HK1059069B - Method of reinforcing an existing metal structure, method of reinforcing pipes and method of addition of spur lines to pipelines - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a method of reinforcing and/or reinstating and/or rehabilitating a panel of an existing metal structure. More particularly, the method relates to reinforcing and/or reinstating metal panels which have been reduced in thickness by corrosion and/or wear in service and which must therefore be replaced or strengthened.

Metal panels used for deck plates of Ro-Ro (or Ro-Pax) ferries experience corrosion and wear rates in the range of 0.1 to 0.3mm per year with typical rates of 0.15mm per year. According to the rules and regulations of classification societies such as Lloyd's Register, the plates must be replaced when the original thickness is reduced by 30% because then the mechanical properties are significantly decreased. Plate replacement requirements and the corresponding reduced plate thickness expressed as a function of the original plate thickness for typical ships sections and structural elements are specified in Lloyd's Register technical document entitled "Thickness Measurement and Close-up Survey of Ships in Accordance with Lloyd's Register Rules and Regulations for the Classification of Ships - Revision 2, January 1997". The elastic section modulus and moment of inertia reductions cause stresses and deflections of more than a critical amount. Plates in other portions of the ship must also be replaced when their reduced thickness reaches values specified by the classification societies.

Current practice requires the deck plate to be removed and replaced to thereby extend the life of the ship. This prior art method requires extensive work and can involve: the replacement of primary stiffening; the detachment of piping and cables; the removal of fire insulation material, etc. from the underside of the deck panels; scaffolding and extensive welding. It is generally very expensive, time consuming and may even introduce fatigue prone flaws in the welds as these welds are difficult to make in situ.

An aim of the invention is to provide a method of structurally reinforcing or reinstating stiffened metal plates without the need to remove the stiffening members and other detailing.

The present invention provides a method of reinforcing a panel of an existing metal structure comprising the steps of:

• providing a reinforcing metal layer on said panel in spaced apart relation to thereby form at least one cavity between inner surfaces of said panel and said reinforcing metal layer;
• injecting an intermediate layer comprised of an uncured plastics material into said at least one cavity; and
• curing said plastics material so that it adheres to said inner surfaces of said panel and said reinforcing metal layer with sufficient strength to transfer shear forces between said panel and said reinforcing metal layer.

The method described below advantageously allows a metal panel of an existing structure which has come to the end of its useful life to be reinforced without removal and with little preparation. This results in less off-line time for the structure during reinstatement. The resulting reinforced structure is only marginally more heavy than a new metal panel replacing the old panel. This method allows for the reinstatement of hulls without the need to dry dock. The reinforcement provides inherent damping and sound insulation. The plastics material may be self-curing and simply allowed to cure, or e.g. heat curing and heated to cure it.

The present invention can of course be applied to a panel of any existing structure, whether old or new, to improve, protect or strengthen it as desired.

The structure resulting from use of the present invention is similar to those described in US Patent 5,778,813, British Patent Application GB-A-2 337 022 and British Patent Application No. 9926333.7. The materials and techniques disclosed in those documents can be made use of in practice of the present invention and structures constructed according to the present invention can enjoy the benefits and advantages described therein.

The invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

• Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a metal panel of an existing structure which has been reinforced above the metal panel using a method according to the present invention;
• Figure 2 is a plan view of a metal panel of an existing structure during reinforcing using the method of the present invention;
• Figure 3 shows a transverse cross-section of a typical ship to which the present invention may be applied;
• Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of a metal panel of an existing structure which has been reinforced using a method according to the present invention and which surrounds a lashing pot;
• Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of a metal panel of an existing structure which has been reinforced within the metal panel using a method according to the present invention;
• Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of a metal panel of an existing structure which has been reinforced within the metal panel using a method according to the present invention, to provide a composite structural laminate; and
• Figures 7a, b and c are cross-sectional views of metal panels of existing structures which have been reinforced using a method according to the present invention and in which the reinforcing metal layers surround supporting members (stiffeners) of the metal panels;

In the Figures, like parts are identified with like numerals.

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a deck of a Ro-Ro ferry which has been reinforced by the method according to the present invention. A metal panel 10, forming the original deck, is supported by beams 12 and bulb flats 17. Various pipes and cables 14 as well as fire insulation material 15 are attached to the underside 16 of metal panel 10.

The metal panel 10 has an original thickness A which, in a Ro-Ro ferry deck for example, that would be typically in the range between 10mm and 20mm. Typically, corrosion and wear reduce the thickness of the metal panel 10 by approximately 0.15mm per year. Under these conditions the metal panel 10 would need to be replaced or reinforced after approximately twenty years use.

The method of reinforcing of the present invention involves attaching a reinforcing metal layer 20 to the metal panel 10 of the existing structure. The metal layer 20 is arranged to be in spaced apart relation from the metal panel 10 to thereby form a cavity 40 between the metal panel 10 and the reinforcing metal layer 20. An intermediate core layer of uncured plastics material is then injected or cast into the cavity 40. When the plastics material has cured (it may be a self-curing plastics material which needs no action to be cured or for example a plastics material which requires heating to be cured), it adheres to an inner surface 18 of the metal panel 10 and to an inner surface 22 of the reinforcing metal layer 20 with sufficient strength to transfer shear loads between the metal panel 10 and reinforcing layer 20 so as to form a composite structural member capable of bearing loads significantly greater than self-weight. Generally, all welds are completed prior to injecting the plastics material.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 1, spacers 30 are provided between the metal panel 10 and the reinforcing metal layer 20. The spacers 30 may be of any cross-section or shape but, when attached to the inner surface 18 of the metal panel 10 by the adjacent surface end 34 typically project above the metal panel 10 by the same amount. This distance may vary from cavity to cavity or it may vary within a cavity depending on application. The reinforcing metal layer 20 is then attached to the other end 32 of the spacers 30 to thereby form the cavity 40. In this way the method may also be carried out on deformed or even buckled panels. The reinforcement will provide a smooth surface for the reinforced side. This is particularly ideal for Ro-Ro ferries as it provides a smooth riding surface for the vehicles.

Preferably the spacers 30 are made ofmetal and in this way they can be welded (using continuous fillet welds 35) to the original metal panel 10 as well as to the reinforcing metal layer 20 using butt welds 36 along natural plate seams. Conveniently the spacers 30 may be used to subdivide the cavity 40 between the metal panel 10 and the reinforcing metal layer 20 into a plurality of smaller cavities of a size to allow casting therein of the plastics material.

The structure of a ship 100 to which the invention may be applied is shown in Figure 3. This ship is a double-hulled structure with inner and outer side shells 101, 102 and inner and outer bottoms 103, 104. A transverse bulk head 105 is also shown and the deck is shown as 106. The bilge is at 107, the gunwhale 108 and a web frame at 109. The present invention may be applied to any of these parts of the ship and, of course, to other parts and other ships, including single-hulled vessels.

The best way presently known to the applicant to prepare the existing metal panel and to ensure a good bond between the spacers 30 and the existing metal panel 10 is to shot or grit blast the inner surface 18 of the metal panel 10. However, other methods to provide the required surface roughness and a paint and rust free surface suitable for bonding of the plastic materials can be used. Ideally the surface 18 should be free of dirt, dust, oil and water.

The intermediate layer core 40 should preferably have a modulus of elasticity, E, of at least 250MPa, more preferably 275MPa, at the maximum expected temperature in the environment in which the reinforcing is to be used. In ship building applications this may be 100 °C.

The tear, compression and tensile strengths as well as the elongation should be maximised to enable the reinforced panel to absorb energy in unusual load events, such as impacts. In particular, the compressive and tensile strengths of the plastics material should be optimally at least 2MPa, and preferably 20MPa. The compressive and tensile strengths can, of course, be considerably greater than these minima.

The ductility of the plastics material at the lowest operating temperature should be greater than that of the metal panel or metal layers. A preferred value for the ductility of the plastics material at lowest operating temperature is 50%. The thermal coefficient of expansion or contraction of the plastics material must also be sufficiently close to that of the metal panel 10 and metal layer 20 so that temperature variation across the expected operating range, and during welding, does not cause delamination. The extent by which the thermal coefficients of expansion or contraction of the two materials can differ will depend in part on the elasticity of the plastic but it is believed that the thermal expansion coefficient of expansion or contraction of the plastics material may be about ten times that of the metal layers. The coefficient of thermal expansion may be controlled by the addition of fillers to the plastics material.

The bond strength between the plastics material and inner surfaces 18, 22 of the metal panel and layer should be at least 0.5MPa, preferably 6MPa, over the entire operating range. This is preferably achieved by the inherent adhesiveness of the plastics material to the metal but additional bond agents may be provided.

Additional requirements if the metal panel 10 is part of a ship hull, (as shown schematically in Figure 3), include that the tensile bond strength across the interface must be sufficient to withstand expected negative hydrostatic pressure and delaminating forces from metal connections. The plastics material must be hydrolytically stable to both sea and fresh water and if the member is to be used in an oil tanker must have chemical resistance to oils.

Conveniently the plastics material may be an elastomer and the reinforcing metal layer 20 may be a steel, stainless steel, an aluminium alloy or any other typical metal associated with standard construction practice. The elastomer may therefore essentially comprise a polyol (e.g. polyester or polyether) together with an isocyanate or a di-isocyanate, a chain extender and'a filler. The filler is provided, as necessary, to reduce the thermal coefficient of the intermediate layer, reduce its cost and otherwise control the physical properties of the elastomer. Further additives, e.g. to alter mechanical properties or other characteristics (e.g. adhesion, water and oil resistance), and fire retardants may also be included.

The size of the injection ports required and their positions will depend on the available equipment for injecting the components of the plastics material and the orientation of the cavity. Generally there is one injection port per cavity. The ports may be located in either the reinforcing layer 20 or the metal panel 10 and should be located to minimize or eliminate splash. The injection ports are ideally quick disconnect ports, possibly with one-way valves, that can be ground off after casting. They may also be sealed with plugs which are ground smooth after casting.

Air vents are placed in each of the plurality of cavities to allow escape of all air in the cavity and to ensure no void space is left. The air vents may be threaded to allow insertion of plugs after filling or include valves or other mechanical devices which close after filling. The air vents and any plug or valve may be ground smooth after the plastics material has cured.

Plugs inserted in injection ports or air vents should be made of a material which has galvanic characteristics compatible with the metal layer 20. If the metal layer 20 is steel, the plugs may be of brass. Metal plugs for venting holes or injection ports may be detailed as temperature controlled pressure relief valves as required.

The injection process must be monitored to ensure even filling of the cavity without any back pressure which might cause swelling and uneven plate thickness, and to ensure that the dimensional accuracy (core thickness) is maintained within the specified limits.

After manufacture and during the life of the reinforcement, it may be necessary to verify that the elastomer has correctly adhered to the metal layers. This can be done using sonic, ultrasound or x-ray techniques or by any other suitable calibrated technique.

In this way the metal panel 10 of the existing structure may be reinforced without removal and without detaching the components such as supporting beams 12, pipes or cables 14 and fire insulation material from the underside 18.

Metal or elastomer support members 50 of any given shape with flat parallel end surfaces, may also be placed on or attached to the inner surface 18 of the metal panel 10 between the spacers 30 before the reinforcing metal layer 20 is attached to the spacers 30. These supporting elements 50 support the reinforcing metal layer 20 and ensure dimensional accuracy (elastomer thickness and reinforcing metal layer flatness).

Figure 2 shows in plan typical spacers 30 and support elements 50 which can be used in the present invention. Most conveniently the spacers 30 are rectangular in cross-section such that they can easily be joined together to form cavities of a suitable size for injecting elastomer. The flat surface 32 of the spacer 30 provides an ideal landing surface for the reinforcing metal layer 20 and for making butt welds or plate seams 36.

The thickness B of the reinforcing metal layer 20 is preferably more than 1mm but may be of any thickness that provides the required structural characteristics and facilitates fabrication, handling and welding, such as 6mm. A thickness of 3mm provides an additional ten years of use maintaining the deck plate structurally equivalent or better than the existing metal panel 10 by itself. A thickness C of plastics material is optimally between 10mm and 25mm but may be thicker depending on the application and structural requirements. For example, for tank tops of bulk carriers, the average core thickness may be 100mm thick.

A complete deck overlay with dimension B being equal to 3mm and dimension C being equal to 15mm with a plan dimension of 140 metres by 19 metres (a typical deck of a Ro-Ro ferry) is equivalent in weight to about one lorry. Such a deck would provide a minimum additional ten years of use for the ferry. Such a reinforced deck has a dead load of approximately 2.5kN/m² compared to a dead load of the original decking which is 12.5mm thick of 2.2kN/m².

Figure 4 illustrates how the method could be applied to a deck surrounding lashing pot. In such a case (and in any circumstance where the existing panel 10 does not abut a metal member at or close to right angles e.g. at hatch covers) a spacer 30 may be utilised to form the side wall between the cavity 40 and the outside of the reinforced structure. Fillet welds 35 can then be used to attach the spacers 30 to the existing panel 10 as well as the lashing pot and to attach the reinforcing layer 20 to the spacer 30.

Figure 5 shows alternative positioning of the reinforcing layer 20 relative to the existing panel. In the illustrated method, the reinforcing layer is attached, in spaced apart relationship, to the existing stiffened plate panel on the same side as the existing supporting members 12 (for example longitudinal girders and transverse beams) and stiffening members 17. This embodiment allows stiffened hulls and side structures in which the outer plate surface is adjacent to a fluid (sea water, oil etc.) to be reinforced. This same method of reinforcement may be applied to other internally stiffened plates, where applicable, to lengthen the service life or to increase load carrying capacity and impact resistance.

In the example shown in Figure 6 the reinforcing panel is welded directly onto an adjacent bottom end 19 of the existing stiffening members 17 using butt welds 36. In such an arrangement, because of the large depth of the cavity, it may be advantageous to place foam forms 60 in the cavities to reduce the overall weight of the reinforcement Although not explicitly illustrated in Figure 6, the space or cavity between 10 and 20 may also include services (piping, cables) as disclosed in British Patent Application No. 9926333.7.

Figure 7a shows alternative positioning of the reinforcing metal layer 20 relative to the existing structure. In the illustrated embodiment, the reinforcing metal layer 20 is attached, in spaced apart relationship, to the existing stiffened plate panel on the same side as the existing supporting structures 17. The reinforcing layer 20 is bent around the bulb flats such that the bulb flats are positioned between the existing metal panel 10 and the reinforcing metal layer 20. In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 7a the reinforcing metal layer 20 is welded to spacers 31 which are also welded to a surface of the bulb flats 17 opposite the surface of the bulb flat on which the bulb flat is attached to the metal panel 10. The spacers may be continuous or intermittent to allow uncured plastics material to flow freely around bulb flats 17 or to define cavities of limited volume which include one or more bulb flats. Figure 7b illustrates an embodiment in which the spacers 31 are not utilised for the attachment of the reinforcing metal panel 20 to the bulb flats 17. The embodiment illustrated in Figure 7b also shows that plate seams joining reinforcing metal layers 20 are made at each bulb flat along the length of the flange of that bulb flat 17. The embodiment illustrated in Figure 7c shows the metal layer 20 attached to angle stiffeners or in the limiting case transverse beams or longitudinal girders 12. in a similar way to the attachment of the reinforcing metal layer 20 to the bulb flat 17 illustrated in Figures 7a and 7b. In all of the embodiments illustrated in Figures 7 the reinforcing metal layer 20 is bent such that the metal layer 20 is further from the metal panel 10 in the proximity of the beams 12 or bulb flats 17 than in other positions. The metal layer 20 may be bent in any shape (e.g. curved, flat, etc.) and may be a plurality of panels, for example, one between each bulb flat 17 or may be a continuous sheet. The advantage of the embodiments as illustrated in Figures 7 is that the reinforcing metal layer 20 simplifies the inner surface making it simpler to apply quality coatings, reduces localised plate bending at the stiffener-plate welded connection, diminishing the probability of fatigue cracking of joining welds and provides additional reinforcement to stabilise or strengthen existing stiffeners which may be damaged or otherwise.

In all embodiments the intermediate layer 40 may be injected through either the metal panel 10 or the reinforcing metal layer 20 at as many locations as required to ensure that the cavities are completely filled.

The embodiments illustrated in Figure 7 are ideally suited for structures where there are significant numbers of obstacles, like deck fittings, piping, hatches, etc. on the outer surface of the metal panel 10 that would interfere with the application of a metal layer as illustrated in Figure 1. Furthermore this embodiment can be applied to structures that have suffered stiffener damage (buckling or yielding) from localised overloading.

In yet a further embodiment, existing stiffeners are cut to shorten their length and leave stubs, and the reinforcing layer is attached to the existing panel in spaced apart relationship to the stiffener stubs. In such an arrangement the intermediate layer needs to be thicker to give the required stiffness. This embodiment is useful if the stiffeners have been deformed or damaged or existing welds between the stiffeners and plating have fractured.

In all embodiments, prior to attaching the reinforcing layer, weld cracks in the stiffeners may be repaired and other maintenance work carried out.

The present invention has been described above in relation to a deck of a Ro-Ro ferry. However the invention is also useful in other applications, especially those where high in-plane and transverse loads are expected, for example slamming loads, or where high rupture strength, high fatigue strength or high resistance to crack propagation is desirable. Examples of such structures are tunnel linings, orthotropic bridge decks, cargo holds, tank tops of bulk carriers, hulls, external ship structures, off-shore structures, especially helicopters, stadium roofs, and containment vessels.

Claims (17)

1. A method of reinforcing a panel of an existing metal structure comprising the steps of:

   providing a reinforcing metal layer on said panel in spaced apart relation to thereby form at least one cavity between inner surfaces of said panel and said reinforcing metal layer;

   injecting an intermediate layer comprised of an uncured plastics material into said at least one cavity; and

   curing said plastics material so that it adheres to said inner surfaces of said panel and said reinforcing metal layer with sufficient strength to transfer shear forces between said panel and said reinforcing metal layer.
2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said step of providing a reinforcing metal layer comprises the steps of:

   adhering spacers at one end to said inner surface of said panel; and

   adhering said inner surface of said reinforcing metal layer to said spacers at the other end.
3. A method according to claim 2, wherein said spacers are metallic and said steps of adhering comprise welding.
4. A method according to claim 2 or 3, wherein said spacers are plate spacers, spacers made of plastic, lashing pot collars or backing bars.
5. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein supporting members are arranged in said at least one cavity in contact with said inner surface of said panel and said inner surface of said reinforcing metal layer.
6. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein before said providing step said inner surface of said metal structure is shot- or grit-blasted and cleaned.
7. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said reinforcing metal layer is less than 20mm thick.
8. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said intermediate layer is at least 10mm thick.
9. A method according to any one of the previous claims, wherein said plastics material is an elastomer.
10. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said panel of an existing metal structure is a panel of a tunnel lining, a bridge deck, a cargo hold, a ship hull, a ship deck, bulkhead, an external ship structure, a containment vessel, a building structure, an off-shore structure or a smaller metal part of such an existing structure.
11. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein said existing metal structure is an existing metal part of a larger existing structure.
12. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said metal panel is supported by beams, girders or bulb flats and said reinforcing metal layer is arranged such that said beams, girders or bulb flats are positioned between said metal panel and said reinforcing metal layer.
13. A method according to claim 12, wherein said reinforcing metal layer is bent such that said reinforcing metal layer is further from said metal panel in the proximity of said beams or bulb flats than in other positions.
14. A method according to claim 12 or 13, wherein said reinforcing metal layer is attached to said beams or bulb flats on a surface opposite a surface on which said beams or bulb flats are attached to said metal panel.
15. A method according to claim 14, wherein said reinforcing metal layer is attached to said beams or bulb flats via a spacer.
16. A vessel with an existing panel reinforced using the method of any one of the preceding claims.
17. A reinforced metal structure manufactured by a method of reinforcing according to any one of claims 1 to 15.