Underwater pile settlement positioning system for four-pile jacket foundation steel pipe piles in deep sea

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 sinking positioning system for the foundation steel pipe piles of a four-pile jacket in deep sea.

Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of the offshore wind power industry in China, more and more foundation modes of wind turbines are being applied. Among them, the jacket foundation structure has high strength, large foundation rigidity, excellent stability, low noise during installation, light weight, easy transportation and installation, and can be used as the support structure of large wind turbine units. The jacket foundation is less affected by wave loads and is applicable to sea areas with a water depth range of 5 - 50m. Compared with other foundation modes, it has the advantages of fast installation speed and low manufacturing cost. Currently, offshore wind power is developing towards deep sea areas. For the foundation structure of offshore wind turbines in deep sea areas with an offshore distance of more than 25 km and a water depth of 25m - 50m, attempts are being made one after another in China to adopt the form of a jacket foundation structure (pile driving method). The jacket foundation structure consists of four foundation steel pipe piles with a diameter of φ2.4m - φ4.0m (the length of the piles is 70m - 110m) and one inserted jacket. The designed pile top elevation of the foundation steel pipe piles is located 7m - 17m above the seabed surface, and it is necessary to carry out underwater pile sinking construction. When carrying out underwater pile sinking operations in deep sea areas, due to the influence of strong winds, large waves, long swells, etc., the construction window period is short and the construction difficulty is great. Moreover, for the inserted jacket structure, it is necessary to carry out construction (including insertion, leveling and grouting) for connecting with the foundation steel pipe piles underwater, and the requirements for the control accuracy of the plane position, elevation, verticality and relative position of each pile during the sinking of the foundation steel pipe piles are high.

[0003] Currently, foundation steel pipe piles are constructed using hydraulic hammers for pile settlement, resulting in relatively large positional displacements at the pile crests. The deeper the water and the worse the sea conditions, the greater the pile positional displacement during pile settlement using hydraulic hammers. In the offshore pile settlement process, the construction area is large, the work surface is extensive, and the construction environment and climatic conditions are poor. If positioning is performed based on conventional GPS-RTK measurement technology, the pile position error can only be kept to ≤300mm. Unless special construction processes and control measures are adopted, the relative positional error at the pile crests cannot meet the design requirements, seriously affecting the alignment, connection, and installation of the underwater jacket structure and steel pipe piles.

[0004] Conventional underwater pile settlement processes for four-pile jacket foundation steel pipe piles employ the installation of auxiliary steel pipe pile positioning platforms (including floating pile stabilization platforms). This process is applicable to coastal shallow water areas (water depth of 20m or less), but the process is complicated, requiring multiple insertions and removals of auxiliary piles, resulting in a significant impact from the construction window period. Furthermore, the efficiency of the positioning platform installation and dismantling, as well as the underwater pile settlement, is low, making it difficult to adapt to the sea conditions of underwater pile settlement construction for four-pile jacket foundation steel pipe piles of offshore wind turbines in deep waters. [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[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 a four-pile jacket foundation steel pipe pile in deep sea, which has outstanding features such as automation, visualization, high precision, high efficiency, and high integration. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The object of the present invention is to be realized as follows: an underwater pile sinking positioning system for a four-pile jacket foundation steel pipe pile in the deep sea, comprising 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 base includes four vertical pile frames and four connecting beams. The four vertical pile frames are arranged such that the connecting lines of the geometric centers in the plane form a rectangle, and each of the vertical pile frames is a square spatial truss structure made of steel pipes, and includes four upright columns and four upright column side plates connected between the four upright columns, and each vertical pile frame has one cage opening at its top, and four upper pile gripping frames are provided in a one-to-one correspondence at the top of each of the four corners of each vertical pile frame, and four lower pile gripping frames are provided in a one-to-one correspondence at the bottom of each of the four corners of each vertical pile frame. The four connecting beams are connected in a one-to-one correspondence between the upper parts of the four vertical pile frames, and each connecting beam is a square spatial truss structure made of steel pipe, 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 mounted in a one-to-one correspondence to the bottom of the four vertical pile frames, and each set of leveling devices includes one set of anti-settlement plates and four leveling lifting mechanisms connected between the lower parts of the four upright columns of the vertical pile frame and the top surface of the anti-settlement plate. The four sets of pile gripping devices are installed in a one-to-one correspondence within the cavities of the four vertical pile frames, and each set of pile gripping devices includes four upper pile grippers, each corresponding one-to-one with the four upper pile gripping frames, and four lower pile grippers, each corresponding one-to-one with the four lower pile gripping frames. The hydraulic system includes an oil tank and a group of underwater valves attached to a workboat, and an underwater detection module attached to a main base, the underwater detection module includes a displacement sensor attached to the leveling lifting cylinders of four sets of leveling devices, a pressure sensor attached to the oil passage of the leveling lifting cylinder, a displacement sensor attached to the pile gripping cylinders of four sets of pile gripping devices, and a pressure sensor attached to the oil passage of the pile gripping cylinder, The monitoring system includes four seal joint boxes, a main base attitude monitoring device, and four sets of steel pipe pile attitude monitoring devices, the main base attitude monitoring device includes four level gauges, a depth sounder, a compass, and a depth gauge, the four seal joint boxes are provided in a one-to-one correspondence at the bottom of four vertical pile frames, the four level gauges are mounted in a one-to-one correspondence at the same height position on the four vertical pile frames, the compass and depth gauge are both mounted in a seal joint box on one vertical pile frame, the depth sounder is mounted in the middle of the bottom of one connecting beam, the signal line of the depth sounder is connected to the nearest seal joint box, the four sets of steel pipe pile attitude monitoring devices are mounted in a one-to-one correspondence on the four vertical pile frames, each set of steel pipe pile attitude monitoring devices includes a sonar detector, a set of horizontal distance meters, a vertical distance meter, and a camera, the sonar detector is mounted on the vertical pile frame The horizontal distance meter is mounted on the roof, and one set of horizontal distance meters consists of two pairs of horizontal distance meters, which are mounted in a one-to-one correspondence between the upper and lower layers of the vertical pile frame. The pair of horizontal distance meters located on the upper layer of the vertical pile frame are mounted in a one-to-one correspondence between the center of the inner surfaces of two opposing vertical column side plates of the vertical pile frame, corresponding to the mounting position of the upper layer pile gripper. The pair of horizontal distance meters located on the lower layer of the vertical pile frame are mounted in a one-to-one correspondence between the center of the inner surfaces of two other opposing vertical column side plates of the vertical pile frame, corresponding to the mounting position of the lower layer pile gripper. The vertical distance meter and camera are both mounted on the vertical pile frame via lamp holders, and the signal lines of the liquid level gauge, sonar detector, one set of horizontal distance meters, vertical distance meter, and camera in each vertical pile frame are all centrally connected within the seal joint box in each vertical pile frame. The control system includes a total console mounted on the workboat and connected to the seal joint box via a signal bus, the total console being equipped with a programmable controller and a human-computer interaction interface.

[0007] In the underwater pile settlement positioning system for the four-pile jacket foundation steel pipe piles in the deep sea described above, each of the vertical pile frames Mu is plural It is joined by a frame of several vertical column units, Each of the aforementioned connecting beams is joined by multiple connecting beam units. The four vertical columns of each tier's vertical column unit framework are connected via flanges, and the four horizontal bars of each tier's connecting beam unit are also connected via flanges.

[0008] In the underwater pile settlement positioning system for the four-pile jacket foundation steel pipe piles in the deep sea described above, the cage opening includes a circular frame provided at 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 underwater pile settlement positioning system for the four-pile jacket foundation steel pipe piles in the deep sea described above, the settlement prevention plate includes a steel plate and a mesh-type reinforcing rib plate welded to the bottom of the steel plate.

[0010] In the underwater pile settlement positioning system for the four-pile jacket foundation steel pipe piles in the deep sea described above, 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 lower part of the vertical column of the vertical pile frame, the rear end of the cylinder of the leveling lifting cylinder is hinged to the cylinder base, the tip of the piston rod of the leveling lifting cylinder is hinged to the top surface of the settlement prevention plate, and the guide rod mechanism includes a guide rod base fixed to the top surface of the settlement prevention plate, a hemispherical lower bearing seat attached to the top surface of the guide rod base, a guide rod inserted into the vertical column from the bottom of the vertical column and pivotally attached to 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-described underwater pile sinking positioning system for a four-pile jacket foundation steel pipe pile in the deep sea, the upper pile gripping frame includes a swing link mounting rod and a cylinder mounting rod, each fixed parallel to the corners of the vertical pile frame, one on the inside and one on the outside and one above and one below, and each forming a 45° angle with the side plate of the vertical pile frame. Two connecting arms extending upward are fixed at intervals to the central part of the swing link mounting rod, and two pin sleeves extending inward and downward are attached at intervals to the central part of the swing link mounting rod. The lower ends of the two pin sleeves are each fixed to the vertical pile frame via a single diagonal support rod. The structure of the lower pile gripping frame is the same as the structure of the upper pile gripping frame. The aforementioned upper pile gripper includes a pile gripping cylinder, a swing link, and a collision prevention mechanism. The rear end of the pile gripping cylinder is hinged to the center of the cylinder mounting rod of the upper pile gripping frame. The oscillating link is composed of two triangular plates, the apex of the oscillating link is hinged to two pin sleeves of the upper pile gripping frame via an oscillating link pin, a pile gripping roller is attached to the inner bottom corner of the oscillating link via a roller pin, the outer bottom corner of the oscillating link is hinged to the tip of the piston rod of the pile gripping cylinder via a cylinder pin, and one more link pin is attached to the inner waist of the oscillating link near the apex. The collision prevention mechanism includes a link and a collision prevention plate, one end of the link being hinged to a link pin in the swing link, the front end of the collision prevention plate on its bottom surface being hinged to the other end of the link, and the rear end of the collision prevention plate being hinged to the upper ends of two connecting arms of the upper pile gripping frame. The structure of the lower pile gripping device is the same as that of the upper pile gripping device.

[0012] In the underwater pile sinking positioning system for the foundation steel pipe piles of a four-pile jacket in the deep sea described above, the lamp holder includes two mounting plates fixed one above and one below to the center of the inside of one side plate of the vertical pile frame, two vertical rods fixed to the two mounting plates in a one-to-one correspondence at both ends, 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 mounted at intervals on the top surface of the vertical base plate, and a laser lamp fixed in the middle of the upper part of the vertical base plate. The camera is mounted above the laser lamp, one detection cylinder is hinged to the horizontal base plate, the piston rod of the detection cylinder is hinged to the outer end of a link whose center is hinged 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.

[0013] The present invention provides an underwater pile settlement positioning system for a four-pile jacket foundation steel pipe pile in the deep sea, which has the following features.

[0014] 1. In this invention, the four connecting beams of the main base employ a stepped structure, making it suitable for pile settlement construction of jacket foundations where the pitch of the foundation steel pipe piles is 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 base, the present invention not only effectively ensures the stabilization of the posture of the main base during the underwater pile settlement process of steel pipe piles, but also increases the stability of the base of the main base, thereby ensuring safety and reliability during the underwater pile settlement process.

[0016] 3. The present invention enables high-precision and high-efficiency control of the verticality of steel pipe piles by installing a set of pile gripping devices, consisting of four upper pile grippers and four lower pile grippers, in each of the four vertical pile frames of the main base, and combining them with a monitoring device.

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

[0018] 5. The present invention has remarkable features such as automation, visualization, high precision, high efficiency, and high integration, and solves the technical problems of very short construction window periods, high construction difficulty, low working efficiency due to the influence of strong winds, large waves, long swells, etc. when the foundation steel pipe piles of deep-sea jackets are close to the seabed surface during underwater pile sinking, and the high requirements for the control accuracy of underwater smart positioning, perpendicularity, pile top elevation, and relative positions of each pile, as well as the visualization monitoring of the underwater pile sinking process and real-time error correction during the underwater pile sinking process.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0019] [Figure 1] It is a front view of the underwater pile sinking positioning system for the foundation steel pipe piles of the four-pile jacket in the deep sea of the present invention. [Figure 2] It is a plan view of the underwater pile sinking positioning system for the foundation steel pipe piles of the four-pile jacket in the deep sea of the present invention. [Figure 3] It is a schematic structural view of the cage opening at the top of the vertical pile frame in the underwater pile sinking positioning system of the present invention. <00It is a 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 line A-A in FIG. 4a. [Figure 4c] It is a view taken along the line B-B in FIG. 4a. [Figure 4d] It is a view taken along the line F-F in FIG. 4c. [Figure 4e] It is a view taken along the line N-N in FIG. 4. [Figure 5] It is an axial sectional view of the guide rod mechanism in the underwater pile sinking positioning system of the present invention. [Figure 6] It is a schematic structural view of the upper pile gripper in the underwater pile sinking positioning system of the present invention (when the pile gripping cylinder is fully open). [Figure 7] It is a schematic structural view of the upper pile gripper in the underwater pile sinking positioning system of the present invention (when the pile gripping cylinder is fully retracted). [Figure 8] It is a 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] It is a side view of the arrangement of the monitoring system in the underwater pile sinking positioning system of the present invention. [Figure 10] It is a perspective view of the arrangement of the monitoring system in the underwater pile sinking positioning system of the present invention. [Figure 10a] It is a 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 connection 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 square spatial truss structure and includes four upright columns 11 and four side plates connected between the four upright columns 11. Each side plate is 8m long and includes a horizontal rod 12, a vertical barn rod, and a diagonal barn rod. Each vertical pile frame 1A is joined by multiple stages of upright column unit frameworks, and the four upright columns of each stage of upright column unit frameworks are connected via flanges, making removal and replacement easy. Each vertical pile frame 1A is provided with one cage opening 10A at its top, four upper pile gripping frames are provided in a one-to-one correspondence at the top of each of the four corners of each vertical pile frame 1A, and four lower pile gripping frames are provided in a one-to-one correspondence at the bottom of each of the four corners of each vertical pile frame 1A.

[0024] The cage opening 10A includes a circular frame 111 provided at the top of the vertical pile frame 1A, eight links 112 uniformly 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 a swing link mounting rod 10B and a cylinder mounting rod 10C, one each fixed parallel to the corners of the vertical pile frame 1A, one on the inside and one on the outside and one on the top and one on the bottom, both forming a 45° angle with the side plates of the vertical pile frame 1A. Here, two connecting arms 121 extending upward are fixed at intervals to the central part of the swing link mounting rod 10B, and two pin sleeves 122 extending inward and downward are attached at intervals to the central part of the swing link mounting rod 10B, and the lower ends of the two pin sleeves 122 are each fixed to the corners of the vertical pile frame 1A via a single diagonal support rod 123 (see Figures 4 to 4e).

[0026] The four connecting beams 1B are connected in a one-to-one correspondence between the upper parts of the four vertical pile frames 1A. Each connecting beam 1B is a rectangular spatial truss structure made of steel pipe, and includes four horizontal bars and four side plates connected between the four horizontal bars, with each side plate having a width of 7m. 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 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 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 the four connecting beams 1B is equipped with a lifting point, allowing for the lifting of the entire structure or individual parts.

[0028] The four sets of leveling devices are movably mounted in a one-to-one correspondence to the bottom of the four vertical pile frames 1A, and each set of leveling devices includes one subsidence prevention plate 2 and four leveling lifting mechanisms connected between the lower parts of the four upright columns 11 of the vertical pile frame 1A and the top surface of the subsidence prevention plate 2.

[0029] Each subsidence prevention plate 2 has a square plane and its geometric dimensions are larger than the geometric dimensions of the plane of a single vertical pile frame 1A. Each subsidence prevention plate 2 includes a square steel plate with a pile hole in the center and a mesh-type reinforcing rib plate welded to the bottom surface of the steel plate. The four subsidence prevention plates 2 can increase the contact area between the main base and the seabed, 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, where the cylinder base 30 of the leveling lifting cylinder 3 is fixed to the lower part of the vertical column 11 of the vertical pile frame 1A, the rear end of the cylinder of the leveling lifting cylinder 3 is hinged to the cylinder base 30, and the end of the piston rod of the leveling lifting cylinder 3 is hinged to the top surface of the subsidence prevention 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. Here, the guide rod base 21 is fixed to the top surface of the subsidence prevention plate 2, and a hemispherical groove is made in the top surface of the guide rod base 21. The lower bearing seat 22 is hemispherical and is installed in 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 fixed to its bottom, and the guide rod 23 is inserted into the upright column 11 from the bottom of the upright column 11, 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 restricting the steel ball 24 from escaping from the lower bearing seat 22 (see Figure 5).

[0032] Each of the four vertical pile frames 1A of the main base can adjust the distance between the vertical pile frame 1A and the subsidence prevention plate 2 by extending and retracting the piston rods of the leveling lifting cylinders 3 in the four leveling lifting mechanisms, and further adjust the main base to a horizontal position at the set location. The four leveling lifting cylinders 3 in each vertical pile frame 1A may operate independently or in coordinated and synchronous operation.

[0033] The four sets of pile gripping devices are installed in a one-to-one correspondence within the cavities of the four vertical pile frames 1A. Each set of pile gripping devices includes four upper pile grippers 4A, which are provided in a one-to-one correspondence with the four upper pile gripping frames, and four lower pile grippers 4B, which are provided in a one-to-one correspondence with the four lower pile gripping frames. The structure of the upper pile grippers 4A and lower pile grippers 4B is the same, and the distance between the upper pile grippers 4A and lower pile grippers 4B is 7m. Each vertical pile frame 1A clamps the pile after coming into contact with the steel pipe pile via the four upper pile grippers 4A and the four lower pile grippers 4B.

[0034] Each upper pile gripper 4A includes a pile gripping cylinder 4, a swinging link 41, and a collision prevention mechanism.

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

[0036] The oscillating link 41 consists of two triangular plates, and a oscillating link pin is stretched between the apex angles of the two triangular plates via two bearings. The exposed ends of the two triangular plates on the oscillating link pin are inserted one-to-one into two pin sleeves 122 on the oscillating link mounting rod 10B of the upper pile gripping frame, and are further secured via baffle plates. A roller pin is stretched between the inner bottom angles of the two triangular plates, and a pile gripping roller 42 is attached to this roller pin. A cylinder pin is stretched between the outer bottom angles of the two triangular plates, and the end of the piston rod of the pile gripping cylinder 4 is hinged to this cylinder pin. A link pin is further stretched across the inner waist of the two triangular plates near the apex angle.

[0037] The collision prevention mechanism includes a link 43 and a collision prevention plate 44. Here, one end of the link 43 is hinged to a link pin in the swing link 41. The collision prevention plate 44 is located above and inside the swing link 41. A pair of front hinge bases 441, hinged 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 6-8) are attached to both sides of the rear end of the collision prevention plate 44, hinged in a one-to-one correspondence to the upper ends of the two connecting arms 121 of the swing link mounting rod 10B of one upper pile gripping frame. By controlling the pile gripping cylinders 4 of the four upper pile grippers and the pile gripping cylinders of the four lower pile grippers, it is possible to adapt to steel pipe piles of different diameters, as well as adjust the verticality of the steel pipe piles.

[0038] The hydraulic system includes an oil tank and valve group mounted on the workboat, and an underwater detection module mounted on the main base. The underwater detection module includes displacement sensors and pressure sensors mounted on the leveling lifting cylinders 3 in four sets of leveling devices, and displacement sensors and pressure sensors mounted on the pile gripping cylinders 4 in four sets of pile gripping devices. The hydraulic system controls the pile gripping cylinders 4 in the four sets of pile gripping devices and the leveling lifting cylinders 3 in the four sets of leveling devices.

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

[0040] The four seal joint boxes 5A are installed in a one-to-one correspondence at the bottom of the lumen of the four vertical pile frames 1A.

[0041] The main base attitude monitoring device includes four liquid level gauges 51, a depth sounder 52, a compass, and a depth gauge (see Figure 9).

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

[0043] The four liquid level gauges 51 are mounted in a one-to-one correspondence at the same height position on one of the four vertical pile frames 1A. After the main base has fallen to the seabed, the horizontality of the entire main base is determined by the readings of the four liquid level gauges 51.

[0044] The depth sounder 52 is mounted midway along the bottom of a connecting beam 1B between vertical pile frame 1A of No. 1 and vertical pile frame 1A of No. 3. The signal line of the depth sounder 52 is connected to a seal joint box 5A located on vertical pile frame 1A of No. 1. The depth sounder 52 can measure the distance from the connecting beam 1B to the seabed after the main base has been leveled and is used to determine the depth of mud intrusion into the main base.

[0045] Four sets of steel pipe pile attitude monitoring devices are installed in a one-to-one correspondence within the lumen of four vertical pile frames 1A, and each steel pipe pile attitude 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 fixed one above and one below to the center of the inside of one side plate of the vertical pile frame 1A, two vertical rods 502 fixed to the two mounting plates 501 at a one-to-one ratio at both ends, two horizontal base plates 503 fitted to the center of the vertical rods 502, a vertical base plate 504 fixed to the inner ends of the horizontal base plates 503, two underwater searchlights 57 mounted at intervals on the top surface of the vertical base plate 504, and a laser lamp 58 fixed in the middle of the upper part of the vertical base plate 504. A detection cylinder 5 is hinged to one side of the top surface of the horizontal base plate 503, and the piston rod of the detection cylinder 5 is hinged at its center to the outer end of a detection link 505 which is hinged to the other side of the top surface of the horizontal base plate 503, and the inner end of the detection link 505 is connected to the outer end of a detection lever 506 (see Figures 10 and 10a).

[0047] The sonar detector 53 is attached to the cage opening 10A of the vertical pile frame 1A (see Figure 9). The sonar detector 51 helps to identify the orientation of the underwater steel pipe pile after it has entered the water to a certain depth, and to guide the steel pipe pile down into the cage opening 10A.

[0048] Each pair of horizontal distance meters 54 consists of two sets of horizontal distance meters, which are mounted in a one-to-one correspondence between the upper and lower layers of the vertical pile frame 1A. The pair of horizontal distance meters 54 located in the upper layer of the vertical pile frame 1A are mounted in a one-to-one correspondence to the center of the inner surfaces of two opposing vertical column side plates of the vertical pile frame 1A, corresponding to the mounting position of the upper pile gripper 4A. The pair of horizontal distance meters 54 located in the lower layer of the vertical pile frame 1A are mounted in a one-to-one correspondence to the center of the inner surfaces of two other opposing vertical column side plates of the vertical pile frame 1A, corresponding to the mounting position of the lower pile gripper 4B. During the pile settlement process, the two pairs of horizontal distance meters 54 are used to measure the distance to the steel pipe pile and to determine the verticality of the steel pipe pile.

[0049] The vertical distance meter 55 is mounted on the inner end of a detection lever 506 attached to a lamp holder 50 within the vertical pile frame 1A. The mounting height of the vertical distance meter 55 can be adjusted by a horizontal base plate 503. Before pile settlement work, the detection cylinder 5 is controlled to retract the detection lever 506 via the detection link 507. 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 and the pile is driven in. When the vertical distance meter 55 measures upward, it can measure the distance to the hammer cap, thereby controlling the pile settlement height of the steel pipe pile.

[0050] The camera 56 is mounted in the middle of the upper part of the vertical base plate 504 in the lamp holder 50 within the vertical pile frame 1A and is positioned above the laser lamp 58. The camera 56 is used to observe the pile settlement state of the steel pipe pile, and the laser lamp 58 illuminates the scale on the steel pipe pile, allowing the camera 56 to determine the depth of pile settlement.

[0051] The underwater searchlight 57 provides a light source for the horizontal distance meter 54 and the vertical distance meter 55.

[0052] The signal lines for the liquid level gauge 51, sonar detector 53, a set of horizontal distance meters 54, vertical distance meter 55, and camera 56 in each vertical pile frame 1A are all centrally connected within the seal joint box 5A in each vertical pile frame 1A, and the signal lines for the seal joint boxes 5A in vertical pile frames 1A 2 through 4 are all centrally connected within the seal joint box 5A in vertical pile frame 1A 1.

[0053] The control system includes a central console mounted on the workboat and connected via a signal bus to the seal joint box 5A in the vertical pile frame 1A of the No. 1 structure. The central console is equipped with a programmable controller and a human-computer interaction interface. The electrical control system completes the collection of work data via the programmable controller, controls the four sets of pile gripping devices, and provides power and protection to the entire system, including the hydraulic system. It processes and displays all collected monitoring signals and measures, monitors, and records / stores the depth, orientation, horizontal orientation of the main base, and the position and verticality of the steel pipe piles during the pile driving construction process for each steel pipe pile.

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

[0055] The procedure for performing pile sinking work using the underwater pile sinking positioning system for a four-pile jacket foundation steel pipe pile in the deep sea according to the present invention is as follows: Position the work vessel and connect the device power system and perform a trial run → Lift the underwater pile sinking positioning system of the present invention → The piston rod portion of the leveling lifting cylinder extends and the underwater pile sinking positioning system of the present invention is lowered into the water and positioned above the seabed → The position and azimuth angle of the main base are identified by auxiliary devices such as cranes and winches and the main base is positioned → The sinking prevention plate falls to the seabed → The position and direction of the main base are confirmed by the main base attitude monitoring device → The seabed below the main base is evaluated and the baseline leveling reference point is identified → The reference line of the main base is horizontal. Until the desired position is reached, four sets of leveling devices are started, the horizontality of the main base is adjusted and corrected with a compass → the rope is retrieved → the attitude data of the seabed and the main base is measured and monitored in real time → pile insertion and pile sinking work is performed using four upper pile grippers and four lower pile grippers with a vibrating hammer, and the attitude data of the main base and steel pipe piles is monitored in real time and adjusted as needed → the second, third, and fourth steel pipe piles are installed sequentially in the same manner → the position of the tops of the four steel pipe piles is measured → the rope is reconnected and the underwater pile sinking positioning system of the present invention is retrieved.

[0056] The underwater pile sinking positioning system of the present invention, after being lowered to the seabed, feeds back monitoring signals from the main base attitude monitoring device, and adjusts the relative positions of the four sinking prevention plates 2 and the main base in a one-to-one correspondence using the leveling lifting cylinders 3 of the four sets of leveling devices, thereby adjusting the attitude of the main base, ensuring the verticality of the four vertical pile frames 1A, and providing a reference platform for subsequent pile driving operations. When performing pile sinking operations, after the steel pipe pile enters the water to a certain depth, the sonar detector 53 attached to the cage opening 10A identifies the orientation of the underwater steel pipe pile and feeds it back to the main console of the work vessel. The main console controls the crane and winch to adjust the orientation of the steel pipe pile so that it can smoothly fall into the cage opening 10A of the corresponding vertical pile frame 1A, and then moves the steel pipe pile into the four upper pile grippers 4A via the cage opening 10A. The steel pipe pile is then pushed up to near the center of the vertical pile frame 1A via the pile gripping cylinders 4 of the four upper pile grippers 4A, and then the steel pipe pile is continuously lowered and guided to the four lower pile grippers 4B, where the pile gripping cylinders 4 of the four lower pile grippers 4B are fully extended, positioning the center of the steel pipe pile at the center of the vertical pile frame 1A, and further controlling the pile gripping cylinders 4 of the four upper pile grippers 4A to precisely control the verticality of the steel pipe pile within an acceptable range. The diameter range of the steel pipe pile applicable to the four upper pile grippers 4A and the four lower pile grippers 4B is 2.4m to 4.0m, the elevation and penetration of the steel pipe pile are monitored by the vertical distance meter 55, and the verticality of the steel pipe pile is ensured by the horizontal distance meter 54 and camera 56. An underwater searchlight 57 provides a light source for the horizontal distance meter 54 and the vertical distance meter 55.

[0057] The above embodiments are merely illustrative of the present invention and do not limit it. Those skilled in the art can make various further changes or modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, all equivalent technical solutions should also be considered within the scope of the present invention and should be limited to the claims.

Claims

1. An underwater pile sinking positioning system for a four-pile jacket foundation steel pipe pile in deep sea, comprising 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 base includes four vertical pile frames and four connecting beams. The four vertical pile frames are arranged such that the connecting lines of the geometric centers in the plane form a rectangle, and each of the vertical pile frames is a square spatial truss structure made of steel pipes, and includes four upright columns and four upright column side plates connected between the four upright columns, and each vertical pile frame has one cage opening at its top, and four upper pile gripping frames are provided in a one-to-one correspondence at the top of each of the four corners of each vertical pile frame, and four lower pile gripping frames are provided in a one-to-one correspondence at the bottom of each of the four corners of each vertical pile frame. The four connecting beams are connected in a one-to-one correspondence between the upper parts of the four vertical pile frames, and each connecting beam is a square spatial truss structure made of steel pipe, and includes four horizontal bars and four horizontal bar side plates connected between the four horizontal bars. The four leveling devices are movably mounted in a one-to-one correspondence to the bottom of the four vertical pile frames, and each leveling device includes one set of anti-settlement plates and four leveling lifting mechanisms connected between the lower parts of the four upright columns of the vertical pile frame and the top surface of the anti-settlement plate. The four sets of pile gripping devices are installed in a one-to-one correspondence within the cavities of the four vertical pile frames, and each set of pile gripping devices includes four upper pile grippers provided in a one-to-one correspondence with the four upper pile gripping frames, and four lower 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 workboat, and an underwater detection module attached to the main base, the underwater detection module includes a displacement sensor attached to the leveling lifting cylinders of four sets of leveling devices, a pressure sensor attached to the oil passage of the leveling lifting cylinder, a displacement sensor attached to the pile gripping cylinders of four sets of pile gripping devices, and a pressure sensor attached to the oil passage of the pile gripping cylinder, The monitoring system includes four seal joint boxes, a main base attitude monitoring device, and four sets of steel pipe pile attitude monitoring devices, the main base attitude monitoring device includes four level gauges, a depth sounder, a compass, and a depth gauge, the four seal joint boxes are provided in a one-to-one correspondence at the bottom of four vertical pile frames, the four level gauges are mounted in a one-to-one correspondence at the same height position on the four vertical pile frames, the compass and depth gauge are both mounted in a seal joint box on one vertical pile frame, the depth sounder is mounted in the center of the bottom of one connecting beam, the signal line of the depth sounder is connected to the nearest seal joint box, the four sets of steel pipe pile attitude monitoring devices are mounted in a one-to-one correspondence on the four vertical pile frames, each set of steel pipe pile attitude monitoring devices includes a sonar detector, a set of horizontal distance meters, a vertical distance meter, and a camera, the sonar detector is mounted on the vertical pile frame The horizontal distance meter is mounted on the roof, and one set of horizontal distance meters consists of two pairs of horizontal distance meters, which are mounted in a one-to-one correspondence between the upper and lower layers of the vertical pile frame. The pair of horizontal distance meters located on the upper layer of the vertical pile frame are mounted in a one-to-one correspondence between the center of the inner surfaces of two opposing vertical column side plates of the vertical pile frame, corresponding to the mounting position of the upper layer pile gripper. The pair of horizontal distance meters located on the lower layer of the vertical pile frame are mounted in a one-to-one correspondence between the center of the inner surfaces of two other opposing vertical column side plates of the vertical pile frame, corresponding to the mounting position of the lower layer pile gripper. The vertical distance meter and camera are both mounted on the vertical pile frame via lamp holders, and the signal lines of the liquid level gauge, sonar detector, one set of horizontal distance meters, vertical distance meter, and camera in each vertical pile frame are all connected and concentrated within the seal joint box of each vertical pile frame. The control system includes a total console mounted on a workboat and connected to the seal joint box via a signal bus, the total console being provided with a programmable controller and a human-computer interaction interface, characterized in that it is an underwater pile sinking positioning system for a four-pile jacket foundation steel pipe pile in deep sea.

2. The underwater pile settlement positioning system for a four-pile jacket foundation steel pipe pile in the deep sea according to claim 1, characterized in that each of the vertical pile frames is joined by multiple rows of vertical column unit frameworks, each of the connecting beams is joined by multiple rows of connecting beam units, the four vertical columns of each row of vertical column unit frameworks are all connected via flanges, and the four horizontal bars of each row of connecting beam units are all connected via flanges.

3. The underwater pile settlement positioning system for a four-pile jacket foundation steel pipe pile in deep sea according to claim 1, characterized in that the cage opening includes a circular frame provided at the top of a 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 settlement positioning system for a four-pile jacket foundation steel pipe pile in the deep sea according to claim 1, characterized in that the settlement prevention plate includes a steel plate and a mesh-type reinforcing rib plate welded to the bottom of the steel plate.

5. 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 lower part of the vertical column of the vertical pile frame, the rear end of the cylinder of the leveling lifting cylinder is hinged to the cylinder base, the tip of the piston rod of the leveling lifting cylinder is hinged to the top surface of the subsidence prevention plate, and the guide rod mechanism includes a guide rod base fixed to the top surface of the subsidence prevention plate, a hemispherical lower bearing seat attached to the top surface of the guide rod base, a guide rod inserted into the vertical column from the bottom of the vertical column and pivotally attached to 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, characterized in that the underwater pile settlement positioning system for a four-pile jacket foundation steel pipe pile in the deep sea according to claim 1.

6. The upper pile gripping frame includes a swing link mounting rod and a cylinder mounting rod, each fixed parallel to the corners of the vertical pile frame, one on the inside and one on the outside and one on the top and one on the bottom, and both forming a 45° angle with the side plate of the vertical pile frame. Two connecting arms extending upward are fixed at intervals to the central part of the swing link mounting rod, and two pin sleeves extending inward and downward are attached at intervals to the central part of the swing link mounting rod. The lower ends of the two pin sleeves are each fixed to the vertical pile frame via a single diagonal support rod. The structure of the lower pile gripping frame is the same as the structure of the upper pile gripping frame. The aforementioned upper pile gripper includes a pile gripping cylinder, a swing link, and a collision prevention mechanism. The rear end of the pile gripping cylinder is hinged to the center of the cylinder mounting rod of the upper pile gripping frame. The oscillating link is composed of two triangular plates, the apex of the oscillating link is hinged to two pin sleeves of the upper pile gripping frame via an oscillating link pin, a pile gripping roller is attached to the inner bottom corner of the oscillating link via a roller pin, the outer bottom corner of the oscillating link is hinged to the tip of the piston rod of the pile gripping cylinder via a cylinder pin, and in the oscillating link, one link pin is further attached to a position near the apex of the side connecting the apex and the inner bottom corner of the two triangular plates. The collision prevention mechanism includes a link and a collision prevention plate, one end of the link being hinged to a link pin in the swing link, the front end of the collision prevention plate on its bottom surface being hinged to the other end of the link, and the rear end of the collision prevention plate being hinged to the upper ends of two connecting arms of the upper pile gripping frame. The underwater pile settlement positioning system for a four-pile jacket foundation steel pipe pile in the deep sea, as described in claim 1, characterized in that the structure of the lower pile gripper is the same as the structure of the upper pile gripper.

7. The lamp holder includes two mounting plates fixed one above and one below the center of the inside of one side plate of the vertical pile frame, two vertical rods fixed at both ends corresponding one to one of the two mounting plates, 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 mounted at intervals on the top surface of the vertical base plate, and a laser lamp fixed in the middle of the upper part of the vertical base plate, the camera is mounted above the laser lamp, one detection cylinder is hinged to the horizontal base plate, the piston rod of the detection cylinder is hinged to the outer end of a link whose central part is hinged 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, characterized in that the underwater pile sinking positioning system for a four-pile jacket foundation steel pipe pile in the deep sea according to claim 1.

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