HINGE JOINT FOR CONNECTING A MOVABLE SUPPORT STRUCTURE OF AN OFFSHORE PLATFORM TO A FOUNDATION

摘要

In a ball joint accessible for inspection and connecting the service tower of an offshore station to the foundation on the sea bottom, one side of a spherical joint part is firmly connected through a neck to the foot of the tower, and the other side of the spherical part is mounted for universal motion within a joint casing which is anchored to the foundation. The two parts of the joint are connected to each other by a tension member. The spherical joint part is seated on exchangeable supporting bearings 11 which are provided within the joint casing and are well accessible. The top of the joint casing is formed by a cover ring having a collar designed as a spherical zone. From above, the ball joint is sealed and protected by a spherical cap in which an air cushion is maintained. The gap between the cover ring and the spherical joint part is sealed by a stuffing box.