EP1743835A1 - Manoeuvreing apparatus for a watercraft - Google Patents

Abstract

Water vehicle has shell plate (4) which restricts the surrounding water. A maneuvering device is provided, having water-bearing flow channel (6), means (5,7,9) for generating flow through flow channel and inlet opening (3) and an outlet opening (11). Both inlet opening and outlet opening are closeable. A closing body (10) is provided for closing the outlet opening.

Description

The invention relates to a watercraft, in particular ship or submarine, with the features specified in the preamble of claim 1.

With the steering gear used to control a ship or a submarine changes of direction are often associated with relatively large curve radii. Furthermore, maneuvers that require sensitive maneuvering, such as landing maneuvers, are difficult to implement.

Vessels equipped for maneuvering with the above-mentioned steering gear or maneuvering propellers reach their limits even when these craft are used in shallow waters or in waters with near-surface vegetation.

Out DE 87 16 316 U1 It is known to use water jet drives as control organs. These are essentially axial pumps in which by means of pivotable flaps at the pump outlet a directed beam can be generated, which is used for controlling and / or stopping the ship or watercraft. If these water jet propulsion systems are used as a pure maneuvering aid and the actual propulsion of the ship takes place via a propulsion device which is independent of the water jet propulsion system, the maneuvering aid, which is not activated during normal driving operation, can undesirably influence the driving characteristics of the ship.

This effect is also known in so-called bow thrusters. While only the flow conditions along the hull are primarily adversely affected by this effect in surface vessels, but this is so small that the drive power to be applied so far is negligible, the resulting flow obstruction brings a not inconsiderable noise with it. This is not a problem with surface ships, in military submarines, which can be located almost exclusively on their acoustic signature, a very significant problem, which is why submarines have not been equipped with such maneuvering aids.

Against this background, the present invention has the object to provide a watercraft, in particular ship or submarine, which has improved maneuverability without significantly changing the other driving behavior, in particular without adversely affecting the acoustic signature.

This object is achieved by a watercraft with the features specified in claim 1. Advantageous developments of the invention will become apparent from the dependent claims, the following description and the drawings.

The watercraft according to the invention, which is in particular a ship or a submarine, has an outer skin which delimits the surrounding water. There is provided a maneuvering device comprising a water-conducting flow channel extending through the vehicle, means for generating a flow through the flow channel and at least one inlet and at least one outlet opening of the flow channel in the outer skin having. According to the invention, at least the outlet opening is designed to be closable.

The watercraft is driven during normal driving by a drive which is independent of the maneuvering device. This may be, for example, a propeller drive. In addition, the vessel may have a control device, for example a rudder system, which is also independent of the maneuvering device. The maneuvering device is typically used to make directional changes in confined space or without travel. If necessary, the maneuvering device can also be used to assist the steering gear when the main drive is switched on, but also when the main drive is switched off or, if necessary, as an auxiliary or emergency drive or take-home drive. When using the maneuvering device, water is sucked in at one or more inlet openings, accelerated and then discharged again at the outlet opening, wherein the water jet emerging at the outlet opening generates a thrust, which in principle can be arbitrarily directed. The means for generating a flow may be, for example, pumps suitable therefor, e.g. an axial pump act in the simplest case to a arranged in the flow channel propeller.

During normal operation of the vessel, for example when driving straight ahead, it is usually not necessary to use the maneuvering device. For this case, the invention advantageously offers the possibility to close at least the outlet opening. As a result, the hydrodynamic properties of the vessel compared to those vehicles in which the outlet is not closable, significantly improved. Another advantage of a closable outlet opening is particularly evident in military used submarines. These submarines would have an opening in the outer skin lead to unwanted noise. By closing at least the outlet opening the noise is advantageously prevented, whereby the location of such a submarine is considerably more difficult.

In general, it will be expedient to form both inlet and outlet openings closable, at least when they are in the outer skin of the submarine. However, if necessary, it is also possible to suck in extensively between the outer skin and the pressure body, if this area flows through water anyway, then it may be sufficient to make only the outlet opening closable.

The hydrodynamic properties and the noise behavior of the watercraft are once again improved if, particularly advantageously, all inlet and outlet openings are designed to be closable, so that the outer skin of the watercraft does not have any free openings when the maneuvering device is not operated. Thus, during normal driving, no objects floating in the water, for example aquatic plants, can get into the flow channel and block it.

Preferably, a closure body is provided for closing the outlet opening. This closure body terminates in a position closing the outlet opening, preferably flush with the outer skin of the watercraft, in order to not or not noticeably affect the flow along the outer skin of the watercraft and, in particular, to generate a signature in submarines.

For the same reason, a closure body is also advantageously provided for closing the inlet opening or openings. This body is preferably plate-shaped and is in a flow channel releasing position and the flow channel closing position movable. Preferably, this body is pivotally arranged so that it can be pivoted in operation of the maneuvering device in an open position in which it releases almost the entire flow cross-section of the flow channel in the region of the inlet opening or openings and can be pivoted in non-operation of the maneuvering device in a position in which it completely closes the inlet opening or openings. For the above-mentioned reasons, the plate-shaped body in the position closing the flow channel is preferably arranged and designed so that it is substantially flush with the outer skin of the watercraft.

Advantageously, at least one guide body influencing the flow direction of the water flowing out of the flow channel is arranged near the outlet opening. This guide body is expediently designed to be adjustable. The guide body is advantageously arranged so that it can be used to change the direction of the water flow exiting at the outlet opening. Thus, the guide body makes it possible to direct the thrust generated by the exiting water flow in the direction required for a desired change in direction of the vessel.

In a particularly preferred embodiment of the watercraft according to the invention, the guide body is formed by the closure body of the outlet opening. For this purpose, the closure body is designed such that the water flow exiting at the outlet opening can be directed in a manner required for the maneuvering.

This is advantageously made possible by the fact that the closure body is formed as a plate. This design makes it possible, on the one hand, for the side which closes the outlet opening to face the surrounding water in a simple manner to the contour of the surrounding water the outer skin can be adapted and the flow channel facing side of this plate just as easily a large deflection for deflecting the exiting the outlet opening water flow is available. The plate may be formed, for example, round or square.

Accordingly, the plate is movable at the outlet opening for closing this outlet opening in a position substantially flush with the outer skin and movable during operation of the maneuvering device in a position spaced from the outer skin and / or oriented obliquely to the outer skin.

For this purpose, in principle all suitable drives can be used, but preferably at least one linear drive or preferably three or more linear drives are provided for moving the plate from a position closing the outlet opening into the open position required for changing the direction of the watercraft. The linear actuators can be formed for example by motor-driven threaded spindles or hydraulic or pneumatic lifting cylinders, telescopic cylinders and the like. The linear drives are articulated on the one hand inside the outer skin of the vessel, on the other hand on the plate. By extending the linear drive, the plate is moved in a position spaced from the outer skin position and by retraction again back to a position closing the outlet opening. Preferably, the linear drives are hinged to the plate, so as to allow a tilting of the plate relative to the outer skin of the watercraft. The plate can be articulated on one side at the edge of the outlet opening, so that actuation with only one or two linear drives is possible. Preferably, in this case, the entire closure body is rotatably formed to the outer skin, so that the swung plate allows flow guidance in any direction. For the rotational adjustment of the closure body, for example, hydraulic, electrical or other suitable devices may be provided. In a particularly preferred embodiment, three hydraulically operated lifting cylinders engage the inside of the plate forming the guide body. This arrangement advantageously makes it possible for the panel to be aligned in any angular position and direction with respect to the outer skin and the outlet opening.

Preferably, in the watercraft according to the invention, the outlet opening is arranged on the underside of the watercraft. When using an adjustable in any angular position and direction closure body, this arrangement allows advantageous that the watercraft can be directed in virtually every direction with only one outlet opening. The underside arrangement also has the advantage that in this arrangement, the maneuvering device can be used in particular also supportive when the watercraft has put on. In this case, in particular, the suction effect is counteracted when placed on silt. In case of failure of the main drive, this maneuvering device can also be used as an auxiliary propulsion or "take home" drive.

In a further embodiment of the watercraft according to the invention, at least one outlet opening, which can be closed with a plate, is provided on each of the two longitudinal sides of the watercraft on the outer skin. In this embodiment, it is generally not necessary to provide guide bodies for deflecting the water flow emerging from the outlet opening. Accordingly, it is not necessary to form and arrange the plates as baffles for the water flow. If the outlet openings are provided on both longitudinal sides of the outer skin, the flow channels open expediently essentially transverse to the respective outer skin. This makes it possible, in which only one flow channel is acted upon on one longitudinal side with a flow of water, that a thrust force is exerted transversely to the longitudinal axis of the vessel, which causes depending on the arrangement of the outlet opening a rotational or transverse movement of the watercraft.

The inlet opening of the flow channel is preferably arranged in the region of the front side and in the case of an overhead vehicle below the waterline of the vehicle.

If the vessel is a submarine in which the outer skin encloses a pressure body, the flow channel is particularly advantageously arranged inside the outer skin but outside the pressure body. In this case, the flow channel is guided through the gap between the outer skin and the pressure body. This has the advantage that the pressure body does not have to be broken by the flow channel.

Accordingly, in a submarine, the linear drive is arranged to move the plate outside the pressure hull. Again, the pressure body does not have to be broken by the linear drive, so that the pressure tightness of the pressure hull is not affected by this.

Fig. 1

in schematischer Schnittsdarstellung einen Bugbereich eines erfindungsgemäßen Unterseebootes,

Fig. 2

eine vergrößerte Schnittdarstellung der Auslassöffnung mit einem daran angeordneten Verschlusskörper gemäß Fig. 1,

Fig. 3

den Verschlusskörper gemäß Fig.2 in einer Draufsicht aus Richtung des Strömungskanals und

Fig. 4

eine weitere Ausführungsform einer Auslassöffnung mit darin angeordnetem Verschlusskörper in Darstellung gemäß Fig. 2.

The invention is explained below with reference to exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawing. Show it:

Fig. 1

in a schematic sectional view of a bow region of a submarine according to the invention,

Fig. 2

an enlarged sectional view of the outlet opening with a closure body arranged thereon according to FIG. 1,

Fig. 3

the closure body according to Figure 2 in a plan view from the direction of the flow channel and

Fig. 4

a further embodiment of an outlet opening with closure body arranged therein in the representation according to FIG. 2.

The submarine shown in FIG. 1 has a pressure body 2, which is surrounded by an outer skin 4. In the bow-side space between the outer skin 4 and the pressure body 2, a flow channel 6 is arranged. This flow channel 6 has an inlet opening 3 in the region of the bow of the submarine and opens at an outlet opening 11 in the region of the underside of this submarine. For this purpose, the flow channel 6, starting from the inlet opening 3, is initially guided horizontally in the direction of the longitudinal axis to the pressure body 2 in order to bend in front of it at an angle of approximately 90 ° in the downward direction. In the region of the bend of the flow channel 6, a drive shaft 7 is arranged with a propeller 9 attached thereto for generating a flow through the flow channel 6. The drive shaft 7 is driven by a motor 5 arranged in the pressure body 2 of the submarine. However, the drive motor 5 can also be outside the pressure hull 2.

The inlet opening 3 at the bow of the submarine is closed by a body 8 in the form of a pivotally hinged plate 12. Also at the outlet opening 11 of the flow channel 6, a closure body 10 is arranged. The body 8 and the closure body 10 close the flow channel 6 on both sides. This close the the surrounding water-facing sides of the body 8 and the closure body 10 flush with the outer skin 4 of the submarine.

This closing the flow channel 6 position of the body 8 and the closure body 10 is then provided when the submarine is in normal driving and the maneuvering device is not used. By completing the body 8 and the closure body 10 flush with the outer skin 4, the inlet and outlet ports 3, 11 and arranged there body 8 and closure body 10 do not affect the hydrodynamic properties of the submarine and lead to any significant noise.

The body 8 is articulated by means of a hinge assembly 12 on the outer skin 4 of the submarine. The hinge assembly 12 makes it possible to pivot the body 8 from a position closing the flow channel 6 when the maneuvering device is not operating to a position releasing the flow channel 6 when the maneuvering device is used, i.e. when the channel 6 is flowed through.

Similarly, the closure body 10 can be moved starting from a position closing off the flow channel 6 into a position which releases this flow channel 6. This is clear from FIGS. 2 and 3. The figures show that the closure body 10 is formed as a circular plate which has a larger diameter than the flow channel 6. Corresponding to the diameter of the closure body 10, the flow channel 6 is widened at the outlet opening and forms in the outer skin 4 an annular shoulder with an annular surface 14 arranged parallel to the outlet opening.

3 linear drives 16 are based on the annular surface 14, whose extendable ends are hinged to the side of the closure body 10 facing the flow channel 6. The linear drives 16 are arranged such that in their retracted state, the side facing away from the flow channel 6 of the closure body 10 is flush with the outer skin 4 of the submarine. By non-uniform extension of the linear drives 16, i.e. that the linear drives 16 are not all extended equally, the closure body 10 can be moved in an angular range of about 0 ° - 75 ° in any angular position and orientation to the outer skin 4. Thus, an inclined position of the closure body 10 can be achieved, which deflects a discharged at the outlet opening of the flow channel 6 water flow so that it exerts a thrust force in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of the submarine or in the longitudinal direction or any direction between them. The closure body 10 thus forms in the open position a guide in the form of a guide plate.

4 shows a further embodiment of a closure body 10 ', which is likewise designed as a circular plate. The closure body 10 'is pivotally mounted at its periphery at two diametrically spaced-apart points on the outer skin 4 surrounding the outlet opening 11 of the submarine. To improve the efficiency, the flow channel 6 widens toward the outlet opening 11. Thus, the flow channel 6 in the region of the outlet opening 11 has a shape adapted to the pivoting path of the closure body 10 '. By means of a linear drive not shown in FIG. 4, the closure body 10 'is pivotable about an axis 12 extending through the attachment points and can be pivoted into a position closing the outlet opening and into a position releasing the outlet opening. Depending on the arrangement and orientation of the opening 11 within the outer skin can be achieved by pivoting the plate 10 about the axis 12 also a guiding effect, but always only in a predetermined direction. In order to produce a flow line in any direction, the closure body 10 'is designed to be rotatable about the channel axis of the flow channel 6 to form the outer skin 4.

In the exemplary embodiments described above, the channel 6 opens at the inlet opening 3 and the outlet opening 11 substantially perpendicular to the outer skin 3, it is understood that depending on the desired flow effect also can be done by a vertical deviating orientation.

Instead of an inlet opening 8, a plurality of inlet openings can also be provided. If a plurality of outlet openings are provided, a switching device is expediently provided within the flow channel 6, in order to selectively apply the flow to the one or the other outflow channel.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

2

pressure vessels

3

inlet port

4

shell

5

engine

6

flow channel

7

drive shaft

8th

body

9

propeller

10, 10 '

closure body

11

outlet

12

axis

14

ring surface

16

linear actuator

Claims (14)

Vessel, in particular a ship or submarine, having an outer skin (4) delimiting it from the surrounding water, with a maneuvering device comprising a water-conducting flow channel (6) extending through the vehicle, means (5, 7, 9) for generating a flow through the flow channel (6) and at least one inlet and at least one outlet opening (3, 11) of the flow channel (6) in the outer skin (4), characterized in that at least the outlet opening (11) is designed to be closable. Watercraft according to claim 1, characterized in that all inlet and outlet openings (3, 11) are designed to be closed. Vessel according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that for closing the outlet opening (11) a closure body (10, 10 ') is provided, which is flush in a closing position with the outer skin (4). Vessel according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that for closing the inlet opening (3) a plate-shaped body (8) is provided, which is in a flow channel (6) releasing position and in a flow passage (6) closing position movable. Vessel according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that close to the outlet opening (11) at least one of the flow direction of the flow channel (6) outflowing water influencing adjustable guide body (10, 10 ') is arranged. Vessel according to claim 5, characterized in that the guide body (10, 10 ') of the closure body (10, 10') is formed. Watercraft according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the closure body (10, 10 ') is formed as a plate. A watercraft according to claim 7, characterized in that the plate (10, 10 ') at the outlet opening in a substantially flush with the outer skin (4) position and in one of the outer skin (4) spaced and / or obliquely to the outer skin ( 4) aligned position is movable. Vessel according to claim 8, characterized in that for moving the plate (10, 10 ') at least one linear drive (16), preferably three or more linear drives (16) are provided. Watercraft according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the outlet opening (11) is arranged on the underside of the watercraft. Vessel according to one of claims 7 to 10, characterized in that the plate (10, 10 ') is pivotable and at least one linear drive (16) for pivoting the plate (10, 10') is provided. Watercraft according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the inlet opening (3) is arranged in the region of the front side and preferably below the waterline of the vehicle. Vessel, namely submarine, according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the outer skin (4) encloses a pressure body (2), characterized in that the flow channel (6) outside the pressure hull (2) is arranged. Vessel according to claim 13, characterized in that the linear drive (16) for moving the plate (10, 10 ') outside the pressure hull (2) is arranged.

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