This chapter collects information on mooring of an underwater station, potential difficulties and solutions.
Contents
Scour
Scour* is the removal of sediment such as sand and gravel from around bridge abutments or piers. Scour, caused by swiftly moving water, can scoop out scour holes, compromising the integrity of a structure. It could cause serious risks to an underwater station and it is necessary to to take preventive measures.
Suction Piles
Suction piles could prevent the structure from tilting or loosing integrity. These are empty pipes with a cap on top that sink into the ground by their own weight. Then air is sucked out of the interior and the cap is sealed. For removing, this order is reverted. The mooring company Intermoor published an interesting article named “How suction piles work?” on their homepage.
Hydraulic piles
The habitat La Chalupa used a hydraulic pile system that maintained a straight position on uneven ground. This system is similar to research stations in Antarctica, where the structures have to be pushed out of the ice regularly.
Notes:
- see
about bridge scour - siehe auch deutsche Wikipedia-Seite zu Kolk
- * scour auf deutsch: im Norden Kolk/Auskolkung bzw. Strudelloch, im Süden auch Gumpe
- image: Local Scour.gif on Wikimedia Commons, license: USGS / Public domain