High energy formed connections

A method of connecting a water-filled pile and jacket leg on a marine structure, comprising:

• placing said pile inside said jacket leg;
• creating a seal in the annulus between said pile and said jacket leg above the connecting location;
• expelling water from said annulus below said seal with air pressure;
• introducing an explosive charge into said pile at said connecting location, the annulus proximate said explosive charge being substantially water free;
• detonating said explosive charge to plastically deform said pile into contact with said jacket leg.

A method of making a substantially rigid connection between submerged conduits comprising:

• forming a telescoped pair of conduits by introducing a first conduit into the interior of a second conduit;
• removing substantially all water from between said conduits in the vicinity where said substantially rigid connection is to be made;
• and
• explosively forming a permanent bulge in said first conduit, said bulge being sufficient to cause a portion of the outside surface of said first conduit to contact the inside surface of said second conduit to thereby make a substantially rigid connection between said first conduit and said second conduit, said forming of said bulge being effected by the substantially instantaneous radial expansion of said first conduit.

A method of making a substantially rigid connection between conduits in an aqueous environment comprising:

• introducing a first conduit into the interior of a second conduit, there existing an annular space between the outside surface of said first conduit and the inside surface of said second conduit;
• removing substantially all water from said annular space at the location wherein said rigid connection is to be made;
• introducing a high energy source into interior of said first conduit;
• actuating said high energy source to release sufficient energy within said interior of said first conduit to substantially instantaneously radially expand a portion of said first conduit by an amount sufficient to form a permanent bulge in said first conduit to contact the inside surface of said second conduit, whereby a substantially rigid connection is made between said first conduit and said second conduit.

A method of making a substantially rigid connection between conduits submerged in water comprising:

• selecting a first conduit and a second conduit, said second conduit having at least one circumferential groove formed in the inside surface thereof, said groove having a bottom surface, a first end surface and a second end surface;
• introducing said first conduit into the interior of said second conduit by an amount at least sufficient to locate at least a portion of the outside surface of said first conduit opposite said groove, said longitudinal axis of said first conduit being substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of said second conduit, there being an annular space between the outside surface of said first conduit and the inside surface of said second conduit, said annular space including said groove;
• removing substantially all water from said annular space proximate said groove;
• positioning a high energy source in the interior of said first conduit substantially within a plane passing through said groove;
• actuating said high energy source whereby sufficient energy is released within said interior of said first conduit to substantially instantaneously radially expand at least said portion of said first conduit opposite said groove by an amount sufficient to form a permanent bulge in said first conduit, said bulge being sufficient to cause at least said portion of said outside surface of said first conduit opposite said groove to occupy said groove and to contact said bottom surface thereof to thereby make a substantially rigid connection between said first conduit and said second conduit.

A method of making a substantially rigid connection between tubular members having circular cross-sections comprising:

• selecting a first tubular member and a second tubular member;
• forming at least one groove in the inside surface of said second tubular member, said groove being substantially centered on a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said second tubular member and passing through the walls thereof, and having a bottom surface substantially parallel to said inside surface of said second tubular member, a first end surface and a second end surface;
• introducing said first tubular member into the interior of said second tubular member by an amount sufficient to penetrate said plane passing through said walls of said second tubular member, whereby a portion of the outside surface of said first tubular member is opposite said groove and wherein the longitudinal axis of said first tubular member is substantially coincident with the longitudinal axis of said second tubular member, thereby forming an annular space between the outside surface of said first tubular member and the inside surface of said second tubular member, said annular space including said groove;
• removing substantially all water from said annular space in the vicinity of said groove;
• introducing an explosive means into the interior of said first tubular member and positioning said explosive means in the interior of said first tubular member such that said explosive means is substantially centered on said plane passing through said walls of said second tubular member and on said longitudinal axis of said first tubular member;
• detonating said explosive means whereby sufficient energy is released within said interior of said first tubular member to substantially instantaneously radially expand the walls of said first tubular member opposite said groove by an amount sufficient to form a permanent bulge in said walls, said bulge being sufficiently large to cause said outside surface of said first tubular member opposite said groove to occupy said groove and to contact said bottom surface thereof to thereby make a substantially rigid connection between said first tubular member and said second tubular member.

A method for making a substantially rigid connection in an aqueous environment between tubular members having circular cross-sections comprising:

• selecting a first tubular member and a second tubular member;
• forming at least three grooves in the wall of the inside surface of said second tubular member wherein said at least three grooves include a first end groove, a second end groove and an intermediate groove between said first end groove and said second end groove and further wherein each of said grooves is substantially centered on a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said second tubular member and each of said grooves having a bottom surface substantially parallel to said inside surface of said second tubular member a first end surface and a second end surface;
• and still further wherein the distance between each groove is at least about 1/4 groove width;
• introducing said first tubular member into the interior of said second tubular member by an amount sufficient to penetrate said planes passing through said walls of said second tubular member whereby a portion of the outside surface of said first tubular member is opposite each said groove and wherein the longitudinal axis of said first tubular member is substantially coincident with the longitudinal axis of said second tubular member, an annular space being established between the outside surface of said first tubular member and the inside surface of said second tubular member, said annular space including said at least three grooves;
• removing substantially all water from said annular space in the vicinity of said three grooves;
• introducing at least two explosive means into the interior of said first tubular member and positioning said explosive means in the interior of said first tubular member such that said explosive means are substantially centered on said planes passing through said walls of said second tubular member and on said longitudinal axis of said first tubular member, wherein one of said two explosive means is centered on said plane passing through said first end groove and one of said two explosive means is centered on said plane passing through said second end groove;
• detonating said at least two explosive means substantially simultaneously whereby sufficient energy is released within said interior of said first tubular member to substantially instantaneously radially expand the walls of said first tubular member opposite each of said at least three grooves by an amount sufficient to form at least three permanent bulges in said walls of said first tubular member each of said bulges being sufficiently large to cause said outside surface of said first tubular member opposite each of said groove to occupy said groove and to contact said bottom surface thereof to thereby make a substantially rigid connection between said first tubular member and said second tubular member.

An apparatus for the formation of a high energy formed connection between a first tubular member and a portion of a second tubular member contained therein in a liquid environment, said apparatus comprising:

• tubular member means having annular groove means in the interior thereof secured to said first tubular member;
• explosive carrier means having a smaller external diameter than the internal diameter of said second tubular member and having explosive charge means thereon, said explosive carrier means adapted to be positioned within the interior of said second tubular member;
• seal means secured to said first tubular member for sealingly engaging the outer surface of said second tubular member and for thereby defining at least one end of a portion of an annulus between said first and second tubular members, said portion of said annulus extending across said annular groove means;
• wherein said tubular member means further includes inlet port means, located on one side of said annular groove means and communicated with said portion of said annulus, for supplying a compressible fluid to said portion of said annulus to thereby force any non-compressible liquid out of said portion of said annulus adjacent said annular groove means;
• wherein said tubular member means further includes outlet port means, located on a second side of said annular groove means, and communicated with said portion of said annulus, for allowing said non-compressible liquid to flow out of said portion of said annulus as said portion of said annulus is filled with said compressible fluid;
• and
• said apparatus being so arranged and constructed that said non-compressible liquid may be eliminated from said portion of said annulus and replaced with said compressible liquid, prior to the formation of said high energy formed connection between said second tubular member and said first tubular member by the deformation of a portion of said second tubular member into said annular groove means upon detonation of said explosive charge means, thereby preventing plastic deformation of said tubular member means which would otherwise occur if said portion of said annulus were filled with said non-compressible liquid.

An apparatus for the formation of a high energy formed connection between a first tubular member having a portion of a second tubular member contained therein, said apparatus comprising:

• tubular member means having a plurality of annular groove means in the interior thereof secured to said first tubular member;
• explosive carrier means having a smaller external diameter than an internal diameter of said second tubular member and having explosive charge means thereon, said explosive carrier means adapted to be positioned within the interior of said second tubular member, whereby said second tubular member is connected to said first tubular member by the detonation of the explosive charge means of said explosive carrier means when said explosive carrier means is positioned in the interior of said second tubular member thereby causing the formation of a high energy formed connection between said second tubular member and said first tubular member by deformation of a portion of said second tubular member into the annular groove means in the interior of said tubular member means secured to said first tubular member, said explosive carrier means including:
• central mandrel means;
• first strut means secured to the central mandrel means and extending radially therefrom;
• first annular carrier means secured to the outer ends of the first strut means;
• first annular explosive charge means attached to the first annular carrier means;
• second strut means secured to the central mandrel means and extending radially therefrom;
• second annular carrier means secured to the outer end of the second strut means;
• second annular explosive charge means attached to the second annular carrier means;
• and
• wherein the distance between the center of the first annular explosive charge means and the center of the second annular explosive charge means is substantially equal to the distance between the center of the annular groove means on one end of the plurality of annular groove means and the center of the annular groove means on the other end of the plurality of annular groove means.