Cladding
AssigneeTrelleborg Offshore U.K. Ltd.
InventorsAustin Harbison, Joshua T. Chadwick
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A cladding section (100, 200) for mounting upon an elongate member to be deployed underwater is shaped to suppress vortex induced vibration of the elongate member when it is subject to a fluid flow, the cladding section comprising at least one cylindrical or part-cylindrical portion (130, 130′, 130″, 230) to seat upon the elongate member and at least one strake (114,114′, 114″, 214) upstanding from the part-cylindrical portion, the cladding section being characterised in that the strake is resilient, enabling it to be deformed when subject to load and to reform following removal of the load. The cladding section may be prepared by methods involving thermoforming or moulding.
Claims55
A cladding section for mounting upon an elongate member to be deployed underwater, the cladding section being shaped to suppress vortex induced vibration of the elongate member when it is subject to a fluid flow, the cladding section comprising at least one cylindrical or part-cylindrical portion to seat upon the elongate member and at least one stake upstanding from the part-cylindrical portion, the cladding section being characterised in that the stake is resilient, enabling it to be deformed when subject to load and to reform following removal of the load.
A cladding section as claimed in any preceding claim in which the strake is filled with a resilient material.
A cladding section as claimed in any preceding claim which comprises a plurality of part-cylindrical portions joined by hinges, enabling it to be reconfigured from a quasi-flat state in which the part-cylindrical portions lie side-by-side and a state in which it forms a tube for receiving the elongate member.
A cladding section as claimed in any preceding claim which is provided with a mating feature for mating with an adjacent, identically formed, cladding section.
A cladding section as claimed in any preceding claim in which the strake is helical in shape and extends longitudinally of the cladding.
A cladding section as claimed in any preceding claim in which the part-cylindrical portion is stiller than the strake.
A cladding section as claimed in any preceding claim whose structure comprises first and second layers, the first layer comprising material which is resilient and relatively pliant and the second layer comprising material which is relatively stiff.
A cladding section as claimed in any preceding claim comprising sheet material whose tensile stiffness is greater along in a direction along the length of the part-cylindrical portion than in a direction about its circumference.
A cladding section, as claimed in any preceding claim which is compression moulded, or injection moulded or comprises one or more compression moulded or injection moulded component.
A method of manufacturing a cladding section for mounting upon an elongate member to be deployed underwater, the method comprising thermoforming sheet material to shape it to provide at least one part-cylindrical portion and at least one hollow strake upstanding from the pan-cylindrical portion, wherein sheet material forming the strake is resilient so that in use the strake is able to be deformed when subject to load and to reform following removal of the load.
A method of manufacturing a cladding section for mounting upon an elongate member to be deployed underwater, the method comprising thermoforming sheet material to shape it to provide at least one part-cylindrical portion and at least one strake upstanding from the part-cylindrical portion, wherein the strake comprises resilient material so that in use the strake is able to be deformed when subject to load and to reform following removal of the load.
A method of manufacturing a cladding section for mounting upon an elongate member to be deployed underwater, the method comprising compression moulding or injection moulding material to shape it to provide at least one part-cylindrical portion and at least one hollow strake upstanding from the part-cylindrical portion, wherein material fanning the strake is resilient so that in use the strake is able to be deformed when subject to load and to reform following removal of the load.
A method of manufacturing a cladding section for mounting upon an elongate member to be deployed underwater, the method comprising compression moulding or injection moulding material to shape it to provide at least one part-cylindrical portion and at least one strake upstanding from the part-cylindrical portion, wherein the strake comprises resilient material so that in use the strake is able to be deformed when subject to load and to reform following removal of the load.
A cladding section for mounting upon an elongate member to be deployed underwater, the cladding section being shaped to suppress vortex induced vibration of the elongate member which it is subject to a fluid flow, the cladding section comprising at least two part-cylindrical portions each carrying a respective upstanding strake, the two part-cylindrical portions being formed as a unitary plastics component having a hinge line between the two part-cylindrical portions which is relatively pliant so that the component bends preferentially about the hinge lane, enabling the cladding section, to be reconfigured from a quasi-flat state to a state in which it forms a tube for receiving the elongate member, the cladding section being characterised in that material at the hinge line is (a) cut away along part of the hinge line to leave one or more hinge portions and/or (b) thinned along the hinge line to facilitate bending along that line.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.