Abstract: A subsea template is installed on a level base provided by lowering and landing on the floor of the sea a container to which is supplied a quantity of fluent, settable material which flows to form a level upper surface on which the template is landed. The template is fixed in place by setting a pile into the floor of the sea. The receptacle is a guide base anchoring guidelines on which the template is lowered after hardening of the fluent material, or, in the case of a guidelineless installation, the base and template are lowered together and the template raised above the base during setting of the fluent material and then lowered onto the level base.

Abstract: This invention is directed to a system for depositing and protecting sediment on the floor of a body of water by means of an elongated plate-like structure which includes a pair of opposite longitudinally extending side portions and a center portion therebetween with upper surfaces of the longitudinally extending side portions being in diverging relationship to each other in a direction toward the floor of a body of water, and means are provided for at least partially overlying the longitudinally extending side portions and projecting laterally therebeyond for protecting the same from damage due to dragging ship's anchors, fishing gear, and the like.

Abstract: Seepage of water through soil is considerably reduced by providing plural layers of adjacent, thin impermeable strips wherein the strips of an overlayer are staggered by a half strip's width with regard to the strips of the underlayer, and the widths of the strips are substantially greater than the gaps between adjacent strips and the space between layers.

Abstract: Off-shore oil field production equipment with a production platform anchored on the ground of the drilling site, comprising a column pivotally connected through a universal cardan joint coupling to a base anchored to the sea bed in connection with a remote-located floating gas flare for burning gas extracted from the oil, wherein said gas flare is carried by a floating structure coming up into the wind while being connected to a swivel head of the column by means of a pivoted holder.

Abstract: For laying a pipeline in deep water by letting out the pipeline in predetermined sections from a pipe laying barge which is correspondingly advanced in a stepwise manner, the end of the pipeline being assembled is subjected to an adjustable holding force which is regulated downwardly from an upper to a lower limit value simultaneously with acceleration of the pipe laying barge in the laying direction, the regulating parameter being the displacement of the pipeline relative to the pipe laying barge.

Abstract: A floating breakwater made up of an array of interlocking annular buoyant members of noncorrosive material and including a method of splicing scrap vehicle tires using only tire material or other nondeteriorating material to construct said array of interlocking tires.

Abstract: Shield apparatus for tunnelling comprises a framework supporting drive members advanced individually or in groups as known per se. The framework and its drive members are carried by a pair of elongate floor beams arranged at the sides of the tunnel wall. Each floor beam has a longitudinal slot or groove therein which is open to the rear end of the beam. This slot or groove receives anchoring pins fitted in situ into the floor of the tunnel working so that the beams can slide along the pins in the direction of advancement.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for laying a sheet pile underground. A vertical slit is bored in the ground with an auger as a guide for a sheet pile, and the sheet pile is pushed into the earth in close vicinity to said vertical slit by a jack. The vertical slit is refilled with the removed earth by reverse operation of the auger. The auger for boring the vertical slit is elevatably mounted on the apparatus and an elevator is also mounted on a leader having a sheet pile base and a clamping device thereon for holding the sheet pile thereof between. A retaining frame elevatable under the operation of a jack is also provided on the elevator.

Abstract: A compact structure is disclosed for supporting a pipeline suspended over a sea bottom vale. In a preferred embodiment, the structure has a triangular outline, the sloping side of the triangle being a guideway of a wedge slidable unidirectionally, that is only upwards, until contacting the pipe to be supported.Actuating mechanisms are provided for the movable members of the triangular structure. The entire structure is mounted on a base plate and can be towed by a subsea vehicle until reaching the correct position.

Abstract: A rectangularly shaped tunnel is constructed to include an artificial roof, side wall pillars, a center wall pillar and floor portions all extending along the length of tunnel. The artificial roof is formed by sequentially excavating cross cut shafts and by subsequently plugging the thus formed cavities with concrete. Then the portions directly beneath opposite sides and the center of the roof are excavated and filled with concrete to form side wall pillars and a center wall pillar. Thereafter the rock portions covered by the roof and the wall pillars are excavated to form inner hollow tunnel chambers, the bottoms of which are covered by concrete to form floor portions. Iron frames are embedded in the concrete.

Abstract: An underground conduit-forming structure made of concrete for easily forming a protection conduit line for laying underground cables, e.g., power cables, communication cables, etc. For snug coupling between the leading and trailing structures, each structure is provided with a flat bottom, a plurality of through-holes for cables, a receiving surface and a corresponding mating surface, a protuberance and a corresponding fitting hole, operation holes for the coupling operation, joint metals, and a reinforcing bar secured by welding some of these members. A seal member encompassing the through-holes keeps them water-tight when a series of structures are sequentially coupled to form the protection conduit line.

Abstract: A valve installation for a flume wherein a preinstalled liner is cast in place at the time of flume construction. The valve body with sealing gasket is later installed within the liner. Wedge plates and associated force-applying bevelled washers are installed around the periphery of the valve body within the cast groove which receives the liner. The bevelled washer can be actuated to force the valve body against a gasket compressing the gasket to form a seal and for locking the valve body in the liner. Removal for servicing is easily accomplished by the removal of the bevelled washers.

Abstract: Apparatus for driving and lining tunnels utilizes a knife shield for driving a tunnel and shuttering for forming a concrete lining behind the knife shield. The shuttering is constituted by a plurality of shuttering elements, each of which is connected to, and inwardly off-set from, a respective knife. The shuttering elements are, therefore, advanced together with their knives and concrete is forced into the space between a shuttering element and the tunnel wall as that element is advanced.

Abstract: The present invention is concerned with methods of and apparatus for constructing cylindrical structures such as large-diameter pipes for the transport of materials in ocean mining and the like, whereby one or more rolls of previously prepared sheet materials are wound around a core in a cross-wise fashion and bonded and treated by chemical and physical processes from a special floating platform that enables such construction operation in situ on the high seas.

Abstract: A method for constructing continuous concrete walls free from water leakage under the ground, wherein upon hardening of the concrete of a preceding wall panel the space for the next succeeding wall panel is excavated and while placing a reinforcing steel cage in the space for the next succeeding wall panel, at least one injection pipe is inserted along with the steel cage; placing of concrete in this section Portland cement suspension is jetted at a high pressure from a nozzle of the injection pipe, which is pulled up as it is rotated, whereby clay or slime of bentonite or the like between the end faces of adjacent concrete walls is removed by the fracturing and agitating effect of the jet.

Abstract: The salinity intrusion of ocean tidewater into a communicating fresh water river is prevented by laterally restricting the out-flow cross-section of the river with a series of flotation weirs and control weirs so that the surface level of the out-flow cross-section is higher than the surface level of the adjacent tidal salt water. The weirs are located so as to not obstruct the ship channel of the river.

Abstract: A device for and method of supporting a section of submerged pipeline over depressed portions of the sea bed such as ditches, fissures and the like, comprising an assembly of a pipe-clamping mechanism and two or more posts associated therewith, which are drivable into the sea bottom.Hydraulically powered means also provided for manipulating the clamping mechanism and means are further provided for lowering and raising the assembly. A cheap, safe and reliable device and method are provided which is an improvement over conventional techniques which generally provide sand bags under the pipe section suspended over a depression in the sea bottom.

Abstract: A diaphragm closure support system connectable to the inside of a pipe adjacent a diaphragm closure on the end of the pipe to prevent rupture of the diaphragm closure by hydrostatic pressure when the pipe is submerged in water. A diaphragm closure support ring having slots formed therein is welded to the inside of the lower end of the pipe. A diaphragm support plate, slightly smaller than the inside diameter of the support ring, is positioned to engage the resilient diaphragm closing the end of the pipe. A plurality of T-bolts are pivotally secured to the support plate and positioned to extend into the slots in a support ring. A T-bolt retraction ring is moveably secured to the support plate and positioned to urge the T-bolts into a locked position in the slots in the support ring.

Abstract: A drive shield for driving wide underground cavities comprises a plurality of knife shields arranged side-by-side transversely of the direction of advance. Each knife shield has a plurality of elongate knives displaceably mounted on a respective support frame. The elongate knives are advanceable relative to their support frame by means of hydraulic rams mounted on that support frame. The support frames of each pair of adjacent knife shields are linked by connecting means such as double-acting hydraulic rams, which permit one of the support frames to be advanced relative to the other.

Abstract: A gravity platform for supporting installations above a body of water, comprising a base for resting on the bed of the body of water, a structure secured to the base and rising vertically therefrom, a bridge provided with float means, and means enabling the bridge to be displaced along the structure, the base consisting essentially of a slab provided with stiffeners, such as a circular wall and diaphragms, essential for its mechanical strength, the structure forming a hollow column, impervious or not, rising from the middle of the platform, and the float means consisting of an impervious shell formed around the hollow column at the lower part at least of the bridge and forming, possibly with said hollow column, if it is impervious, a float the buoyancy of which is sufficient to support the assembly of the platform and its installations.