, wherein the flowable solid material preferably includes at least one of the following: sand, concrete, or rock.

20. The method according to any one or more of claims 17-19, wherein modifying the vessel comprises: At least one inner deck (90) is installed in the vessel to support the at least one piece of equipment (46, 48, 50), wherein preferably, the at least one inner deck (90) is installed to a reinforcing beam (88) of the vessel's cabin structure.

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