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Title:
SAW FOR SAWING THROUGH AN OBJECT, NOTABLY AN OFFSHORE OBJECT OR ONSHORE OBJECT
Document Type and Number:
WIPO Patent Application WO/2014/092568
Kind Code:
A1
Abstract:
Saw for sawing through an object (9), notably an offshore object or onshore object, such as a shipwreck or similar, comprising a cable, chain or rope (1) that is provided with or has elements with an abrasive surface, which cable, chain or rope is suspended from a base and which cable, chain or rope is arranged with drive means (3) to move the cable a rope through the object, wherein the cable, chain or rope forms a closed loop and the drive means are arranged to move, drive or propel the cable, chain or rope into a continuous unidirectional motion.

Inventors:
BROUWER FEIKE OEBELE (NL)
HELMENS WESSEL (NL)
LAMPHEN NICOLAAS (NL)
Application Number:
PCT/NL2013/050885
Publication Date:
June 19, 2014
Filing Date:
December 10, 2013
Export Citation:
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Assignee:
MAMMOET ENGINEERING B V (NL)
International Classes:
B23D57/00
Domestic Patent References:
WO2012108765A12012-08-16
WO2003005806A12003-01-23
WO2011018396A12011-02-17
WO2008014151A22008-01-31
WO2003009960A12003-02-06
WO2003009960A12003-02-06
WO2012108765A12012-08-16
WO2003005806A12003-01-23
WO2011018396A12011-02-17
WO2008014151A22008-01-31
Foreign References:
US6267037B12001-07-31
GB2478382A2011-09-07
EP0540834A11993-05-12
US20090266552A12009-10-29
US5209216A1993-05-11
US4787363A1988-11-29
US6267037B12001-07-31
GB2478382A2011-09-07
EP0540834A11993-05-12
US20090266552A12009-10-29
US5209216A1993-05-11
US4787363A1988-11-29
Attorney, Agent or Firm:
VAN BREDA, Jacques (XS Amsterdam, NL)
Download PDF:
Claims:
CLAIMS

1. Saw for sawing through an object, notably an offshore object or onshore object (9), such as a shipwreck or similar, comprising a cable, chain or rope (1) that forms a closed loop and that is provided with or has elements with an abrasive and/or cutting surface, wherein during operation the cable, chain or rope (1) is suspended from a base (8) and which cable, chain or rope (1) is arranged with drive means (3) to move the cable, chain or rope (1) in a continuous unidirectional motion through the object (9) to be sawn, charac- terized in that the cable, chain or rope (1) is guided along one or more base blocks (4) that are suspended from the base (8) .

2. Saw according to claim 1, characterized in that the cable, chain or rope (1) is embodied as a chain of sawing elements that are provided with abrasive and/or cutting surfaces .

3. Saw according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it is provided with guide means (2) to support and guide the cable, chain or rope (1), preferably in a substantially horizontal plane.

4. Saw according to claim 3, characterized in that the guide means (2) are embodied as a plurality of guide wheels (2) .

5. Saw according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the guide means (2) are supported by a constructional element (6) that spans the width of the object (9) to be sawn .

6. Saw according to- any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that the one or more base blocks (4) are each pro- vided with guide means (2), preferably a guide wheel for guiding the cable, chain or rope (1) .

7. Saw according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that the base (8) is selected from a group comprising an offshore structure such as a submersible struc- ture, a vessel, and an onshore structure.

8. Saw according to any one of claims 1-7, charac- terized in that with a plurality of base blocks (4), the base blocks (4) are provided on opposite sides of the object (9) .

9. Saw according to any one of claim 1-8, characterized in that the cable, chain or rope (1) is guided by the base blocks (4) along a substantially horizontal and/or inclined trajectory that is located below another substantially horizontal and/or inclined trajectory along which during operation the cable, chain or rope (1) is moving.

10. Saw according to any one of the previous claims 1-9, characterized in that the one or more base blocks (4) are provided with a side support that is arranged to rest against the object (9) to be sawn when the cable, chain or rope (1) is moved through the object (9).

11. Saw according to any one of the previous claims 1-10, characterized in that the drive means (3) are supported by one or more of the base blocks (4) .

12. Saw according to claim 11, characterized in that in use the drive means (3) propel the guide means (2) .

13. Method for sawing through an object (9), charac- terized in that a cable, chain or rope (1) is moved in a unidirectional motion substantially horizontally and/or inclined through the object (9), then after passing a first base block (4) adjacent to the object (9) the cable, chain or rope (1) is moved in an upwards direction towards a guide wheel (2) that guides and supports the cable, chain or rope (1) in a returning substantially horizontal and/or inclined movement over and above or through the object (9) towards a guide wheel (2) that guides the cable, chain or rope (1) downwards towards a second base block (4) which guides the cable, chain or rope (1) back towards said substantially horizontal and/or inclined unidirectional motion of the cable, chain or rope (1) through the object (9) to be sawn.

Description:
Saw for sawing through an object, notably an offshore object or onshore object

The invention relates to a saw for sawing through an object, notably an offshore object or onshore object, such as a shipwreck or similar.

WO03/009960 discloses such a saw for sawing through an object, comprising a cable, chain or rope that is provided with or has elements with an abrasive and/or cutting surface, wherein during operation the cable, chain or rope is sus ¬ pended from a base and which cable, chain or rope is arranged with drive means to move the cable, chain or rope through the obj ect .

US 6,267,037 discloses an underwater apparatus for servicing subsea pipelines, provided with a frame to which a cutting apparatus is secured.

WO2012/108765 discloses a method and device for assembling or disassembling a structure underwater. The device comprises a movable arm with a tool to be positioned at a target location.

GB-A-2 478 382 relates to an apparatus and system using a diamond impregnated wire to cut an object underwater.

EP-A-0 540 834 relates to a method and device for cutting underwater structures with cutting means that are activated and deactivated from a spot at the surface.

US 2009/0266552 discloses an apparatus and method for removing a subsea structure, employing a housing which carries a cutter assembly which can be moved from one posi ¬ tion relative to the subsea structure to a second opposite position relative to the subsea structure.

WO03/005806 discloses a method and apparatus for underwater tree cutting and retrieval.

WO 2011/018396 discloses a machine for cutting structural members, such as legs, beams, I-beams or the like for supporting structures made of steel, concrete, steel and concrete, stone like materials or the like.

US 5,209,216 discloses a chain cover comprising an endless chain body including a plurality of plate-like flaps connected to each other to provide angular movement in a com ¬ mon plane. US 4,787,363 relates to a wire sawing method for cutting buildings, dams, bridge piers, foundations and other reinforced concrete structures .

WO 2008/014151 relates to a carbide wire blade that is suitable for use in sawing through subsea structures.

It is an object of the invention to improve or provide an alternative to the saw or saws of the prior art, and for this purpose the saw of the invention is provided with one or more of the features of the appended claims.

The saw of the invention comprises one or more base blocks that are suspended from the base and along which the cable, chain or rope is guided. This particularly, but not exclusively, comes to advantage during underwater operations, such as when salvaging a shipwreck.

The base blocks can be arranged sufficiently heavy to cause that the cable, chain or rope can easily be brought into the vicinity of any (submerged) object which has to be subjected to the sawing operation. In this connection it is preferred that the one or more base blocks are each provided with guide means, preferably a guide wheel for guiding the cable, chain or rope, and further that the one or more base blocks are arranged to be suspended from the base at a suitable level. This can be either onshore or offshore which is exemplified by the feature that the one or more base blocks are arranged to be suspended from the base, which base is selected from a group comprising an offshore structure such as a submersible structure, a vessel, and an onshore structure.

The cable, chain or rope of the saw forms a closed loop and the drive means are arranged to move, drive or propel the cable, chain or rope into a continuous unidirectional motion through the object to be sawn. This has the tremendous advantage that the sawing operation can be executed in a continuous motion without having to move the saw back and forth. It is remarked that the apparatus of the invention may also be capable to perform a back-and-forth sawing motion. The continuous uni-directional motion is however preferred. This results not only in improved efficiency in the sawing operation, but also savings in time and costs that have to be spent in sawing the object. Obviously these savings are par- ticularly important when salvage operations on the object to be sawn are executed in an offshore environment.

Suitably the cable, chain or rope is embodied as a chain of sawing elements that are provided with abrasive and/or cutting surfaces. The chain of sawing elements provides the required flexibility to the cable, chain or rope, whereas the individual elements can be tailored to the required hardness ' and sharpness of the abrasive surfaces and/or cutting surfaces.

Advantageously the saw is provided with guide means to support and guide the cable, chain or rope, preferably in a substantially horizontal plane. Suitably the guide means are embodied as a plurality of guide wheels to support and guide the cable, chain or rope, preferably in a substantially horizontal plane. Such a plurality of guide wheels (or in general the guide means) can suitably span the width of the object to be sawn, particularly in difficult circumstances when for instance a shipwreck to be sawn is resting on the sea bottom. For this purpose the guide wheels are supported by a constructional element that spans the width of the object to be sawn.

The invention is particularly useful with operations below the water surface. With such operations but also with onshore operations it is advantageous that when there are at least two base blocks they are suspended on opposite sides of the object to be sawn. In this manner it is possible that the cable, chain or rope is guided by the base blocks along a substantially horizontal and/or inclined trajectory that is located below another substantially horizontal and/or in- clined trajectory along which during operation the cable, chain or rope is moving back to form the closed loop of the cable chain or rope. The cable, chain or rope can thus be moved substantially horizontally or at an inclination in an unidirectional motion through the object to be sawn, then af- ter passing a first base block move in an upwards direction towards and be guided along guide means, preferably a guide wheel that guides and supports the cable, chain or rope in a returning substantially horizontal or inclined movement over and above or through the object to be sawn along possible further guide means or wheels, and then downwards towards the second base block which guides the cable, chain or rope back towards the earlier mentioned unidirectional substantially horizontal or inclined movement through the object to be sawn. To support this operation it is preferred that at least one of the base blocks is provided with a side support that is arranged to rest against the object to be sawn when the cable, chain or rope is moved through the object.

The drive means of the saw of the invention can be embodied in different ways; it is preferred however that the drive means are supported by one or more of the base blocks. One embodiment has the feature that in use the drive means propel the guide means.

The invention will hereinafter be further elucidated with reference to the drawing showing a schematic representation of the saw of the invention.

In the drawing:

-figure 1 schematically shows a closed loop saw arrangement according to the invention;

-figure 2 shows an embodiment of the saw of the invention as applied in a salvage operation of a submerged shipwreck.

Whenever in the figures the same reference numerals are applied, these numerals refer to the same parts.

Referring first to figure 1 a saw for sawing through an object is shown basically comprising a cable, chain or rope 1 which by itself may be provided with an abrasive and/or cutting surface or which may be provided with elements that have an abrasive and/or cutting surface. Figure 1 shows the essence of the invention, notably that the cable, chain or rope 1 forms a closed loop. Figure 1 further shows that there are drive means 3 which are arranged to move, drive or propel the cable, chain or rope 1 into a continuous unidirectional motion through the object to be sawn.

Referring now to figure 2 it is shown that in operation the cable, chain or rope 1 is suspended from a floating base 8, for instance a barge. In an onshore operation the base is of course non-floating, but may be a temporary yet fixed construction. Although it is not explicitly shown in figure 2, it is preferred that the cable, chain or rope 1 is embodied as a chain of connected sawing elements that are provided with abrasive cutting surfaces. The way this can be implemented is known to the skilled person, consequently a further elucidation with reference to the drawing is dispensed with.

Figure 2 shows that the saw of the invention is provided with a plurality of guide wheels 2 to support and guide the cable, chain or rope 1, preferably at least in a substantially horizontal plane. The guide wheels are supported by a constructional element 6 that spans the width of the object 9 to be sawn.

It is further shown in figure 2 that the saw comprises one or more base blocks 4 that are suspended with suspension means 5 from the floating base 8. The base blocks 4 are each provided with a guide wheel 2 for guiding the cable, chain or rope 1. The base blocks 4 can suitably be suspended from the base 8 at a level below the water surface in a manner that they can be suspended on opposite sides of the object 9 to be sawn. The base blocks 4 are preferably provided with a side wall that is arranged to rest against the object 9 to be sawn when the cable, chain or rope 1 is moved through the object 9.

Figure 2 further clearly shows that the cable, chain or rope 1 is guided by the base blocks 4 along a substantially horizontal trajectory that moves the cable, chain or rope 1 in a unidirectional movement through the object 9, which trajectory is located below another substantially horizontal trajectory along which during operation the cable, chain or rope 1 is moving in the opposite direction back to close the loop of the cable, chain or rope 1.

Figure 2 shows further that the drive means 3 can suitably be supported by one or more of the base blocks 4.

The saw. of the invention makes possible to execute a sawing operation in which the cable, chain or rope 1 of the saw is moved in a unidirectional motion substantially horizontally through the object 9, then after passing a first base block 4 adjacent to the object 9 said cable, chain or rope 1 is moved in an upwards direction towards a guide wheel 2 that guides and supports the cable, chain or rope 1 in a returning horizontal movement over and above or through the object 9 towards a guide wheel 2 that guides the cable, chain or rope 1 downwards towards a second base block 4, which guides the cable, chain or rope 1 back towards the earlier mentioned substantially horizontal unidirectional motion of the cable, chain or rope 1 through the object 9 to be sawn.

It is explicitly remarked that the foregoing description and elucidation is not to be considered restrictive as to the appended claims. Said description and elucidation merely serve to remove any possible ambiguity with respect to the wording of the claims. The scope of protection that merits the invention is however entirely determined by the appended claims, which embrace any possible variation to the offered description and elucidation.