High-viscosity material conveying device suitable for underwater maintenance equipment

Abstract

The utility model discloses a high-viscosity material conveying device suitable for underwater maintenance equipment. The high-viscosity material conveying device comprises a submersible vehicle frame used for providing installation fixing points for other structures. The dry chamber bin is used for being attached to the surface of a building structure at an underwater overhaul point and providing a dry repairing environment for the structure; the first storage tank is mounted on the submersible vehicle frame, and a discharge port of the first storage tank is communicated with a first conveying pipe; the second storage tank is mounted on the submersible vehicle frame, and a discharge port of the second storage tank is communicated with a second conveying pipe; the stirring device is arranged in the dry chamber bin, the discharging end of the first conveying pipe and the discharging end of the second conveying pipe are both communicated with the stirring device, and a discharging pipe opening is formed in the stirring device. The underwater repair material conveying device can improve the stability and uniformity of the underwater repair material in the conveying process.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model belongs to the technical field of underwater structure repair, and in particular relates to a high-viscosity material conveying device suitable for underwater repair equipment. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, the repair and maintenance of underwater structures has become a significant research topic in the fields of marine engineering and water conservancy facilities. Demand is particularly increasing for marine structures such as submarine pipelines, offshore platforms, and submerged dams. High-viscosity materials such as epoxy resins are widely used in these applications due to their excellent adhesion and durability. However, the transportation and application of high-viscosity materials present significant technical challenges, especially in complex underwater environments.

[0003] In the field of underwater patching technology, traditional concrete repair methods often face numerous challenges, such as difficulty in transporting the patch material, ensuring uniform mixing, ensuring precise application, and the impact of environmental factors on patch quality. Especially when using high-viscosity materials like epoxy resin, efficiency and accuracy in storage, transport, and application are crucial for improving the quality and efficiency of the patching operation. Furthermore, the unique characteristics of the underwater environment present additional challenges in material transport and mixing, such as the complexity of underwater operations, pressure changes, and temperature fluctuations, which can all affect material performance.

[0004] Conventional conveying systems often struggle to cope with the characteristics of high-viscosity materials. High-viscosity fluids, such as epoxies, often behave as non-Newtonian fluids, with viscosity varying with shear rate. These characteristics require specialized pumping solutions to ensure stable and uniform material delivery. Utility Model Content

[0005] The utility model provides a high-viscosity material conveying device suitable for underwater repair equipment, so as to solve the problem that the stability and uniformity of high-viscosity repair materials are easily affected during underwater transportation.

[0006] In order to solve the above technical problems, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is:

[0007] A highly viscous material conveying device suitable for underwater maintenance equipment, comprising:

[0008] The submersible frame is used to provide mounting points for other structures;

[0009] Dry chamber, used to adhere to the surface of the building structure at the underwater maintenance point to provide a dry repair environment for the structure;

[0010] A first storage tank is installed on the submersible frame, and a discharge end of the first storage tank is connected to a first conveying pipe;

[0011] A second storage tank is installed on the submersible frame, and a discharge end of the second storage tank is connected to a second conveying pipe;

[0012] The stirring device is arranged in the drying chamber, the discharge ends of the first conveying pipe and the second conveying pipe are both connected to the stirring device, and the stirring device is provided with a discharge pipe port.

[0013] Furthermore, a storage bin is fixed on the dry chamber, the internal cavity of the storage bin is communicated with the internal cavity of the dry chamber, and the submersible frame is sleeved and fixed outside the storage bin.

[0014] Furthermore, the dry chamber warehouse includes a semicircular outer shell and a semicircular inner shell, the semicircular outer shell is fixed on the outside of the semicircular inner shell, the internal cavity of the dry chamber warehouse is the area surrounded by the semicircular inner shell, and a vacuum isolation cavity is also formed between the semicircular outer shell and the semicircular inner shell.

[0015] Furthermore, the end faces of the semicircular outer shell and the semicircular inner shell are both provided with rubber suction rings, and a first liquid draining device is provided in the storage bin or the stirring device, and a second liquid draining device is provided in the isolation cavity.

[0016] Furthermore, a plurality of buoyancy blocks are symmetrically fixed on the submersible frame.

[0017] Furthermore, a plurality of thrusters are evenly fixed on the submersible frame.

[0018] Furthermore, the first delivery pipe and the second delivery pipe are Teflon pipes, and heating elements are provided in the first delivery pipe and the second delivery pipe.

[0019] Furthermore, a first single-screw pump is provided between the first storage tank and the first delivery pipe, and a second single-screw pump is provided between the second storage tank and the second delivery pipe.

[0020] The utility model can achieve the following beneficial effects:

[0021] 1. This application can store different repair materials separately during transportation by setting up a first storage tank and a second storage tank. At the repair structure, a stirring device is used to stir and mix in real time and discharge the repair immediately, which can improve the stability and uniformity of the repair material during transportation.

[0022] 2. By using Teflon-coated pipes and single-screw pumps, and setting heating elements in the first and second delivery pipes, the delivery efficiency of high-viscosity materials such as epoxy resin is effectively improved, and the risk of blockage during material delivery is reduced.

[0023] 3. The structural design of the dry chamber in this application can provide a dry environment for structural repair, ensure the quality of repair, and set up a vacuum isolation chamber to achieve double protection, reducing the possibility of underwater water flow entering the dry chamber and storage chamber. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments:

[0025] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a highly viscous material conveying device suitable for underwater maintenance equipment according to the present invention;

[0026] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a highly viscous material conveying device suitable for underwater maintenance equipment according to the present invention, viewed from above;

[0027] Figure 3 for Figure 1 Enlarged view of point A in the middle.

[0028] In the accompanying drawings, the components represented by the reference numerals are as follows:

[0029] 1. Submersible frame; 11. Connecting diagonal rod; 2. Dry chamber; 21. Semicircular outer shell; 211. Rubber suction ring; 22. Semicircular inner shell; 23. Vacuum isolation chamber; 3. First storage tank; 31. First conveying pipe; 4. Second storage tank; 41. Second conveying pipe; 42. Connecting elbow; 5. Stirring device; 51. Discharge pipe; 6. Storage bin; 7. Buoyancy block; 8. Propeller; 9. First single-screw pump; 10. Second single-screw pump. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] To facilitate understanding of the present application, the present application will be described more fully below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings provide embodiments of the present application. However, the present application may be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to make the disclosure of the present application more thorough and comprehensive.

[0031] like Figures 1 to 3As shown, a highly viscous material conveying device suitable for underwater maintenance equipment is designed to improve the efficiency and quality of underwater concrete repair work and is suitable for complex marine and water conservancy engineering environments. It includes a submersible frame 1, a storage bin 6, and a dry chamber 2. In the embodiment of the present application, the storage bin 6 is cylindrical, the submersible frame 1 is a cubic frame, and the dry chamber 2 is hemispherical. The submersible frame 1 is fixedly sleeved on the outside of the storage bin 6, and the dry chamber 2 is fixedly connected to the end of the storage bin 6. Setting the submersible frame 1 in a cubic frame shape can provide installation and fixing points for other equipment while minimizing the overall weight of the conveying device. In addition, the submersible frame 1 also includes a plurality of connecting diagonal rods 11. By connecting the diagonal rods 11, a triangular area is formed between the plurality of rods, which can make the overall structure of the submersible frame 1 more stable and have better load-bearing capacity.

[0032] The dry chamber 2 comprises a semicircular outer shell 21 and a semicircular inner shell 22, with the outer shell 21 fixedly sleeved onto the outer shell 22. The area enclosed by the outer shell 21 constitutes the dry chamber 2's cavity, while the area between the outer shell 21 and the inner shell 22 forms the vacuum isolation chamber 23. A first drainage device is provided within the cavity of the dry chamber 2, and a second drainage device is provided within the vacuum isolation chamber 23. These devices, respectively, drain liquid from the dry chamber 2's cavity and the vacuum isolation chamber 23, providing a dry environment for underwater repairs. The first and second drainage devices are conventional and not shown in the figures.

[0033] In addition, rubber suction rings 211 are fixed to the end faces of both the semicircular outer shell 21 and the semicircular inner shell 22. Several thrusters 8 are mounted on the submersible frame 1. When repairing underwater structures, the thrusters 8 are used to drive the device of the present application underwater to the repair structure, and the conveying device's posture is adjusted until the rubber suction ring 211 is adsorbed on the surface of the structure to be repaired. At this time, the first and second liquid drainage devices are used to drain the liquid in the cavity area of ​​the dry chamber 2 and the vacuum isolation chamber 23, respectively, to create a dry repair environment. Multiple buoyancy blocks 7 are also symmetrically fixed to the submersible frame 1. By setting up these buoyancy blocks 7, the buoyancy of the entire equipment can be adjusted to adapt to underwater operating conditions at different depths.

[0034] It should be noted that the storage bin 6 is a cylindrical structure with one end open, and the cavity area inside the storage bin 6 is connected to the cavity area of ​​the dry chamber bin 2. The storage bin 6 is used to store robotic arms or other repair tools to facilitate rapid deployment and use during underwater operations. The robotic arm structure is not shown in the drawings of this application.

[0035] A first storage tank 3 and a second storage tank 4 are fixed on the submersible frame 1. In the embodiment of the present application, the first storage tank 3 and the second storage tank 4 are located in the same tank body and are sealed and separated only in the tank body; the discharge end of the first storage tank 3 is connected to a first single screw pump 9, and the first single screw pump 9 and the first storage tank 3 are connected by a connecting elbow; the discharge end of the second storage tank 4 is connected to a second single screw pump 10, and the second single screw pump 10 and the second storage tank 4 are also connected by a connecting elbow.

[0036] The discharge port of the first single-screw pump 9 is connected to the first conveying pipe 31, and the discharge port of the second single-screw pump 10 is connected to the second conveying pipe 41. The first conveying pipe 31 and the second conveying pipe 41 both pass through the semicircular outer shell 21 and the semicircular inner shell 22 and extend into the cavity area inside the dry chamber 2. A stirring device 5 is also provided in the dry chamber 2. The discharge sections of the first conveying pipe 31 and the second conveying pipe 41 are both connected to the stirring device 5, and a discharge pipe port 51 is provided on the stirring device 5. The materials conveyed by the first conveying pipe 31 and the second conveying pipe 41 enter the stirring device 5 for sufficient stirring and are then discharged through the discharge pipe port 51.

[0037] Structural repair materials are typically formed by mixing epoxy resin, a curing agent, and other materials. High-viscosity materials like epoxy resin present significant challenges during transportation. Therefore, both first and second delivery pipes 31 and 41 are Teflon-coated pipes, each equipped with a heating element installed within the Teflon-coated pipes to regulate the temperature of the transported material. The Teflon-coated pipe design reduces adhesion of high-viscosity materials to the pipe's inner wall, significantly improving transport efficiency while reducing the risk of pipe blockage. The inclusion of the heating element further enhances the device's adaptability, enabling it to adjust the material temperature based on material properties and ambient temperature, ensuring fluidity.

[0038] The device of the present application is also provided with an automatic control system, including a pressure sensor provided in the stirring device 5, a flow meter provided in the single screw pump, and a temperature sensor provided in the conveying pipeline. Before the underwater concrete repair project begins, the single screw pump is started to convey the epoxy resin and curing agent from the storage tank to the stirring device 5. During the conveying period, the pressure sensor and the flow meter send the monitoring data to the automatic control system in real time, which analyzes the data and issues instructions to control the single screw pump to achieve uniform conveying of the material. In addition, the automatic control system adjusts the material temperature through the heating element according to the real-time feedback from the temperature sensor to ensure that the material maintains appropriate fluidity during the conveying process. In the mixing bin, the two materials are fully mixed to form a uniform repair mixture. The mixed repair material is transported to the part to be repaired of the underwater concrete structure through the stirring discharge pipe 51 with the assistance of a robotic arm.

[0039] The working process of a high-viscosity material conveying device suitable for underwater maintenance equipment in this application is as follows: before the conveying device of this application is launched into the water, the operating team will select the appropriate proportion of epoxy resin and curing agent according to the specific damage and repair requirements of the underwater structure; at the same time, the pumping power and the ideal conveying temperature of the material will be set, and these key parameters will be input into the automatic control system to establish specific operating instructions and conditions.

[0040] The epoxy resin and the curing agent are filled into the first storage tank 3 and the second storage tank 4 respectively; after filling, the first storage tank 3 and the second storage tank 4 are closed to ensure the safe sealing of the materials in the storage tanks.

[0041] The propeller 8 is used to sink into the water and accurately dive to the designated working position. The buoyancy block 7 equipped on the equipment will adjust the buoyancy of the equipment according to the preset program to ensure that it can adapt to underwater working environments at different depths.

[0042] Before commencing underwater concrete repair work, the operator activates the drive motor, driving the single-screw pump into operation. The automatic control system receives real-time data from pressure sensors, flow meters, and temperature sensors, adjusting the speed and pressure of the single-screw pump, as well as the temperature of the heating element. This process ensures that the material remains stable and uniform throughout the entire conveying path. The conditioned epoxy resin and curing agent are transported via Teflon-coated pipes to the stirring device 5, where they are mixed in real time to achieve optimal mixing.

[0043] The mixed repair material is discharged through the discharge pipe 51 and is accurately transported to the damaged part of the underwater concrete structure or the area to be repaired by the robotic arm on the equipment.

[0044] After the application of the patch material and the cleaning procedures have been completed, all systems are shut down and the thrusters 8 are activated to bring the equipment back to the surface for subsequent inspection and preparation for the next operation.

[0045] After the repair work is completed, clean the Teflon-coated pipes, agitator 5, and single-screw pump using a specialized cleaning fluid injected from the inlet of the storage tank to thoroughly clean the entire system, keeping it clean and operating efficiently. Regularly perform cleaning procedures to extend the life of the equipment and reduce the complexity of maintenance work.

[0046] The core of this application lies in a uniquely designed conveying system that can efficiently and precisely handle and convey high-viscosity materials such as epoxy resin. Automatic control technology intelligently regulates the operation of the single-screw pump through advanced algorithms and sensor feedback. This control not only ensures the stability of the conveying process but also optimizes the fluidity and mixing quality of the materials. Especially in complex and changing underwater conditions, the system can automatically adjust parameters to meet the needs of different environments. In addition, the design of the Teflon-coated pipe significantly reduces the adhesion of high-viscosity materials to the inner wall of the pipe, greatly improving conveying efficiency while reducing the risk of pipe blockage. The introduction of heating elements further enhances the system's adaptability, enabling it to adjust the material temperature according to the material properties and ambient temperature, ensuring fluidity and application performance.

[0047] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A highly viscous material conveying device suitable for underwater maintenance equipment, characterized in that: include: The submersible frame (1) is used to provide mounting points for other structures; A dry chamber (2) is used to adhere to the surface of the building structure at the underwater maintenance point to provide a dry repair environment for the structure; A first material storage tank (3) is installed on the submersible frame (1), and a discharge end of the first material storage tank (3) is connected to a first conveying pipe (31); A second storage tank (4) is mounted on the submersible frame (1), and a discharge end of the second storage tank (4) is connected to a second delivery pipe (41); The stirring device (5) is arranged in the drying chamber (2); the discharge ends of the first conveying pipe (31) and the second conveying pipe (41) are both connected to the stirring device (5); and the stirring device (5) is provided with a discharge pipe opening (51).

2. The highly viscous material conveying device suitable for underwater maintenance equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: A storage bin (6) is fixed on the dry chamber (2), the internal cavity of the storage bin (6) is communicated with the internal cavity of the dry chamber (2), and the submersible frame (1) is sleeved and fixed outside the storage bin (6).

3. The highly viscous material conveying device suitable for underwater maintenance equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that: The dry chamber (2) comprises a semicircular outer shell (21) and a semicircular inner shell (22); the semicircular outer shell (21) is sleeved and fixed on the outside of the semicircular inner shell (22); the internal cavity of the dry chamber (2) is the area surrounded by the semicircular inner shell (22); and a vacuum isolation cavity (23) is formed between the semicircular outer shell (21) and the semicircular inner shell (22).

4. The highly viscous material conveying device suitable for underwater maintenance equipment according to claim 3, characterized in that: The end surfaces of the semicircular outer shell (21) and the semicircular inner shell (22) are both provided with rubber suction rings (211), and a first liquid draining device is provided in the storage bin (6) or the stirring device (5), and a second liquid draining device is provided in the isolation chamber.

5. The highly viscous material conveying device suitable for underwater maintenance equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: A plurality of buoyancy blocks (7) are symmetrically fixed on the submersible frame (1).

6. The highly viscous material conveying device suitable for underwater maintenance equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: A plurality of thrusters (8) are evenly fixed on the submersible frame (1).

7. The highly viscous material conveying device suitable for underwater maintenance equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first delivery pipe (31) and the second delivery pipe (41) are Teflon pipes, and heating elements are provided in both the first delivery pipe (31) and the second delivery pipe (41).

8. The highly viscous material conveying device suitable for underwater maintenance equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: A first single-screw pump (9) is provided between the first storage tank (3) and the first delivery pipe (31), and a second single-screw pump (10) is provided between the second storage tank (4) and the second delivery pipe (41).

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