Design and Experiment of a Lifting Tool for Hoisting Offshore Single-Pile Foundations

Abstract

Experiments with a cam-type clamp tool were carried out to overcome the difficulty of transporting and installing large-diameter mono-piles for offshore wind turbines. Using the experiments method to design a small wedge-type clamping mechanism and using cam teeth made of 40Cr material resulted in the maximum friction for the mechanism. A single clamping design was created for the cam-type clamp tool to hoist mono-piles for offshore wind turbines. Through force analysis and Automatic Dynamics Analysis of Mechanical System (ADAMS) dynamic simulation of the lifting tool, it was calculated that the clamping force of the lifting tool meets application requirements. A prototype was built in order to carry out an experiment in which the lifting tool hoisted a mono-pile. It was concluded from the experiment that the proposed design of the lifting tool is feasible in practical applications.