Annular Anchor Open Ends Seabed Penetration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Suction anchors face significant resistance when reaching the seabed surface and attempting to sink further, due to their structural limitations, making it difficult to embed them deeply into the seabed.
Innovation Solution
An annular anchor design with an open upper and lower end, featuring wing plates on its outer side wall, along with a method for calculating antitorque bearing strength, and specialized installation and recycling assemblies to facilitate deeper seabed penetration and efficient reuse.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the suction anchor is designed with a closed top cover, then it can form a closed environment for suction, but it encounters great resistance when reaching the seabed surface and attempting to sink further
Solution Approach 1:
The anchor body is divided into multiple segments including a first anchor body and a second anchor body connected by a connectioné¨. This segmentation allows the anchor to penetrate the seabed more easily by reducing resistance at the top cover while maintaining bearing strength through the distributed structure of multiple segments working together.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces a horizontal dimension by adding wing plates that extend radially from the anchor body. These wing plates increase the anchor's bearing strength through soil interaction in the horizontal plane, allowing the vertical penetration to proceed more easily without compromising overall bearing capacity.
2Strength
If the suction anchor is designed to embed deeply into the seabed, then bearing strength improves, but the closed top cover structure creates significant resistance during penetration
Solution Approach 1:
By dividing the anchor into multiple segments with connection portions, the resistance force is distributed across different parts of the structure. The connection portions allow relative movement between segments, reducing the peak resistance force encountered during penetration while the segments work together to provide deep embedding and high bearing strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The wing plates extend in the radial direction from the anchor body, utilizing the horizontal dimension to increase bearing strength. This dimensional addition allows the anchor to achieve deep embedding with reduced vertical resistance, as the wing plates provide additional soil interaction and bearing capacity without increasing penetration resistance.
3Ease of manufacture
If the suction anchor uses a traditional closed structure, then construction is simple, but it cannot easily achieve deep seabed penetration
Solution Approach 1:
The segmented structure with multiple anchor bodies and connection portions maintains construction simplicity while enabling deep penetration. The modules can be manufactured separately and assembled, keeping the manufacturing process straightforward while the extended segmented structure achieves greater embedding depth compared to a single closed structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The addition of wing plates in the radial dimension increases the anchor's effective embedding depth and soil interaction without complicating the basic construction approach. The wing plates can be integrated into the segmented structure using standard manufacturing techniques, maintaining ease of manufacture while achieving deeper penetration.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The annular anchor design enhances torsion resistance and antitorque bearing performance, allowing for simpler and quicker installation and recycling, reducing costs and improving seabed penetration capabilities compared to traditional suction anchors.
Implementation Method 1
enables a pressure difference to form between the inside and outside of the anchor body by using a pump at its top portion to draw water
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides an annular anchor, a method for calculating antitorque bearing strength thereof and an installing and recycling assemble for the anchor, relating to the technical field of ocean engineering. The annular anchor includes an anchor body opened at its upper and lower ends, and a connection portion arranged on the outer side wall of said anchor body for connecting with parts to be moored. The annular anchor provided by the present disclosure omits the top cover as the structure prevailing in the traditional suction anchor, avoiding the drawback of installing the traditional suction anchor on the seabed, instead the annular anchor can be installed to a certain depth below the seabed. During the descent, there is no need to take into account the resistance caused by the top cover, so that the annular anchor can be installed simply and quickly.