BEND RESTRICTOR

Abstract

A bend restrictor prevents an elongated member from reaching a bending radius less than an allowable bending radius of the elongated member. A connecting arrangement is positioned at an end portion of the bend restrictor and is provided to engage the elongated member in a fixed manner. The bend restrictor has an essentially open faced contact area including a longitudinal extent providing support for the elongated member in its longitudinal direction and a transverse extent providing support for the elongated member in its transverse direction. The bend restrictor has a retainer arranged for the bend restrictor to follow the longitudinal bending of the elongated member. The bend restrictor includes plural bend restrictor sections where two and two bend restrictor sections are connected in a hinged joint arranged for allowing angular displacement to occur within a preset range as a response to the longitudinal bending of the elongated member.

Claims

1. A bend restrictor for preventing an elongated member from reaching a bending radius less than an allowable bending radius of the elongated member when one end of the elongated member is in a connected position with a connector on board a vessel, wherein a connecting arrangement is positioned at an end portion of the bend restrictor and is provided to engage the elongated member in a fixed manner and the bend restrictor has an essentially open faced contact area comprising a longitudinal extent providing support for the elongated member in a longitudinal direction of the elongated member and a transverse extent providing support for the elongated member in a transverse direction of the elongated member, the bend restrictor has retainer means arranged for the bend restrictor to follow the longitudinal bending of the elongated member, wherein the bend restrictor comprises plural bend restrictor sections wherein two and two neighboring bend restrictor sections are connected in a hinged joint that allows angular displacement to occur within a preset range as a response to the longitudinal bending of the elongated member, wherein a transverse extent of the contact area increases along the longitudinal extent away from the connecting arrangement thereby providing an expanding shaped contact area.

2. The bend restrictor in accordance with claim 1, wherein the expanding shaped contact area increases gradually away from the connecting arrangement.

3. The bend restrictor in accordance with claim 1, wherein the transverse extent of the contact area has a rectilinear shape.

4. The bend restrictor in accordance with claim 1, wherein the longitudinal extent of the contact area has a rectilinear or curved shape.

5. The bend restrictor in accordance with claim 1, wherein at least one bend restrictor section is provided with the retainer means, wherein the retainer means encompasses the elongated member.

6. The bend restrictor in accordance with claim 4, wherein the retainer means comprises at least one hooped shaped retainer device connected to the at least one bend restrictor section providing a ring shaped interior for the accommodation of a portion of the elongated member.

7. The bend restrictor in accordance with claim 2, wherein the at least at one hooped shaped retainer device is connected to the bend restrictor in a demountable manner.

8. The bend restrictor in accordance in accordance with claim 6, wherein the height of least one hooped shaped retainer device corresponds essentially to the diameter of the elongated member.

9. The bend restrictor in accordance with claim 6, wherein the hooped shaped retainer devices has a width which corresponds to or is larger than the width of the bend restrictor section.

10. The bend restrictor in accordance with claim 6, wherein the bend restrictor is provided with plural hooped shaped retainer devices and the size and shape of the individual hooped shaped retainer devices varies or is constant.

11. The bend restrictor in accordance with claim 7, wherein at least one hooped shaped retainer device has a longitudinal extension which corresponds to the longitudinal extension of the bend restrictor section.

12. The bend restrictor in accordance with claim 7, wherein at least one hooped shaped retainer device has curved shaped cross section.

13. The bend restrictor in accordance with claim 7, wherein a cover is fitted in between at least two of the hooped shaped retainer devices.

14. The bend restrictor in accordance with claim 1, wherein an axis of rotation of the hinged joint is arranged essentially parallel to the transverse extent of the bend restrictor.

15. The bend restrictor in accordance with claim 1, wherein the hinged bend restrictor sections are connected by a pivot axle.

16. The bend restrictor in accordance with claim 1, wherein stop means provides at least one end stop position of at least one neighboring bend restrictor sections.

17. The bend restrictor in accordance with claim 1, wherein motion resisting means are provided to dampen the hinged displacement to occur between two neighboring bend restrictor sections.

18. The bend restrictor in accordance with claim 1, wherein the bend restrictor sections are arranged to hinge relative to each other in between at least one operative position and a storage position of the elongated member.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0043] FIG. 1 shows an elevated view of the bend restrictor in accordance with the invention.

[0044] FIG. 2 shows a front view of the bend restrictor as shown in FIG. 1.

[0045] FIG. 3 shows a side view of the bend restrictor as shown in FIG. 1.

[0046] FIG. 4a, 4b show a bottom view of the bend restrictor as shown in FIG. 1.

[0047] FIG. 5a, 5b show a detail of a hinged joint of the bend restrictor as shown in FIG. 1.

[0048] FIG. 6-9 show the protection of the hose by the bend restrictor in situations where the bending of the hose may be critical.

[0049] FIG. 10 show the protection of the hose by the bend restrictor in a rectilinear position.

[0050] FIG. 11 comparing the inventive bend restrictor with a trumpet shaped bend restrictor.

[0051] A bend restrictor 1 in accordance with the invention is made up of an assembly of plural bend restrictor sections 2 as seen in FIG. 1 to FIG. 5. The bend restrictor 1 in accordance with the invention is provided for preventing an elongated member such as a flexible hose 10 from reaching a predetermined bending radius. The bend restrictor 1 may be employed for supporting a portion of the hose close to a hose end, for instance a hose connector 13 arranged for connection for instance on board a vessel. The shown bend restrictor 1 is arranged as an essentially open faced unit which facilitates the inspection of the hose 10 and hose connector 13 and the monitoring of the ice build up. Each bend restrictor section 2 as shown is provided as a plate structure and has an open faced contact area 20 for the hose 10, wherein the contact area 20 has a longitudinal extent l providing support for the hose 10 in its longitudinal direction L and a transverse extent t providing support for the elongated member or hose 10 in its transverse direction T. The contact area 20 has a rectilinear shape for supporting the hose 10, i.e. there is a corresponding width of the transverse extent t of the neighboring bend restrictor sections 2 so that the smallest width of one bend restrictor section 2 correspond to the largest width of neighboring bend restrictor section 2.

[0052] Each bend restrictor section 2 has joint elements 3 arranged for connection with corresponding joint elements 4 of a neighboring bend restrictor section 2. In FIG. 1-5 the joint elements 3, 4 are provided as a toothed connection area arranged to interact with a corresponding toothed connection area of a neighboring bend restrictor section 2. A pivot axle 5 such as a hinge pin may be used for connection of the joint elements 3, 4 to provide a hinged joint. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1-5 stop means allowing a limited or predetermined hinged displacement of the bend restrictor sections are provided as first stop surfaces 6, 7 arranged at neighboring bend restrictor sections 2. The first stop surfaces 6, 7 may be arranged or configured to be positioned in an abutting contact with each other defining the maximum angular positioning of the individual bend restrictor section 2 relative to the neighboring bend restrictor section 2.

[0053] The bend restrictor sections are arranged to pivot relative to each other about the pivot axle 5 as a response to the bending of the flexible hose 10 occurring in an essentially vertical plane. As shown in the FIG. 1-5 the bend restrictor sections 2 are arranged to pivot about the pivot axle 5 for carrying out an hinged displacement as a response when bending of the elongated member 10 occurs. As seen from FIG. 1-5 the pivot axle 5 is arranged perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the hose 10. FIGS. 6, 7, 8a and 8b show plural bend restrictors 1 each arranged around the hose end of a hose 10. The bend restrictors 1 in FIGS. 6, 7, 8a and 8b are shown displayed in various positions in FIGS. 6, 7, 8a and 8b in accordance with the curvature of the hose 10.

[0054] The bend restrictor 1 as shown in FIG. 6 is adapted to the curvature attained by the hoses 10 during a transfer and retrieval operation. When the curvature(s) of the hoses 10 are modified as a result of arranging the hoses 10 in a connected position for the transfer of fluid as shown in FIG. 7, the bend restrictors 1 are modified accordingly by the hinged displacement of the bend restrictor sections 2 relative to each other thereby obtaining a curvature of the bend restrictors 1 which differs from the curvature of the bend restrictors when bending occurs in the vertical plane as shown in FIG. 6. FIG. 8a, 8b show the hoses 10 in the different situations, and the various curvature of the bend restrictors 1 following the movements into various positions of the hoses 10.

[0055] FIG. 10 shows the hose 10 in a free hanging essentially downward rectilinear vertical position, which may also be the storage position of the hose 10. In the shown vertical position the hose bend restrictors 1 are arranged in a non curved vertical position where the bend restrictors sections 2 are essentially aligned. The bend restrictor sections 2 have been pivoted relative to each other as a response to moving the hose 10 from a curved to a straight position as shown in FIG. 10. To make sure the bend restrictor 1 is held in an essentially rectilinear position such as a vertical position the stop means of the hose 10 may also comprise second stop surfaces 8, 9 see FIG. 5a, provided at neighboring bend restrictor sections 2. The second stop surfaces 8, 9 are arranged to be positioned in abutting contact with each other, and in this position the individual bend restrictor section 2 is arranged in an aligned position relative to the neighboring bend restrictor section 2.

[0056] As seen in the figures the bend restrictor 1 may be arranged with retainer means 11 such as hooped shaped retainer devices arranged to closely follow the bending of the hose in the vertical plane. The hooped shaped retainer device is arranged with a height which encompasses the hose 10 and this height is chosen so that it corresponds essentially with the diameter of the hose 10. In the embodiment shown in the figures each of the bend restrictor sections 2 of the bend restrictor is provided with a hooped shaped retainer device 11. It is of course also possible to arrange the bend restrictor section 2 with more than one hooped shaped retainer device 11.

[0057] As seen from the figures, the hooped shaped retainer devices are provided with the same size and shape, but as the skilled person will realize the hooped shaped retainer devices may be provided with an individually varying size and/or shape. The bend restrictor sections 2 have a transverse expanding configuration as seen in the plan view of the bend restrictor shown in the figures. In the arrangement of the bend restrictor 1 as shown in the figures, a transverse extent t of the bend restrictor section 2 closer to the hose connector 13 is smaller than the comparatively wider transverse extent further away from the hose connector 13. This configuration of the bend restrictor 1 allows the hose some movement in a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction L of the hose 10. The bend restrictor 1 is provided with connecting arrangement which is positioned at an end portion of the bend restrictor and is provided to engage the hose in a fixed manner. As shown in the figures the connecting arrangement may comprise a hose connector support unit 12 which is open faced and which is arranged for receiving the hose connector 13. Further the connecting arrangement may comprise a connecting element 30 here arranged as ring device to be fitted around the hose connector 13 in order to provide a fixated position relative to the hose 10.

[0058] FIG. 11 compares the inventive bend restrictor 1 with the rectilinear shaped transverse extent t with a bend restrictor having a transverse extent that is curved shaped, illustrated by the lines c-d and c-d. When the transverse extend t of the contact area has a curved shape as shown by the lines c-d and c-d, the overall shape of the bend restrictor will appear as lengthwise cut half pipe lines with an increasing diameter in an unloaded condition and when bending occurs the bend restrictor will assume an approximately trumpet shape.

[0059] A trumpet shaped bend restrictor inhibits the free movement of the elongated member in the transverse direction T, while the bend restrictor 1 having a contact surface, i.e. a contact area 20, with a rectilinear shaped transverse extent t as shown in FIG. 11, has a comparatively larger space allowing the elongated member 10 to move in the transverse direction T. The difference of freedom of operation between these two bend restrictors is illustrated by shaded area A, A, B and B. Consequently the inventive bend restrictor with a contact surface that has a rectilinear shaped transverse extent t is advantageous when transverse movement of the hose (elongated member) 10 is to expected.