Underwater pile settlement location system for four-pile jacket foundation steel pipe piles in deep water

Abstract

This invention discloses an underwater pile subsidence positioning system for four-jacket foundation steel pipe piles in deep sea, which includes a main foundation, four sets of leveling devices, four sets of pile gripping devices, a hydraulic system, a monitoring system and a control system. The main foundation includes four vertical pile frames and four connecting beams, each with a cage opening at the top of the vertical pile frame, four upper and lower pile gripping frames at the top and bottom of the four corners of each vertical pile frame, the four connecting beams connected between the tops of the four vertical pile frames, four sets of leveling devices attached to the bottom of the four vertical pile frames, each set of leveling devices including an anti-subsidence plate and four leveling lifting mechanisms connected between the bottom of the four uprights of the vertical pile frame and the top of the anti-subsidence plate, the four sets of pile gripping devices attached to the inner cavities of the four vertical pile frames, each set of pile gripping devices including four upper and lower pile grippers attached to the four upper and lower pile gripping frames. The present invention has the notable features of automation, visualization, high precision, high efficiency and high integration.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an underwater pile settlement positioning system for four-jacket foundation steel pipe piles in deep sea. [Background technology]

[0002] With the rapid development of the offshore wind power industry in China, an increasing number of wind turbine foundation types are being applied. Among these, jacket foundation structures have high strength, high foundation rigidity, excellent stability, low installation noise, light weight, and easy transportation and installation, making them suitable for use as support structures for large wind turbine units. Jacket foundations are relatively less affected by wave loads, are suitable for water depths ranging from 5 to 50 meters, and have the advantages of fast installation speed and low manufacturing costs compared to other foundation types. Currently, offshore wind power generation is moving toward deeper waters. China is increasingly adopting jacket foundation structures (pile driving method) for offshore wind turbine foundations in deep waters 25 km or more away from shore and 25 to 50 meters deep. The jacket foundation structure consists of four foundation steel pipe piles with diameters of 2.4 to 4.0 meters (pile lengths of 70 to 110 meters) and one internal jacket. The designed pile top elevation of the foundation steel pipe piles is located 7m to 17m above the seabed, necessitating underwater pile settlement construction. Underwater pile settlement work in deep waters is subject to strong winds, large waves, long swells, etc., resulting in a short construction window and significant construction difficulties. Furthermore, the insertion jacket structure requires underwater construction to connect with the foundation steel pipe piles (including insertion, leveling, and grouting), placing high demands on the precision of control of the horizontal position, elevation, verticality, and relative positions of each pile during settlement of the foundation steel pipe piles.

[0003] Currently, foundation steel pipe piles are submerged using hydraulic hammers, resulting in a relatively large displacement of the pile tops. The deeper the water, the worse the sea conditions, and the greater the displacement of the piles when submerged using hydraulic hammers. During offshore pile subsidence, the construction area is large, the working surface is large, and the construction environment and climatic conditions are poor. Therefore, when positioning is performed using traditional GPS-RTK measurement technology, the pile position error can only be kept below 300mm. Without special construction processes and control measures, the relative position error of the pile tops cannot meet the design requirements, which will have a serious impact on the alignment, connection, and installation of the underwater jacket structure and steel pipe piles.

[0004] The conventional underwater pile settlement process for four-pile jacket foundation steel pipe piles requires the installation of an auxiliary steel pipe pile positioning platform (including a floating pile stabilization platform). This process is applicable to coastal shallow waters (within 20m of water depth). The process is complicated, requires the auxiliary piles to be inserted and removed multiple times, and has a significant impact on the construction window period. The work efficiency of the installation and dismantling of the positioning platform and underwater pile settlement is low, making it difficult to adapt to the sea conditions in deep-sea areas when constructing underwater steel pipe piles for four-pile jacket foundations of offshore wind turbines. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The objective of the present invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and provide an underwater pile settlement positioning system for four-pile jacket foundation steel pipe piles in deep water, which has the distinctive characteristics of automation, visualization, high precision, high efficiency and high integration. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The object of the present invention is achieved as follows: An underwater pile subsidence positioning system for four-jacket foundation steel pipe piles in deep sea, including a main base, four sets of leveling devices, four sets of pile gripping devices, a hydraulic system, a monitoring system and a control system, The main foundation includes four vertical pile frames and four connecting beams; The four vertical pile frames are arranged so that the connecting lines of the geometric centers of the planes form a rectangle, and each of the vertical pile frames is a rectangular space truss structure made of steel pipes, and includes four upright columns and four upright column side plates connected between the four upright columns. Each vertical pile frame has a cage mouth at the top, four upper pile holding frames are provided in one-to-one correspondence at the top of the four corners of each vertical pile frame, and four lower pile holding frames are provided in one-to-one correspondence at the bottom of the four corners of each vertical pile frame. The four connecting beams are connected one-to-one between the tops of the four vertical pile frames, and each connecting beam is a rectangular space truss structure made of steel pipes, and includes four horizontal bars and four horizontal bar side plates connected between the four horizontal bars. The four sets of leveling devices are movably attached to the bottoms of the four vertical pile frames in one-to-one correspondence, and each set of leveling devices includes one anti-subsidence plate and four leveling lifting mechanisms connected between the bottoms of the four uprights of the vertical pile frames and the top surfaces of the anti-subsidence plate; The four sets of pile gripping devices are attached to the inner cavities of the four vertical pile frames in a one-to-one correspondence, and each set of pile gripping devices includes four upper-layer pile grippers provided in a one-to-one correspondence with the four upper pile gripping frames, and four lower-layer pile grippers provided in a one-to-one correspondence with the four lower pile gripping frames; The hydraulic system includes an oil tank and a group of underwater valves attached to the work vessel, and an underwater detection module attached to the main base, and the underwater detection module includes displacement sensors attached to the leveling lifting cylinders of the four sets of leveling devices, pressure sensors attached to the oil passages of the leveling lifting cylinders, displacement sensors attached to the pile gripping cylinders of the four sets of pile gripping devices, and pressure sensors attached to the oil passages of the pile gripping cylinders; The monitoring system includes four seal joint boxes, a main foundation posture monitoring device, and four sets of steel pipe pile posture monitoring devices. The main foundation posture monitoring device includes four level gauges, a depth sounder, a compass, and a depth gauge. The four seal joint boxes are installed in a one-to-one correspondence at the bottom of the four vertical pile frames. The four level gauges are installed in a one-to-one correspondence at the same height positions of the four vertical pile frames. The compass and depth gauge are both installed in the seal joint box of one vertical pile frame. The depth sounder is installed in the middle of the bottom of one connecting beam, and the signal line of the depth sounder is connected to the nearest seal joint box. The four sets of steel pipe pile posture monitoring devices are installed in a one-to-one correspondence at the four vertical pile frames. Each set of steel pipe pile posture monitoring device includes a sonar detector, a set of horizontal distance meter, vertical distance meter, and camera. The sonar detector is installed from the vertical pile frame. The set of horizontal distance meters is composed of two pairs of horizontal distance meters, and the two pairs of horizontal distance meters are installed in a one-to-one correspondence on the upper layer of the vertical pile frame and the lower layer of the vertical pile frame. The pair of horizontal distance meters located on the upper layer of the vertical pile frame are installed in a one-to-one correspondence on the centers of the inner surfaces of two opposing upright side plates of the vertical pile frame, corresponding to the installation positions of the upper layer pile grippers. The pair of horizontal distance meters located on the lower layer of the vertical pile frame are installed in a one-to-one correspondence on the centers of the inner surfaces of the other two opposing upright side plates of the vertical pile frame, corresponding to the installation positions of the lower layer pile grippers. The vertical distance meters and camera are all installed on the vertical pile frame via lamp holders. The signal lines of the liquid level gauge, sonar detector, one set of horizontal distance meters, vertical distance meters and camera in each vertical pile frame are all connected together in the seal joint box of each vertical pile frame. The control system includes a main console mounted on the work vessel and connected to the seal joint box via a signal bus, the main console being provided with a programmable controller and a human-computer interaction interface.

[0007] In the above-mentioned underwater pile settlement positioning system for foundation steel pipe piles with four-pile jackets in the deep sea, each of the vertical pile frames and each of the connecting beams are connected by a multi-stage vertical column unit framework, and the four vertical columns of each stage of the vertical column unit framework are all connected via flanges, and the four horizontal bars of each stage of the connecting beam unit are all connected via flanges.

[0008] In the above-mentioned underwater pile sinking positioning system for four-pile jacket foundation steel pipe piles in deep water, the cage mouth includes a circular frame provided on the top of the vertical pile frame, a plurality of links uniformly distributed and connected between the outer surface of the circular frame and the top frame of the vertical pile frame, and a semicircular frame connected to the top surface of the circular frame via a plurality of diagonal links.

[0009] In the above-mentioned underwater pile subsidence positioning system for foundation steel pipe piles with four-pile jacket in deep sea, the anti-subsidence plate includes a steel plate and a mesh-type reinforcing rib plate welded to the bottom of the steel plate.

[0010] In the above-mentioned underwater pile subsidence positioning system for foundation steel pipe piles with four-pillar jackets in deep water, the leveling lifting mechanism includes a leveling lifting cylinder and a guide rod mechanism, the cylinder base of the leveling lifting cylinder is fixed to the bottom of the upright of the vertical pile frame, the rear end of the cylinder of the leveling lifting cylinder is hingedly connected to the cylinder base, and the tip of the piston rod of the leveling lifting cylinder is hingedly connected to the top surface of the anti-subsidence plate, and the guide rod mechanism includes a guide rod base fixed to the top surface of the anti-subsidence plate, a hemispherical lower bearing seat attached to the top surface of the guide rod base, a guide rod inserted into the upright from the bottom and pivoted in the lower bearing seat via a steel ball at the bottom, and an upper bearing seat attached to the top surface of the lower bearing seat to restrict the steel ball from escaping from the lower bearing seat.

[0011] In the above-mentioned underwater pile settlement positioning system for four-pile jacket foundation steel pipe piles in deep water, the upper pile holding frame includes a swing link mounting rod and a cylinder mounting rod, one each at the inside and outside and the top and bottom, fixed parallel to the corners of the vertical pile frame, and each forming a 45° angle with the side plates of the vertical pile frame; two connecting arms extending upward are fixed at a distance from each other to the center of the swing link mounting rod; two pin sleeves extending inward and downward are attached at a distance from each other to the center of the swing link mounting rod; and the lower ends of the two pin sleeves are fixed to the vertical pile frame via one diagonal support rod, The structure of the lower pile gripping frame is the same as that of the upper pile gripping frame; The upper layer pile gripper includes a pile gripping cylinder, a swing link, and a collision prevention mechanism; The rear end of the pile gripping cylinder is hingedly connected to the center of the cylinder mounting rod of the upper pile gripping frame; The swing link is composed of two triangular plates, and the vertex of the swing link is hingedly connected to the two pin sleeves of the upper pile gripping frame via a swing link pin, a pile gripping roller is attached to the inner bottom corner of the swing link via a roller pin, and the outer bottom corner of the swing link is hingedly connected to the tip of the piston rod of the pile gripping cylinder via a cylinder pin, and one link pin is further attached to the inner waist of the swing link at a position close to the vertex angle, the collision prevention mechanism includes a link and a collision prevention plate, one end of the link is hingedly connected to the link pin of the swing link, the front end of the bottom surface of the collision prevention plate is hingedly connected to the other end of the link, and the rear end of the collision prevention plate is hingedly connected to the upper ends of the two connecting arms of the upper pile holding frame; The structure of the lower pile gripper is the same as that of the upper pile gripper.

[0012] In the above-mentioned underwater pile settlement positioning system for foundation steel pipe piles with a four-pile jacket in deep water, the lamp holder includes two mounting plates fixed, one above and one below, to the inner central part of one side plate of the vertical pile frame, two vertical rods whose ends are fixed to the two mounting plates in a one-to-one correspondence, a horizontal seat plate fitted to the central part of the two vertical rods, a vertical seat plate fixed to the inner end of the horizontal seat plate, two underwater searchlights attached at a distance from each other on the top surface of the vertical seat plate, and a laser lamp fixed to the middle of the upper part of the vertical seat plate, the camera is attached above the laser lamp, one detection cylinder is hingedly connected to the horizontal seat plate, and the piston rod of the detection cylinder is hingedly connected to the outer end of a link whose central part is hingedly connected to the horizontal seat plate, the inner end of the link is connected to the outer end of a detection lever, and the vertical distance meter is attached to the inner end of the detection lever.

[0013] The underwater pile settlement positioning system for four-jacket foundation steel pipe piles in deep water of the present invention has the following features:

[0014] 1. In this invention, the four connecting beams of the main foundation adopt a stepped structure, which can be adapted to the pile settlement construction of jacket foundations with foundation steel pipe pile pitches of 22m x 22m to 30m x 30m.

[0015] 2. By installing one set of leveling devices at the bottom of each of the four vertical pile frames of the main foundation, the present invention not only effectively ensures the stabilization of the posture of the main foundation during the underwater pile settlement process of the steel pipe piles, but also increases the stability of the base of the main foundation, ensuring the safety and reliability of the underwater pile settlement process.

[0016] 3. In this invention, a set of pile gripping devices consisting of four upper pile grippers and four lower pile grippers is installed in each of the four vertical pile frames of the main foundation, and by combining this with a monitoring device, the verticality of the steel pipe piles can be controlled with high precision and efficiency.

[0017] 4. In this invention, by installing a main foundation posture monitoring device, the main console can adjust the relative positions of the four anti-subsidence plates and the main foundation one-to-one through the leveling lifting cylinders of the four sets of leveling devices based on the data fed back from the main foundation posture monitoring device, thereby adjusting the posture of the main foundation, ensuring the verticality of the four vertical pile frames, and providing a reference platform for subsequent pile driving operations. By installing a steel pipe pile posture monitoring device in each of the four vertical pile frames, during steel pipe pile settlement, the main console can control the pile gripping cylinders of the upper pile gripper and the lower pile gripper corresponding to the steel pipe pile based on the data fed back from the corresponding steel pipe pile posture monitoring device, thereby accurately controlling the verticality of the steel pipe pile within the allowable range, providing sufficient basis and technical support for real-time error calibration during the underwater pile settlement process.

[0018] 5. The present invention has the outstanding features of automation, visualization, high precision, high efficiency and high integration. It solves the technical challenges of visualizing and monitoring the underwater pile settlement process and real-time error correction of the underwater pile settlement process, which are encountered when the foundation steel pipe piles of a jacket in deepwater areas are close to the seabed, due to the influence of strong winds, large waves and long swells, resulting in a very short construction window, great construction difficulties and low work efficiency. It also has high requirements for intelligent underwater positioning, verticality, pile top elevation and the control accuracy of the relative positions of each pile. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a front view of the underwater pile subsidence positioning system for four-jacket foundation steel pipe piles in deep water according to the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a plan view of the underwater pile subsidence positioning system for four-jacket foundation steel pipe piles in deep waters of the present invention. [Figure 3] 1 is a structural schematic diagram of the cage mouth at the top of the vertical pile frame in the underwater pile subsidence positioning system of the present invention; FIG. [Figure 4]Front view of the vertical pile frame in the underwater pile sinking positioning system of the present invention. [Figure 4a] It is a plan view of FIG. 4. [Figure 4b] It is a view taken along the A-A arrow in FIG. 4a. [Figure 4c] It is a view taken along the B-B arrow in FIG. 4a. [Figure 4d] It is a view taken along the F-F arrow in FIG. 4c. [Figure 4e] It is a view taken along the N-N arrow in FIG. 4. [Figure 5] Axial sectional view of the guide rod mechanism in the underwater pile sinking positioning system of the present invention. [Figure 6] Schematic diagram of the structure of the upper pile gripper in the underwater pile sinking positioning system of the present invention (state where the pile gripping cylinder is fully open). [Figure 7] Schematic diagram of the structure of the upper pile gripper in the underwater pile sinking positioning system of the present invention (state where the pile gripping cylinder is fully retracted). [Figure 8] Perspective view of the collision prevention plate of the upper pile gripper in the underwater pile sinking positioning system of the present invention. [Figure 9] Side view of the arrangement of the monitoring system in the underwater pile sinking positioning system of the present invention. [Figure 10] Perspective view of the arrangement of the monitoring system in the underwater pile sinking positioning system of the present invention. [Figure 10a] Perspective view of the lamp holder of the monitoring system in the underwater pile sinking positioning system of the present invention.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0020] Hereinafter, the present invention will be further described with reference to the drawings.

[0021] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 10a, the underwater pile sinking positioning system for the foundation steel pipe piles of the four-pile jacket in the deep sea according to the present invention includes a main base, four sets of leveling devices, four sets of pile gripping devices, a hydraulic system, a monitoring system, and a control system.

[0022] The main foundation includes four vertical pile frames 1A and four connecting beams 1B.

[0023] The four vertical pile frames 1A are arranged so that their central connecting lines form a rectangle; that is, the arrangement of the four vertical pile frames 1A must correspond to the arrangement of the four pile legs of the four-pile jacket. The vertical pile frame 1A located in the northwest direction is numbered 1, the vertical pile frame 1A located in the northeast direction is numbered 2, the vertical pile frame 1A located in the southwest direction is numbered 3, and the vertical pile frame 1A located in the southeast direction is numbered 4. Each vertical pile frame 1A is a rectangular space truss structure and includes four vertical columns 11 and four side plates connected between the four vertical columns 11. Each side plate is 8m long and includes horizontal rods 12, vertical rods, and diagonal rods. Each vertical pile frame 1A is connected by multiple vertical column unit frames, and the four vertical columns of each vertical column unit frame are connected via flanges, allowing for easy removal and replacement. Each vertical pile frame 1A has one cage mouth 10A at the top, four upper pile holding frames are provided in one-to-one correspondence at the top of the four corners of each vertical pile frame 1A, and four lower pile holding frames are provided in one-to-one correspondence at the bottom of the four corners of each vertical pile frame 1A.

[0024] The cage mouth 10A includes a circular frame 111 provided at the top of the vertical pile frame 1A, eight links 112 evenly distributed and connected between the outer surface of the circular frame 11 and the top frame of the vertical pile frame 1A, and a semicircular frame 114 (see Figure 3) connected to the top surface of the circular frame 111 via eight diagonal links 13, making it easy to guide the steel pipe pile into the circular frame 111.

[0025] The upper pile gripping frame has the same structure as the lower pile gripping frame, and includes swing link mounting rods 10B and cylinder mounting rods 10C, one each on the inside and outside and the top and bottom, fixed parallel to the corners of the vertical pile frame 1A and forming a 45° angle with the side plates of the vertical pile frame 1A. Two connecting arms 121 extending upward are fixed at a distance from each other to the center of the swing link mounting rod 10B, and two pin sleeves 122 extending downward inward are attached at a distance from each other to the center of the swing link mounting rod 10B, and the lower ends of the two pin sleeves 122 are fixed to the corners of the vertical pile frame 1A via diagonal support rods 123 (see Figures 4 to 4e).

[0026] The four connecting beams 1B are connected one-to-one between the tops of the four vertical pile frames 1A, and each connecting beam 1B is a square space truss structure made of steel pipes, including four horizontal bars and four side plates connected between the four horizontal bars, with each side plate being 7m wide. Each connecting beam 1B is also joined by multiple stages of connecting beam units, and the four horizontal bars of each stage of connecting beam units are all connected via flanges, making it easy to adjust the length of each connecting beam 1B. By adjusting the length of the four connecting beams 1B, it can be adapted to the pile settlement construction of jacket foundations with steel pipe pile pitches of 22m x 22m to 30m x 30m.

[0027] Each of the four vertical pile frames 1A and four connecting beams 1B is provided with a lifting point, allowing the entire structure or each of the structures to be lifted separately.

[0028] Four sets of leveling devices are movably attached to the bottom of the four vertical pile frames 1A in one-to-one correspondence, and each set of leveling devices includes one anti-subsidence plate 2 and four leveling lifting mechanisms connected between the bottom of the four uprights 11 of the vertical pile frame 1A and the top surface of the anti-subsidence plate 2.

[0029] The plane of each anti-subsidence plate 2 is square, and its geometric dimensions are larger than the geometric dimensions of the plane of the single vertical pile frame 1A. Each anti-subsidence plate 2 includes a square steel plate with a pile hole drilled in the center and a mesh-type reinforcing rib plate welded to the bottom surface of the steel plate. The four anti-subsidence plates 2 can increase the contact area between the main foundation and the seabed surface, improving the stability of the base of the underwater pile subsidence positioning system.

[0030] Each leveling lifting mechanism includes a leveling lifting cylinder 3 and a guide rod mechanism 20, wherein the cylinder base 30 of the leveling lifting cylinder 3 is fixed to the bottom of the upright 11 of the vertical pile frame 1A, the rear end of the cylinder of the leveling lifting cylinder 3 is hingedly connected to the cylinder base 30, and the end of the piston rod of the leveling lifting cylinder 3 is hingedly connected to the top surface of the anti-subsidence plate 2.

[0031] The guide rod mechanism 20 includes a guide rod base 21, a lower bearing seat 22, a guide rod 23, and an upper bearing seat 25. The guide rod base 21 is fixed to the top surface of the anti-subsidence plate 2, and a hemispherical groove is formed in the top surface of the guide rod base 21. The lower bearing seat 22 is hemispherical and is attached to the hemispherical groove in the top surface of the guide rod base 21. The guide rod 23 is a steel pipe with a steel ball 24 attached to its bottom. The guide rod 23 is inserted into the upright column 11 from its bottom, and the steel ball 24 at the bottom of the guide rod 23 is pivotally attached to the lower bearing seat 22. The upper bearing seat 25 is attached to the top surface of the lower bearing seat 22, thereby preventing the steel ball 24 from escaping from the lower bearing seat 22 (see FIG. 5).

[0032] The four vertical pile frames 1A of the main foundation can adjust the distance between the vertical pile frame 1A and the anti-subsidence plate 2 by extending and retracting the piston rods of the leveling lifting cylinders 3 in the four leveling lifting mechanisms, and can also adjust the main foundation so that it is in a horizontal position at a set position. The four leveling lifting cylinders 3 in each vertical pile frame 1A can operate independently or in coordination and synchronously.

[0033] Four sets of pile gripping devices are attached to the inner cavities of the four vertical pile frames 1A in a one-to-one correspondence. Each set of pile gripping devices includes four upper-layer pile grippers 4A, which are attached to the four upper pile gripping frames in a one-to-one correspondence, and four lower-layer pile grippers 4B, which are attached to the four lower pile gripping frames in a one-to-one correspondence. The upper and lower pile grippers 4A and 4B have the same structure, and the distance between the upper and lower pile grippers 4A and 4B is 7m. Each vertical pile frame 1A contacts the steel pipe pile via the four upper and four lower pile grippers 4A and 4B, and then clamps the pile.

[0034] Each upper layer pile holder 4A includes a pile holding cylinder 4, a swing link 41, and a collision prevention mechanism.

[0035] The rear end of the pile gripping cylinder 4 is hingedly connected to the center of the bottom surface of the cylinder mounting rod 10C of the upper pile gripping frame.

[0036] The swing link 41 is composed of two triangular plates. A swing link pin is suspended between the vertex angles of the two triangular plates via two bearings. The exposed ends of the swing link pin, where the two triangular plates are located, are inserted one-to-one into two pin sleeves 122 on the swing link mounting rod 10B of the upper pile gripping frame and are fixed via baffle plates. A roller pin is suspended between the inner base angles of the two triangular plates, and a pile gripping roller 42 is attached to this roller pin. A cylinder pin is suspended between the outer base angles of the two triangular plates, and the end of the piston rod of the pile gripping cylinder 4 is hingedly connected to this cylinder pin. Another link pin is suspended between the inner waists of the two triangular plates, near the vertex angles.

[0037] The collision prevention mechanism includes a link 43 and a collision prevention plate 44. One end of the link 43 is hingedly connected to the link pin of the swing link 41. The collision prevention plate 44 is provided above the inside of the swing link 41. A pair of front hinge bases 441, hingedly connected to the other end of the link 43, are attached to the front end of the center of the bottom surface of the collision prevention plate 44. Rear hinge bases 442 (Figures 6 to 8) are attached to both sides of the rear end of the collision prevention plate 44, and are hingedly connected to the upper ends of two connecting arms 121 of the swing link mounting rod 10B of one upper pile gripping frame in a one-to-one correspondence. By controlling the pile gripping cylinders 44 of the four upper pile grippers and the pile gripping cylinders of the four lower pile grippers, it is possible to accommodate steel pipe piles of different diameters and also to adjust the verticality of the steel pipe piles.

[0038] The hydraulic system includes an oil tank and a group of valves attached to the work vessel and an underwater detection module attached to the main base, and the underwater detection module includes displacement sensors and pressure sensors attached to the leveling lifting cylinders 3 of the four sets of leveling devices and displacement sensors and pressure sensors attached to the pile gripping cylinders 4 of the four sets of pile gripping devices. The hydraulic system controls the pile gripping cylinders 4 of the four sets of pile gripping devices and the leveling lifting cylinders 3 of the four sets of leveling devices.

[0039] The monitoring system includes four seal joint boxes 5A, a main foundation posture monitoring device, and four sets of steel pipe pile posture monitoring devices.

[0040] The four seal joint boxes 5A are attached to the lower parts of the inner cavities of the four vertical pile frames 1A in a one-to-one correspondence.

[0041] The main base attitude monitoring system includes four level indicators 51, a bathymeter 52, a compass and a depth gauge (see Figure 9).

[0042] Here, the compass and depth gauge are both installed inside the seal joint box 5A located on the No. 1 vertical pile frame 1A. The compass is used to identify the pitch angle, roll angle and azimuth angle of the main foundation and to assist in adjusting the angle and level of the main foundation, while the depth gauge can measure the distance from its installation position to the sea surface based on water pressure and is used to determine the water depth and height of the main foundation.

[0043] The four level gauges 51 are attached in one-to-one correspondence at the same height position on one of the uprights 11 of the four vertical pile frames 1A. After the main foundation has been dropped to the seabed, the level of the entire main foundation is determined by the scales on the four level gauges 51.

[0044] The depth meter 52 is installed in the middle of the bottom of one of the connecting beams 1B between the No. 1 vertical pile frame 1A and the No. 3 vertical pile frame 1A, and the signal line of the depth meter 52 is connected to the seal joint box 5A located in the No. 1 vertical pile frame 1A. The depth meter 52 can measure the distance from the connecting beam 1B to the seabed after leveling the main foundation, and is used to determine the mud penetration depth of the main foundation.

[0045] Four sets of steel pipe pile posture monitoring devices are installed in one-to-one correspondence with the inner lumens of the four vertical pile frames 1A, and each steel pipe pile posture monitoring device includes a lamp holder 50, a sonar detector 53, a set of horizontal distance meters 54, a vertical distance meter 55 and a camera 56.

[0046] Here, the lamp holder 50 includes two mounting plates 501, one above the other, fixed to the center of the inside of one side plate of the vertical pile frame 1A, two vertical rods 502, both ends of which are fixed to the two mounting plates 501 in a one-to-one correspondence, two horizontal seat plates 503 fitted into the center of the vertical rods 502, a vertical seat plate 504 fixed to the inner end of the horizontal seat plate 503, two underwater searchlights 57 attached at intervals to the top surface of the vertical seat plate 504, and a laser lamp 58 fixed to the middle of the upper part of the vertical seat plate 504. One detection cylinder 5 is hingedly connected to one side of the top surface of the horizontal seat plate 503, and the piston rod of the detection cylinder 5 is hingedly connected to the outer end of one detection link 505 whose central portion is hingedly connected to the other side of the top surface of the horizontal seat plate 503, and the inner end of the detection link 505 is connected to the outer end of one detection lever 506 (see Figures 10 and 10a).

[0047] The sonar detector 53 is attached to the cage mouth 10A of the vertical pile frame 1A (see FIG. 9). The sonar detector 53 serves to identify the orientation of the underwater steel pipe pile after it enters water at a certain depth, and to guide the steel pipe pile to fall into the cage mouth 10A.

[0048] The set of horizontal distance meters 54 consists of two pairs of horizontal distance meters, which are attached to the upper and lower levels of the vertical pile frame 1A in a one-to-one correspondence, with the pair of horizontal distance meters 54 located on the upper level of the vertical pile frame 1A being attached to the centers of the inner surfaces of two opposing upright side plates of the vertical pile frame 1A in a one-to-one correspondence corresponding to the attachment positions of the upper level pile grippers 4A, and the pair of horizontal distance meters 54 located on the lower level of the vertical pile frame 1A being attached to the centers of the inner surfaces of the other two opposing upright side plates of the vertical pile frame 1A in a one-to-one correspondence corresponding to the attachment positions of the lower level pile grippers 4B. During the pile subsidence process, the two pairs of horizontal distance meters 54 are used to measure the distance to the steel pipe pile and determine the verticality of the steel pipe pile.

[0049] The vertical distance meter 55 is attached to the inner end of a detection lever 506 attached to a lamp holder 50 inside the vertical pile frame 1A. The installation height of the vertical distance meter 55 can be adjusted using the horizontal seat plate 503. Before the pile settlement work, the detection cylinder 5 is controlled to retract the detection lever 506 via the detection link 507, and after the steel pipe pile has settled to a predetermined position, the detection cylinder 5 is controlled to extend the detection lever 506 via the detection link 505, bringing the vertical distance meter 55 into contact with the outer surface of the steel pipe pile. Then, a hammer is fitted to drive the pile, and the vertical distance meter 55 measures upward to measure the distance to the hammer cap, thereby controlling the settlement height of the steel pipe pile.

[0050] The camera 56 is attached to the middle of the upper part of the vertical seat plate 504 of the lamp holder 50 in the vertical pile frame 1A and is located above the laser lamp 58. The camera 56 is used to observe the state of sinking of the steel pipe pile, and the laser lamp 58 illuminates the scale on the steel pipe pile, and the camera 56 determines the depth of sinking of the pile.

[0051] An underwater searchlight 57 provides a light source for the horizontal range finder 54 and the vertical range finder 55 .

[0052] The signal lines of the liquid level gauge 51, sonar detector 53, a set of horizontal distance meters 54, vertical distance meters 55 and camera 56 in each vertical pile frame 1A are all connected together within the seal joint box 5A in each vertical pile frame 1A, and the signal lines of the seal joint boxes 5A in vertical pile frames 1A No. 2 to No. 4 are connected together within the seal joint box 5A in vertical pile frame 1A No. 1.

[0053] The control system includes a main console mounted on a work boat and connected to the seal joint box 5A on the No. 1 vertical pile frame 1A via a signal bus, with a programmable controller and a human-computer interaction interface installed on the main console. The electrical control system collects work data via the programmable controller and controls the four sets of pile gripping devices, provides power and protection for the entire system including the hydraulic system, processes and displays all collected monitoring signals, and measures, monitors, records and saves the depth, direction and horizontal attitude of the main foundation, the position and verticality of the steel pipe piles during the pile driving construction process for each steel pipe pile.

[0054] The underwater pile sinking and positioning system for four-jacket foundation steel pipe piles in deep water of the present invention is operated assisted by a crane vessel or a self-elevating platform vessel, and the underwater execution member of the system is connected to the power and control system installed on the work vessel via an umbilical cable.

[0055] The process for performing pile subsidence work using the underwater pile subsidence positioning system for four-jacket foundation steel pipe piles in deep water according to the present invention is as follows: Position the work vessel, connect the equipment power system, and perform a trial run → hoist the underwater pile subsidence positioning system according to the present invention → extend the piston rod portion of the leveling lifting cylinder, and lower the underwater pile subsidence positioning system according to the present invention into the water and place it above the seabed → use auxiliary devices such as a crane and winch to identify the position and azimuth of the main base and position the main base → the anti-subsidence plate falls to the seabed → confirm the position and direction of the main base using the main base attitude monitoring device → evaluate the seabed below the main base and identify the baseline leveling reference point → the main base's reference line is horizontal Start the four sets of leveling devices to adjust the level of the main base and make corrections using a compass → retrieve the rope → measure and monitor the attitude data of the seabed and main base in real time → use a vibrating hammer to insert and sink the piles using the four upper pile grippers and four lower pile grippers, and monitor the attitude data of the main base and steel pipe piles in real time and make adjustments as necessary → install the second, third and fourth steel pipe piles in the same manner → measure the positions of the tops of the four steel pipe piles → reconnect the rope and retrieve the underwater pile sinking positioning system of the present invention.

[0056] After the underwater pile sinking positioning system of the present invention is lowered to the seabed, the monitoring signal is fed back by the main foundation attitude monitoring device, and the leveling lifting cylinders 3 of the four sets of leveling devices adjust the relative positions of the four anti-subsidence plates 2 and the main foundation in a one-to-one correspondence, thereby adjusting the attitude of the main foundation and ensuring the verticality of the four vertical pile frames 1A, and providing a reference platform for the subsequent pile driving work. During pile sinking work, after the steel pipe pile enters the water at a certain depth, the sonar detector 53 attached to the cage mouth 10A identifies the orientation of the underwater steel pipe pile and feeds it back to the main console of the work vessel, and the main console controls the crane and winch to adjust the orientation of the steel pipe pile so that the steel pipe pile can be smoothly dropped into the cage mouth 10A of the corresponding vertical pile frame 1A, and then the steel pipe pile is guided into the four upper pile grippers 4A through the cage mouth 10A. The system then guides the steel pipe pile toward the center of the vertical pile frame 1A via the pile gripping cylinders 4 of the four upper pile grippers 4A. The steel pipe pile is then lowered and guided into the four lower pile grippers 4B. The pile gripping cylinders 4 of the four lower pile grippers 4B are then fully extended, positioning the center of the steel pipe pile at the center of the vertical pile frame 1A. The pile gripping cylinders 4 of the four upper pile grippers 4A are then controlled to precisely control the verticality of the steel pipe pile within the allowable range. The diameter range of the steel pipe piles applicable to the four upper pile grippers 4A and four lower pile grippers 4B is 2.4m to 4.0m. The vertical distance meter 55 monitors the height and penetration of the steel pipe pile, and the horizontal distance meter 54 and camera 56 ensure the verticality of the steel pipe pile. An underwater searchlight 57 provides a light source for the horizontal distance meter 54 and vertical distance meter 55.

[0057] The above examples are merely for illustrating the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Those skilled in the art may make various modifications or variations without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, all equivalent technical solutions should also be considered to fall within the scope of the present invention and should be limited to the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An underwater pile subsidence positioning system for four-jacket foundation steel pipe piles in deep sea, including: a main foundation, four sets of leveling devices, four sets of pile gripping devices, a hydraulic system, a monitoring system, and a control system; The main foundation includes four vertical pile frames and four connecting beams; The four vertical pile frames are arranged so that the connecting lines of the geometric centers of the planes form a rectangle, and each of the vertical pile frames is a rectangular space truss structure made of steel pipes, and includes four upright columns and four upright column side plates connected between the four upright columns. Each vertical pile frame has a cage mouth at its top, four upper pile holding frames are provided in one-to-one correspondence at the top of the four corners of each vertical pile frame, and four lower pile holding frames are provided in one-to-one correspondence at the bottom of the four corners of each vertical pile frame. The four connecting beams are connected in a one-to-one correspondence between the upper portions of the four vertical pile frames, and each connecting beam is a rectangular space truss structure made of steel pipes, and includes four horizontal bars and four horizontal bar side plates connected between the four horizontal bars; The four sets of leveling devices are movably attached to the bottoms of the four vertical pile frames in a one-to-one correspondence, and each set of leveling devices includes one anti-subsidence plate and four leveling lifting mechanisms connected between the lower parts of the four uprights of the vertical pile frames and the top surfaces of the anti-subsidence plate; The four sets of pile gripping devices are attached to the inner cavities of the four vertical pile frames in a one-to-one correspondence, and each set of pile gripping devices includes four upper-layer pile grippers provided in a one-to-one correspondence with the four upper pile gripping frames, and four lower-layer pile grippers provided in a one-to-one correspondence with the four lower pile gripping frames; The hydraulic system includes an oil tank and a group of underwater valves attached to the work vessel, and an underwater detection module attached to the main base, and the underwater detection module includes displacement sensors attached to the leveling lifting cylinders of the four sets of leveling devices, pressure sensors attached to the oil passages of the leveling lifting cylinders, displacement sensors attached to the pile gripping cylinders of the four sets of pile gripping devices, and pressure sensors attached to the oil passages of the pile gripping cylinders; The monitoring system includes four seal joint boxes, a main foundation posture monitoring device, and four sets of steel pipe pile posture monitoring devices, the main foundation posture monitoring device includes four level gauges, a depth sounder, a compass, and a depth gauge, the four seal joint boxes are installed in a one-to-one correspondence at the bottom of the four vertical pile frames, the four level gauges are installed in a one-to-one correspondence at the same height positions of the four vertical pile frames, the compass and depth gauge are both installed in the seal joint box of one vertical pile frame, the depth sounder is installed in the bottom center of one connecting beam, and the signal line of the depth sounder is connected in the nearest seal joint box, the four sets of steel pipe pile posture monitoring devices are installed in a one-to-one correspondence at the four vertical pile frames, each set of steel pipe pile posture monitoring device includes a sonar detector, a set of horizontal distance meter, vertical distance meter and camera, the sonar detector is installed in the vertical pile frame The set of horizontal distance meters is composed of two pairs of horizontal distance meters, and the two pairs of horizontal distance meters are attached to the upper layer of the vertical pile frame and the lower layer of the vertical pile frame in a one-to-one correspondence. The pair of horizontal distance meters located on the upper layer of the vertical pile frame are attached to the centers of the inner surfaces of two opposing upright side plates of the vertical pile frame in a one-to-one correspondence, corresponding to the attachment positions of the upper layer pile grippers. The pair of horizontal distance meters located on the lower layer of the vertical pile frame are attached to the centers of the inner surfaces of the other two opposing upright side plates of the vertical pile frame in a one-to-one correspondence, corresponding to the attachment positions of the lower layer pile grippers. The vertical distance meters and camera are all attached to the vertical pile frame via lamp holders. The signal lines of the liquid level gauge, sonar detector, one set of horizontal distance meters, vertical distance meters and camera in each vertical pile frame are all connected together in the seal joint box of each vertical pile frame. The control system includes a main console mounted on a work vessel and connected to the seal joint box via a signal bus, and the main console is provided with a programmable controller and a human-computer interaction interface.

2. The underwater pile subsidence positioning system for four-pile jacket foundation steel pipe piles in deep water as described in claim 1, characterized in that each of the vertical pile frames and each of the connecting beams are connected by multiple stages of vertical column unit frameworks, and the four vertical columns of each stage of the vertical column unit framework are all connected via flanges, and the four horizontal bars of each stage of the connecting beam unit are all connected via flanges.

3. The underwater pile subsidence positioning system for four-jacket foundation steel pipe piles in deep water as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the cage mouth includes a circular frame provided on the top of the vertical pile frame, a plurality of links uniformly distributed and connected between the outer surface of the circular frame and the top frame of the vertical pile frame, and a semicircular frame connected to the top surface of the circular frame via a plurality of diagonal links.

4. The underwater pile subsidence positioning system for four-pile jacket foundation steel pipe piles in deep water as described in claim 1, characterized in that the anti-subsidence plate includes a steel plate and a mesh-type reinforcing rib plate welded to the bottom of the steel plate.

5. 2. The deep-sea underwater pile subsidence positioning system for four-jacket foundation steel pipe piles according to claim 1, wherein the leveling lifting mechanism comprises a leveling lifting cylinder and a guide rod mechanism, the cylinder base of the leveling lifting cylinder being fixed to the lower part of the upright of the vertical pile frame, the rear end of the leveling lifting cylinder being hingedly connected to the cylinder base, and the tip of the piston rod of the leveling lifting cylinder being hingedly connected to the top surface of the anti-subsidence plate, and the guide rod mechanism comprising a guide rod base fixed to the top surface of the anti-subsidence plate, a hemispherical lower bearing seat attached to the top surface of the guide rod base, a guide rod inserted into the upright from the bottom of the upright and pivotally attached in the lower bearing seat via a steel ball at the bottom, and an upper bearing seat attached to the top surface of the lower bearing seat to restrict the steel ball from escaping from the lower bearing seat.

6. The upper pile gripping frame includes a swing link mounting rod and a cylinder mounting rod, each of which is fixed parallel to the corners of the vertical pile frame, one on the inside, one on the outside, and one on the top and bottom, and each of which forms a 45° angle with the side plates of the vertical pile frame; two connecting arms extending upward are fixed at a distance from each other to the center of the swing link mounting rod; two pin sleeves extending inward and downward are attached at a distance from each other to the center of the swing link mounting rod; and the lower ends of the two pin sleeves are fixed to the vertical pile frame via a diagonal support rod, respectively; The structure of the lower pile gripping frame is the same as that of the upper pile gripping frame; The upper layer pile gripper includes a pile gripping cylinder, a swing link, and a collision prevention mechanism; The rear end of the pile gripping cylinder is hingedly connected to the center of the cylinder mounting rod of the upper pile gripping frame; The swing link is composed of two triangular plates, the vertex of the swing link is hingedly connected to the two pin sleeves of the upper pile gripping frame via a swing link pin, a pile gripping roller is attached to the inner bottom corner of the swing link via a roller pin, the outer bottom corner of the swing link is hingedly connected to the tip of the piston rod of the pile gripping cylinder via a cylinder pin, and one link pin is further attached to the inner waist of the swing link at a position close to the vertex angle, the collision prevention mechanism includes a link and a collision prevention plate, one end of the link is hingedly connected to the link pin of the swing link, the front end of the bottom surface of the collision prevention plate is hingedly connected to the other end of the link, and the rear end of the collision prevention plate is hingedly connected to the upper ends of the two connecting arms of the upper pile gripping frame; The underwater pile settlement positioning system for four-jacket foundation steel pipe piles in deep water as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the structure of the lower pile holder is the same as that of the upper pile holder.

7. 2. The deep-sea underwater pile settlement positioning system for four-jacket foundation steel pipe piles according to claim 1, wherein the lamp holder comprises two mounting plates, one above the other, fixed to the center of the inner side of one side plate of the vertical pile frame, two vertical rods each having both ends fixed to the two mounting plates in a one-to-one correspondence, a horizontal base plate fitted to the center of the two vertical rods, a vertical base plate fixed to the inner end of the horizontal base plate, two underwater searchlights attached at a distance from each other on the top surface of the vertical base plate, and a laser lamp fixed to the middle of the upper part of the vertical base plate, wherein the camera is attached above the laser lamp, and a detection cylinder is hingedly connected to the horizontal base plate, the piston rod of the detection cylinder is hingedly connected to the outer end of a link whose center is hingedly connected to the horizontal base plate, the inner end of the link is connected to the outer end of a detection lever, and the vertical distance meter is attached to the inner end of the detection lever.

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