Interactive leg guide for offshore self-elevating unit

In an offshore jack-up platform having a hull, a plurality of support legs extendable from the hull downwardly for selective bearing engagement with a seabed for supporting the hull above the water surface and means to selectively effect relative vertical movement between the hull and the legs, each support leg having at least one leg chord with rack teeth, a variable leg guide assembly comprising:

• an edge guide means for providing longitudinal sliding guidance of the leg chord during the vertical movement of the leg, said edge guide means comprising a longitudinally elongate edge guide plate having a contact surface configured to contact the vertical edge of the rack teeth and a non-contact surface, said edge guide plate extending in a generally parallel relationship to a respective leg chord and an elongate load-absorbing member made of compressible resilient elastic material configured to absorb compressible loads acting on the leg chord and extending in parallel relationship to the non-contact surface of the edge guide plate;
• and
• a face guide means secured transversely to and in contact with, an inner surface of the edge guide means for reducing the build-up of horizontal moment acting on the leg chord during the vertical movement of the leg.

For use in a leg of a jack up rig, a leg guide assembly adapted to provide sliding guidance of the leg during vertical movement of the leg, the leg guide assembly comprising:

• a deflectable edge guide assembly comprising a longitudinally elongate edge guide plate having a contact surface configured to contact the vertical edge of the rack teeth and a non-contact surface, said edge guide plate extending in a generally parallel relationship to a respective leg chord, and an elongate load-absorbing member secured to and extending along, the non-contact surface of the edge guide plate, said load-absorbing member being made of compressible resilient elastic material capable of absorbing compressible loads and configured to provide a reactive surface for at least one leg chord of the leg and for absorbing compressible loads acting on the leg chord;
• and
• a face guide means secured transversely to and in contact with, an inner surface of the edge guide assembly for reducing the build-up of horizontal moment acting on the leg chord and bending moment acting on the leg.