Weighted Hose for Underwater Piling Noise Reduction
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing noise reduction devices for underwater piling work face challenges in securely anchoring compressed air lines on the seabed due to high buoyancy, which restricts the introduction of compressed air and stability of the bubble curtain, often requiring weighting bodies that compromise the line's functionality.
Innovation Solution
A hose with a layered wall structure incorporating weighting bodies in the intermediate layer and a spring wire spiral for stability and kink protection, allowing secure seabed anchorage and efficient compressed air introduction while maintaining ease of handling and installation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If weights are inserted into the pipeline to keep it on the seabed, then the pipeline can be securely anchored, but the internal diameter is significantly restricted and compressed air introduction becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The weighting function is segmented from the internal space of the pipeline. Instead of placing weights inside the pipeline that occupy internal volume, the weights are embedded in the wall structure itself, specifically in the intermediate layer between reinforcing layers. This segmentation allows the pipeline to achieve anchorage stability without compromising the internal diameter for compressed air introduction.
Solution Approach 2:
The weighting bodies are nested within the wall structure of the pipeline, specifically embedded in the intermediate layer. This nesting approach integrates the weighting function into the wall itself rather than adding separate internal components, thereby maintaining the full internal cross-sectional area for air flow while achieving the necessary weight for seabed anchorage.
2Reliability
If a steel chain is placed inside the pipe as a weighting element, then the pipeline can be kept on the seabed, but the internal diameter is restricted and bubble curtain formation becomes insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The weighting function is segmented from the internal volume of the pipeline. By embedding weights in the wall structure rather than placing them inside, the internal cross-sectional area remains fully available for compressed air flow, ensuring sufficient quantity of air reaches the bubble curtain without being restricted by internal weighting elements.
Solution Approach 2:
The pipeline wall is constructed as a composite structure with multiple layers including an intermediate layer containing embedded weighting bodies. This composite construction integrates the weighting function into the wall itself, allowing the pipeline to achieve both structural integrity and seabed anchorage while maintaining full internal cross-sectional area for air flow.
3Ease of operation
If the hose has high buoyancy to remain flexible, then it is easier to handle and install, but it cannot be securely kept on the seabed
Solution Approach 1:
The weighting function is applied locally within the wall structure rather than uniformly throughout the entire hose or as separate internal components. The intermediate layer contains embedded weighting bodies that provide the necessary weight for seabed anchorage while maintaining the overall flexibility and handleability of the hose during installation operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The weighting function is transferred from the internal dimension (weights inside the hose) to the structural dimension (weights embedded in the wall). This dimensional change allows the hose to maintain its flexibility and handleability in three-dimensional space during installation while achieving secure anchorage on the seabed through the weighted wall structure.
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 device achieves robustness, buckling resistance, and dimensional stability, ensuring a stable bubble curtain for effective noise reduction with improved compressed air introduction and easy handling, including winding and unwinding processes.
Implementation Method 1
at least one spring wire spiral be embedded in the intermediate layer and arranged so that it extends spirally in a longitudinal direction of the tube. The spring wire spiral serves, on the one hand, as kink protection when winding or unwinding the cable, but on the other hand, it also keeps the shape of the hose stable under overpressure or underpressure.
Implementation Method 2
at least one weighting body is embedded in the intermediate layer... the line pressurized with compressed air comes to lie safely on the seabed
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
The present invention relates to a device for soundproofing underwater pile driving, wherein the device comprises at least one conduit that can be fixed to the seabed and has a plurality of boreholes, and at least one compressor with which compressed air can be introduced into the conduit so that it can exit the boreholes, wherein the conduit has at least one longitudinal section in the form of a hose and the hose has a layered wall structure comprising, from the inside out, an inner layer, a first reinforcing layer, an intermediate layer, a second reinforcing layer and an outer layer, wherein at least one weight is embedded in the intermediate layer.