JPS5836232B2 - Long body underwater guidance device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a method for moving long bodies such as submarine cables and water pipes from a laying ship to a laying machine or burying machine (hereinafter referred to as a laying/burying machine) on the seabed.

This invention relates to an elongated underwater guidance device that guides a long body to a point where

Conventional long underwater guide devices of this type have a structure in which a large number of cylindrical cage-shaped short tubes are aligned and supported by a towline.

In this case, each cage-shaped short pipe is simply supported in a stacked state by passing it through the tow rope, so the load of the upper cage-shaped short pipe is applied to the lower cage-shaped short pipe one after another. The basket-shaped short pipes on the bottom were made to have a more sturdy structure, with greater strength to prevent breakage.

However, with this type of guide device, it is not possible to attach all the cage-shaped short pipes to the towline in advance due to the structure, so the length must be adjusted according to the water depth when being thrown into the sea, when being lifted up on a laying ship, and when being recovered from a laying ship. The shortcoming was that it required a great deal of time and effort to attach and remove the cage-shaped short tube from the towline at different times.

Furthermore, since the conventional apparatus uses a large number of cage-shaped short pipes, it has the disadvantage of requiring a large storage space on the laying ship.

Furthermore, such a guide device has the disadvantage that it is difficult to form a catenary shape because a large load is applied to the side closer to the laying/burying machine.

In addition, in this type of guide device, it is ideal to continuously wind and unwind the towline in order to maintain a constant entry angle regardless of changes in water depth. There is a drawback that the cage-shaped short tube cannot be continuously attached to or detached from a moving towline.

In order to improve this, the present applicant first developed a foldable guide body, which is formed by connecting a large number of guide frames with open upper ends in a foldable manner with link-type connectors at predetermined intervals, and We have proposed an elongated underwater guide device comprising a tow rope that supports a guide main body in a slidable manner along its side.

According to such a long body underwater guiding device, the above-mentioned drawbacks are improved, but in the case of this device, since the top surface of the folding type guiding body is continuously open, there is no possibility of long bodies being guided during guiding. There was a drawback in that the length of the body tends to protrude outward due to its curly curl, and a smooth guiding action cannot be expected.

Further, in such a structure, since the upper part of the guide frame is open, the mechanical strength of the guide frame is weakened, and there is a risk that the guide frame may be deformed by external pressure and become unable to guide the elongated body.

Furthermore, such a structure has the disadvantage that it is difficult to automatically fold and unfold the folding guide body by mechanization.

An object of the present invention is to provide a long body that can be folded, can guide the long body well, can prevent deformation of the guide frame, and can easily cope with mechanized feeding or folding operations. To provide underwater guidance equipment.

The elongated underwater guide device according to the present invention has a foldable tubular guide main body, which is made up of a large number of guide frames each consisting of a closed loop body, which are foldably connected at predetermined intervals by a link type connecting body. a tow rope that slidably supports the folding tubular guide body along its side surfaces; and hook portions that protrude outward from the upper and lower portions of both sides of each guide frame. The present invention is characterized in that it is configured with the following.

In such a long underwater guide device, the foldable tubular guide main body is folded by folding the link-type connecting body during transportation or the like.

In this way, the elongated underwater guide device can be accommodated in a very small space.

When in use, connect the laying/burying machine to the tip of the tow rope and link-type connector, extend the tow rope, and hook a hand or a part of the machine to the hook part of each guide frame to create a foldable tubular guide main body. The laying/burying machine is put into the sea while the cable is stretched out, and a foldable tubular guide is used to connect the laying ship and the laying/burying machine on the seabed, and the long body is guided through the guide to the seabed for laying or burying work. have them do it.

When the laying or burying work is completed, pull up the folding tubular guide main body by hooking your hand or a part of the machine to the hook of each guide frame while pulling the tow rope on board the laying ship, and fold it one by one. The foldable tubular guide body and the laying/burying machine will be recovered on board the laying ship.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the elongated body underwater guide device 1 of this embodiment is used to lay elongated bodies 4 such as submarine cables and water pipes on the seabed 5 from a laying ship 3 floating on the sea surface 2.・Used to guide you to the burial machine 6.

This elongated underwater guide device 1 includes a foldable tubular guide body 9 in which a large number of guide frames 7, each consisting of a closed loop body, are connected at predetermined intervals by link-type connecting bodies 8, and Tow rope 1 supported slidably along the sides
0, and hook portions protruding outward from the upper and lower portions of both sides of each guide frame 70, respectively, as will be described later.

The laying ship 3 includes a caterpillar-type guide body supply/accommodation device 11 that accommodates the guide body 9 in a folded state and sends it out while being stretched during use, a winch 12 that winds up and sends out the towline 10, and a long length. It is equipped with an elongate body accommodating part 13 which accommodates the elongate body 4, and a turn sheave 14 which changes the direction of the elongate body 4 above the elongate body accommodator 13.

An example of a specific structure of the elongated body underwater guide device 1 is shown in FIGS. 3 to 6.

Each guide frame 7 is constructed by connecting tubular or rod-shaped materials made of metal such as aluminum, iron, plastic, etc. in a rectangular shape to form one closed loop-shaped body.

Pins 15 are integrally provided at the four corners of both sides of each guide frame 70, and a collar is fitted to the outer periphery of each pin 15 so that it can rotate freely but cannot escape. 16, and a link arm 17, which constitutes a link-type connecting body 8, is pivotally connected to each of these pins.

The hook portion 16 of each guide frame 7 is used when folding or extending the guide body 9.

The link arms 1T between the guide frames 7 are mutually pivotally connected by pins 18.

Supports 19 each consisting of a support ring are fixed to both outer surfaces of each guide frame 70, and a tow rope 1 is attached to each support 19, respectively.
0 is slidably passed through the guide frame 7 with this tow rope 10.
is slidably supported.

When transporting such a long body underwater guide device 1, as shown in FIG. I'll keep it.

At this time, the towline 10 is wound around the winch 12.

In this way, the elongated underwater guide device 1 can be housed in a much smaller space than conventional ones.

When in use, the laying/burying machine 6 is connected to the tips of the tow rope 10 and the link type connector 8, and the guide main supply/accommodation device 11 having a winch 12 and an endless chain is driven to extend the tow rope 10. Hook a hook such as an endless chain onto the hook 16 of each guide frame 7, and extend the guide body 9 while laying.
The burial machine 6 is put into the sea and used in the state shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

The elongated body 4 is laid or buried in the seabed 5 by being pulled by the laying/burying machine 6 via the tow rope 10 in the laying ship 3 and letting out the elongated body 4.

At this time, the elongated body 4 is guided through the tubular guiding body 9 to the laying/burying machine 6, so that the towline 1 becomes slack.
It never deviates significantly from 0.

Furthermore, since the guide frames 7 are connected to each other by link-type connecting bodies 8, it is possible to prevent the guide frame interval from being changed due to friction of the elongated body 4.

During installation or burial, it is desirable that the water entry angle of the elongated body remains constant at about 600 degrees.

Therefore, when the water depth changes, it is necessary to change the length of the guide body 9 so as not to change the angle of entry of the elongated body 4 into the water.

For this purpose, the towline 10 is expanded and contracted by the winch 14 according to the water depth while working, and the guide body 9 is expanded and contracted by the guide body supply and accommodation device 11.

When the laying/burying machine 6 is to be recovered on the laying ship 3 after laying or burying, the guide main supply/accommodating device 11 is driven while winding the towline 10 with the winch 12 to remove the guide frame 7 from each guide frame 7.
A hook such as an endless chain is hooked onto the hook portion 16 of the guiding body 9, and the guide body 9 is folded while being pulled up, and the laying/burying machine 6 is gradually pulled up.

As explained above, the long body underwater guiding device of the present invention includes a large number of guide frames each consisting of one closed loop body,
Since it uses a foldable tubular guide body that is foldably connected by link-type connectors at predetermined intervals, it becomes much more compact when folded than conventional models, significantly saving storage space on board. Can be made smaller.

In addition, in the foldable tubular guide main body, each guide frame is composed of one closed loop-shaped body, and these are connected at predetermined intervals by link-type connecting bodies so that they can be folded freely. It is much lighter than a cage-shaped short pipe that connects many.

Furthermore, unlike conventional devices, this device is completed in advance to the required length and is used by stretching or contracting it, so there is no need to insert it into the sea or adjust the length due to changes in water depth. , loading and unloading work on board the ship can be carried out efficiently without any effort.

Furthermore, since this device connects the guide frame with a link-type connector, the connector can be folded regularly when folding, so there is no tangle, and storage and supply can be easily and reliably performed. .

Furthermore, since the folding tubular guide body is slidable relative to the tow rope, the folding tubular guide body can be easily extended and retracted using the tow rope as a guide.

Moreover, this foldable tubular guide main body is configured to have a tubular shape as a whole by connecting guide frames forming a closed loop, so even if the elongated body has curls etc., this elongated body can be easily handled. It can be guided smoothly to the seabed without protruding outward.

Moreover, since each guide frame has a closed loop shape, its mechanical strength is increased, and it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a situation where the guide frame is deformed by external pressure and obstructs the passage of the elongated body.

In addition, the upper and lower parts of both sides of each guide frame have hooks protruding outward, so by using these hooks, it is possible to handle long bodies on the seabed, which was previously difficult. Mechanization makes it easier to extend and retrieve the guide device.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIGS. 1 and 2 are a plan view and a side view of an embodiment of the long body underwater guide device according to the present invention in use, and FIGS. 3 to 6 are the lengths shown in FIGS. They are an enlarged cross-sectional view, a partially enlarged plan view, a partially enlarged side view, and a partially enlarged side view of the ulnar underwater guide device in a folded state. 1... Long body underwater guide device, 3... Laying vessel, 4... Long body, 6... Laying. Burying machine, 7... Guide frame, 8... Link type connecting body, 9... Foldable tubular guide main body, 10.
...Tow rope, 17...Link arm, 19
・・・・・・Support.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A foldable tubular guide body formed by a plurality of guide frames, each consisting of a closed loop-shaped body, connected at predetermined intervals by a link-type connecting body, such that the guide frame is foldable; a tow rope slidably supporting the tubular guide body along the side thereof;
An elongated body underwater guiding device comprising hook portions projecting outward from upper and lower portions of both side surfaces of each guide frame. 2. The elongated body underwater guiding device according to claim 1, wherein the guide frame is connected to each other by the link type connecting bodies on both sides of the upper part and on both sides of the bottom part. 3. The elongated body according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the guide main body is slidably supported on the tow rope by a support at a portion of the guide frame. Undersea guidance device.