A protective structure for the ship-supported bollards of offshore wind turbine foundations

Abstract

This utility model discloses a protective structure for a berthing post on an offshore wind turbine foundation, comprising a berthing post, side lugs, a fender block, and high-strength bolts. Two side lugs are symmetrically fixed to the outer wall of the berthing post, both extending axially along the berthing post, and each side lug has multiple first bolt holes spaced vertically apart. The fender block comprises a UHPC precast concrete component and a flexible buffer pad. The UHPC precast concrete component has a semi-circular ring structure, and a flexible buffer pad is fixedly attached to the inner ring wall of the UHPC precast concrete component. The UHPC precast concrete component has second bolt holes corresponding to and coaxial with the first bolt holes. The fender block is fixedly connected to the side lugs by high-strength bolts passing through the corresponding first and second bolt holes, allowing the UHPC precast concrete component to be tightly attached to the front side of the outer wall of the berthing post via the flexible buffer pad. This protective structure overcomes the defects of existing rubber fenders, such as easy aging and complex concrete covering construction.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of offshore wind power foundation structure protection technology, specifically to a protective structure for the mooring column of offshore wind turbine foundation. Background Technology

[0002] The berthing bollard (also known as a crash barrier or fender) in the foundation structure of offshore wind turbines is a critical auxiliary component ensuring the safe berthing of maintenance vessels. It is exposed to the harsh marine environment, characterized by high salt spray, strong erosion, alternating wet and dry conditions, and ship impacts, facing severe risks of corrosion and mechanical damage. The anti-corrosion coating on the surface of traditional steel berthing bollards is easily damaged and peels off under ship impacts, leading to exposed steel and subsequent pitting corrosion, uniform corrosion, and structural failure, significantly threatening the safety and service life of the wind turbine foundation.

[0003] Current mainstream protection solutions have significant limitations: While rubber-coated solutions offer elastic cushioning and ease of installation, their reliance on imported materials leads to high costs. Furthermore, rubber is prone to aging, cracking, and detachment under ultraviolet radiation and seawater immersion, resulting in poor adhesion to steel structures. Local peeling accelerates corrosion, necessitating frequent replacements and incurring high maintenance costs. While cast-in-place concrete full-coating solutions offer better durability and compressive strength, they require on-site formwork, involve complex construction, are subject to weather conditions, have long construction cycles, and are costly. The lack of reliable connection between concrete and steel columns can easily lead to hollowing and cracking, and local repairs require large-area chiseling, making them uneconomical and unsuitable for practical applications. Utility Model Content

[0004] In view of this, this utility model proposes a protective structure for the ship-mounted mast of offshore wind turbine foundations to overcome the defects of existing rubber fenders that are prone to aging and concrete covering construction that are complicated.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0006] A protective structure for a mooring post on an offshore wind turbine foundation includes a mooring post. Two side lugs are symmetrically fixed to the outer wall of the post with its central axis as the axis of symmetry. Both side lugs extend axially along the mooring post, and each side lug has multiple first bolt holes spaced vertically apart. The protective structure also includes a fender assembly and high-strength bolts. The fender assembly includes a UHPC precast concrete component and a flexible buffer pad. The UHPC precast concrete component has a semi-circular ring structure, and a flexible buffer pad is fixedly attached to the inner ring wall of the UHPC precast concrete component. The UHPC precast concrete component has second bolt holes corresponding to and coaxial with the first bolt holes. The fender assembly is fixedly connected to the side lugs by high-strength bolts passing through the corresponding first and second bolt holes, so that the UHPC precast concrete component is tightly attached to the front side of the outer wall of the mooring post through the flexible buffer pad.

[0007] To better implement the above technical solution, optionally, a steel frame is pre-embedded in the UHPC precast concrete component, and both ends of the steel frame are provided with pads located on the side wall of the UHPC precast concrete component. The surface of the pad is perpendicular to the axis of the second bolt hole, and each pad is pre-fabricated with a clearance hole coaxial with the second bolt hole.

[0008] Optionally, the steel frame includes first steel reinforcement columns spaced apart along the circumference of the UHPC precast concrete component and second steel reinforcement columns spaced apart along the axial direction of the UHPC precast concrete component, wherein the first steel reinforcement columns and the second steel reinforcement columns intersect to form a mesh structure.

[0009] Optionally, the pad is integrally formed with a sheath, and the inner hole of the sheath forms a second bolt hole.

[0010] Optionally, a reinforcing rib is fixedly connected between the rear side of the outer wall of the berthing column and the two side ears.

[0011] Optionally, the ends of each second bolt hole opposite to the first bolt hole are filled with sealing plugs.

[0012] Optionally, auxiliary grooves are provided in the middle of both the upper and lower ends of the UHPC precast concrete component.

[0013] The beneficial effects of this utility model are:

[0014] This utility model discloses a protective structure for the berthing bollard of an offshore wind turbine foundation. It replaces the existing rubber-coated structure with UHPC precast concrete components. UHPC precast concrete components not only have significantly superior resistance to seawater corrosion and UV aging compared to rubber, but also reduce material costs and greatly extend the service life of the fender blocks, eliminating the need for frequent replacements and reducing economic losses from downtime maintenance. Furthermore, installation is achieved solely with high-strength bolts, eliminating the need for complex welding processes, making installation convenient and efficient. It also features strong adaptability, detachability, and replaceability, facilitating future localized repairs or upgrades. A flexible buffer pad is incorporated to absorb some of the impact energy when the ship comes into contact with the UHPC precast concrete components, while preventing direct contact between the UHPC precast concrete components and the outer wall of the berthing bollard. This effectively prevents wear on the paint surface of the berthing bollard from the fender blocks, reducing paint repair costs. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 This is a cross-sectional view of a protective structure for a ship-supporting column of an offshore wind turbine foundation according to an embodiment of this utility model;

[0016] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the internal steel skeleton of a UHPC precast concrete component;

[0017] Figure 3 yes Figure 1Front view of a UHPC precast concrete component;

[0018] Figure 4 yes Figure 1 Front view of the berth bollard and UHPC precast concrete component;

[0019] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the installation process of a protective structure for a ship-supporting column of an offshore wind turbine foundation, according to an embodiment of this utility model.

[0020] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the replacement of a protective structure for a ship-supporting column of an offshore wind turbine foundation according to an embodiment of this utility model;

[0021] Figure label:

[0022] 10 berthing post, 20 side lugs, 201 first bolt hole, 30 UHPC precast concrete component, 301 first reinforced concrete structural column, 302 second reinforced concrete structural column, 303 pad, 304 sheath, 305 second bolt hole, 306 auxiliary groove, 40 flexible buffer pad, 50 high-strength bolt, 60 reinforcing rib, 70 sealing plug, 80 reinforcing bar. Detailed Implementation

[0023] The technical solution of this utility model will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. Identical components are indicated by the same reference numerals.

[0024] Please see Figures 1 to 6 This utility model discloses a protective structure for a berthing bollard for an offshore wind turbine foundation, including a berthing bollard 10, side lugs 20, fender blocks, and high-strength bolts 50. The fender blocks form a protective system around the berthing bollard 10 to cope with the impact of ships berthing and damage to the berthing bollard from the harsh marine environment.

[0025] Specifically, the bollard 10 is a hollow steel pipe. Two side lugs 20 are symmetrically fixed on the outer wall of the bollard 10 with its central axis as the axis of symmetry. Both side lugs 20 extend along the axial direction of the bollard 10, and both side lugs 20 are provided with multiple first bolt holes 201 at equal intervals. The fender assembly includes a UHPC precast concrete component 30 and a flexible buffer pad 40. The UHPC precast concrete component 30 has a semi-circular ring structure. The flexible buffer pad 40 is fixedly attached to the inner ring wall of the UHPC precast concrete component 30. The UHPC precast concrete component 30 has second bolt holes 305 that correspond to the first bolt holes 201 and are coaxial. The fender assembly is fixedly connected to the side lugs 20 by high-strength bolts 50 that pass through the corresponding first bolt holes 201 and second bolt holes 305, so that the UHPC precast concrete component 30 is tightly attached to the front side of the outer wall of the bollard 10 through the flexible buffer pad 40.

[0026] like Figures 4 to 6 As shown in this embodiment, it should be noted that the UHPC precast concrete component 30 consists of at least two stacked pieces. Each UHPC precast concrete component 30 has three sets of second bolt holes 305, that is, each UHPC precast concrete component 30 has six second bolt holes 305 coaxial with the first bolt holes 201. Correspondingly, each UHPC precast concrete component 30 is fixed with six high-strength bolts 50.

[0027] The protective structure for the berthing bollard of the offshore wind turbine foundation provided in this embodiment of the invention uses UHPC precast concrete components 30 to replace the existing rubber-coated structure. The UHPC precast concrete components 30 not only have far superior resistance to seawater corrosion and UV aging compared to rubber, but also reduce material costs and significantly extend the service life of the fender blocks, eliminating the need for frequent replacements and reducing economic losses from downtime maintenance. Furthermore, installation is achieved solely with high-strength bolts 50, eliminating the need for complex welding processes, making installation convenient and efficient. It also features strong adaptability, detachability, and replaceability, facilitating future localized repairs or upgrades. The flexible buffer pad 40 absorbs some of the impact energy when the ship comes into contact with the UHPC precast concrete components 30, while preventing direct contact between the UHPC precast concrete components 30 and the outer wall of the berthing bollard 10, effectively preventing wear on the paint surface of the berthing bollard 10 by the fender blocks and reducing paint repair costs.

[0028] In this embodiment, each bollard 10 can be fitted with 6-12 UHPC precast concrete components 30, such as... Figure 5 As shown, there are 9 UHPC precast concrete components 30, and the height of each UHPC precast concrete component 30 is 500mm.

[0029] like Figure 2As shown in the embodiment of this utility model, a steel frame is pre-embedded in the UHPC precast concrete component 30. Both ends of the steel frame are provided with pads 303 located on the sidewalls of the UHPC precast concrete component 30. The surface of the pads 303 is perpendicular to the axial direction of the second bolt holes 305, and each pad 303 is pre-fabricated with a clearance hole coaxial with the second bolt holes 305. Specifically, the steel frame includes first steel reinforcement columns 301 spaced apart along the circumference of the UHPC precast concrete component 30 and second steel reinforcement columns 302 spaced apart along the axial direction of the UHPC precast concrete component 30. A steel reinforcement column 301 and a second steel reinforcement column 302 intersect to form a mesh structure. A pad 303 is set at the end of the second steel reinforcement column 302. Preferably, each HPC concrete protective body has two second steel reinforcement columns 302 installed vertically at intervals. The two ends of the two second steel reinforcement columns 302 are respectively fixed with pads 303. The inclusion of the first steel reinforcement column 301 and the second steel reinforcement column 302 in the UHPC concrete precast component 30 can further improve the structural stability and fatigue resistance of the UHPC concrete precast component 30 and extend its service life.

[0030] In an embodiment of this utility model, a protective sleeve 304 is integrally formed on the pad 303, and the inner hole of the protective sleeve 304 forms a second bolt hole 305. The protective sleeve 304 can isolate the high-strength bolt 50 from the concrete, thus preventing damage to the concrete during the installation of the high-strength bolt 50.

[0031] In an embodiment of this utility model, a reinforcing rib plate 60 is fixedly connected between the rear side of the outer wall of the bollard 10 and the two side ears 20. The reinforcing rib plate 60 forms a support structure, which can distribute the load transmitted from the side ears 20 to the bollard 10, prevent the connection between the bollard 10 and the side ears 20 from cracking due to stress concentration, and improve the fatigue strength and stability of the overall structure.

[0032] In the embodiments of this utility model, the ends of each second bolt hole 305 away from the first bolt hole 201 are filled with sealing plugs 70. The material of the sealing plugs 70 is preferably EPDM rubber. The sealing plugs 70 can effectively prevent rainwater or seawater from entering the second bolt hole 305, thereby protecting the high-strength bolt 50 and the sheath 304.

[0033] In the embodiments of this utility model, auxiliary grooves 306 are provided in the middle of both the upper and lower ends of the UHPC precast concrete component 30. The auxiliary grooves 306 facilitate the fixing of hooks or ropes of hoisting equipment, and can improve the stability of the UHPC precast concrete component 30 during transportation and movement in the sea environment.

[0034] like Figure 5 and Figure 6As shown in the embodiment of this utility model, when installing or replacing a protective structure for the mooring column of an offshore wind turbine foundation, steel bars 80 can be inserted into the second bolt holes 305 of the upper and lower layers of the UHPC precast concrete component 30 as temporary lifting rods. Temporary fixing is achieved using the bolt holes of the UHPC precast concrete component 30 itself, without the need to open additional lifting holes, thus avoiding damage to the structural integrity of the UHPC precast concrete component 30. When the UHPC precast concrete component 30 is moved to the preset position, high-strength bolts 50 are first installed in the middle second bolt hole 305 to quickly achieve a preliminary connection with the side lug 20. Then, the steel bars 80 in the upper and lower second bolt holes 305 are pulled out, and high-strength bolts 50 are installed to form a complete wrapping structure, ensuring the continuity and sealing of the protective structure and improving the overall protective effect.

[0035] The technical solution of this utility model has been described in detail above with reference to specific embodiments. The specific embodiments described are used to help understand the concept of this utility model. Derivations and modifications made by those skilled in the art based on the specific embodiments of this utility model also fall within the protection scope of this utility model.

Claims

1. A protective structure for a mooring post of an offshore wind turbine foundation, comprising a mooring post (10), wherein two side ears (20) are symmetrically fixed on the outer wall of the post body with its central axis as the axis of symmetry, both side ears (20) extending along the axial direction of the mooring post (10), and both side ears (20) having a plurality of first bolt holes (201) spaced apart vertically; characterized in that, The protective structure also includes fender blocks and high-strength bolts (50); The fender assembly includes a UHPC precast concrete component (30) and a flexible buffer pad (40). The UHPC precast concrete component (30) has a semi-circular ring structure. The flexible buffer pad (40) is fixedly attached to the inner ring wall of the UHPC precast concrete component (30). The UHPC precast concrete component (30) has a second bolt hole (305) that corresponds to and is coaxial with the first bolt hole (201). The fender assembly is fixedly connected to the side lug (20) by high-strength bolts (50) that pass through the corresponding first bolt hole (201) and second bolt hole (305), so that the UHPC precast concrete component (30) is tightly attached to the front side of the outer wall of the bollard (10) through the flexible buffer pad (40).

2. The protective structure for the ship-supporting column of an offshore wind turbine foundation according to claim 1, characterized in that, A steel frame is embedded in the UHPC precast concrete component (30). Both ends of the steel frame are provided with pads (303) located on the side wall of the UHPC precast concrete component (30). The surface of the pads (303) is perpendicular to the axis of the second bolt hole (305), and each pad (303) is pre-fabricated with a clearance hole coaxial with the second bolt hole (305).

3. A protective structure for a ship-supporting column of an offshore wind turbine foundation according to claim 2, characterized in that, The steel frame includes a first steel reinforcement column (301) spaced apart along the circumference of the UHPC precast concrete component (30) and a second steel reinforcement column (302) spaced apart along the axial direction of the UHPC precast concrete component (30). The first steel reinforcement column (301) and the second steel reinforcement column (302) intersect to form a mesh structure.

4. A protective structure for a ship-supporting column of an offshore wind turbine foundation as described in claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, A sheath (304) is integrally formed on the pad (303), and the inner hole of the sheath (304) forms a second bolt hole (305).

5. A protective structure for a ship-supporting column of an offshore wind turbine foundation according to claim 1, characterized in that, A reinforcing rib plate (60) is fixedly connected between the rear side of the outer wall of the berthing column (10) and the two side ears (20).

6. A protective structure for a ship-supporting column of an offshore wind turbine foundation according to claim 1, characterized in that, Each second bolt hole (305) is filled with a sealing plug (70) at the end opposite to the first bolt hole (201).

7. A protective structure for a ship-supporting column of an offshore wind turbine foundation according to claim 1, characterized in that, The UHPC precast concrete component (30) has auxiliary grooves (306) in the middle of both the upper and lower ends.

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