Abstract: A man-made island and a method for constructing the same in an ice covered body of water using portions of the ice sheet as integral parts of the island. The island is formed by placing fill material, such as sand or gravel, on a portion of the ice sheet to ground that portion. The grounded ice sheet is cut free from the surrounding ice sheet and matter, such as fill material, blocks of ice, etc., is placed on the grounded portion of the ice sheet to construct an island in the body of water. Additional portions of the ice sheet can be separated and grounded on top of previously grounded portions prior to placing matter on the stack of grounded ice pieces to construct the island.

Abstract: An apparatus for limiting the tension to which a suspended member can be subjected is disclosed. The apparatus responds to excessive tensile stress by increasing in length at a rate to keep such stress from exceeding a predetermined level. The present invention includes a closed cylinder with a piston disposed therein. Connected to the piston is a piston rod which extends through an opening in one end of the cylinder. The cylinder and piston rod are adapted to connect with a suspended member and a hoisting means. A bypass conduit connects the cylinder chambers by extending from one side of the piston to the other. In the conduit, there is a flow control regulator which actuates when the pressure on one side of the piston reaches a predetermined level, corresponding to a proportional tensile stress, permitting fluid to flow through the conduit in such a volume that the pressure on that side of the piston is maintained at the predetermined level.

Abstract: An articulated riser including at least two framed structures comprised of a plurality of fluid-handling lines connected by multiple fluid-handling line flexible joints. The articulated riser of the present invention provides a system wherein fluid-handling lines may be connected between a structure on the subsea bottom and a floating vessel either for the production of crude oil and natural gas offshore, or for the operational functions before or after producing a subsea well, or any combination thereof. The articulated riser of the present invention may extend to a foundation structure situated on the subsea bottom or to an upright self-standing riser, providing a manifold for a plurality of fluid-handling lines to be connected to a floating vessel. Means may be provided for either partially or substantially totally providing buoyancy for the articulated riser.