Hydraulic and earth engineering – Marine structure or fabrication thereof – Floatable to site and supported by marine floor
Patent
1996-09-03
1998-09-08
Taylor, Dennis L.
Hydraulic and earth engineering
Marine structure or fabrication thereof
Floatable to site and supported by marine floor
4051951, E02B 1700
Patent
active
058036687
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
SPECIFICATION
1. Technical Field
This invention relates to a gravity-type marine structure construction method and a gravity-type marine structure applicable to a bent for a grand-scale sea bridge and a platform for petroleum or gas production or the like, which are installed in a sea area with a great depth of water.
2. Background Art
Recently, demand has increased for the construction of a marine structure installed in a sea area with a great depth of water. Structurally, the marine structures are roughly classified into a gravity type, a legged type and a floating type. Among these types, the gravity type or legged type is made the basis of a bent for a grand-scale sea bridge and a platform for petroleum or gas production, since such structures are needed to be rigidly fixed on the seabed.
The present invention is particularly concerned with a marine structure of the gravity type applied as the most suitable structural type to a case where a whole structural body requires high stiffness as one of required performance. In order to avoid a long-term construction on the sea in the installing spot because of risks, the gravity-type marine structure is usually constructed according to a quick construction method as follows. Namely, the major part of a structural body is constructed on land or on a quiet coastal area, then towed in fine weather to the installing spot, and then installed in a submerged state.
More specifically, according to the conventional construction method, the structural body is constructed in a dry dock as much as possible within the draft of the dry dock. The structural body thus constructed is caused to float and then towed out of the dock. Thereafter, in a quiet coastal area with a depth of water approximately equivalent to that of the installing spot, the remaining structural body is constructed in a floating state on the sea for a long time.
However, in the conventional construction method, when the installing spot has a great depth of water, a quiet coastal area adapted to construct the major part of the structural body needs the depth of water equivalent to that of the installing spot. Therefore, in the area satisfying these very rare natural conditions such as the northern Europe having fjord coasts, many satisfactory results have already been given in construction of a large-scale gravity-type marine structure. However, as for the other areas, it was impossible to find a sea area which has a great depth of water in a spot close to the coast and satisfies the quiet natural conditions including waves and tidal currents or the like so as to ensure a long-term construction.
Consequently, the conventional gravity-type marine structure cannot be adapted for a sea area with a great depth of water except for the specific area, resulting in the disadvantage of the conventional gravity-type marine structure.
In various types of structures, regardless of the marine structure, various methods have already been provided to construct a structural body in a required form by extending or contracting the structural body by a driving apparatus utilizing specific energy. However, when the above methods are applied to the construction of the marine structure for a sea area with a great depth of water, it is necessary for the marine structure to withstand severe natural conditions (heavy hydrostatic pressure, wave power, tidal power, ice pressure, wind pressure and seismic force or the like). Thus, incomparatibly greater scale and strength to the land structures are required for the marine structure in the sea area with a great depth of water.
Therefore, the structural body should be constructed on a huge scale in order to withstand such severe natural conditions. A considerable amount of energy is required for expanding or contracting such a huge structural body by a usually-used mechanical driving apparatus. Further, the size of the driving apparatus is increased. Thus, it is almost impossible at present to apply the already-provided methods to the construction of the marine structure for a sea a
REFERENCES:
patent: 4094162 (1978-06-01), Allee
patent: 4187038 (1980-02-01), Taylor
Nojiri Yoichi
Seki Atushi
Takase Jiro
Yanagiya Kenji
Kajima Corporation
Taylor Dennis L.
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