SUPPORTING COLUMN OF SELF-RAISING FLOATING PLATFORM WITH REMOVABLE SHOE AND METHOD OF JOINING SUPPORTING COLUMN WITH SHOE Russian patent published in 1999 - IPC

FIELD: machinery and equipment for prospecting and extraction of minerals. SUBSTANCE: in main supporting column, end-piece of column and opening in shoe are made with spherical surfaces. Each unit of connection with shoe is made in the form of tie-rod having hole and longitudinal slot. Two dual vertical heads embrace tie-rod. Vertical heads are located on column end-piece. Tie-rod is connected with slot by means of lock on shoe. According to method of joining column with removable shoe, shoe is suspended by ropes installed on gantry of winch deck. Ropes are connected at mooring at deck side together with tie-rods secured in its dual vertical heads. After that, column is lowered somewhat lower of platform bottom and by means of lowering-hoisting mechanism locks are brought out of holes in heads. Now shoe is raised to column end-piece, Then column is lowered down to level of lock position, locks are removed from guide members and are inserted into holes in heads on column and into slots in tie-rods and shoe is suspended by tie-rods on locks on column and after that ropes are detached from tie-rods. Application of aforesaid arrangement and method allows for reduction of metal weight in construction of supporting column, also for reduction of labour-intensity together with more safety in performing operations. EFFECT: higher efficiency. 2 cl, 7 dwg