FR2861049A1 - Device, for recovering damaged vessel and re-floating sunken wreck, involves using multitude of floats inserted into envelope which is introduced into vessel through hole - Google Patents

Abstract

A multitude of floats (9) are introduced into an envelope (8) which in turn has been introduced into a cavity in the damaged or sunken vessel via an existing or purpose-made hole (3). An opening (81) in the envelope is mounted on a resistant frame (82) and held by arms to a border pressing on the edge of the hole in the vessel. The floats enter the envelope via a tube (6). A means of accumulation, such as an envelope, can be introduced into the inside of a vessel or wreck to receive and retain a certain quantity of the floats. The envelope has an opening (81) mounted on a resistant frame, such as a torus (82), where the floats can pass through the torus and the opening to go inside the envelope. The envelope is introduced into a cavity in the vessel by passing it through an existing hole or one which has been made in the structure of the vessel. The envelope is held by a system made of at least three borders to limit its movements. Each border has an arm attached at one side to the torus and at the other side to a border which presses on the edge of the opening or another element of the structure to prevent the envelope from moving away from the hole and to limit the distance between the opening and the torus. A means of filling, such as a tube, is used to facilitate the channeling of the floats from the outside of the cavity into the means of accumulation. The tube has an internal end (61), an external end (62) and a tunnel (63) through which the floats pass. The tube is positioned partially inside the envelope by passing it through the hole (3) giving access to the cavity and then through the opening (81) in the envelope. One end and part of the tunnel stay outside the cavity, so the floats can pass through the tunnel from outside the cavity into the envelope. A fixed connection for the tube, such as a shoulder near the outside end of the tube fixes the tube to an external nozzle supplying the floats. The arms have a vise to grip the wall or another structural element of the vessel. The floats are spherical and have diameters between two given values and the tube has a circular section slightly larger than the larger of the given diameter values. Each spherical float has a rigid sphere coated with a first layer of open celled mousse and a second layer of impermeable elastic material such as rubber. Alternatively, the floats are cylindrical with hemispherical ends; one end is ballasted so it is always in a vertical position; the diameter of the cylinders is between two given values and the tube has a circular section with a diameter slightly larger than the larger of the given values, and the tube is straight. A counter estimates the number of floats introduced into the envelope and a blocking device made of two bars is fitted at the outside end of the tube so they can turn to allow the floats through or block their passage. A multitude of orifices pass through the walls of the tube to allow air and water to pass through to ease the passage of the floats during rescue of a vessel. The envelope is made of many facets connected together to form a volume. An independent claim is made for a method of using the above device to rescue a damaged vessel or recover a sunken wreck.

Description

2861049 1

  The present invention relates to a device and method for rescuing an accident ship and salvaging a submerged wreck. Also, they allow to quickly establish a reserve of buoyancy sufficient to ensure the safety of ships and pleasure craft in difficulty. On a reduced scale, the device can become an educational toy.

  STATE OF THE ART - EXISTING EQUIPMENT TECHNICAL PROBLEMS It is often following an accident that a vessel, a ship, a pleasure boat or a submarine is badly damaged. Its hull is pierced and the water begins to infiltrate. The total weight of its structure, its load and the new quantity of infiltrated water that does not cease to increase becomes more and more important. Then it sinks more and more and ends up sinking when this total weight exceeds the thrust exerted by the water on its hull according to the principle of Archimedes.

  Rescue of damaged or distressed ships at sea is often done by towing, problematic and slow maneuver especially when the ship is rough or the weather is unfavorable. With the passing hours, the new amount of infiltrated water is gaining importance. This situation requires the towing vessel to make more and more effort. To avoid this inconvenience, external floats are attached to the vessel to increase its floatation reserve. In case of a big sea these outdoor floats pose a lot of problems and the fasteners may break at any time. In addition they make the towing operation perilous. By safety measures the ship is allowed to sink as soon as the situation becomes very dangerous for the teams as well as for the equipment or the lifeboats.

  For a wreck, the more its salvage is delayed and the more the state of its structure deteriorates: corrosion, deformation of the hull due to the pressure of the water, quality of the seabed, etc. Conventional salvage techniques consist essentially of attaching the wreck to one or more winches by means of cables (conventional lifting means), then progressively raising the wreckage up to the surface. The winches are arranged on one or more barges or floating cranes anchored above the place where the wreckage is located. As soon as the wreck starts to come out of the water, the lifting forces of the winches must increase to compensate for the drop in the thrust exerted by the water on the hull, according to the principle of Archimedes. It is at this point that the risks of breakage of the latter or of the various fasteners increase.

  There is also the method of using ballast tanks that are moored to the wreck, and which is flushed water by introducing air or other gas under pressure. The ballast tanks are transformed into real floats. During the ascent of the wreck, the pressure of the gas must be adjusted continuously and accurately to balance the external pressure exerted by the water on the walls of the tanks. In case of big sea, the connections of these boaters often pose a lot of problems. In addition, these floats make towing operations complex.

  The document GB1070600 describes a method of salvage which consists of introducing inside the hull of the wreck small plastic or polystyrene balls, via a tube, pushed by a stream of water created at the using a water pump. The use of such a method assumes that the hull is tight enough not to let escape small bales 5 to 16 mm in diameter. To avoid the horizontal forces exerted by the floats on the structure of the wreck when it begins its ascent and approaches the surface of the water, this same method recommends creating a homogeneous float and large, to inside a cavity of the wreck. This float is obtained by sticking the balls together with an adhesive film. This does not allow to have an optimized filling of said cavity because the glue would prevent the balls to move easily and a large amount of water will remain inside the wreckage.

  The same document describes another well-known method of introducing plastic balls with a diameter of 20 cm inside the wreck via a tube whose diameter is slightly greater than that of the bullets. Many nozzles, installed in the tube wall, send jets of water that push the bullets into the wreckage.

  Each nozzle is connected to a pump on board a lifeboat. From a certain immersion depth of the wreck this method becomes too complex because of the increase in the number of nozzles and the power of the pumps necessary to implement.

  US3822660 discloses a method of salvage which consists in installing on the hull of the wreck (outer side) sealed equipment containing several explosive charges that allow to fix said equipment on the hull and to practice through said equipment and the hull several holes which will allow a pipe brought into contact with said equipment to introduce floats inside the shell: spheres made of plastics or hollow glass.

  These last two methods do not allow the rescue teams to be able to control the refloating operations because they can not control the different forces exerted by these floats on the structure of the wreckage because these floats are free of movement. Thus, serious safety problems can arise for teams as well as for equipment and lifeboats.

  There is also the method of refloating which uses inflatable floats using an integrated pyrotechnic system which introduces a gas under pressure into the flexible membranes of said floats. The gas pressure must be checked regularly and accurately, as there is a risk of explosion during the recovery of the wreck. The introduction of these floats inside the wreckage involves experienced divers. This limits salvage operations to wrecks with a shallow depth of immersion. The diversity of the shapes and dimensions of the cavities of a wreck makes the amount of water displaced by said floats, when inflated, remains difficult to optimize. In addition these floats are reusable only a limited number of times. Also, all operations that involve divers are very slow because divers have little autonomy and have to go up to the surface of the water quite often, and each time it is necessary that the ascent is done very slowly and by bearings to prevent pressure discomfort.

  In the case of submarines, the best-known methods to replenish them are to substitute the water inside the hull with air, the pressure of which must be constantly regulated according to the depth. immersion. This assumes that the underwater hull is completely watertight and has not been damaged. But in many cases submarines sink after accidents.

  All these methods of salvage are difficult to achieve for large wrecks or even for wrecks of medium size from a certain depth of immersion.

  Lately, the 20,000-ton Norwegian ro-ro Tricolor sank 35 kilometers off Dunkirk in French waters after a collision with the Kariba container ship. Lying 35 meters deep, but seen the dimensions of its hull, traditional rescue operations were not retained. Finally, it was decided to cut it into nine parts in order to move them more easily. This displacement became necessary because of the intensity of maritime traffic at this location.

  Also, following an accident that remains inexplicable, the Russian submarine Kursk sank, 108 meters deep, in the Barents Sea. Several rescue attempts to recover the 118 male prisoners on board failed. Also, it was decided to cut it before bailing it.

  In many cases the rescue of damaged ships and the salvage of shipwrecks are very costly or technically impossible to carry out, and hulled ships are often left to sink or wrecks abandoned at the bottom of the water while they still contain cargoes. , equipment, oil, chemicals or hazardous materials.

  The main objective of the invention is to allow the installation inside the structure of an accident ship or that of a submerged wreck, at well-chosen locations, one or more envelopes each containing a multitude of floats without said envelopes can leave their locations.

  Another object of the invention is to propose a new method and a new device for rescuing an accident ship and for salvaging a submerged wreck making it possible to avoid the disadvantages of the methods mentioned above and to add to the state of the art new elements that will push back the limits of current processes and devices.

  Another object of the invention is to provide an effective and robust device that can adapt to damaged ships and submerged wrecks of very different sizes. Wrecks may have significant immersion depths.

  Another object of the invention is that several of its devices can be implemented at the same time.

  Another objective of the invention is to allow the total recovery of all the elements of the devices put in place at the end of the rescue or salvage operations.

  Another object of the invention is to facilitate the towing operation when the ship is rescued and no longer runs any risk or when the wreck reaches the water surface and floats again.

  Another object of the invention is to allow the evaluation, at any time and with precision, of the forces applied by the elements of the various devices put in place on the structure of the ship or the wreck in order to be able to control the operations of rescue or salvage.

  Another object of the invention is to avoid decompression problems when the wreckage rises to the surface of the water.

  Another object of the invention is to remain compatible with conventional towing and refloating methods.

  Another object of the invention is to allow the crew of a ship in difficulty, while waiting for help, to prepare the ground for them and to quickly establish a reserve buoyancy. It is sufficient that it has in reserve and as a preventive measure one or more devices with a certain amount of floats.

  The device of the invention The device according to the invention is composed of the following elements: a multitude of floats, an accumulation means, a filling means.

  connecting means for the accumulation means, connecting means of the filling means, the accumulation means is intended to receive and retain a certain amount of floats of the ship or the wreck. It is introduced inside said cavity, empty and folded on itself, by passing through an existing opening or by an opening that would have been practiced in the structure of the ship or wreck. This means of accumulation must have: - an opening for the introduction of the floats inside, - flexible parts so that it can be folded on itself, the filling means is intended to facilitate the transport of a certain amount of floats from outside the cavity to the inside of the accumulation means. It is introduced partially inside the accumulation means through the opening giving access to the cavity and then through the opening of the accumulation means.

  The connecting means for the accumulation means are intended to limit the movements of the accumulation means.

  The connecting means for the filling means are intended to limit the movements of the filling means.

  External supply means provide the accumulation means set up the necessary floats via the filling means. The external power supply means comprise a pipe for connecting them to the filling means of the device. They can be installed aboard an accident ship, a lifeboat or on board a rescue submarine.

  The external power supply means can use one of the following 40 well-known techniques: Direct pressure. This technique forces the floats to borrow the pipe. Thus, any float upstream pushes the float downstream which is in direct contact with it. Pumping. This technique drives the floats into a stream of water created using a water pump.

  The displacement of the floats is thus ensured along the pipe and the filling means to the inside of the accumulation means.

  The rescue method According to the invention, the method of rescuing a damaged ship that may sinking, following the appearance of one or more waterways, consists in setting up one or more devices by following the following steps for each of them: - set up a means of accumulation inside a cavity of the ship: o by passing through an existing opening or o through an opening that would have been practiced in the structure of the ship, o by setting up the connecting means for the accumulation means in order to limit the movements of the latter, to set up a means of filling: o by introducing it partially inside the means of accumulation after having passed through the opening of the structure giving access to the cavity and then through the opening of the accumulation means, o by setting up the connecting means for the filling means to limit the movements of the latter, connect the medium filling the external supply means with the pipe, introducing the necessary floats inside the accumulation means, stopping the introduction of the floats and disconnecting the pipe when sufficient floats have been introduced inside the means of 'accumulation.

  In this case, the external supply means are installed aboard the accident ship or on board a rescue boat that can approach the ship.

  When the means of accumulation put in place would have enough floats, that a good reserve of buoyancy would have been ensured for the damaged ship and that the risks of sinking would have been avoided, the towing operation to a nearby port could then to start. The ship will be sheltered in dry dock and the various elements of the devices of the invention will be completely recovered. Then, ship repair operations can begin.

  The method of refloating According to the invention, the method of salvaging a submerged wreck consists in setting up one or more devices by following the following steps for each of them: setting up a means of accumulation at the inside a cavity of the wreck: o by passing it through an existing opening or through an opening that would have been made in the structure of the wreck, o by putting in place the connecting means for the wreckage; means of accumulation to limit the movements of the latter, - set up a means of filling: o by introducing it partially inside the means of accumulation after having passed through the opening of the structure giving access to the cavity and then through the opening of the accumulation means, o by setting up the connecting means for the filling means to limit the movements of the latter, connect the filling means to the pipe of the external means d 'food, - do i introduce the necessary floats inside the accumulation means, - stop the introduction of the floats and disconnect the pipe when enough floats have been introduced inside the accumulation means.

  In this case, the external supply means are installed on board a rescue boat or on board a rescue submarine that can approach the wreck.

  When the accumulation means put in place have enough floats, the wreck begins to have a total weight close to the thrust exerted by the water on its hull according to the principle of Archimedes. Thus, to detach the wreck from the seabed, then guide and control its ascent to the surface of the water, we can use conventional low-power recovery means such as winches, cranes, ballasts ... When the wreckage floats again, it will be towed to a nearby port to be sheltered in dry dock. The different elements of the devices of the invention will be completely recovered and repair operations of the wreck can then begin.

  The interest of introducing floats inside the ship or the wreck is twofold: the problems of floater-hull links are avoided in case of a big sea, thus facilitating the operations of towing, the floats, located inside the structure, drive the water outward and reduce the total weight of the ship or wreck. This improves the buoyancy of the ship or wreck.

  According to a first characteristic of the invention, the device comprises: a multitude of floats, as accumulation means: a shell consisting of a multi-faceted net mounted on a rigid torus forming the single opening of the envelope for the passage of the floats, as connecting means of the envelope: several vises attached to the rigid torus, as filling means: a tube.

  As connecting means of the tube: several vises attached to the tube.

  The floats are all identical. They have a spherical shape and can traverse said tube from one end to the other.

  Empty and folded on itself, the envelope is first introduced inside a cavity of the ship or wreck through an existing opening or would have been practiced in the structure of the ship or the wreck.

  The envelope will be linked to the structure of the ship or wreckage thanks to the clamps attached to the torus that come to grip the structure in several places The tube is then put in place and linked to the structure thanks to the clamps attached to the tube who come to grip the structure in several places. The tube comprises a shoulder which serves to secure the connection between said tube and the hose of the external supply means. In the case where the envelope is immersed, the upward thrust exerted by the water on the floats, according to the principle of Archimedes, tends to pass the entire envelope with the floats it contains as high as possible to the inside the cavity. The device transmits the thrust force to the structure of the ship or wreckage to raise it.

  According to particular embodiments: - The envelope can be made according to the cavity in which it will be introduced, the size of the floats, the volume it must occupy when it is filled with its floats. In the case of a refloating, a certain margin between the envelope filled with floats and certain equipment or some walls of the cavity of the wreck must be provided to avoid the problems that can cause decompression.

  The envelope may comprise inflatable chambers attached to its structure and used to facilitate the deployment of said envelope after its introduction into the cavity, the envelope may comprise two or more openings and each of the openings may receive a different tube .

  - The envelope may have nodes, connecting cables inside and holding cables. Each connecting cable links two nodes to limit the swelling of the envelope.

  Each retaining cable links the torus to a node to limit the movement of the latter.

  The envelope may have one or more facets of quick access and easily detachable from the rest of the envelope. They allow to easily recover the floats at the end of rescue or salvage operations.

  - The casing may be equipped with a safety device at its opening to prevent the float from escaping when removing the tube.

  The floats can be all similar and whose shape is spherical. The size of the spheres and their composition depend on the constraints they must be able to handle and collect. For large depths, the spheres can be full of very hard plastic, or hollow steel, alloy or composite very resistant. For shallow depths they can be hollowed out of hard plastic material. The spherical shape gives the floats the ability to easily cross the tube and enter the inside of the envelope by pushing the other spheres that are already there. This makes it possible to obtain a good filling rate of the envelope in floats.

  The floats may be spherical in shape with a diameter that varies in range of values having a minimum limit value and a maximum limit value not to be exceeded.

  The floats can be inflatable or self inflatable floats.

  Each spherical float may comprise a central rigid sphere coated with a first open cell foam layer and a second impermeable elastic rubber layer.

  The floats may have an elongated cylindrical shape with rounded ends such as spherical caps. The tube may have a multitude of orifices on its wall.

  - The tube may comprise on its outer wall one or more inflatable membranes, designed to push the floats away from the outer wall of said tube to obtain a better filling of the envelope floats.

  The tube may be provided with a protective device located near its shoulder to prevent the floats from escaping from the envelope when the tube will be disconnected from the external supply means.

  The tube may include a float counter to allow control of the number of floats introduced inside the envelope.

  The tube can be attached to the torus, in which case the connecting means of the tube are not necessary.

  The connection means of the envelope and those of the tube may have very varied dimensions and shapes in order to allow the device of the invention to adapt to many situations.

  The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention and allow to better understand it: Figure 1 shows in section the device set up horizontally on a submerged wreck.

  Figure 2 shows in section the device placed vertically on a submerged wreck.

  Figure 3 shows a perspective view of the envelope mounted on a torus.

  Figures 4a, 4b and 4c show in section, three phases of the rescue of a damaged ship.

  Figure 5a shows a front view of the torus at the time of introduction of the envelope inside the cavity.

  Figure 5b shows a front view of the torus and tube in place and attached to the structure.

  Figure 5c shows a sectional view of a torus attachment device and a tube attachment device set up.

  Figure 5d shows a sectional view of a torus attachment device, a tube attachment device and a vise.

  Figure 5e shows a sectional view of a torus flange device and a flange device of the tube in place.

  Figure 5f shows a sectional view of a torus flange device and a tube flange device.

  Figures 6a, 6b and 6c show in section the protective device in three positions.

  Figure 6d shows a sectional view along the plane P of the protection device.

  Figure 7 shows a perspective view of the envelope mounted on the torus with inflatable chambers.

  Figure 8 shows in section, the device with inflatable chambers 40, connecting cables and retaining cables.

  Figure 9a shows in section, the tube with an inflatable membrane in the deflated state.

  Figure 9b shows in section, the tube with an inflatable membrane 45 in the inflated state.

  Figure 10a shows in section, a spherical float coated with two layers.

  Figure 10b shows in section four spherical floats each coated with two layers and subjected to a high water pressure.

  Figure 10c shows in section four spherical floats each coated with two layers and undergoing decompression.

  Figures 11a and 11b show in section the safety device of the envelope with two phases.

  Figure 12 shows in section a particular case where the tube is attached to the torus.

  Figure 13 shows in section the fastening devices in a particular case.

  With reference to FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4a, 5a, 5b, 5c and 5d, the device according to the invention comprises a multitude of floats (9), an envelope (8), a tube (6) and means of binding such as: The floats (9) all have a spherical shape and the same size.

  The casing (8) consists of a flexible, strong and multi-faceted net. Said envelope is made to occupy a certain volume when filled with floats (9). The casing (8) is mounted on a resistive torus (82) at its single opening (81) through which the floats (9) can enter the inside of the casing. Thus, the floats (9) can cross the torus and the opening (81) to go inside the envelope. Vacuum and folded on itself, the envelope (8) is introduced first inside the cavity (4) of the ship or the wreck (1) through the opening (3) which already existed or that would have been practiced in the structure (2) of the ship or wreck.

  The envelope connecting means consist of three attachment devices (89) each consisting of a vise (70) attached to the torus by a rigid arm (71) via a connector (72).

  The vice comprises two jaws (76) and (77), a bolt (78), a flange (79) and an axis (75). First the jaws are placed in a position parallel to the torus when viewed from the front (see Figure 5a) and then rotated about the axis (75) a quarter of a turn so that they can take clamp the wall of the cavity and finally screw the bolt (78) to strongly tighten the wall with the two jaws (76) and (77) to properly attach the torus to the wall, the flange (79) forces the jaw (77) to have only one direction of movement and to remain parallel to the jaw (76).

  The tube (6) is introduced partially inside the casing (8) from the outside of the cavity (4) through the openings (3) and (81). The tube (6) has a symmetry of revolution about an axis and has an inner end (61), an outer end (62) and a tunnel (63) passing from one end to the other. The diameter of the tunnel section is slightly greater than that of the spherical floats (9). Near its outer end (62), the tube has a shoulder (65) for facilitating the connection between the tube (6) of the device and the pipe (5) of the external supply means. The tube serves to extend the pipe of the external supply means and to guide the floats (9) towards the inside of the casing (8) in order to improve the filling thereof.

  The tube connecting means consist of three fastening devices (69) each consisting of a vise (70) attached to the tube by a rigid arm (73) via a connector (74). The attachment devices (69) of the tube are intended to attach the tube to the structure (2) of the ship or wreck. They operate and are used in the same way as the fastening devices (89) of the envelope, they are set up so as not to overlap (see Figure 5b).

  After the introduction of the floats (9) inside the envelope, the upward thrust exerted by the water on the floats, according to the principle of Archimedes, tends to pass the entire envelope (8) with the floats (9) that it contains as high as possible inside the cavity (4). Through the different contact surfaces that exist between the various elements of the device and the walls of the cavity, the device transmits this thrust force to the structure of the ship or wreckage to raise it.

  In the embodiment according to Figs. 5e and 5f, the configuration corresponds to a particular case of the previous configuration where flange devices replace the fastener devices. Thus: - The envelope connecting means consist of three flange devices (30) each consisting of a rigid arm (31) attached on one side to the torus (82) and on the other side to a flange (32) which abuts against the end of the wall of the opening (3) when the casing is introduced into the cavity (4). This prevents the envelope and the torus from going further inside said cavity.

  The connecting means of the tube consist of three flange devices (20) each consisting of a rigid arm (21) attached on one side to the tube (6) and on the other side to a flange (22) which comes abut against the end of the wall of the opening (3) when introducing the tube inside the envelope through the openings (3) and (81). This prevents the tube from going further inside said envelope.

  In the embodiment according to Figures 4a, 4b and 4c an envelope (8) with two openings and two tubes (6) are set up on a ship accident through two existing openings or practiced in the ship structure. The first opening of the envelope receives a long tube that can reach a very low level of the accident ship to enter the infiltrated water, the second opening receives a short tube to allow the introduction of the floats in the envelope from above. This last tube is used first as the infiltrated water has not yet reached a level sufficient to lift the floats and clear the inner end of the long tube. Each tube has a plurality of orifices (66) on its wall to allow water or air to pass through the wall of the tube in both directions so as not to impede the passage of the floats inside the tube. . Floats are introduced without any water supply dry so as not to compromise the rescue operations of the ship. When the infiltrated water reaches a greater level and the inner end (61) of the long tube is disengaged (see Figure 4b), the latter can then be placed in communication with the pipe (5) of the external supply means to introduce new floats (9) inside the envelope by the bottom of the ship where a large amount of water can still be moved to the outside of the ship to be replaced by the new floats. The accident ship finds a stable situation when the infiltrated water is found at the same level as that of the sea while having a margin of buoyancy. Thus the seawater does not infiltrate more inside the ship.

  In the embodiment according to Figures 6a, 6b, 6c and 6d, the device of the invention comprises a locking device located at the outer end (62) of the tube. The locking device consists of two bars (51) diametrically opposed. Each bar rotates about its axis (52) attached to the tube to allow the floats to pass in the direction of the casing (8), a torsion spring type return spring (53) forces the bar to rotate in the other sense to come stop abutting against the flange (54) attached to the tube. The locking device is intended to prevent the floats from escaping from the envelope when the tube will be disconnected from the pipe (5) of the external supply means.

  4o In the embodiment according to FIGS. 7 and 8, the envelope (8) comprises several facets (800), reinforcing cables (801), nodes (802), connecting cables (803), cables retainers (804) and inflatable chambers (805) such as: - the facets (800) are interconnected and reinforced by means of reinforcing cables (801) which form the framework of the envelope (8). ). Each facet is made of a piece of light and strong net.

  the nodes (802) are formed by the crossings of the reinforcing cords (801) between them.

  each connecting cable (803) connects two nodes (802) to each other to limit their relative displacement as well as the relative displacement of the facets to which the two nodes belong, each retaining cable (804) connects the rigid torus (82) to a node (802) to limit the movements of the latter, These two types of cables can reduce the amplitude of the swelling of the envelope when filling with floats. This makes it possible to keep a space between the envelope filled with floats and certain equipment or certain walls of the cavity of the wreck. Problems with decompression can be avoided.

  the inflatable chambers (805) are tubular in shape and are attached to the envelope structure along certain reinforcing cords (801), each of which consists of a watertight and inflatable membrane with the aid of a compressed gas such as air. They are connected together and can be connected to external pneumatic means by means of a pipe (807), said inflatable chambers are first in the deflated state when the envelope is introduced inside the cavity (4) to be inflated thereafter to facilitate the deployment of the envelope within said cavity and finally deflated after the envelope has received a certain amount of floats (9). This avoids problems related to decompression.

  In the embodiment according to Figures 9a and 9b, the tube (6) comprises an inflatable membrane (67) for pushing floats away from the tube to improve the filling of the envelope floats. Said inflatable membrane can make a complete or partial turn around the tube, it can be connected to external pneumatic means by means of a pipe (68) which passes through the tube (6). Thus, the external pneumatic means, installed aboard the rescue boat or the rescue submersible, can provide controlled inflating and deflating of the inflatable membrane (67).

  In the embodiment according to FIGS. 10a, 10b and 10c, the floats (9) have a spherical shape and each of them comprises a rigid central sphere (91), solid or hollow, coated with a layer (92) in open-cell foam, itself is coated with a layer (93) of elastic rubber. The first layer of foam contains a gas such as air in its cells. It is elastic because it compresses when it is subjected to an external pressure and quickly resumes its initial volume when one removes this pressure. The second layer of elastic rubber is impermeable to water and air. As the depth of immersion increases, the volume of gas trapped in the foam cells decreases, its pressure increases, the two layers contract closer to the surface of the central rigid sphere and the total diameter of the float decreases (FIG. 8b). During the ascent of the wreck, the pressure of the water drops, the compressed gas of the first layer tends to resume its initial volume and the foam tends to quickly resume its original thickness thanks to its elasticity. The second elastic rubber layer follows the movement of the first layer where possible (Figure 8c) and moves an extra amount of water out of the wreckage structure. This further reduces the total weight of the wreck and promotes its flotation.

  In the embodiment according to FIGS. 11 to 11 b and 11c, the device of the invention comprises a security device attached to the toroid and disposed inside the envelope. It consists of a rigid bar (41) rotating about an axis (42) fixed between two rigid bars (46) which are attached to the torus (82). When the tube is partially inserted inside the casing, the bar rotates about its axis to let it pass. A return spring (43) of torsion spring type forces the bar to return in the other direction as soon as the tube is removed from the casing to be abutted against a piece (44) attached to the torus. This safety device is intended to prevent the floats introduced into said envelope from leaving when the tube (6) is removed from the envelope. Thus, a single tube (6) can be used to fill several envelopes floats. In addition, we can reintroduce the tube into the envelope at any time and safely without losing a single float.

  In the embodiment according to FIG. 12, the tube (6) is attached to the torus (82) by means of at least three fixing devices, each composed of a rigid arm (86) attached on one side to the tube and on the other side to the torus.

  In this configuration, the tube connecting means which normally connect the tube to the structure are no longer necessary.

  In the embodiment according to FIG. 13, the arm (71) and the coupling (72) of the connection means of the casing as well as the arm (73) and the connection (74) of the connection means of the tube have specific dimensions and shapes. Thus the connecting means allow the device of the invention to be able to adapt to many situations.

  According to a variant not illustrated, the envelope (8) comprises one or more facets of fast access. Each facet of quick access consists of a piece of net attached to the rest of the envelope with cables. At the end of rescue or refloating operations these cables will be broken in order to be able to remove the quick-access facet (s) and thus create one or more openings in the surface of the envelope to facilitate the recovery of the floats (9) .

  According to another variant not shown, the floats (9) have the shape of a cylinder of revolution about an axis with rounded ends such as spherical caps corresponding to half-spheres. One of the ends is ballasted to force each float to put itself in a vertical position when it is submerged. In this case, the tunnel of the tube (6) is rectilinear. This type of float will be appreciated when the cavity (4) has large dimensions and it is necessary to move a large amount of water to the outside of the ship or the wreck.

  According to another variant not shown, the floats (9) are inflatable or self-inflatable. Off-use, these floats occupy an extremely small location. This allows the crew of a ship to quickly implement a large reserve of buoyancy.

  According to another variant not illustrated, the device of the invention comprises a float meter which can be installed on the tube and in connection with the protection device. This makes it possible to control the number and the volume of the floats introduced in the envelope of the device. Thus, it is easy to estimate the amount of water moved outside the ship or the wreck as well as the forces exerted by the various devices placed on the structure of the ship or wreck.

  The device according to the invention is particularly intended for rescuing an accident ship and salvaging a submerged wreck.

  The invention allows the crew of a ship accident or difficulty to quickly establish a reserve of sufficient buoyancy while waiting for rescue. For this, it is sufficient that one or more devices according to the invention are installed on board the ship, as a preventive. Rescue can come by air or by sea to provide assistance as well as other devices and a large amount of floats.

  The use of inflatable or self-inflatable floats, light and compact, has the advantage of facilitating the air intake of a large number of these. Thus, the risk of sinking or the risk of a natural disaster, related to hazardous materials or products contaminating the ratings of one or more countries, can be quickly eliminated.

Claims (1)

18 Claims   1) Device for rescuing an accident ship and for salvaging a submerged wreck, characterized in that it comprises: a multitude of floats (9), an accumulation means such as an envelope (8), said means for receiving and retaining a certain quantity of floats (9), said envelope (8) has an opening (81) at the level of which it is mounted on a resistant frame such as a torus (82) so that the floats (9) can cross the torus and the opening (81) to go inside said envelope, the envelope is introduced to the interior of a cavity (4) of the ship or wreck (1) to be deployed, through an opening (3) existing or would have been practiced in the structure (2) of the ship or wreckage, connecting means for the accumulation means such as a system consisting of at least three rebo devices rd (30), said connecting means are intended to limit the movements of the accumulation means, each rim device (30) comprises an arm (31) attached on one side to the torus (82) and on the other side a flange (32) which abuts on the edge of the opening (3) or on another element of said structure to prevent said envelope from going further inside said cavity, thus limiting the distance between the opening (3) and said torus, a filling means such as a tube (6), said filling means is intended to facilitate the routing of the floats (9) from outside the cavity (4) to the interior of the accumulation means, the tube (6) has an inner end (61), an outer end (62) and a tunnel (63) through which the floats (9) pass to end to the other, said tube is put in place by introducing it partially inside said envelope by passing it through the open opening (3) providing access to said cavity and then through the opening (81), the end (62) and a portion of said tube remain outside said cavity, thus, the floats (9) can pass through the tunnel (63) from outside said cavity to go to the inside of said envelope.   2) Device according to claim 1 characterized in that it further comprises connecting means for the filling means such as a system consisting of at least three flange devices (20), said connecting means are intended for limiting the movements of the filling means, each flange device (20) comprises an arm (21) attached on one side to said tube and on the other side to a flange (22) which abuts on the edge of the opening (3) or on another element of said structure to prevent said tube from going further inside said envelope, thus limiting the distance between the opening (3) and the inner end (61) of said tube, a secure connection means for the tube such as a shoulder (65), said shoulder is near the outer end (62) of said tube, said shoulder is for securing the connection between said tube and an outer tube such as the pipe (5) of the external supply means which allows routing the floats (9) to the outer end (62) of said tube so that they borrow the latter to go to the inside of said envelope.   3) Device according to any one of the preceding claims characterized in that: the connecting means for the accumulation means consist of at least three fastening devices (89) each consisting of a vise (70) attached at the torus by a rigid arm (71) via a connector (72), said vice comprises an axis (75) around which two jaws (76) and (77) can rotate and a bolt (78) for bringing said jaws together to tighten a wall or other element of the structure (2) of the ship or the wreck in order to attach said torus to said structure, the connecting means for the filling means consist of at least three attachment devices ( 69) each consisting of a vice (70) attached to the tube by a rigid arm (73) via a connector (74), said vice is used to clamp with these two jaws a wall or other element of the structure (2) of the ship or wreck to securely attach said tube to said structure, 4) Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that: the floats (9) all have the same spherical shape and a diameter between two given diameter values, the tube (6) has a circular section whose diameter is slightly greater than the largest diameter of the floats (9).   5) Device according to claim 4 characterized in that each spherical float comprises a rigid sphere (91), itself coated with a first open cell foam layer (92) and a second layer of an elastic material waterproof (93) such as rubber.   6) Device according to any one of claims 1, 2 or 3 characterized in that: the floats (9) have the shape of a cylinder of revolution about an axis, terminated by two ends having the shape of a half sphere each and the same diameter as that of the circular section of the cylindrical portion, each float has a ballasted end to always put it in a vertical position when immersed, the diameter of the cylinder is between two values of Given diameter, the tube (6) has a circular section whose diameter is slightly greater than the largest diameter of the floats (9). The tube is straight.   7) Device according to any one of the preceding claims characterized in that it further comprises: a counter for estimating the number of floats (9) introduced inside the envelope (8), a device for blocking, said locking device is located at the outer end (62) of the tube. It consists of two bars (51) diametrically opposed, each rotating about an axis (52) to let the floats move forward, and a return spring (53) which forces the bar to rotate in the opposite direction for return stop abutting against the rim (54), said locking device is intended to let the floats pushed inwardly of the casing (8) and prevent them from escaping when the tube will be disconnected pipe (5) external supply means.   a safety device consisting of a rigid bar (41) rotating about an axis (42) attached to the torus (82) by two bars (46), a torsion spring (43) which reminds the bar to return always at its initial position where it abuts against a piece (44) attached to the torus, said bar opens to allow the tube (6) to enter the interior of said envelope and closes to prevent said floats introduced into said casing to come out when said tube is completely removed from said casing, a multitude of orifices which pass through the wall of said tube to let water and air flow in both directions in order to facilitate the passage of the floats in said casing; tube during a rescue of a ship.   8) Device according to any one of the preceding claims characterized in that: - the envelope (8) consists of several facets (800) connected together to form a volume, said envelope comprises several facets with quick access to facilitate the recovering the floats, reinforcing cables (801), nodes (802), connecting cables (803) each connecting two nodes (802) and holding cables (804) each connecting the torus (82) to a node (802), said connecting and retaining cables are intended to limit the swelling of the envelope when it is filled with floats, inflatable chambers (805) connected to each other and attached to the structure of the envelope, they are connected to the outside of the cavity (4) by a pipe (807) which will be connected to external pneumatic means for inflating and deflating, said inflatable chambers are intended to facilitate the deployment of the envelope (8). ) inside the cavity (4).   the tube (6) comprises inflatable membranes (67) intended to move the floats away from the tube (6) in order to improve the filling rate of the envelope (8) with floats (9).   9) Device according to any one of the preceding claims characterized in that the tube (6) is attached to the torus (82) by means of attachment means such as rigid arms (86) each attached to the tube (6). ) on one side and torus (82) on the other side.   10) A method of rescuing an accident ship and salvaging a submerged wreck characterized in that the rescue of the ship and the salvage of the wreck are made by introducing inside the structure of the ship or the wreck a sufficient quantity of floats whose movements are controlled by placing one or more devices according to any one of the preceding claims from 1 to 9, by following for the implementation of each of these devices the steps following: placement of the means of accumulation of the device, inside a cavity of the ship or wreck: o by passing through an existing opening or by an opening that would have been practiced in the structure of the ship or the wreck, o by setting up the connecting means for the accumulation means in order to limit the movements of the latter, setting up the filling means of the device: o introducing it partially toinside the accumulation means after having passed through the opening of the structure giving access to the cavity and then through the opening of the accumulation means, o by setting up the connecting means for the means of filling in order to limit the movements of the latter, connection of the filling means of the device to the pipe of the external supply means, - introduction of a certain amount of floats inside the accumulation means, stopping the introduction floats and disconnection of the pipe of the external power supply means, when enough floats have been introduced inside the accumulation means.