Device for building an underwater construction, filter apparatus for a corresponding device and method for building an underwater construction

Abstract

The invention discloses a method for building an underwater construction comprising a hardened grout, wherein the device has a housing with a receiving volume, and moreover a filter apparatus which is arranged at least partially therein and which is designed to filter out constituents which have been released from the grout. A filter apparatus which can be used in the device, and a method for filling a device for building an underwater construction with a grout, using this filter apparatus, are moreover.

Claims

1. A device for building an underwater construction with a grout, the device comprising: a housing which has a receiving volume for receiving the grout, the housing having a filling opening for pouring the grout into the receiving volume; an outlet opening for an outlet of water forced out of the receiving volume; and an outer tube and an inner tube; wherein a clear width of the outer tube is greater than an outer diameter of the inner tube; and the inner tube is inserted into the outer tube such that the outer tube surrounds the inner tube and the receiving volume of the housing is formed by an intermediate space between the outer tube and the inner tube; wherein the device has at least one filter apparatus; the filter apparatus is designed to filter out constituents which are released from the grout by water situated in the receiving volume; and the filter apparatus is arranged at least partially in the receiving volume.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the filter apparatus is arranged between the filling opening and the outlet opening of the housing.

3. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the filter apparatus is arranged to have a changeable position in the receiving volume of the housing.

4. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the filter apparatus is arranged in an immediate vicinity of the outlet opening arranged above the filling opening in an installed position of the housing.

5. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the filter apparatus is weighed down by a sinker.

6. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the filter apparatus comprises at least one water-permeable filter sleeve filled with a filter medium.

7. A method for filling a device for building an underwater construction with a grout, the method comprising: attaining the device for building the underwater construction with the grout, the device comprising a housing which has a receiving volume for receiving the grout, the housing having a filling opening for pouring the grout into the receiving volume; an outlet opening for an outlet of water forced out of the receiving volume; and an outer tube and an inner tube; wherein a clear width of the outer tube is greater than an outer diameter of the inner tube; and the inner tube is inserted into the outer tube such that the outer tube surrounds the inner tube and the receiving volume of the housing is formed by an intermediate space between the outer tube and the inner tube; wherein the device has at least one filter apparatus; the filter apparatus is designed to filter out constituents which are released from the grout by water situated in the receiving volume; the filter apparatus is arranged at least partially in the receiving volume; positioning the housing of the device in or on an underwater subsoil; and pouring the grout into the receiving volume of the housing, wherein the filter apparatus has been introduced before the grout is poured into the receiving volume of the housing.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, further comprising recovering the filter apparatus when pushed out of the receiving volume by the grout.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Other advantages, details, and features of the invention are apparent from the exemplary embodiments explained in detail below:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of a first embodiment of the device according to the invention with a single outlet opening and using a filter apparatus; and

(3) FIG. 2 shows a schematic view of a further embodiment of the device according to the invention with two outlet openings and using two filter apparatus.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(4) In the description which now follows, identical reference numbers refer to identical components or identical features such that a description made with respect to one drawing regarding a component is also valid for the other drawings such that there is no need to repeat the description. Individual features which have been described in connection with one embodiment can also be used separately in other embodiments.

(5) FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of the device 1 according to the invention which has been introduced by vibration into the sea bed as an underwater subsoil 11 as part of a foundation pile for an offshore construction. The device 1 according to the invention is therefore arranged below the surface of the water 12.

(6) The device 1 has a housing 2 which in turn has an outer tube 8 and an inner tube 9. Both tubes are hereby manufactured from steel plate. The diameter or the first clear width of the outer tube 8 is furthermore greater than the diameter or the second clear width of the inner tube 9. As can be seen with the aid of FIG. 1, the inner tube 9 is inserted into the outer tube 8 such that it is surrounded by the latter. In other words, an annular gap is formed between the outer tube 8 and the inner tube 9. This annular gap has a width of approximately 30-35 CM.

(7) The intermediate space/annular gap 10 formed between the outer tube 8 and the inner tube 9 represents the receiving volume 3 of the housing 2.

(8) As can moreover be seen, the device has a filling opening 4 which pierces the outer tube 8 and hence provides access to the receiving volume 3. The filling opening 4 is configured so as to be connected to a connecting hose which leads to a pump which serves as a conveying means for the grout 5 to be introduced into the receiving volume. The pump and the hose are not shown in FIG. 1.

(9) As can moreover be seen in FIG. 1, already introduced grout 5, which is a cement mortar, is situated inside the receiving volume 3. The grout 5 is moved by the conveying means in the direction of flow indicated by means of arrows. The fill level 13 of the grout 5 in the receiving volume 3 hereby rises and thus displaces the water initially situated in the receiving volume 3.

(10) The device shown moreover has an outlet opening 6 through which the water displaced by the grout 5 can escape. As can be seen, the outlet opening 6 is arranged above the filling opening 4 in the installed position of the housing 2. The outlet opening 6 is more precisely arranged at the upper and free end of the housing 2 which has not been vibrated into the sea bed 11. The outlet opening 6 can also be viewed as an opening of the annular gap 10 between the outer tube 8 and the inner tube 9.

(11) The filter apparatus 7 is also arranged at the upper end of the housing 2. Before the housing 2 has sunk onto the sea bed 11, the filter apparatus 7 was clamped inside the annular gap 10 in such a way that the filter apparatus 7 is partially arranged in the receiving volume 3. In other words, part of the filter apparatus 7 protrudes through the outlet opening 6 of the housing 2. This has the advantage that the filter apparatus 7 can be visually checked very easily because it can be easily seen.

(12) The filter apparatus 7 moreover consists of a plurality of tubular and water-permeable filter sleeves, filled with filter medium, which are connected at their respective ends via connecting means 14 to form a ring. The filter apparatus connecting means 14 are hereby preferably steel cables or chains.

(13) The filter medium which is situated in the filter apparatus 7 is moreover rice husk ash pressed into pellets.

(14) FIG. 2 shows a schematic view of a further embodiment of the device according to the invention, wherein most features substantially correspond to the embodiment in FIG. 1.

(15) A schematic view of the device according to the invention is again shown which has been positioned on the sea bed as an underwater subsoil 11 as part of a foundation pile for an offshore construction and is hence arranged below the surface of the water 12.

(16) The device 1 also shows a housing 2 consisting of an outer tube 8 and an inner tube 9 inserted therein, wherein both tubes are again manufactured from steel plate.

(17) A filter apparatus 7 has again been clamped at the upper end of the housing 2 in the intermediate space/annular gap 10 formed between the outer tube 8 and the inner tube 9. The filter apparatus 7 of the embodiment in FIG. 2 also consists of a plurality of tubular and water-permeable filter sleeves, filled with rice husk ash in pellet form and made from a fabric, which are connected to one another at their respective ends via connecting means 14 to form a ring.

(18) The device 1 shown in FIG. 2 moreover has an outlet opening 6 which is arranged above the filling opening 4 at the upper and free end of the housing 2 which has not been positioned on the underwater subsoil 11.

(19) In addition to this first outlet opening 6, the device 1 according to the embodiment in FIG. 2 has a further outlet opening 6, wherein this outlet opening 6 is formed by a gap at the lower end, in the installed position, of the housing 2.

(20) Before the pouring of grout 5 into the receiving volume 3 begins, a filter apparatus 7 weighed down with a steel chain as a sinker 15 was introduced into the receiving volume 3 in order to close this gap 6. The filter apparatus 7 weighed down in this way sank onto the bottom of the housing 2 and came to lie in front of the gap 6.

(21) After this, the pouring of grout 5 into the receiving volume 3 was begun and a filter cake is formed in the filter apparatus 7 weighed down by the sinker 15 by the constituents of the grout 5 which are absorbed by the filter medium. As a result, the gap 6 in the housing 2 was effectively sealed.

(22) As can moreover be seen in FIG. 2 with the aid of the fill level 13, as a result of this effective sealing of the gap 6, a column of grout could subsequently be established in the receiving volume 3.

(23) In both of the embodiments described above in detail, the water which escapes from the outlet opening or openings 6 and is displaced by the integrated grout 5 was effectively purified by the filter apparatus 7 such that essentially no constituents released from the grout 5 pass out of the device 1. As a result, an effective visual check of the procedure for pouring the grout 5 into the housing 2 has been ensured and moreover contamination of the environment by constituents of the grout 5 prevented.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

(24) 1 device 2 housing 3 receiving volume 4 filling opening 5 grout; cement mortar 6 outlet opening 7 filter apparatus; tubular and water-permeable filter sleeve filled with filter medium 8 outer tube 9 inner tube 10 intermediate space; annular gap 11 subsoil; underwater subsoil; sea bed 12 surface of the water 13 fill level of the grout 14 connecting means; cable; steel chain 15 sinker; steel chain