Abstract: A method is disclosed for installing an integrated deck on a platform substructure located in a body of water. The deck is supported on jack-up means which, in turn, are mounted on a rigid pontoon raft having a U-shaped configuration. The jack-up means is capable of raising and lowering the deck to and from, respectively, the substructure and for raising the composite platform from one position and lowering it to another position offshore. The U-shaped opening in the raft is oriented so that the jack-up means on the barge straddles the substructure below the deck. Piles may be driven through the base from the raft and from the platform itself when the raft has been removed from the deck once the deck has been installed on the substructure.

Abstract: A seabed mound creating method suitable for a construction of a large scale offshore structure comprises the steps of setting up a plurality of sheet piles along the outer periphery of a mound creation region in a seabed area of soft ground to form an earth-retaining wall projecting from the seabed, and raising the ground level of the seabed within the earth-retaining wall by depositing soft soil into the earth-retaining wall to heap the deposited soil to a predetermined height. The method further comprises the step of implementing a ground improvement process to both the heaped-up soft soil and the soft ground of the seabed within the earth-retaining wall so that the ground improvement process is provided to a predetermined depth below the seabed, thus to form a seabed mound integral with the improved ground. The seabed mound may be provided at the upper portion with a projection area serving as a shear key with respect to a horizontal external force.

Abstract: Subsoil drain strip or sheet elements comprising a core surrounded by a polymer or glass fibre filter cloth. The core has a generally planar configuration with hollow formed-in flat topped projections on one or both sides which create internal volume for flow of water as well as supporting the filter cloth against imposed soil loads. The depth of the supporting projections on each side of the core and their relative spacing is to be such that the surrounding filter cloth is restrained against being forced into the hollow interiors of the projections so that adequate longitudinal flow of water can take place in the strip without the need for additional drainage tubes to be provided. The depth of the projections may be greater than one quarter of their closest spacing. Additionally, the average diameter of the projections may be between 0.2 and 0.35 of their closest spacing.

Abstract: Apparatus for simultaneously burying multiple strands of tubing in a plowed field. The plowed field includes spaced, elongate, generally parallel upstanding beds. A furrow lies in between each adjacent pair of beds. The apparatus buries tubing in the beds. The conduit has an oblong cross sectional area. The apparatus is designed to prevent the tubing from twisting while being buried in the beds.

Abstract: A drainage channel is shown which features a body having complementary ends which, in abutting relationship, form interlock with adjacent channel bodies when joining the channel bodies together; and an edge protective frame device for the upper free rims or edges of the channel side walls comprising a web resting on top of the channel side wall and two anchor legs extending downwards from and linked by the web and proceeding in the same direction and distance, at least one of which anchor legs is flush with its respective channel side wall and between the two of which legs the material of the upper part of the channel walls is formed; and a mounting leg for a channel cover, extending upwards from the outer edge of the web.

Abstract: A barrier system for concealing unsightly piles (11) and similar supports used to support a waterfront structure such as a dock (10) and for converting the vertical plane outboard of the piles (11), above the waterline (12), and below the waterfront structure (10), to utilitarian space for the display of graphic media. In one embodiment of the invention, the barrier system comprises a dynamic system wherein the barrier moves upwardly and downwardly with incoming and outgoing tides and includes a fine stainless steel mesh screen (14) secured at it's upper end to a roller (15) mounted on support brackets (16, 18) secured to the dock (10) and at it's lower end to a rod (20) having eyelets (21) projecting from it's opposite ends. Cables (22) secured at their upper ends to the brackets (16, 18) extend through the eyelets (21) and are anchored in place by weights (W-1, W-2).

Abstract: An installation comprising a base frame 1 having four locations 2 for well heads 20 and a manifold frame 10 disposed in overhanging fashion inside the zone defined by frame 1. Frame 10 has four locations 17 for a stacked pair of connecting 30 and monitoring 40 modules, as well as a central location 17' for a central control module 50. Each module is provided with guide members 26, 32, 41, 52, for example sleeves, whose geometry corresponds to that of guide devices 3, 18 placed either on guide bases 2 of the frames 1, 10 or on the underlying module, such as guide columns 18. Each module comprises on its lower face a mechanical connector 16 cooperating with a mandril 12 carried on the upper face of the underlying module. The control of locking of the connector is provided by an internal multiconnector receptacle 24, 34, 43, 57 which each module comprises.

Abstract: An underground drain pipe having an improved soil pressure resisting strength. A main portion of the pipe is constituted by a generally U-shaped strengthening member. The strengthening member is wound in a spiral with the open sides thereof directed inwardly. The strengthening member has flange webs projecting longitudinally from the inward edges thereof. A flat band having holes formed therein is wound around the strengthening member along the gap. The flat band has a plurality of small holes formed therein restricted to the area of the gap. If desired, the interior portions of the strengthening member can be sealed with a second band attached to the opposite side of the flange webs from the band having the holes formed therein.

Abstract: A pile lowering and coupling assembly having a plurality of latching arms pivotally secured to a follower pile that latch onto an annular catch secured to the skirt pile. A bias applied to the latching arms maintains the engagement of the follower and skirt piles by continuously urging the latching against the annular catch. Once coupled, both piles are lowered to the sea bed after which the skirt pile may be driven by applying a hammer to the free end of the follower pile which usually extends above the water surface. Once driven, the skirt pile and the follower pile are separated by removing the bias applied to the latching arms thus enabling the follower pile and the lowering and coupling assembly to be retrieved from the sea depths.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are described for the installation and removal of a ring gasket from a ring gasket retainer assembly which forms a part of an underwater wellhead connection. A buoyant ring gasket installation tool, tethered to an underwater vehicle, carries the gasket to the wellhead connection. Due to the buoyancy of the installation tool it floats above the underwater vehicle. By proper placement of the tool beneath an opening defined upwardly through the wellhead connection the tool may float the ring gasket upwardly through the opening and position the ring gasket properly with respect to the ring gasket retainer assembly, which may then be actuated to retain the gasket within the underwater wellhead connection.

Abstract: An expansible mandrel for use in driving or withdrawing tubular piles has lengthwise sections which are subjected to expanding forces in a plurality of zones spaced lengthwise of the interior of the mandrel to establish their pile-gripping relationship. The pile-entering relationship of the sections is re-established by a series of transversely spaced pairs of assemblies spaced lengthwise of the mandrel with each pair between adjacent zones. Each assembly includes, in the disclosed embodiment, two coil springs each of which is confined in a tube. The tubes are spaced apart lengthwise of and are secured to one mandrel section. The proximate ends of the tubes back the springs.

Abstract: A hollow curved auger is provided for simultaneously laying and trenching a pipeline, as from the surface of an ice-covered body of water. The pipeline passes through the auger which comprises rotary teeth encircling the pipeline and turning in opposed directions. The depth and direction of pipeline trenching and burial are controlled by varying the longitudinal force in the pipe and rotational orientation of the auger.

Abstract: The invention provides a tunnel lining and a method of constructing the tunnel lining by aligning prestressed resilient lining panels of uniform thickness, such as plywood sheets, where longitudinal edges of the panels abut to form a ring. The longitudinal edges of the panel correspond to, and impose thrust against a second longitudinal edge of an adjacent panel. The thrust causes bending of the panels to form an arc about the longitudinal axis of the panels and to cause internal stresses within the ring to counteract loads applied at the exterior of the panels. The ring can consist of multiple layers of panels.

Abstract: A method of building a sea wave power plant of the type in which the power plant (11) must be installed near a steep rock wall (1). The installation site is determined inside the rock formation (F), at a distance from the open rock surface (1). A power plant well which is also serving as a building site (3) is blasted out from the rock formation with a natural rock wall (4) separating the well from the sea. After the plant is completed, the well is filled with water and the partition wall is removed by blasting, opening the well to the sea.

Abstract: A method of fabricating the lines of a taut-line platform and of prepositioning them prior to final fixing by making use of a ballastable spacer frame associated with shuttles for guiding the lines as they are constructed including preparing a floating spacer frame that is submersible by ballasting, preparing a number of shuttles of a horizontal size approximate to the group of openings through the frame to receive the same with the shuttles having releasable upper and lower mechanisms for fixing to the frame in the floating platform respectively and suspended from a second winch, being guided against rotation and having horizontal plain thrusters. After exact orientation of a platform frame assembly relative to a base, the lowering of the frame shuttle assembly is effected by ballasting the platform under guidance and shuttle thruster operation with stowing of the frame on the base occurring under conditions in which the ends of lines are permitted to heave freely in the openings of the frame.

Abstract: A foundation system which includes the use of a coupled piling of solid bars for supporting a structure in which the solid bars are coupled together in a contacting relationship. The coupled piling bars comprise a first and a second solid bar, one end of the first bar and the other end of the second bar adapted to be placed in an aligned, contacting, supporting relationship, each bar having a pin-retaining cavity spaced apart a short distance from the end of each bar, and each end having a pin-retaining ring-receiving cavity at each opposing end of the bar, to receive a pin-retaining ring. The first and second bars are coupled together through an outer housing which fits over the outer surface of the opposing ends of the first and second bars, and containing first and second pins and springs, to bias the pins inwardly toward the center of the coupling, and retaining-pin rings in the housing, to retain the first and second pins in an open tensioned position.

Abstract: A method of building a strengthened embankment body which involves the steps of repeatedly burying first nets and embanking and roll-compacting the body being built on ground until a required height of embankment is reached, repeatedly burying of second nets between the buried first nets and embanking and roll-compaction of compression-resistive materials are concurrently repeated to form a highly strengthened arched body part locally at a zone corresponding to an arched peripheral wall of a semi-cylindrical tunnel to be excavated through the body, the first buried nets providing the stability of the entire embankment body while the second buried nets achieving the stability at the arched peripheral wall zone of the tunnel.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are described for the installation and removal of a ring gasket from an underwater wellhead connection. The ring gasket is carried by a ring gasket installation tool from the surface to the underwater wellhead connection by a self-propelled underwater vehicle. Final placement of the ring gasket may be accomplished by selective manipulation of the ring gasket installation tool by the underwater vehicle or by a cable attached to the tool.

Abstract: A method of filling voids underneath the lower surface of a structure placed upon the ocean floor, using a sandjet stinger conduit inserted through the structure to carry a water and sand suspension to the base of the structure.

Abstract: The headframe supports tubular pipe guides in the shaft. Each guide comprises a multiplicity of pipes threaded one to another and extends below the normal range of conveyance travel in the shaft. Each guide is suspended from the headframe by a substantially solid bar depending from the headframe and threadably connected to the uppermost pipe. A bushing fixed in the shaft below the travel range has an associated pipe guide passing loosely therethrough to permit vertical and lateral movement of the pipe guide. A conveyance is suspended on wire rope from the headframe and is guided by the pipe guides. The conveyance has guide bushings slideably engaging each of the pipe guides. Weights are attached to the bottom of each of the pipe guides and the total weight added to each is not equal to that added to any other guide. This avoids having similar harmonics in the pipe guides.