Underwater trenching & pipelaying apparatus

Claim 1

An underwater trenching and pipe laying apparatus, comprising: a. an underwater support frame positioned beneath the pipe to be laid; b. digging means attached to said frame for digging a trench into soil beneath said frame; c. power means for driving said digging means; d. means interconnecting said digging means and said power means for imparting rotation to said digging means when said power means is driven; e. roller assembly means mounted to said frame for receiving a continuous length of pipe atop said frame, and aligning said pipe with said trench and depositing said pipe into said trench; said roller assembly means further comprising: i. a plurality of horizontally disposed rollers rotatably mounted on the upper surface of said frame; ii. left and right vertically disposed rollers, said rollers rotatably mounted adjacent each of said horizontally disposed rollers; said vertically disposed rollers guiding said pipe along said frame, and said horizontally disposed rollers serving as means for allowing said frame to move along and beneath said pipe; iii. means for maneuvering at least one of said vertically disposed rollers from an operative vertical position to an inoperative horizontal position; iv. means for securing said vertical roller into said operative vertical position; and v. auger means for moving spoils dug from said trench away from both sides of said digging means.

Claim 12

An apparatus for digging trenches and laying pipe in underwater locations which comprises: a. movable floating barge means; b. an under water sled connected to said floating barge means and positioned beneath a section of the pipe to be laid, said sled comprising a pair of spaced apart, elongated pontoons, said pontoons rigidly maintained in substantially parallel position by a series of I-beam spacer means; c. digging assembly means attached to a portion of the I-beam spacer means, said digging assembly means comprising: i. mounting means for mounting said digging assembly means onto said I-beam spacer means; ii. endless chain cutting means, having a plurality of cutting members spaced along the length thereof, for trenching various widths of the trench to be dug, during the rotation of said endless chain; iii. driven sprocket means mounted upon said support means for driving said endless chain; iv. extendor means mounted to said support means and engaged the distal end portion of said endless chain, for electively positioning said endless chain to various lengths; d. power means for driving said driven sprocket means during the trenching process; e. auger means for depositing debris away from said trenching means during the trenching process; and f. roller assembly means mounted to said frame for receiving a continuous length of pipe along said frame, and aligning said pipe with said trench and depositing said pipe into said trench; said roller assembly means further comprising: i. a plurality of horizontally disposed rollers rotatably mounted on the upper surface of said frame; ii. left and right vertically disposed rollers, said rollers rotatably mounted adjacent each of said horizontally disposed rollers; said vertically disposed rollers guiding said pipe along said frame, and said horizontally disposed rollers serving as means for allowing said frame to move along and beneath said pipe; iii. means for maneuvering at least one of said vertically disposed rollers from an operative vertical position to an inoperative horizontal position; iv. means for securing said vertical roller into said operative vertical position; and v. auger means for moving spoils dug from said trench away from both sides of said digging means.

Claim 13

An apparatus for digging trenches and laying pipe in underwater locations which comprises: a. movable floating barge means; b. an under water sled connected to said floating barge means and positioned beneath a section of the pipe to be laid, said sled comprising a pair of spaced apart, elongated pontoons, said pontoons rigidly maintained in substantially parallel position by a series of I-beam spacer means; c. digging assembly means attached to a portion of the I-beam spacer means, said digging assembly means comprising: i. mounting means for mounting said digging assembly means onto said I-beam spacer means; ii. endless chain cutting means, having a plurality of cutting members spaced along the length thereof, for trenching various widths of the trench to be dug, during the rotation of said endless chain; iii. driven sprocket means mounted upon said support means for driving said endless chain; iv. extendor means mounted to said support means and engaged the distal end portion of said endless chain, for electively positioning said endless chain to various lengths; d. power means for driving said driven sprocket means during the trenching process; e. auger means for depositing debris away from said trenching means during the trenching process; and f. roller assembly means mounted to said frame for receiving a continuous length of pipe along said frame, and aligning said pipe with said trench and depositing said pipe into said trench; said roller assembly means further comprising: i. a plurality of horizontally disposed rollers rotatably mounted on the upper surface of said frame; ii. left and right vertically disposed rollers, said rollers rotatably mounted adjacent each of said horizontally disposed rollers; said vertically disposed rollers guiding said pipe along said frame, and said horizontally disposed rollers serving as means for allowing said frame to move along and beneath said pipe; iii. means for maneuvering at least one of said vertically disposed rollers from an operative vertical position to an inoperative horizontal position; iv. means for securing said vertical roller into said operative vertical position; and v. auger means for moving spoils dug from said trench away from both sides of said digging means.