Abstract: A buoyancy assembly for mounting on a pipe such as a marine riser having service lines, such as choke and kill lines extending therealong, the assembly including discontinuous clamping band members shaped to encompass the pipe and having brackets disposed to join the ends of the band members and tighten their grip on the pipe when bolts joining the band members to the brackets are tightened, the brackets having opposed walls extending outwardly therefrom and supporting cradles to receive and clamp the service lines, and the assembly including arcuate flotation modules of syntactic foam shaped to lie against the riser pipe and removably occupy the spaces between the service lines and form a generally cylindrical outer contour, the modules being held in place against the pipe by tensioning belts each comprising a strap anchored to the adjacent brackets and being tensioned by a tension bar gripping an end of a strap and bolted by tensioning bolts to a link which is pivotally connected to the adjacent bracket.

Abstract: An improved method of making syntatic modules which includes the following steps. A preform mold and a casting mold are formed of predetermined configuration. A woven roving of predetermined size is formed to provide a skin. Additionally a layer of spacer material is formed which includes a plurality of voids. The roving is attached to the spacer material to form a laminate. The laminate is formed to the insidewalls of the preform mold and then the preform mold is filled with a plurality of hollow balls. A thin layer of resin is poured into the preform mold to connect the balls. The composite is removed from the preform mold and placed into the casting mold after spacer material is attached to the exposed end portions of the composite. A syntatic foam resin is added to the casting mold interior so as to fill all spaces between the balls and all voids in the spacer material. The syntatic foam resin is then cured and the mold parts are removed thereby producing a module.

Abstract: An improved method of making syntatic modules is provided. The method includes the steps of forming a mold and adhering an expanded honeycomb material to the interior surface of the mold. The mold is then closed at one end and filled with hollow, plastic spheres from the other end. After the spheres are in place, a syntatic foam is pumped into the mold from the bottom, filling all spaces between the balls with the foam. The foam is then permitted to set after which the mold is removed, leaving the desired module. Thereafter, a skin may be applied to the module.