CA2383661A1 - Harbour ice channel - Google Patents

Abstract

A means of creating a navigable path, passage, canal, or channel, for marine craft, boats, or ships, through solid ice, during seasonal, arctic, or natural winter freezing conditions by the use of loose, or captive, hollow, or solid, balls, spheres, or discs made of plastic, rubber, metal, wood or wood composite, packed and nested together at a specified depth and placed on the surface of the water within the width and length of a proposed navigable channel, formed by existing concrete, or steel walls, or by cutting a path through solid ice with rotary or chain saws, or creating a passage with vertical, floating mesh netting, at the beginning of the winter freeze.
The inventor has established that loose of captive, frozen, closely packed nested balls, create a web of interlocking filaments of ice structure between them, but having no consistent thickness in any direction, the structure remains weak and susceptible to pressure. or direct force and is easily broken up by weight, or the bow of small harbour craft. Larger balls create a similarly weak ice structure. Although still subject to freezing, continuous use of the channel will change each time to break-up and churn the mush of water, ice fragments and moving or sliding balls, ensuring there is no impenetrable solid ice barrier to open water. Ball traps at each end of the channel determine that very few balls are lost, or drift away.

Description

1. The idea relates to the use of large or small vessels, boats, or ships, in the transportation of goods, trade or passengers dut~ng the winter freeze, where and when vessels commonly known as ice-breakers are unavailable to break a temporary ice passage through large sheets of thick ice. In key s of a canal, seaway, or small port, or harbour, ice of varying thickness can bring all working activity to a halt during winter mcmtMs, increasing unemployment and affecting the economy.

2. This innovation proposes to create a channel, or passage, in the ice for ~ntinuous use during a long winter freeze, thus providing (e.g.) A small great lakes port, coastal harbour, or seaway, with aantinuous access, for all manner of small craft and eventuaNy, larrger ships, (when fuNy teshed and developed) leading to employment for hundreds for people in transportation, shipping, search and rescue and fishing year round, bringing ~abilfity to the area and stimulating trade.

3. Small scale tesfis have shown that closely packed, nested balls of plastic, mc~i, rubber, wood or wood cornpos~e, when mnfrtned and froien in a solid ioe mass, will form intricate, webs of interlocking filaments of spidery, lace like, ice structure betwween them, and having little strer~th, are easy broken up by direct pn~ssure or fiorce, like the bow of a small vessel, riding over and through the fragments of ice and balls, perhaps with the aid of a temporary skid, or breaker. Alttrrnugh still subject to freezing, continuous use of the channel, will churn and break up the mush of water, ice fragments and moving balls, ensuring #tere is no impenetrable solid ice barrier to open water. Ball traps at each end of the channel determine very few balls are lost or drift away.

4. (~1ANNEL OR PASSAGE THROUGH THICK ICE
The use of loose, or captive, hollow or solid, balls, spheres, cylinders or discs, packed together to weaken ice stt-ucture in a proposed channel, or passage.
(e.g.) Through an assumed ~/~ mile sheet of ice 3'-0" deep, blocking a small port, harbour, or seaway, using the following innovative ideas to reach open water.
(a) VERTICAL PLASTIC MESH NETTING up to 12'-0" deep, c~pending on ice thickness, on both sides of a 2D'-0" wide channel stretching the full length, (e.g.) 1G~' long, supported by buoys at regular spacing, with poles and markers anchored to the bottom of the harbour. Each end of the channel would have a ball trap preventing ba8s flowing free. Extra mesh netting is required on both sides of the ball traps to allow for pressure on captive balls, pushing outward from centre channel as vessels displace them and move through. Fig. b fib) BALL TRAPS comprise floating vertical columns, or strings of rolling beds, or walls of balls, elongated tubular cylinders, or discs, fed to a grid or pontoon raft submerged below the surface ice, and anchored, or tethered at a specific depth to the harbour floor, or sea bottom. Floating oc~mmpcmen#s roN on non-aor~ve cable or strings, with extra length for adjustrnent, draft, sire ofi vessel, and surface water kernel t~equir~e~rents. The full baN string is packed with balls or cylinders down, to the sliding rack base ensuring there is no exposed cable to get entangled. Depth of submerged raft can be adjusted by cable and pui~y at aundeiw~er (below ice) i~ surface buoys above, ensuring the anchoring is secure, to counteract possible drag from vessels passing through.
~c) UNDERWATER AIR BUBBLE LINE suspended be~w the channel, for intermittent use, will assist in break up of iae structure with warm upward currenirs.
~d) 1~DIFI~ATIONS Tt7 SMA11 MARINE CRAFT could indude heavy-duty propellers and sh~s. Also propeller and nx~er shields for all sues of waft riding over balls when in the channel. Portable pneumatic hammers might also be usefiul for emerge, b~ up ice hurrtrr~odcs and pads ice within the channel.

(e~ USE OF HYDi'~ULI~ THRUSTER TYPE JET BOAT propulsion shawid be ideal for trading this style of winter channel with less prcrbherrrs of entangiemerrt.
intakes must be below ioe level.
(fi) STORE flF BANS during ~e summer mss. Assuming ir~ir~e chowder would occur on the surface ofi the bails if they were submerged during way weather, it is prapose~d tire balls oauid be dried out and st~rned.
The inventor suggests the conon of a pre-cast, waterproof, floatir~, r~einforr~d aor~nebe anc! st~eei i~bour, vdt~h could be miss produced, Within operational seaWay dimensions, designed to be seer When towed to any location using por~b~ t~draulic lxirrrps and thrus~er Port's to help steer', or potion the mnaebe hull before flooding selected canpa~ and gently settling the new harbour on its tx~wiousiy defined base.
The hulk then serves as a dock, a pier, a wharf, a hei'roopber platform or a covered gae area vr~h a large flat deck. Muldpte units coupled toged~er would serve as fiia~Di~S, refl(IerxS, and military bases With lMng qUat'ter5, Or e~Y1 $T~L
rUtlWayS.

s HARBOUR ICE CHANNELS
LET OF DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 TYPICAL ICE STRUCTURE BETWEEN BALLS {COMPUTER SiMULATI4N) Fig. 2 ICE STRUCTURE BEtINEEN BALLS {PLAN/DIAGRAM) Fig. 3 ICE CHANNEL CROSS ~CIION OF {SMALL CRAFT) Fig. 4 ICE CHANNEL CROSS SECTIDnI {FREIGHTER) Fig. 5 BALL TRAP {ENTRY) Fig. s BALL TRAP {DISPLACEMENT) Fig. 7 BALL TRAP {SIDE VIEW) Fig. 8 BALL STRING {RAFT DETAIL) Fig. 9 BALL, CYLINDER & DISC STRINGS
Fig. 10 BALL STORAGE

DRAWINGS
ICE STRUCTURE
In drawings ilhg embodirnent3 of the inWention, Fig. 1 shows a aanpu~e~ed simulation of a typical 'roe structure faron of inter~dcing lace-like filaments between falls. The lamer the balls the stronger die ice stru~ure, but with no consistent thickness in any dire~on, the structure rerr~ains weak, is sable to any direct form of pre~SUre and I$ eerily broken lip. ~1 plan lfiew of d, t~er'~edr C~p~Ne and t009e balls, is shown on Fig. 2 with the ice structure darkened or hat~e~i betw~.'en halts.
fig. 3 and Fig. 4 iflusd~e cross serfs ,as enrisagead through a typical 'roe channel knot to scale) with marine craft negotiating an approx.: 3'-0" deep layer of loose ~" (LOOmm) dia~Ger balls packed betvv~raeen two werk~al mesh nets ~ approx. 1~'-0" feet high with markers ~ supported by buoys and pas~toned by anchors. 11 A,tso shovm is a flexible air bubble hose 1~ or 1»i~e. suspended bench the channel, to stimulate ice break-up with rising warm water, key sections of the passage or channel.
A~t each end of the channel are ball traps as on Fig. ~, F'-ig. ~, and Fig. 7 .
T?~ese are designed to cover an area suited to the particular marine craft using the chamnel, t~ir~g betm~d a moving vessel entenir~g or leering the diannel, preventing Loose halts from driitng fi ee.

ALL TRAPS comprise a submerged and tethered rafit or pontoon ~ a rack ~
grid of non-oon~ve metal slot, or slide members 14 mounted and bolted dose t~~gether ~ the raft at right angles 90° aQOSS the width and path ofi the channel.
The metal sues, or slide racks 1~ are scorned by oomrnon members each other, Leaving a speaflc gap to slide in the bail strings, as shown on fig. 8.
BALI ,~TR.i ,5 are flowing versa) t~iumns of balk cylinders or discs of various materials arid sizes, see L=ig. 9, held captive on iron-corrosive cables, ~
which float vertically from the Submerged raft ~, below to the Surface above, atrarrged cording to the sire and draft of the vessel using the channel, employing the most efT~nt type of string assembly, the best operating flot~on medium in the ice, offering leapt resistance to a vessel moving through.
llilhen fully assembled, the aompiete ball ~p embodies b0 to ifl0 verticaNy Bating captive strings or rnliir~g beads ofi balls, cylinders or discs, ~ packed die togekher in long sloes between slide racks 14 (e.g.) a ~0'. On width of d~annel from the submerged raft 15 with a suggested minimum ofi i2D slots below, and ball strings to the surface above, for a small ~4-0~ vessel to move thrnugh a bed and weNs of idling balls, either entering or leaving the chanrnel. See F'~g. ~, Fig. .~, and Fig. 7 As vessel pas, ball strings irrur~ediately float bade to their original vertical posfion, preventing loose brads from drifting away. BaNs or cylinders can be stuckhed with refle~ors or colored for use as channel or boundary markers. tatherwise black, to absorb heat.
~J4LL STORAGE AND FLOATING HARBOUR
Fig. 1fl Ernrisages the embodiment of a large pr~e-ca~, waterproof, reinforced concn~, hollow hull type, floating harbour, designed within seaway dimensions to be seaworthy and towed #~ a pre-selected location, and positioned by portable heavy duty hydraulic thruster pumps, though built-in thruster ports finre and aft, then flooded and settled on a pre-d~en~ined base.
Notable fieatures indude a full width wide deck ~. A fore and aft bow design to entrance sea-worthiness and steering. Flooding or storage aornpertrnents Bunt in towing fiaalides 2~4 . Thruster ports ~ Buiit-in Treliex Type rrubber/p~ic bumpers ~ for special docking and multiple unit hook up. Multiple decks 27 as required for store or living quarters.

Claims (5)

1. CLAIM 1. The use of packed, loose, or captive, hollow, or solid balls, spheres or cylinders or discs, floating on the surface of water, to a specific depth, within a confined channel, passage, seaway, port or harbour, to significantly weaken ice structure and create a navigable channel for marine craft during winter freeze conditions.
2. CLAIM 2. The use and design of floating mesh net with buoys and markers each side forming a navigable channel, with captive floating ball traps at each end to prevent loss of packed loose balls during access to and from the channel by marine craft.
3. CLAIM 3. The unique and simple design of floating captive ball traps using captive nested vertical strings or columns of rolling balls or elongated cylinders or discs on cables attached to a submerged raft below in an area at each end of the channel prevents the loss or escape of loose balls. (Full scale tests might prove smaller traps are possible.) Each ball trap having sufficient area and length for specific marine craft which can smoothly move from one area to another into or out of the channel over the ball trap, with captive ball strings springing up behind to close the trap.
4. CLAIM 4 The design of rolling balls or cylinders for normal docking purposes.
5. CLAIM 5. The storage of balls within the innovative design of a floating pre-cast reinforced concrete and /or metal waterproof harbour to serve as a multi-purpose storage dock wharf pier, helicopter pad or military base. Constructed as a seaworthy vessel, capable of being towed to any location positioned and settled on a pre-determined base by flooding compartments. Capable of being pumped out, refloated, and moved, or towed, elsewhere.