Pile driving method, self-lifting barge and guide frame

Abstract

The present invention provides a pile driving method, a self-lifting barge, and a guide frame, which enable the precise driving of piles. [Solution] When driving piles 10 using a self-elevating barge 1, the following steps are performed: navigating the self-elevating barge 1 to the pile driving point in the water and inserting the legs 3 into the seabed; positioning a three-dimensional guide frame 5 in a guide frame arrangement section 6 provided on the self-elevating barge 1 so that its top is above the water and its bottom is resting on the seabed; and driving the piles 10, positioned inside the guide frame 5, into the seabed 50.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for driving piles in water areas, a self-elevating barge, and a guide frame used therefor.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Documents 1 to 3 describe a self-elevating barge (SEP) for driving piles in water areas. The self-elevating barge has a platform (barge) and legs that can move up and down with respect to the platform. The self-elevating barge sails to the pile driving point in the water area with the legs pulled up, and after reaching the pile driving point, inserts the legs into the water bottom to fix the planar position of the platform. Further, the platform is raised along the legs, and after fixing its height above the water, a pile driver on the platform drives a pile into the water bottom.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] When driving a pile, a guide frame is used for positioning the pile in the plane. However, in many cases, the guide frame is provided only above the water, and even if the pile is positioned above the water by the guide frame, there is a concern that the pile may tilt in the water and the planar position of the pile at the water bottom may shift. In particular, when driving a pile in a water area where the flow velocity may be relatively large, such as a river, the possibility of the pile tilting in the water is high, and countermeasures in terms of accuracy are required.

[0005] This invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a pile driving method, a self-lifting barge, and a guide frame that can drive piles with high precision. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The first invention for solving the above problems is a method for driving piles using a self-elevating barge having a platform and legs that can be raised and lowered relative to the platform, the method comprising the steps of: navigating the self-elevating barge to a pile driving point in the water and inserting the legs into the seabed; arranging a three-dimensional guide frame in a guide frame arrangement section provided on the self-elevating barge so that its top is above the water and its bottom is resting on the seabed; and driving piles arranged inside the guide frame into the seabed.

[0007] In this invention, a three-dimensional guide frame is fixed to the bottom of the water, and the pile is driven in by passing the pile through the inside of the guide frame, thus preventing the pile from tilting underwater. Therefore, piles can be driven with high precision even in bodies of water where the flow velocity may be relatively high, such as rivers.

[0008] It is desirable that the guide frame arrangement section is adjustable in its planar position for arranging the guide frame. For example, the guide frame arrangement section includes a frame attached along one straight side of the platform, a horizontal sliding plate that is movable in the direction of the side and has a notch, and a vertical sliding plate that is movable in a direction perpendicular to the side in a plan view and has a notch, and the guide frame is arranged through the notches of the horizontal sliding plate and the vertical sliding plate. This allows for fine adjustment of the planar position where the guide frame is placed during pile driving, which helps in driving piles with high precision. In particular, the guide frame placement section described above, which slides the horizontal and vertical sliding plates, allows for easy adjustment of the position in two orthogonal directions on the plane.

[0009] It is desirable to fix the height of the platform and drive the piles so that the water level at high tide falls within the thickness range of the platform. In this way, by setting the platform height lower than usual, pile driving work can be carried out effectively even when there are overhead restrictions.

[0010] It is desirable that the upper end of the leg be provided with a detachable portion that can be attached to and detached from the main body of the leg. With this configuration, when raising the leg during abnormal water levels or other situations, the detachable part can be removed, preventing the upper end of the leg from interfering with obstacles in the air, even when there are restrictions on the airspace above.

[0011] The second invention is a self-elevating barge having a platform and legs that can be raised and lowered relative to the platform, wherein a guide frame for driving piles into the seabed is arranged in the guide frame arrangement section of the self-elevating barge, the guide frame has a three-dimensional shape, the top of the guide frame is located above the water and the bottom of the guide frame is settling on the seabed.

[0012] The third invention is a guide frame for driving piles into the seabed, characterized in that it has a three-dimensional shape, with its top portion located above the water and its bottom portion resting on the seabed. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] The present invention provides a pile driving method, a self-lifting barge, and a guide frame, which enable the precise driving of piles. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0014] [Figure 1] A schematic diagram of a self-elevating barge 1. [Figure 2] A schematic diagram of a self-elevating barge 1. [Figure 3] A diagram showing the upper end of Leg 3. [Figure 4] A diagram showing an outline of guide frame 5. [Figure 5] Plan view showing an overview of the guide frame arrangement section 6. [Figure 6] Diagram explaining the method of driving the pile 10. [Figure 7] Diagram explaining the lifting of the leg 3 at the abnormal water level.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0015] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings.

[0016] (1. Self-elevating pontoon 1) FIGS. 1 and 2 are diagrams showing an overview of the self-elevating pontoon 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a side view of the self-elevating pontoon 1, and FIG. 2 is a plan view of the self-elevating pontoon 1.

[0017] In the present embodiment, the self-elevating pontoon 1 is used for driving the pile 10 in a river. The self-elevating pontoon 1 is a small workboat having a platform 2, legs 3, a lifting device 4, a guide frame 5, a guide frame arrangement section 6, a stationary crane 7, etc. A pile driver 20 for driving the pile 10 is placed on the platform 2. Although not particularly shown, a rest area for workers, a hydraulic unit, a generator, a winch for unwinding and winding a mooring wire, etc. are also provided on the platform 2.

[0018] The platform 2 is a pontoon whose upper surface serves as a workbench for performing various operations related to driving the pile 10, and is composed of a steel box body (float). As shown in FIG. 2, in the present embodiment, the plane of the platform 2 is rectangular, but it is not limited thereto. In the present embodiment, the platform 2 is an assembled type, and after transporting the individual divided parts 21 to the ground part near the water area, these divided parts 21 are detachably joined using fasteners (not shown) such as bolts and nuts to form the platform 2 on the ground part. However, the platform 2 may not have the divided parts 21 and may be integral as a whole.

[0019] Leg 3 is a columnar leg for fixing the planar position of platform 2 and is movable up and down relative to platform 2. When the pile 10 is driven, the lower end of Leg 3 is inserted into the ground of the seabed 50, thereby fixing the planar position of platform 2. Leg 3 is passed through through holes (not shown) at the four corners of the planar surface of platform 2 and is positioned to penetrate platform 2 vertically. In this embodiment, steel pipes are used for Leg 3, but this is not the only option. The number and arrangement of Leg 3 are also not particularly limited. However, by providing Leg 3 at the four corners of the planar surface of platform 2, tilting and shaking of platform 2 can be reliably prevented, and the accuracy of pile 10 driving can be improved.

[0020] Figure 3 shows the upper end of leg 3 and displays a cross-section of leg 3 in the axial direction. As shown in Figure 3, a cylindrical detachable part 32 is provided at the upper end of leg 3, which is detachable from the cylindrical body 31 of leg 3. In this embodiment, a flange 311 provided at the upper end of the body 31 and a flange 321 provided at the lower end of the detachable part 32 are fastened together using a bolt and nut fastener 33. This detachably connects the detachable part 32 of leg 3 to the body 31. Although not specifically shown, a ladder or other lifting equipment is provided inside the detachable part 32 of leg 3, allowing workers to move up and down inside the detachable part 32 when performing the attachment and detachment work.

[0021] Let's return to the explanation of Figures 1 and 2. The lifting device 4 grips the leg 3 and raises and lowers the leg 3 relative to the platform 2. The lifting device 4 has a pair of upper and lower gripping parts 41 and 42 that grip the outer circumference of the leg 3, and the lower gripping part 42 is movable up and down by a hydraulic jack 43. The hydraulic jack 43 is an extendable member using a hydraulic cylinder or the like.

[0022] Leg 3 can be raised and lowered using the lifting device 4 in a measuring-type manner. Specifically, by alternately repeating the process of gripping Leg 3 with the lower gripping part 42 (only) and extending the hydraulic jack 43, and then gripping Leg 3 with the upper gripping part 42 (only) and retracting the hydraulic jack 43, Leg 3 can be lowered relative to the platform 2 and its lower end inserted into the seabed 50. Furthermore, by repeating the above process with Leg 3 inserted into the seabed 50, the platform 2 can be raised along Leg 3. Conversely, by alternately repeating the process of gripping Leg 3 with the upper gripping part 42 (only) and extending the hydraulic jack 43, and then gripping Leg 3 with the lower gripping part 42 (only) and retracting the hydraulic jack 43, Leg 3 can be raised relative to the platform 2 and lifted out of the seabed 50.

[0023] At the installation location of the lifting device 4, a recess 22 is provided on the upper surface of the platform 2. This ensures sufficient stroke for the hydraulic jack 43 to extend, thereby reducing the height of the lifting device 4 from the upper surface of the platform 2. As a result, the lifting device 4 does not obstruct work on the platform 2.

[0024] The guide frame 5 is used to fix the planar position of the pile 10 when it is driven into the ground. In particular, in this embodiment, the guide frame 5 has a three-dimensional shape, and is positioned so that the top of the guide frame 5 is above the water and the bottom of the guide frame 5 is resting on the seabed 50.

[0025] Figure 4 shows a schematic diagram of the guide frame 5. The guide frame 5 is formed in a three-dimensional grid shape, having four column members 51 positioned at the four corners of a rectangle, and connecting members 52 that connect adjacent column members 51. The connecting members 52 are arranged in multiple layers above and below the guide frame 5, and are also provided at the top and bottom of the guide frame 5. In addition, the top of the guide frame 5 is provided with overhanging parts 53 that extend outwards from the column members 51. The overhanging parts 53 are arranged in a planar square shape so as to surround the four column members 51. The column members 51, connecting members 52, and overhanging parts 53 are made of steel or the like.

[0026] The planar shape of the guide frame 5 is rectangular, but the connecting members 52 located at positions corresponding to a predetermined side of the rectangle are removable (excluding the connecting member 52 at the top of the guide frame 5). By making the connecting members 52 removable in this way, after the pile 10 is driven in, the connecting members 52 can be removed, and the self-lifting barge 1 and the guide frame 5 can be moved to the opposite side of the aforementioned side and evacuated. In Figure 4, the removable connecting members 52 are shown in gray.

[0027] Returning to the explanation of Figures 1 and 2, the guide frame placement section 6 is the part where the guide frame 5 is placed, and in this embodiment in particular, the planar position where the guide frame 5 is placed is adjustable.

[0028] Figure 5(a) is a schematic plan view of the guide frame arrangement section 6. As shown in Figure 5(a), the guide frame arrangement section 6 includes a frame 61, a horizontal sliding plate 62, actuators 63 and 65, a vertical sliding plate 64, etc. Actuators 63 and 65 are retractable members using hydraulic cylinders or the like.

[0029] Frame 61 is a three-dimensional lattice-like frame attached along one straight edge of platform 2, and its plane is ladder-shaped. Frame 61 is made of steel or the like.

[0030] The horizontal sliding plate 62 is a plate material that moves along the direction of one side of the platform 2 on the frame 61, and is made of steel plate or the like. The horizontal sliding plate 62 has a concave planar shape that opens toward the front (corresponding to the lower side in Figure 5(a)). More specifically, it has a rectangular plane along the direction of one side of the platform 2, with a notch 621 cut out in the middle of the direction of that side, extending from the front side toward the rear side. "Front" refers to the side away from the platform 2 in a direction perpendicular to the direction of one side of the platform 2 in a plan view. "Rear" refers to the side toward the platform 2 in a direction perpendicular to the direction of one side of the platform 2 in a plan view.

[0031] A girder member 622 is provided on the underside of the horizontal sliding plate 62, extending along the direction of one side of the platform 2. The girder members 622 are arranged in pairs along the front and rear sides of the horizontal sliding plate 62.

[0032] A pair of front and rear actuators (extension members) 63 are provided on the frame 61, and the tip of each actuator 63 is attached to the end of the pair of girder members 622 on the same side (the right side in the example of Figure 5(a)). When these actuators 63 extend and contract simultaneously, the lateral sliding plate 62 moves left and right along the direction of one side of the platform 2 (the lateral direction in Figure 5(a)). "Left and right" refers to both sides in the direction of one side of the platform 2.

[0033] The vertical sliding plate 64 is a plate material positioned on the upper surface of the horizontal sliding plate 62 at a location corresponding to the notch 621 of the horizontal sliding plate 62, and is made of steel plate or the like.

[0034] The vertical sliding plate 64 also has a concave planar shape that opens forward. More specifically, it has a rectangular plane along the direction of one side of the platform 2, with a notch 641 cut out in the middle of that side, extending from the front side to the rear side. The width of the notch 641 in the direction of that side is smaller than the width of the notch 621 of the horizontal sliding plate 62 in the same direction, and the left and right portions of the notch 641 of the vertical sliding plate 64 protrude inward more than the notch 621 of the horizontal sliding plate 62.

[0035] A pair of actuators 65 are provided on the horizontal sliding plate 62, with the tips of each actuator 65 attached to the left and right sides of the vertical sliding plate 64. As these actuators 65 extend and contract simultaneously, the vertical sliding plate 64 moves back and forth along a direction perpendicular to the direction of one side of the platform 2 in a plan view (the vertical direction in Figure 5(a)).

[0036] The guide frame 5 is positioned to pass through the notch 641 of the vertical slide plate 64 and the notch 621 of the horizontal slide plate 62, and as shown in Figure 5(b), the protruding portion 53 at the top of the guide frame 5 is hooked from above around the notch 641 of the vertical slide plate 64.

[0037] Returning to the explanation of Figures 1 and 2, the stationary crane 7 is a small jib crane used for various tasks related to the driving of piles 10, such as transporting the piles 10, and is fixed on the platform 2. This eliminates the need for a separate crane ship or the like to perform various tasks related to the driving of piles 10, and reduces the working area, making it easier to secure a navigation route for vessels other than the self-lifting barge 1.

[0038] (2. Method for driving pile 10) When driving the pile 10, with the leg 3 raised from the seabed 50, the self-elevating barge 1 is navigated in the river. After reaching the pile 10 driving point in the river, the leg 3 is lowered relative to the platform 2 as shown in Figure 6(a), and its lower end is inserted into the seabed 50 to fix the planar position of the self-elevating barge 1. Before lowering the leg 3, the self-elevating barge 1 is moored to the seabed 50 by a wire (not shown), and the planar position (mooring position) of the self-elevating barge 1 is adjusted using a winch.

[0039] After the self-elevating barge 1 is fixed in its planar position by leg 3, the height of platform 2 is adjusted by the lifting device 4, as shown in Figure 6(b), and platform 2 is fixed at that height.

[0040] In this embodiment, when driving the piles 10, it is assumed that there are overhead restrictions due to obstacles 40 such as the roadbed of an elevated bridge. The height of the platform 2 is determined so that the water level at high tide is located midway along the thickness direction of the platform 2. In a typical self-elevating barge, the height of the underside of the platform is above the water level at high tide, so in this embodiment, the height of the platform 2 is set lower than usual. This allows the pile driving work of the 10 to be carried out smoothly even when there are overhead restrictions.

[0041] The state in which the water level at high tide is located midway along the thickness of platform 2 is shown in Figure 1 above. The weight of the self-elevating barge 1 (excluding the guide frame 5, piles 10, and pile driver 20) is set to be equal to or greater than the buoyancy acting on platform 2 when the water level is at the above height, so that no pulling force due to the above buoyancy occurs on the piles 10.

[0042] As shown in Figure 6(b), after fixing the height of platform 2, the planar positions of the horizontal sliding plate 62 and vertical sliding plate 64 of the guide frame arrangement section 6 are adjusted to absorb the error in the mooring position of the self-lifting barge 1 relative to the pile driving position 10. Then, the guide frame 5 is positioned by passing it through the notches 641 of the vertical sliding plate 64 and the notches 621 of the horizontal sliding plate 62 so that its top is above the water and its bottom is resting on the seabed 50. At this time, workers can walk on the horizontal sliding plate 62 as needed. After that, as shown in Figure 6(c), the pile 10 is placed inside the guide frame 5 and the pile 10 is driven into the seabed.

[0043] When the river water level is abnormal, Leg 3 is raised to prevent it from obstructing the river channel. At this time, as shown in Figure 7, the attachment / detachment part 32 of Leg 3 is removed to prevent the upper end of Leg 3 (main body 31) from interfering with overhead obstacles 40. Even at normal water levels, removing the attachment / detachment part 32 of Leg 3 prevents the upper end of Leg 3 from interfering with the pile driving work of the piles 10.

[0044] As explained above, in this embodiment, the three-dimensional guide frame 5 is fixed to the bottom of the water, and the pile 10 is driven in by passing it through the inside of the guide frame 5, so that the tilting of the pile 10 in the water can be prevented. For this reason, the pile 10 can be driven in with high precision even in bodies of water such as rivers where the flow velocity may be relatively high.

[0045] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the position adjustment mechanism of the guide frame arrangement section 6 allows for fine adjustment of the planar position where the guide frame 5 is positioned when driving the pile 10, which helps to absorb errors in the mooring position of the self-lifting barge 1 and to drive the pile 10 with high accuracy. In particular, the guide frame arrangement section 6, which slides the horizontal sliding plate 62 and the vertical sliding plate 64, can easily adjust the position in two orthogonal directions on a planar surface.

[0046] Furthermore, in this embodiment, by setting the height of the platform 2 lower than usual so that the water level at high tide falls within the thickness range of the platform 2, the work related to driving the piles 10 can be carried out effectively even when there are overhead restrictions such as obstacles 40.

[0047] Furthermore, in this embodiment, by providing a detachable part 32 at the upper end of leg 3, the detachable part 32 can be removed when raising leg 3 in the event of an abnormal water level, preventing the upper end of leg 3 from interfering with overhead obstacles 40 or other overhead restrictions.

[0048] However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. For example, the shape of the guide frame 5 is not limited to the example in Figure 4. For example, the plane of the guide frame 5 in Figure 4 is rectangular, but the plane of the guide frame 5 may be circular to match the pile diameter. However, since the pile 10 is driven into the seabed 50 while rotating, if the plane of the guide frame 5 is circular to match the pile diameter, the pile 10 will be more likely to come into contact with the guide frame 5 when the pile 10 rotates.

[0049] Furthermore, the position adjustment mechanism for the guide frame arrangement section 6 is not limited to the example in Figure 5. For example, the position adjustment mechanism in Figure 5 moves the horizontal slide plate 62 and the vertical slide plate 64 in two orthogonal directions in a plane, but a single slide plate may be configured to move in two orthogonal directions in a plane. Also, while hydraulic cylinder actuators 63 and 65 are used to move the horizontal slide plate 62 and the vertical slide plate 64, they may be moved by motors or the like.

[0050] Furthermore, although the guide frame 5 is positioned by passing it through the notches 621 and 641 cut out from the front edges of each slide plate 62 and 64, this is not the only configuration. For example, it may be positioned by passing it through holes (not shown) provided in each slide plate 62 and 64.

[0051] Furthermore, although the self-elevating barge 1 of this embodiment is used for driving piles 10 in rivers, it can also be used when driving piles 10 in other bodies of water such as the sea or lakes. In addition, the guide frame 5 that settles on the seabed is not limited to being used when driving piles 10 using the self-elevating barge 1, but can also be used when driving piles 10 from other work locations.

[0052] Preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the attached drawings, but the present invention is not limited to these examples. It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications or alterations can be conceived within the scope of the technical idea disclosed herein, and these will naturally also fall within the technical scope of the present invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0053] 1: Self-elevating barge 2: Platform 3: Leg 4: Lifting device 5: Guide frame 6: Guide frame arrangement part 7: Stationary crane 10:Pile 20: Pile driver 31: Main unit 32: Detachable part 40: Obstacles 50: Underwater 61: Frame 62: Horizontal sliding plate 63, 65: Actuator 64: Vertical sliding plate 621, 641: Notches

Claims

1. A method for driving piles using a self-elevating barge having a platform and legs that can be raised and lowered relative to the platform, The process involves navigating the self-elevating barge to the pile driving site in the water and inserting the leg into the seabed, The process of arranging a three-dimensional guide frame in the guide frame arrangement section of the self-elevating barge such that its top is above the water and its bottom is resting on the seabed, The process involves driving piles, which are positioned inside the guide frame, into the seabed. A method for driving piles, characterized by having [a certain feature].

2. The pile driving method according to claim 1, characterized in that the guide frame arrangement section is adjustable in the planar position where the guide frame is arranged.

3. The aforementioned guide frame arrangement section is, A frame attached along one straight side of the aforementioned platform, A horizontal sliding plate that is movable in the direction of one side and has a notch, A vertical sliding plate having a notch, which is movable in a direction perpendicular to the aforementioned side in a plan view, It has, The pile driving method according to claim 2, characterized in that the guide frame is arranged to pass through the notches of the horizontal sliding plate and the vertical sliding plate.

4. The pile driving method according to claim 1, characterized in that the height of the platform is fixed and the pile is driven in such a way that the water level at high tide is within the range in the thickness direction of the platform.

5. The pile driving method according to claim 1, characterized in that a detachable portion is provided at the upper end of the leg, which is detachable from the main body of the leg.

6. A self-elevating barge having a platform and legs that can be raised and lowered relative to the platform, A guide frame for driving piles into the seabed is placed in the guide frame arrangement section of the self-elevating barge. A self-elevating barge characterized in that the guide frame has a three-dimensional shape, the top of the guide frame is located above the water, and the bottom of the guide frame is positioned to rest on the seabed.

7. A guide frame for driving piles into the seabed, A guide frame characterized by having a three-dimensional shape, with its top positioned above the water and its bottom resting on the seabed.

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