Cable system for securing a floating platform

Abstract

The invention relates to a cable system for securing a floating platform to an underwater attachment point, wherein: the cable system is composed of an inner cable and an outer sheath cable designed as a sheath; the inner cable is formed of synthetic textile fibres; the sheath cable is braided from synthetic textile fibres; the inner cable is arranged in a tubular interior of the sheath cable; the inner cable has a first breaking force; and the sheath cable has a second breaking force which is greater than the first breaking force.

Description

[0001] ROPE SYSTEM FOR ATTACHING A FLOATING PLATFORM

[0002] The invention relates to a rope system for attaching a floating platform to an anchor point.

[0003] Floating solar power plants are becoming increasingly important in the generation of renewable energy. One challenge lies in their anchoring, especially underwater. The installation of floating photovoltaics (FPV) is particularly complex, requiring secure anchoring for many years, even decades, despite the challenging environmental conditions underwater.

[0004] CN201981422U discloses a high-strength, high-modulus, multi-strand, 12-strand braided composite anchor rope made of polyethylene. This high-strength, high-modulus polyethylene multifilament anchor rope with 12 strands can be used for extra-long towing anchors in marine engineering, for medium-weight trawls, and for specialized marine applications such as deep-sea fishing, exploration, and similar activities.

[0005] Chinese utility model CN201258426Y discloses a deep-sea cable comprising a cable core bundle with a plurality of cable cores. Each cable core is formed from three strands of high-tenacity polyethylene fibers by twisting, and an outer sheath layer is arranged around the circumference of the cable core bundle and is formed from 32 strands of high-tenacity nylon multifilament yarns by braiding.

[0006] JP2014240212A shows a double-walled rope for mooring a ship, where the elongation under tension with a force of 1 / 4 of the breaking strength is 90% or more and 350% or less. The sheath has an obtuse angle and is braided with 12 or 16 bobbins. The core is made of synthetic rubber with a higher elasticity than the sheath.

[0007] The object of the present invention was to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art and to provide a device by means of which a floating platform can be securely attached to an underwater anchor point for a long period of time. This object is achieved by a device according to claims 1 to 16.

[0008] The device according to the invention is a rope system for attaching a floating platform to an underwater anchor point, wherein the rope system consists of an inner rope and an outer sheath rope designed as a casing; wherein the inner rope is made of synthetic textile fibers; wherein the sheath rope is braided from synthetic textile fibers, and wherein the inner rope is arranged in a tubular interior of the sheath rope; wherein the inner rope has a first breaking strength; and wherein the sheath rope has a second breaking strength which is greater than the first breaking strength. This makes it possible to ensure the attachment of a floating platform to an underwater anchor point for a long period of time. Both the inner rope and the sheath rope can each individually have a breaking strength such that the platform can be held securely and permanently by only one of the two ropes.

[0009] Preferably, the inner rope is arranged to be displaceable within the outer rope relative to the direction of the rope's longitudinal extension. This allows the inner rope to be mechanically protected during alternating tensile and compressive stresses caused by wave motions, thus ensuring a longer service life.

[0010] It is advantageous if the first breaking strength of the inner rope is between 50 and 500 kN, preferably between 75 and 150 kN, in order to be able to absorb typical loads occurring at an anchor point on a floating platform alone.

[0011] It is equally advantageous if the second breaking strength of the sheath rope is between 55 and 550 kN, preferably between 150 and 300 kN, in order to be able to absorb typical loads occurring at an anchor point on a floating platform on its own.

[0012] In a further advantageous embodiment, the second breaking force of the sheath rope can be at least 10%, preferably at least 50%, greater than the first breaking force of the inner rope in order to ensure a longer service life of the entire rope system in combination with the inner rope and sheath rope.

[0013] It can be particularly advantageous for the outer diameter of the sheath cable to be between 8 and 200 mm, preferably between 8 and 100 mm, and most preferably between 10 and 30 mm. This ensures both ease of handling during assembly and a long service life.

[0014] In order to advantageously enable load bearing by either the inner rope or the outer rope, the diameter ratio of the outer diameter of the inner rope to the outer diameter of the outer rope can be greater than 1 to 4, preferably greater than 1 to 3.

[0015] Preferably, the inner rope and / or the sheath rope can contain or consist of high-strength plastic fibers with a tensile strength greater than 14 cN / dtex, preferably greater than 24 cN / dtex, and particularly preferably greater than 30 cN / dtex. This allows for a long service life underwater.

[0016] Preferably, the inner rope and / or the sheath rope may contain or consist of high-strength plastic fibers selected from the group of high-modulus polyethylene (UHMWPE), aramid, liquid crystal polymers (LCP), polybenzoxazoles (PBO) in order to optimally absorb the loads caused by wave action over a long period of time.

[0017] To advantageously enable simple manufacturing, both the inner rope and the outer rope can consist predominantly of the same materials.

[0018] Preferably, the inner rope and the outer rope can be designed together to form a loop that can be cut to length and spliced ​​to allow direct attachment of the platform or a lifting device.

[0019] Preferably, the number of strands in the inner rope can differ from the number of strands in the outer rope by 4 in order to optimally match the mechanical properties.

[0020] The braiding angle of both the inner rope and the outer rope can advantageously be in the range between 15° and 35°, preferably between 18° and 25°, in order to optimally absorb the tensile and compressive forces over a long service life.

[0021] It is particularly advantageous if the floating platform supports a photovoltaic system, as a long service life of the cable system can enable the uninterrupted long-term operation required for a PV system. It can be beneficial if both the first elongation of the inner cable and the second elongation of the outer cable, measured separately at 50% of the breaking strength after the tenth load on each cable, are between 2.0% and 20.0%, preferably between 2.5% and 4.5%, in order to ensure the necessary freedom of movement of the platform in choppy water while maintaining its positioning as effectively as possible, even if only one of the two cables can bear the load.

[0022] Preferably, the total elongation of the rope system under a load of 50% of the breaking strength after a tenth load can be between 2.0% and 20.0%, preferably between 2.5% and 4.5%, in order to ensure the necessary freedom of movement of the platform in wave action while maintaining the best possible positioning.

[0023] Synthetic textile fibers are produced from materials such as coal or petroleum. The respective raw material is chemically synthesized and modified so that it can be drawn into threads. These threads can then be refined and processed into woven fabrics or strands. Synthetic textile fibers can be highly elastic yet tear-resistant. Mold and bacteria have difficulty growing on the smooth fiber surface.

[0024] Breaking force is the force required to cause a rope to tear or break. To determine the breaking force as described in this invention, the standardized measurement method in ISO 2307:2019, section 9.7, in particular section 9.7.1, is used as a basis.

[0025] The tensile strength value indicates how much load a fiber can bear that weighs 1 gram and is 10,000 m long; this corresponds to a fineness of idtex.

[0026] To better understand the invention, it is explained in more detail with reference to the following figures.

[0027] They each show, in a highly simplified, schematic representation:

[0028] Fig. 1 Floating platform;

[0029] Fig. 2 Section of a cable system;

[0030] Fig. 3 Section through sheath rope and inner rope. It should be noted by way of introduction that in the differently described embodiments, identical parts are provided with the same reference numerals or component designations, whereby the disclosures contained in the entire description can be applied analogously to identical parts with the same reference numerals or component designations. Furthermore, the positional designations chosen in the description, such as top, bottom, side, etc., refer to the figure directly described and illustrated, and these positional designations must be applied analogously to the new position if the position changes.

[0031] Fig. 1 shows a rope system 1 for attaching a floating platform 2 to an underwater anchor point 3. Of course, several underwater anchor points 3 or one above-water anchor point 4 can also be provided for attaching the platform floating on a body of water.

[0032] The floating platform 2 can be a floating photovoltaic system 5 (FPV), which refers to photovoltaic power plants on bodies of water with modules attached to floating structures. The platform can be anchored to the bottom of the water body, the shore, or adjacent structures. The floating platform can be constructed from buoyancy bodies 6, hollow bodies 7, or as a ship's hull 8, or a combination thereof. The floating platform 2 can support a photovoltaic system 9, but it can also accommodate other loads 10 or objects such as transformers, wind turbines, construction machinery, cranes, stages, or other goods, or serve as a pier. The floating platform 2 can be designed for inland waters or for offshore applications.

[0033] Figure 2 shows a rope system 1 consisting of an inner rope 11 and an outer sheath rope 12; wherein the inner rope 11 is made of synthetic textile fibers and the sheath rope is also braided from synthetic textile fibers. The inner rope 11 can also be braided.

[0034] The inner rope 11 is arranged in a tubular interior 13 of the outer rope 12. The tubular interior 13 can be open at both ends or closed by loops 17. The inner rope 11 can also be guided in the loops 17 and spliced ​​in the same way as the outer rope 12.

[0035] The inner rope 11 has a first breaking strength, and the sheath rope 12 has a second breaking strength, which is greater than the first. The inner rope 11 within the sheath rope 12 can be slidably or movably arranged relative to the longitudinal direction of the rope. Under alternating tensile and compressive loads on the rope system 1 due to external influences, the inner rope 11 can thus move within the tubular interior 13 of the sheath rope 12 along a longitudinal axis of the rope system. This protects the inner rope 11. Should the sheath rope 12 become worn after a prolonged period of use, the inner rope can still ensure the desired attachment of the floating platform 2 to the anchor point 3 up to its first breaking strength. In particular, the first breaking strength can be selected such that the attachment of the floating platform 2 to the anchor point 3 is guaranteed solely by the inner rope 11 until it, too, reaches the end of its service life.Particularly due to mussel growth, vegetation or other influences of the wet environment, the rope system 1 may be designed in such a way that wear of the sheath rope 12 is deliberately taken into account and therefore the first breaking strength of the inner rope 11 may be chosen accordingly.

[0036] The inner rope 11 and the outer rope 12 can be jointly configured to form a loop 17 that can be cut to length and spliced. Such a loop 17 can be an eye splice. The rope system 1 can be connected to the floating platform 2 and / or the anchor point 3 via connecting elements such as further loops, carabiners, or shackles, or it can be attached directly to the floating platform 2 and / or the anchor point 3 without further connecting elements. The inner rope 11 and the outer rope 12 can be configured to be spliced ​​either together or separately to form a loop 17 or two separate loops 17, or to create a connection with another rope system or ropes.

[0037] The number of strands in the inner rope (11) can differ from the number of strands in the outer rope (12) by 4. The structure of the braids, and also the number of strands, depends on the number of bobbins in the braiding machine. The bobbins are the main working parts of the braiding machine. They carry the braiding spools on which the braiding threads are located. A strand can therefore consist of one or more braiding threads. Furthermore, the bobbins compensate for the difference in thread length, which occurs due to the relative movement of the bobbins to the braiding point, and simultaneously apply thread tension. Both the inner rope (11) and the outer rope (12) can be round braids; these can generally be produced with two sets of bobbins and thus an even number of bobbins, for example, six bobbins each.The two tracks required for this can be out of phase; one set of bobbins can always move clockwise, the other exactly in the opposite direction, counterclockwise.

[0038] The braid angle 19 of both the inner rope 11 and the braid angle 18 of the outer rope 12 can be in the free length of the rope – i.e., outside a spliced ​​section or a loop 17 – in the range between 15° and 35°, preferably between 18° and 25°. The braid angle 19 can therefore be an acute angle.

[0039] Fig. 3 shows a section III perpendicular to the central axis 16 along the longitudinal extent of the cable system. To avoid unnecessary repetition, reference is made to the detailed description in the preceding Fig. 2.

[0040] The rope system 1 as a whole and as a combination of inner rope 11 and sheath rope 12 can, in its new state, exhibit a third breaking strength which differs from the first and second breaking strengths. The first breaking strength of the inner rope 11 can be between 50 and 500 kN, preferably between 75 and 150 kN, and the second breaking strength of the sheath rope 12 between 55 and 550 kN, preferably between 150 and 300 kN.

[0041] The second breaking strength of the outer rope 12 can be at least 10%, preferably at least 50%, greater than the first breaking strength of the inner rope 11.

[0042] The outer diameter 14 of the sheath rope can be between 8 and 200 mm, preferably between 8 and 100 mm and particularly preferably between 10 and 30 mm.

[0043] The measurement of the outer diameter 14 and the other listed diameters is carried out in accordance with the standard ISO 2307:2019 Chapter 9.4 a).

[0044] The diameter ratio of an outer diameter 15 of the inner rope 11 to the outer diameter 14 of the sheath rope 12 can be greater than 1 to 4, preferably greater than 1 to 3.

[0045] The inner rope 11 and / or the sheath rope 12 can contain or consist of high-strength plastic fibers with a tensile strength greater than 14 cN / dtex, preferably greater than 24 cN / dtex, and particularly preferably greater than 30 cN / dtex. The inner rope 11 and / or the sheath rope 12 can contain or consist of high-strength plastic fibers selected from the group consisting of high-modulus polyethylene (UHMWPE), aramid, liquid crystal polymers (LCP), and polybenzoxazoles (PBO). Both the inner rope and the sheath rope can consist predominantly of the same materials.

[0046] Both the initial elongation of the inner rope 11 and the second elongation of the outer rope 12, measured separately under a load of 50% of the breaking strength after a tenth loading of the respective rope, can be between 2.0% and 20.0%, preferably between 2.5% and 4.5%. The elongation is measured according to ISO 2307:2019, section 9.6.

[0047] The total elongation of the rope system 1 after a tenth load can be between 2.0% and 20.0%, preferably between 2.5% and 4.5%, when loaded at 50% of the breaking strength.

[0048] The exemplary embodiments show possible embodiment variants, whereby it should be noted at this point that the invention is not limited to the specifically illustrated embodiment variants, but rather various combinations of the individual embodiment variants are also possible and this possibility of variation lies within the skill of the person skilled in this technical field due to the teaching on technical action by the present invention.

[0049] The scope of protection is defined by the claims. However, the description and drawings must be consulted for the interpretation of the claims. Individual features or combinations of features from the different embodiments shown and described can, in themselves, represent independent inventive solutions. The problem underlying these independent inventive solutions can be found in the description.

[0050] All references to value ranges in this description are to be understood as encompassing any and all sub-ranges thereof. For example, the reference 1 to 10 is to be understood as including all sub-ranges, starting with a lower limit of 1 and ending with an upper limit of 10. This means that all sub-ranges begin with a lower limit of 1 or greater and end with an upper limit of 10 or less, e.g., 1 to 1.7, or 3.2 to 8.1, or 5.5 to 10. Finally, for the sake of clarity, it should be noted that, for better understanding of the structure, some elements have been shown not to scale and / or enlarged and / or reduced.

[0051] Reference numeral list

[0052] cable system

[0053] Floating platform

[0054] Underwater anchor point

[0055] Above-water anchor point

[0056] Floating photovoltaics

[0057] Buoyancy aids

[0058] Hollow body

[0059] hull

[0060] Photovoltaic system

[0061] load

[0062] Inner rope

[0063] Sheath rope

[0064] Tubular interior

[0065] outer diameter of the

[0066] sheath rope and rope system

[0067] Outer diameter of the inner rope

[0068] central axis

[0069] loop

[0070] Braid angle of the sheath rope

[0071] Braid angle of the inner rope

Claims

Patent claims 1. Rope system (1) for attaching a floating platform (2) to an underwater anchor point (3), wherein the rope system (1) is formed from an inner rope (11) and an outer sheath rope (12) designed as a sheath; wherein the inner rope (11) is made of synthetic textile fibers; wherein the sheath rope (12) is braided from synthetic textile fibers, characterized in that the inner rope (11) is arranged in a tubular interior (13) of the sheath rope (12); wherein the inner rope (11) has a first breaking strength; wherein the sheath rope (12) has a second breaking strength which is greater than the first breaking strength.

2. Rope system according to claim 1, characterized in that the inner rope (11) is arranged to be displaceable in the outer rope (12) with respect to the direction of the longitudinal extension of the rope.

3. Rope system according to one of the preceding claims 1 to 2, characterized in that the first breaking force of the inner rope (11) is between 50 and 500 kN, preferably between 75 and 150 kN.

4. Rope system according to one of the preceding claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the second breaking force of the sheath rope (12) is between 55 and 550 kN, preferably between 150 and 300 kN.

5. Rope system according to one of the preceding claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the second breaking force of the outer rope (12) is greater by at least 10%, preferably at least 50%, than the first breaking force of the inner rope (11).

6. Rope system according to one of the preceding claims 1 to 5, characterized in that an outer diameter (14) of the sheath rope (12) is between 8 and 200 mm, preferably between 8 and 100 mm and particularly preferably between 10 and 30 mm.

7. Rope system according to one of the preceding claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the diameter ratio of an outer diameter (15) of the inner rope (11) to the outer diameter (14) of the sheath rope (12) is greater than 1 to 4, preferably greater than 1 to 3.

8. Rope system according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the inner rope (11) and / or the sheath rope (12) contain or consist of high-strength plastic fibers with a strength greater than 14 cN / dtex, preferably greater than 24 cN / dtex, particularly preferably greater than 30 cN / dtex.

9. Rope system according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the inner rope (11) and / or the sheath rope (12) comprise or consist of high-strength plastic fibers selected from the group consisting of high-modulus polyethylene (UHMWPE), aramid, liquid crystal polymers (LCP), polybenzoxazoles (PBO).

10. Rope system according to one of the preceding claims 1 to 9, characterized in that both the inner rope (11) and the outer rope (12) consist predominantly of the same materials.

11. Rope system according to one of the preceding claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the inner rope (11) and the outer rope (12) are jointly designed to be cut to length and splicable to form a loop (17).

12. Rope system according to one of the preceding claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the number of strands of the inner rope differs from the number of strands of the outer rope by 4.

13. Rope system according to one of the preceding claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the braiding angle (18, 19) of both the inner rope (11) and the outer rope (12) is in the range between 15° and 35°, preferably between 18° and 25°.

14. Cable system according to one of the preceding claims 1 to 13, characterized in that the floating platform (2) carries a photovoltaic system (9).

15. Rope system according to one of the preceding claims 1 to 14, characterized in that both a first elongation of the inner rope (11) and a second elongation of the outer rope (12) under a load of 50% of the breaking strength after a tenth load of the respective rope are each measured separately between 2.0 and 20.0%, preferably between 2.5% and 4.5%.

16. Rope system according to one of the preceding claims 1 to 15, characterized in that the total elongation of the rope system (1) under a load of 50% of the breaking strength after a tenth load is between 2.0% and 20.0%, preferably between 2.5% and 4.5%.

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