Foundation interface device

A foundation interface device comprising:

• an elongated, essentially cylindrical pull-in member arranged to be pulled into an opening in a subsea foundation, the pull-in member having a leading end and a trailing end, and being adapted for connection at said trailing end to a conduit, wherein a cable is arranged in the conduit,
• a slidable sleeve longitudinally movable in relation to a portion of the pull-in member,
• said slidable sleeve having a leading end and a trailing end, and an abutment portion arranged to abut against the opening when the leading end of the pull-in member is pulled through the opening, and wherein abutment of the abutment portion against the wall of the structure when the pull-in member is pulled through the opening causes the slidable sleeve to slide relative to the pull-in member from an initial forward position to a subsequent rearward position,
• one or more laterally extendable and retractable teeth arranged at the leading end of the slidable sleeve and connected to the slidable sleeve by a linkage, wherein the linkage is adapted to translate longitudinal movement of the sleeve relative to the pull-in member into movement of the teeth in a lateral direction with respect to the pull-in member between a radially extended position and a radially retracted position,
• wherein said pull-in member is arranged to be pulled into said opening in a forward direction, wherein the abutment portion is larger than the opening and arranged to abut an outer wall of the foundation thereby preventing the pull-in member from being pulled into the foundation beyond the abutment portion, and wherein the teeth, when in the radially extended position, are arranged to abut an inner wall of the foundation thereby preventing removal of the pull-in member in a rearward direction beyond the teeth, and wherein the teeth, when in the retracted position caused by the longitudinal movement of the sleeve to the forward position permit removal of the pull-in member from the opening in the rearward direction.

A foundation interface device comprising:

• an elongated, essentially cylindrical pull-in member having a leading end and a trailing and arranged to be connected at its trailing end to a conduit in which is arranged a cable,
• a weak-link connection member attached to the leading end of the pull-in member, said weak-link connection member having a first part releasably connected to the pull-in member and a second part connected to the cable, said weak-link connection member being further arranged to be connected to a pull line for pulling in a forward direction, the weak-link connection member being arranged to disengage from the pull-in member in response to a predetermined pulling force, while the cable remains connected to the second part,
• a slidable sleeve longitudinally movable in relation to a portion of the pull-in member, said sliding sleeve having an abutment portion arranged to abut against an opening in a wall of a structure, whereby in the event that the pull-in member is pulled by a pull line through said opening, the abutment portion will abut against the wall causing the slidable sleeve to slide from an initial forward position to a subsequent rearward position,
• one or more laterally extendable and retractable teeth arranged at the leading end of the slidable sleeve and connected to the slidable sleeve by a linkage whereby longitudinal movement of the sleeve from the forward position or the rearward position is translated into a rotational movement of the teeth about an axis, said rotational movement extending or retracting the teeth in a lateral direction with respect to the pull-in member,
• said pull-in member being arranged to be pulled into an opening in a subsea foundation in a forward direction, wherein the abutment portion is larger than the opening and arranged to abut an outer wall of the foundation thereby preventing the pull-in member from being pulled into the foundation beyond the abutment portion, and wherein the teeth, when in an extended position, are arranged to abut an inner wall of the foundation thereby preventing removal of the pull-in member in a rearward direction beyond the teeth, and wherein the teeth, when in a retracted position caused by the longitudinal movement of the sleeve, permit removal of the pull-in member from the opening in the rearward direction.