WO2009008747A2

WO2009008747A2 - A floating structure and its method of construction

Info

Publication number: WO2009008747A2
Application number: PCT/NZ2008/000163
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ross Laurence Langman
Original assignee: Mariteq Holdings Limited
Priority date: 2007-07-11
Filing date: 2008-07-09
Publication date: 2009-01-15
Also published as: WO2009008747A3; NZ556484A

Abstract

In its primary aspect, the present invention is directed towards a novel floating structure, the floating structure including an upper bearing structure, and a floating support for the bearing structure, characterised in that the floating structure is configured to receive stabilisation means which is retained substantially below the bearing structure. In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the floating structure is a floating access way for use in a marina. In other embodiments of the present invention, the floating structure may be breakwaters or wave attenuators. Methods of constructing the floating structure are also claimed.

Description

A FLOATING STRUCTURE AND ITS METHOD OF CONSTRUCTION

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to a floating structure and its method of construction.

The invention has particular application to the stabilisation of floating structures such as floating walkways, breakwaters and wave attenuators and construction of same.

BACKGROUND ART

Many marine or freshwater vessels such as yachts or launches are kept in a marina to allow the owner of a yacht or launch easy access to his or her vessel.

Access is provided to the vessel from the shoreline by floating walkways suspended on buoyant floats, the walkways being anchored securely to the bottom.

Typically, vessels moored at a marina are tied and secured directly to these floating walkways. Many walkways may have secondary walkways extending substantially perpendicularly from the main walkway, allowing a considerable number of vessels to be moored to the walkway.

This is very convenient for vessel owners or operators as the use of floating walkways provide a somewhat stable platform from which to embark or disembark persons and/or equipment to and from a vessel. Equipment may also be stored on floating walkways if required.

Vessels kept on a mooring have to be loaded from a dinghy, a notoriously unstable method to load and unload a vessel.

Alternatively, the owner may use a dinghy to get to the vessel, then move the vessel to a jetty or similar loading platform. This can be time consuming as the owner or operator has to make the initial trip to and from the vessel in order to move the vessel to the loading or unloading point. Therefore, there is significant convenience to be had by keeping a vessel at a marina with floating walkways.

However, floating walkways can be unstable in certain conditions, and considerable care must be taken when traversing walkways at these times.

Even relatively light winds can cause a choppy sea which can cause lightweight or relatively buoyant walkways or jetties to move about in an unpredictable fashion.

Often as a result of the movement of the floating walkways, sections of the walkway may be higher than their immediate neighbours, and the uneven surface can make walking or otherwise moving along a walkway awkward.

Persons moving about on an uneven or unstable floating walkway are liable to trip or fall either onto the walkway or into the water. Potentially valuable boating equipment and paraphernalia may also be lost overboard during the course of loading or unloading a vessel from an unstable floating walkway.

Floating walkways or jetties in marine situations are subject to tidal flows. These tidal flows can twist the walkways, placing abnormal stress on the connectors of the walkways.

In conjunction with choppy waters, there is the potential for damage if a walkway breaks free of its mooring due to its instability in tidal flows. The potential for the walkway to break free from its mooring is more likely the more buoyant the walkway is.

One method used to alleviate this is construct the walkway from relatively dense material, which still has a degree of buoyancy. However, often the weighted components required are of a size which makes construction difficult and time consuming without heavy equipment such as mobile cranes and the like. If several different walkways are constructed and connected together, it can also be difficult to ensure that each walkway is at the same height as its neighbour.

There is a clear need for a floating walkway resolving the aforementioned problems.

All references, including any patents or patent applications cited in this specification are hereby incorporated by reference. No admission is made that any reference constitutes prior art. The discussion of the references states what their authors assert, and the applicants reserve the right to challenge the accuracy and pertinency of the cited documents. It will be clearly understood that, although a number of prior art publications are referred to herein, this reference does not constitute an admission that any of these documents form part of the common general knowledge in the art, in New Zealand or in any other country.

It is acknowledged that the term 'comprise' may, under varying jurisdictions, be attributed with either an exclusive or an inclusive meaning. For the purpose of this specification, and unless otherwise noted, the term 'comprise' shall have an inclusive meaning - i.e. that it will be taken to mean an inclusion of not only the listed components it directly references, but also other non-specified components or elements. This rationale will also be used when the term 'comprised' or 'comprising' is used in relation to one or more steps in a method or process.

It is an object of the present invention to address the foregoing problems or at least to provide the public with a useful choice.

Further aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the ensuing description which is given by way of example only.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a floating structure which includes: an upper bearing structure, and;

a floating support for the bearing structure,

characterised in that the floating structure is configured to receive stabilisation means which is retained substantially below the bearing structure

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of forming a module for use in the construction of a floating structure, said module including;

an upper bearing structure, and;

a floating support for the bearing structure,

characterised by the step of

a) fitting a stabilisation means to the module.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of constructing a floating structure from modules, said module including;

an upper bearing structure, and;

a floating support for the bearing structure, and;

a stabilisation means for the floating support,

characterised by an additional step of connecting modules, substantially as described above, to one another.

A floating structure may be any apparatus configured to float in fresh or sea water. The floating structure may be intended to promote passage of persons, equipment, or vehicles from a ship, ferry, launch, yacht, or similar water going vessel to land.

Alternatively, the floating structure may be intended to act as a break water or wave attenuator.

A floating structure may be a jetty or quay being substantially buoyant in water, but preferably is a floating walkway such as those typically used in a marina, and shall be referred to as such throughout the remainder of this specification.

The bearing structure may be any structure bearing the weight of persons or equipment traversing the floating walkway.

The bearing structure may be wooden planks secured to a frame. Alternatively, the bearing structure may be a non-slip tread way fabricated from galvanised iron or a similar metal. Alternatively, thin slabs of concrete or similar cementitious material may also be used as a bearing structure.

A person skilled in the art will appreciate that the bearing structure is preferably the upper surface of the floating support.

Preferably, the bearing structure is an aluminium or similar metal frame configured to retain planks or textured aluminium or steel plates upon its upper surface, and shall be referred to as such throughout the remainder of this specification.

The floating support, which henceforth shall be referred to as a float in the remainder of this specification, may be any object having sufficient positive buoyancy to support the bearing structure when having typical weights thereon (such as people) and remain at least only partially submerged.

The float may be blocks of lightweight wood, such as balsa wood or cork. Alternatively, the float may be formed from materials such as fibreglass, polystyrene or similar foamed plastic. Alternatively, the float may be formed from concrete. The concrete may in some instances be foamed concrete or of standard construction encasing a buoyant material.

Preferably, the float has been rotary moulded from polyethylene plastic, but persons skilled in the art will appreciate that other plastics may be used.

Preferably the float is a substantially hollow plastic moulding. This reduces the costs of manufacture, and also reduces the weight of the floats so that they are relatively easy to transport.

In preferred embodiments of the present invention, the float is configured with an aperture or recess running at least partially through the float from its upper surface through to its lower surface.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the float is configured with a removable plug or bung communicating with the interior of the float. Removal of the plug allows water to enter the float, decreasing its buoyancy. By controlling the amount of water entering the float, its height above the water surface can be adjusted.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the float is configured with recesses or pins on its upper surface, complementary to the frame of the overlaying bearing structure. This helps anchor the float to the frame, and maintains the stability of the overall module.

Other means of securing the frame to the float may include the use of strapping or ties, but persons skilled in the art will appreciate that other means to secure the frame to the float may be used.

The frame of the bearing structure may be of a sufficient length to lay across a number of floats. Thus, a number of modules can be constructed by joining adjacent frames and floats.

The stabilisation means may be any object having a substantially negative buoyancy, and preferably is configured to be attached to the float.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be configured to receive stabilisation means substantially below the waterline of the float.

The stabilisation means may be a lead or similarly dense metal weight. Alternatively, the stabilisation means may be a container configured to hold sand, gravel, rock, or similar dense granular material.

Preferably, the stabilisation means is a moulding of concrete or similar cementitious material and shall be referred to as such throughout the remainder of this specification.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the concrete may be configured to be attached to the bearing support. For example, the concrete may be moulded with loops, hooks or similar attachments around which strapping or ropes may be used to secure the concrete to the bearing support.

In preferred embodiments of the present invention, the concrete is moulded in shape complimentary to the recess or aperture of the float.

Preferably, the shape of the concrete moulding is vertically elongated so that when in place, the moulding extends beneath the lower surface of the floating support.

Preferably, the concrete moulding is substantially of a shape and profile similar to a keel.

However, persons skilled in the art will appreciate that other configurations for the recess of the float and the stabilization means are envisaged. For example, the recess in the float may run the length of the bottom portion of the support, and is configured to receive a stabilization means moulded in a "T", configuration. The horizontal portion of the "T" element is slid into the float, and the vertical portion of the "T" extends beneath the floating support.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the recess in the float and the stabilization means may be configured such that they run substantially the length of the float. In this configuration, the float is able to act as a breakwater or to attenuate wave action. In choppy water, one side of the stabilization means bears the brunt of the wave action so that wave action on the other side of the stabilization means is reduced.

Alternatively, the stabilization means may be a cube or similar geometrical shape complementary to a recess moulded into the lower surfaces of the float.

This allows the centre of mass of the float and its attached stabilisation means to be as low as possible, thus conferring a high degree of stability to the present invention compared to conventional floating access ways presently in use.

This reduces the susceptibility of the module to respond unpredictably to wave or tidal action, thus giving persons traversing the invention greater confidence in these conditions.

Having stabilization means which extend substantially below the float to lower the centre of mass, allows the stabilization means to be smaller than conventional means of stabilizing floats, which often can be as large as the upper surface of the floating pontoon to which they are attached.

Retaining the stabilization means within the float by dropping it into an aperture of the float, does away with the need to use securing or fastening means to hold the heavy stabilization means to the float, as the weight of the stabilization means itself is sufficient to keep it in place. This method of restraining the stabilization means also simplifies construction of the modules.

The present invention allows a number of modules to be constructed and integrated relatively easily and quickly compared to conventional marina walkways.

The ability to adjust the height of the floats in the water by permitting water to flow into the interior of the float ensures that the height of the adjacent modules can be simply adjusted to ensure an even surface for the modules. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Further aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the following description which is given by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a side view of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a front view of the present invention,

Figure 3 is a plan view of the present invention,

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the present invention, and

Figure 5 is a side view of a number of modules of the present invention joined end to end.

BEST MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Figure 1 shows the present invention (generally indicated by arrow 1 ) from a side view.

The bearing structure (2) is supported by the floating support (3). Within the floating support, is provided a recess (4) extending from the upper surface (5) of the floating support through to the lower surface (6).

The stabilisation means (7) is configured to fit within the recess (4). The stabilisation means (7) is provided with a lip (8) which is complementary to the lip of the recess (9). This ensures that the stabilisation means remains within the floating support.

Figure 2 is a front view of the present invention (1 ). The bearing surface (2) of the floating support (3) is configured with a lip (10) on either side of the outer edges of the floating support. This lip provides sufficient surface area for a frame (not shown) to be laid atop of the floating support. Figure 3 is a plan view of the present invention showing the recess (4) which runs through the floating support from the upper surface (5) through to the lower surface (6).

Figure 4, a perspective view of one module of the present invention, shows that there is no communication between the interior (11 ) of the floating support (3) and the recess (4). A plug or bung (12) allows communication with the interior (11) of the floating support.

Figure 5 shows a number of modules of the present invention (13). These are connected together via an overlaying framework (14).

Aspects of the present invention have been described by way of example only and it should be appreciated that modifications and additions may be made thereto without departing from the scope thereof as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

WHAT I/WE CLAIM IS:

1. A floating structure, the structure including:

an upper bearing structure, and;

a floating support for the bearing structure,

characterised in that the floating structure is configured to receive stabilisation means which is retained substantially below the bearing structure.

2. A floating structure as claimed in claim 1 wherein the floating structure is a floating walkway.

3. A floating structure as claimed in either claims 1 or 2 wherein the upper bearing structure is the upper surface of the floating support.

4. A floating structure as claimed in either claims 1 or 2 wherein the upper bearing structure is an aluminium or similar metal frame configured to retain planks or textured aluminium or steel plates upon its upper. surface.

5. A floating structure as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein the floating support is a substantially hollow moulding.

6. A floating structure as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein the floating support is constructed from polystyrene or similar foamed plastic.

7. A floating structure as claimed in anyone of claims 1 to 6 wherein the floating support is constructed from fibreglass.

8. A floating structure as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7 wherein the floating support includes concrete.

9. A floating structure as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8 wherein the floating support is configured with an aperture or recess running at least partially through the floating support from its upper surface through to its lower surface.

10. A floating structure as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9 wherein the floating support is configured with an aperture or recess running at least partially through the length of the bottom portion of the floating support.

11. A floating structure as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10 wherein the lower portion of the floating support is configured with an aperture or recess substantially of a cube or similar geometrical shape.

12. A floating structure as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11 wherein the floating support is configured with a removable plug or bung communicating with the interior of the floating support.

13. A floating structure as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 12 wherein the floating support is configured with recesses or pins on its upper surface, complementary to the frame of the upper bearing structure.

14. A floating structure as claimed in one of claims 1 to 13 wherein the frame of the upper bearing structure is of a sufficient length to lay across a plurality of floating supports.

15. A floating structure as claimed in one of claims 1 to 14 wherein the stabilisation means is any object having substantially negative buoyancy.

16. A floating structure as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 15 wherein the stabilisation means is configured to be attached to the floating support.

17. A floating structure as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 16 wherein the floating support is configured to receive the stabilisation means substantially below the waterline of the floating support.

18. A floating structure as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 17 wherein the stabilisation means is a moulding of concrete or similar cementitious material.

19. A floating structure as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 18 wherein the stabilisation means is a container configured to hold sand, gravel, rock, or similar dense granular material.

20. A floating structure as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 19 wherein the stabilisation means is a lead or similarly dense weight.

21. A floating structure as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 20 wherein the stabilisation means is configured to be attached to the upper bearing structure.

22. A floating structure as claimed in any one of claims 9 to 21 wherein the recess or aperture of the floating support is complementary to the shape of the stabilisation means.

23. A floating structure as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 22 wherein the shape of the stabilisation means is vertically elongated so that when in place, the stabilisation means extends beneath the lower surface of the floating support.

24. A floating structure as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 23 wherein the shape of the stabilisation means is substantially of a shape and profile similar to a keel.

25. A floating structure as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 24 wherein the shape of the stabilisation means is a shape and profile running substantially the length of the floating support.

26. A floating structure as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 25 wherein the shape of the stabilisation means is substantially of a T-shaped profile, with the horizontal portion of the T configured to engage with a complementary recess along at least a portion of the length of the bottom portion of the floating support.

27. A floating structure as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 26 wherein the shape of the stabilisation means is substantially of a cube or similar geometrical shape complementary to a recess moulded into the lower surfaces of the floating support.

28. A method of forming a module for use in the construction of a floating structure, said module including;

an upper bearing structure, and;

a floating support for the bearing structure,

characterised by the step of

a) fitting a stabilisation means to the module.

29. A method of constructing a floating structure from a plurality of modules, said modules including;

an upper bearing structure, and;

a floating support for the bearing structure, and;

a stabilisation means for the floating support,

characterised by an additional step of connecting modules, substantially as claimed in claims 1 to 27, to one another.

30. A floating structure substantially as described herein and with reference to the accompanying drawings.

31. A method of constructing a floating structure substantially as described herein and with reference to the accompanying drawings. .

2. A method of constructing a floating structure from a plurality of floating structures substantially as described herein and with reference to the accompanying drawings.