CA1175298A - Device for servicing, repairing, cleaning and/or painting the sides of a ship - Google Patents

Abstract

Abstract of the Disclosure There is described an apparatus for maintaining, repairing, cleaning and/or painting the sides of the ship. The apparatus is adapted to travel along one longitudinal wall of a dry dock by means of rollers which engage rails on the dry dock. A control cabin is located above the chassis and a boom is provided to carry a work platform and/or working appliances at its free end, the boom is pivotable about a vertical axis and about a horizontal axis. A water-tight container is located in the lower part of the chassis, which is under water when the dock is flooded, and servicing equipment such as an internal combustion engine or engines, a hydraulic station, a pressurized water station and/or a spray-painting station and supply tanks are provided within the container. A
pair of fresh air tubes in the form of an inverted V connect the container with atmosphere above the water line of the dry dock when flooded and a central exhaust tube vents the container of exhaust gases and spent cooling air. The upper end of the exhaust tube also terminating above the water line of the dry dock when flooded.

Description

~ 17529~

The invention relates to an apparatus for maintaining, repairing, clean-ing and/or painting the sides of a ship, the apparatus being adapted to travel along a longitudinal wall of a dry-dock.
An apparatus of this kind is known from German OS 28 49 079. In this case, a container for taking up water is secured to a chassis, the container hav-ing a water-intake, extending in the upper part adjacent the vertical dry dock-w~ll, over almost the entire length of the container. Arranged on the dock-wall, acing the water-intake, is a dock water-line fitted with a plurality of take-off points. The cocks at the said take-off points may be opened by means of a control secured to the apparatus and governed by the level of water in the water-take-up container.
United States Patent 3 951 092 discloses an apparatus adapted to travel along the dock-wall, the chassis thereof being provided, in the lower part ad-jacent the dock-bottom, with a platform upon which a painting pump, paint-contain-er, and other spray-painting accessories are mounted after the water has drained out of the dock.
This equipment is thus arranged upon the lower platform only while spray-painting is being carried out and it must be taken away again before the dock is flooded. While the dock remains flooded, this equipment must therefore ~0 be stored elsewhere. When it is again required for use, it mustb~ moved back to the dock-bottom and re-mounted on the platform.
It is the purpose of the invention to improve an apparatus of the type mentioned at the beginning hereof, such that servicing the apparatus and assemb-ling parts thereof may all be carried out from the dock-bottom at low cost.
According to the invention, this purpose may be achieved, in an appara-tus of the type mentioned at the beginning hereof, in that a container is located in the lower part of the apparatus chassis, which is under water when the dock 1 ~75298 is flooded, and is water-tight, servicing equipment, such as a prime mover (e.g.
an internal-combustion engine, or engines), an hydraulic station, a pressurized-water station, and/or a spray-painting station, and supply tanks being provided within the water tight container, at least one fresh-air line being connected to the container, and at least one line for exhaust-gases and used cooling air run-ning from the container, the two lines running to the upper part of the apparatus chasisO
In one embodiment of the invention, a rail which supports the chassis is laid upon the dock-bottom, the water-tight container being secured to the chassis in the vicinity of the lower rail. This ensures that the water-tight container, accommodating all equipment essential to the apparatus, is close to the dock-bottom. This allows the equipment to be maintained, and the tanks to be filled, with no additional means being necessary to overcome any difference in height between the dock-bottom and the equipment. Furthermore, the equipment may be installed or removed from the dock-bottom without difficulty.
The following is a description by way of example of certain embodiments of the present invention reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a front elevation of the apparatus;
Figure 2 is a side elevation of the apparatus;
Figure 3 is a side elevation of the lower part of the apparatus, to a rather larger scale than in Figure 2;
Figure 4 is a front elevation of the lower part of the apparatus;
Figure 5 is a front elevation, in cross-section, of the central part of the apparatus;
Figure 6 is a side elevation of the upper part of the apparatus;
Flgure 7 is a front elevation of the upper part of the apparatus;

5 2 9 ~

Figures 8 - lO show two further embodiments in side elevation and partial front elevation.
As may be seen in Figure 1, apparatus 1 is arranged on the vertical longitudinal wall ~1 of a dry-dock 4 and may be moved as shown by arrow A.
The apparatus may be used for servicing the sides of a ship, that is to say for maintaining, repairing, cleaning and/or painting the sides of a ship and com-prises a chassis 10 equipped with rollers. Located above chassis 10 is a control-cabin 11. The chassis also carries a spar or boom 5, at the free end of which is located a work station such as a working appliance of any kind (not shown) OT a work-platform or the like. The work-platform and working appliances may be combined. Spar 5 itself is pivotable about a vertical axis 105, shown as a dotted line in Figure 1, and is also pivotable about a horizontal axis 205.
The spar 5 is moved by a control-cylinder 305, and is fitted with a parallel linkage 51 (see Figure 2).
Located in the lower part of chassis 10, which is under wa~er when the dock is flooded, is a water-tight container 12 accommodating the ship servicing equipment or machinery 2, not shown in Figure 1. This machinery consists, for example, of a prime mover, say, one or more internal-combustion engines, a hydraulic station, a pressurized-water station, and/or a paint-spraying station ~0 nnd supply tanks.
The container 12 carries relatively large entrance hatches 112, so that, when the dock is not flooded, maintenance work may be carried out on the machin-ery within the container 12.
The engine-intake connections, also not shown in Figure 1, are provided with fresh-air lines 15 which, in the example of embodiment illustrated in Figure 1, are designed as tubes 115 in the form of a V converging towards the upper part of the apparatus. Arranged between the fresh-air lines 15, or tubes 115~ is a ~ ~7~29~

conduit 16 (again in the form of tube 116 in the example of embodiment illus-trated) which serves to carry away exhaust-gases and spen~ cooling air. This tube 116 serves as the central support for the connection between control-cabin 11 and water-tight container 12.
Fitted to the lower part of water-tight container 12 are chassis-rollers 210, by means of which the said container, and the whole chassis 10 built thereon, is adapted to travel upon a rail 3. Rail 3, associated with chassis lO, may be laid upon dock-bottom 40 or may rest upon a bracket 141 on vertical longitudinal wall 41 of the dock, near dock-bottom 40. This is shown clearly in Figure 3 which also shows running gear 110.
Upper rail 30, associated with chassis lO, is secured to dock-wall 41 and, like rail 3, preferably extends over the entire length thereof. This pro-vides the apparatus 1 for maintaining, repairing, cleaning, and/or painting the sides of a ship with a maximal range of travel, making use of the entire length of dock-wall 41 and allowing boom 5, with its work-platform and/or working appli-ances, to extend out from the wall. The dock bottom 40 can be extended on both sides beyond the vertical longitudinal dock wall 41, for example by half the width of the container 12. A device held at the top in the middle can then be moved right up to the end of the longitudinal dock wall 41, thus increasing the ~0 operating range of the apparatus. This makes it possible to use the whole of dock-wall 41 as a track, as far as its end-face or faces. This large range may also make it possible to dispense with an intermediate boom or the like.
Fresh-air lines 15, and exhaust-gas and waste-air line 16, are de-signed as tubes 115 and 116 in chassis 10, thus serving as supporting and con-necting means between a mounting bracket means 17 and a tubular element 13 thereabove which carries boom 5 and is adapted to move on a circular track 113.
This will be described hereinafter in connection with Figure 5.

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Any desired number of supply-lines 6 may run from water-tight container 12 to the upper part of the chassis, or to an upper-container 42 secured to ver-tical longitudinal dock-wall 42.
Figure 2 shows a side elevation of the apparatus to a rather larger scale than in Figu-re 1. This shows how water may be taken, through a conduit 60 pertaining to supply-lines 6, from an upper water-container 42 secured to dock 4, and may be fed to the appropriate unit in container 12.
Figure 3 shows running gear 110 in greater detail. One or more equi-axinl chassis-rollers 210, arranged side by side and flanged, run upon lower rail 3. Additional horizontal rollers 310 serve to guide chassis 10, more par-ticularly water-tight container 12 with its relatively heavy machinery, accurate-ly along rail 3O In this embodiment, lower rail 3 is arranged upon a bracket 141 running horizontally at a distance from dock-bottom 40 and secured to dock-wall 41.
Figure 4 is a front elevation of the lower part of the apparatus, show-ing the arrangement of the machinery by way of example. Running gear 110 is located at the right and left-hand ends of chassis lO, and the areas above each running gear may be used to accommodate equipment.
The equipment shown in the drawing consists of an internal-combustion engine 20, a hydraulic station 22, a paint-spraying station 23 with pain~ con-tainers 24J the units being used as required. For example, water may be fed from container 42, through conduit 60, to pressurized water-station 21, passing thence, under high pressure and through working conduits (not shown), to boom 5 and thus to the working appliances ~also not shown) upon the work-platform fit-ted to the boom. Other media, such as sand or paint may be brought to ~he ship or drawn therefrom. Any desired operation may be carried out in this way.
Tube 116 is used by the equipment arranged in container 12 as a con-'~ 1'752g~
duit for the removal of exhaust-gases and spent air; it carries a suction-connection 216 at its lower end. Tubes 115, with their outflow connections 315, are used to supply fresh air. It is also possible to arrange conduits in tubes 115 and tube 116, in which case the tubes serve as a stabilizing casing for the conduits. However, it is simpler and more economical to use the tubes themselves as fresh-air, exhaust-gas and spent-air conduits.
Figure 5 shows the design of bracket 17 and of the connection between the bracket and control-cabin 11, in the form of a spent-air ring 14.
The upper ends of tubes 115, 116 are flanged to extensions, tubes 115 ln to inlet connections 215, and tube 116 ~o an extension-tube 316 surrounded by a tubular part 13 spaced therefrom and supporting a mounting 50 (see Figure 6) for boom 5, the mounting 50 being rigidly attached to the tubular part ~see Figures 1, 2, 6 and 7). Extension-tube 316 to central tube 116 carries bracket 17.
Obviously tube 116 may also be made long enough to dispense with the extension.
Bracket 17 is secured to this tube and carries fresh-air inlet-connections 215 flanged to tubes 115. Bracket 17 also carries stationary ring 117 of a turn-table 113, ring-gear 213 of which is secured to tubular part 13. The control-cabin is secured to tubular part 13 through a spent-air ring 14 and is mounted in the upper part of tube 116, or extension 316, by means of a ball-bearing 313.
Tubular part 13 together with the control-cabin may be moved by means of a de-vice known per se, from the control-cabin. Spent-air ring 1~ surrounds the upper end of tube 116, or extension 316, and is spaced therefrom. The upper end of tube 116, or extension 316, opens into spent-air ring 14 which is equipped with intermediate walls 114 extending radially. As already indicated, spent-air ring 14 is secured to rotatably mounted tubular part 13~ to which boom 5 is secured in turn. Spent-air ring 14 thus carries control-cabin 11 which also moves with tubular part 13 and boom 5 when ring-gear 213 is engaged by the drive-1 17529~

and movement-means associated therewith, thus allowing the said boom to pivot through more than 180. Bracket 17 is in the form of a hollow body, possibly an annular hollow body, and constitutes the upper end of V-shaped chassis 10. The upper edges of tubes 115, or inlet connections 215 thereof, rnust be at a level such that, when dock 4 is flooded, no water can enter the said tubes.
Figure 6 again shows the upper part of the apparatus to a somewhat larger scale. Also shown is the upper mounting of the chassis.
Arranged upon bracket 17 is an attachment 217 accommodating the drive-means for upper running-gear rollers, or roller, 410, the roller bearing against the vertical side of upper rail 30. The latter is secured to a fender 43, ex-tending along dock-wall 41, upon which previously mentioned water-container 42 may be arranged. An elbow 160 on conduit 60 projects into the container and runs therein as the apparatus travels horizontally. Water may thus be drawn from this container, for example to be fed under pressure from pressurized-water station 22, to the working appliances, not shown, arranged at the free end of boom 5.
Figure 7 is a front elevation of the upper part of the apparatus, indicating that inlet connections 215 may be fitted with hoods 415 to prevent the entry of rain into the tubes. A rail 7 may also be arranged upon the upper surface of vertical longitudinal dock-wall 41, along which a crane may travel for the purpose of loading the ship. This upper rail may also be used by the apparatus,if necessary, but it is preferred for it to use only rails 3 and 30, so that the crane and the apparatus may travel independently of each other and not interfere with each other. It is also possible, as a precaution to incorpor-ate an automatic bilge-pump which would pump out container 12 in the event of a leak therein. This water-tight container constitutes the lower stiffening ele-ment of the chassis and is in the form of an enclosed unit or cell.

~ ~5~9~

The apparatus makes it possible to carry out a very wide variety of operations, such as maintaining, repairing, cleaning and/or painting the sides of a ship, or for removing sea-weed or the like therefrom. The necessary supply and return lines are not shown in the drawings, except for water conduit 60, but they may be fitted to the apparatus initially, according to the supplies required and the work to be done9 or may be run up for a given job.
It is essential that all supply and return lines be water-tight on their way to the machinery 2 within water-tight container 12, and that they re-main water-tight when the water in the flooded dock is at its highest level, and as far as the work-platform and working appliances. However, this presents no problems if jacketed hoses are used.
Figure 8 illustrates another, example of embodiment. In this design it is shown to be possible to stagger tubes 115 and 116 in relation to each other, so that tube 116 serving as the central support, is set forward and used for ex-haust-gases and used cooling air, whereas tubes 115, supplying fresh air, are set back. Ring-gear 213, turntable 113, tubular part 13, spent-air rlng 14, and control cab-in 11 thus automatically lie in a central plane in front of the central plane of fresh-air tubes 115. As a result of this, even with boom 5 lowered, its pivot angle in the horizontal plane is far greater than 180.
~0 Figure 8 also shows how the drive for the whole apparatus, especially for moving water-tight container 12, upon which everything is built up, may be designed. The drive may be similar to that of a winch, namely by means of a cable, a chain, or a link-chain 80. The drive itself may be effected in one of two ways, either by using a winch to pull the said cable, chain or link-chain, or by rotat-ing wheel 81 which may be in the form of a chain-sprocket, a pulley, or the like.
The rotary drive is not shown.
This type of drive 8 is to be regarded as an example of embodiment.

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Cable 80, the chain, or the like runs over deflecting rollers 82, 83 (see Figure 9).
Figure 9 shows this drive 8 quite clearly. It also shows a front ele-vation of the lower part of another example of embodiment. Here again, container 12 has entrance hatches 112 and accommodates the necessary machinery, such as at least one internal-combustion engine, hydraulic equipment, and the like. In this example of embodiment, running gears 110 are of somewhat heavier design, in order to hold down container 12 against the effects of buoyancy. Also the mooring effect produced by drive-chain 80, the cable, or the link-chain, holds the apparatus to rail 3 against water action. In this case a support-tube 118 is connected to central tube 116 by means of a pivot-bearing 18 which, when the intermediate boom shown in Figure 10 is used, is needed to support the latter in its vertical pivot-axis. Figure 9 also shows that it is possible to set the low-er parts of tubes 115 upon lateral surfaces 212 of container 12, and to cut open-ings 515 into these lower parts, extending over almost the entire height of lateral surfaces 212, to provide adequate passages for the incoming air. This air flows to the central area of container 12, where it is drawn in by suction-connection 216, A fan-blade 416 may be arranged in the latter.
Figure 10 illustrates an example of embodiment which also pertains to the design according to Figure 9, namely the upper part thereof. In this case, mounting 50 is replaced by an intermediate boom 150 which is secured to tubular part 13. Tubular part 13 again carries cabin 11 through spent-air ring 14. In-termediate boom 150 thus forms, in conjunction with tubular part 13, cabin 11, and spent-air ring 14, a pivotable unit driven by ring-gear 113.
Located at the end of intermediate boom 150 is a vertical pivot-axis member 52 which is held by support-tube 118. The boom 5, in addition to pivoting about 52, is also pivotable in the vertical direction, by movement-element 53, g il :t7S29~

about horizontal axis 205. Again,in this example of embodiment, water-container 42 is arranged above fender 43, so that water may be taken from the said contain-er, through conduit 60, and fed to appropriate units in container 12.
A relatively large insulating plate 111 may also be fitted below control-cabin 11, to prevent spent air and, more particularly, exhaust-gases from entering the said cabin. The said insulating plate is also intended to prevent a build-up of heat at the top of the apparatus. Hoods 415 may also be in the form of filters.
It is important to note that tubular part 13, serving as the central tube, cabin 11, and the running gear may be produced as a standard part, possib-ly with water-tight container 12 also, which constitutes the lower transverse member. This standard part may therefore be universally used, may be converted as required, and may be equipped with different machinery. Fresh air entering container 12 from the outside collects in the central part of the container and is propelled, through suction-connection 216, with active assistance from fan-blade 416 or the like, to the vicinity of spent-air ring 14, all of the parts being designed to prevent the entry of water, even in heavy weather. A slight vacuum may be maintained by the fan-blade 416, or some other aspirator, so that an air-short-circuit in the entire system is impossible. The suction filter ~0 fitted to the engines should be close to the fresh-air outle~s, i.e. to lateral surfaces 212, near which the fresh air is introduced. On the other hand, in-sulating plate 111 acts as a baffle-plate and quickly disperses the exhaust-gases and spent air into the ambient air.

Claims (12)

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. An apparatus for servicing the sides of a ship, said apparatus being adapted to travel along one longitudinal wall of a dry-dock, and comprising a roller equipped chassis, a container, a control-cabin located above the chassis, ship servicing equipment on the chassis, at least one boom carrying a work station at its free end, said boom being pivotable about at least one vertical and at least one horizontal axis, characterized in that the container is water-tight and is located in the lower part of the chassis which is under water when the dock is flooded, the servicing equipment being provided within the container, at least one fresh-air line being operatively connected to the said container, and at least one exhaust line being operatively connected to the container, said, lines extending to the upper part of the chassis to a point above the water level when the dock is flooded.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that a lower rail engaged by the said rollers of the chassis, is laid upon the dock-bottom, said water-tight container being secured to the said chassis in the vicinity of the said lower rail when the apparatus is in place.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the container is equipped with an automatic bilge-pump.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the fresh air lines, and the exhaust line are tubes in the chassis.

5. An apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that the fresh-air tubes are in the form of an inverted V, and the exhaust tube is located centrally between the said fresh-air tubes.

6. An apparatus according to claim 5 further characterized in that mount-ing bracket means is secured to the central tube, intake-connections of said fresh-air tubes being attached to said bracket means and in that a turntable is provided, a stationary ring of said turntable being carried by said bracket means and a ring gear of said turntable being connected to a tubular element concentri-cally surrounding said central tube, said boom being secured to said tubular element.

7. An apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that the upper end of the central tube opens into a spent-air ring which is equipped with inter-mediate walls extending radially and is connected to said tubular element.

8. An apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that said spent-air ring carries the control-cabin.

9. An apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that the bracket means is in the form of a hollow body and constitutes the upper end of the in-verted V-shaped chassis.

10. An apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2 or claim 3, characterized in that an insulating plate is arranged below the control-cabin and above the spent-air ring, and serves as a protective element for said control-cabin.

11. An apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2 or claim 3, characterized in that the fresh-air tubes are staggered in relation to the exhaust tube, which exhaust tube is topped by the tubular element and serve as a central support;
said fresh-air tubes being set back towards said dry dock longitudinal wall while the central tube is set forward in relation to said wall, when the appara-tus is in place.

12. An apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2 or claim 3, characterizedin that a blower is located within the exhaust tube outside said container in order to promote the flow of exhaust-gases or spent air therefrom.