GB2151560A

GB2151560A - Amphibious equipment for hauling ashore and launching of hydrofoil and small coastal crafts

Info

Publication number: GB2151560A
Application number: GB08431670A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Dr Riccardo Rodriquez
Original assignee: Rodriquez Cantieri Navali SpA
Current assignee: Rodriquez Cantieri Navali SpA
Priority date: 1983-12-23
Filing date: 1984-12-14
Publication date: 1985-07-24
Also published as: ES8507404A1; GR81193B; FR2563166A1; ES538728A0; AU3635484A; IT8312710A1; IT8312710A0; IT1172661B; GB8431670D0

Abstract

At or near each corner of the amphibious equipment is a hollow vertical buoyancy tube 18 or 16, which can be selectively flooded to alter the draft or swung outboard to facilitate entry and pickup of a floating hydrofoil or like craft and then back inboard to grip the hull. Also at each corner are hydraulically driven track pairs 5, working off hydraulic pressure generated on board, tiltable to cope with sea-bed or shore configuration; and individually turnable to manoeuvre or move the equipment when standing on the sea-bed. Tracks 5 are mounted on cylinders 6,7 whereby the effective sea-bed load can be increased i.e. by forcing more of the equipment out of the water than natural buoyancy permits. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Amphibious equipment for hauling ashore and launching of hydrofoil and small coastal crafts This invention relates to the hauling ashore and launching of hydrofoil and small coastal craft.

Hydrofoil, or the like small passenger and cargo vessels working in remote areas present problems if they need to be hauled ashore for ordinary or emergency maintenance. Connection by hydrofoil or like craft between two tourist centers although often desirable for speed, cannot be contemplated if maintenance cannot be carried out owing to the absence of any haul-up system, The equipment of the present invention sets out to overcome such problems, and can also be useful even within existing port areas.

The invention consists in amphibious equipment for hauling ashore and launching of hydrofoil and small coastal craft, comprising a frame equipped with generally transverse saddles capable of supporting wings of a hydrofoil and/or the bottom of a traditional small coastal craft, and supported upon tracks adapted to allow movement of the frame and supported craft over the sea floor and ashore.

Preferably, such equipment is provided in which the frame comprises a pair of longitudinal side members, and a pair of cross members, interconnecting the ends of the side members and supporting the saddles, and in which the said tracks are arranged one at each corner of said frame and are equipped with independent actuating means.

The frame may further comprise one or more buoyancy tanks which can be filled or emptied to permit the frame to lie at different levels when floating. Such buoyancy tanks may be formed as substantially vertical tubular bodies long enough to rise above water level, thereby providing the amphibious equipment with stability against pitch and roll when the amphibious equipment is floating; each tubular body being adapted to permit variable flooding in order to vary the draft of the amphibious equipment.

The invention will be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side view of an amphibious vessel; Figure 2 is an overhead view; Figure 3 is a section along B-B of Figure 2; Figure 4 is a section along C-C of Figure 2; Figure 5 is an enlarged section along A-A of Figure 4; Figure 6 is an enlarged section of feature "D" of Figure 3; Figure 7 is an enlarged section of feature "E" of Fiugre 4; Figure 8 is a section along F-F of Figure 2; Figure 9 is a cross-section where a forward part of a standard hull, support on the amphibious vessel, is visible; and Figure 10 is a cross-section where a stern portion of a standard hull is supported on the amphibious vessel.

The amphibious vessel possesses box 1 connected by box elements 2 and 4. Four tracked units 5 are connected to the beams 1 by means of vertical struts 6 and 7. Vertical tubular elements 1 6 can rotate on vertical hinges 24 from position "M" to position "N" or viceversa, under the action of hydraulic cylinders 2tj.

Vertical pipes 1 8 are however fixed to beams 1. Within the water-tight base section 10 of each pipe 1 8 is a diesel engine driving a hydraulic pump supplying the energy required for the various utilities, i.e. for the hydraulic cylinders 26 and for the motors moving each of the eight tracks 5.

Air inlet pipes and gas exhaust pipes for these diesel engines, and the hydraulic pipes and cables to various remote controls are located within pipe 1 8.

The amphibious vessel, by virtue of the built-in buoyancy volumes (i.e. vertical tubular elements 16,18; box-shaped beams 1 made water-tight by seals 14, or transverse beams 2,3,4) floats at a water line x-x. In the upper emerging part of one of the pipes 18, is placed the diesel engine driving board and the control board of all hydraulically driven utilities. (The boards can also be radio controlled if desired).

In such conditions, when the amphibious vessel is floating it is in a position to house a hydrofoil craft 29 (Figure 1) with a fore wing 30 and an aft wing 31, which moves relative to the amphibious vessel in the direction shown by arrow R in Figure 2. The tubular elements 1 6 on such entry, lie in the position M of maximum aperture in order to allow passage of the aft wing.

With the hydrofoil thus centred and accommodated the amphibious vessel is in a position to emerge partially up to the y-y water line. This corresponds to a contact position between transverse beam saddles 2 and 3 and the wings and is brought about by water suction inside pipes 1 6 and 1 8 (from the level xl to the level y1 of Figure 8) effected by hydraulic pumps. After this hauling-up stage, the tubular elements 1 6 are brought from the position "M" to the position "N", in which they contact the side walls of the hydrofoil craft and prevent possible transverse movements. At this stage towing onshore begins, until the aft tracks contact the sea bed 21 as shown in Figure 1.

To increase adherence with the sea bed in order to obtain better traction, the connecting struts 6 between tracks 5 and beams 1 may be hydraulic cylinders with pistons and oil inlets and outlet pipes 33. These can lift the amphibious vessel and the craft, giving a greater load on the sea bed and hence better traction. The transverse saddles 2 and 3 are lined over their upper parts with an elastomer 32 of a suitable thickness to accommodate lodgement of the hydrofoil.The aft transverse connection between the beams 1 is accomplished by means of box-shaped elements 4, as shown in Figures 1,2,4 and 5, connected by members 11 and 1 2. Saddle 3 lies on said structure, and can swing traversely about 10 , 12" or even 15 thanks to arcuate supports 13, to absorb possible deformations or differences in the structure or shape of the amphibious vessel.

As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the tracked units 5 are connected to beams 1 by virtue of like arcuate supports 8 and 9 and can also swing by about 10", 12" or even 15", universally to cope with the configuration of the seabed.

Backstop (Figure 1) 27 can take up either a vertical or a horizontal position by means of a hydraulic drive and is used to prevent the craft slipping off the amphibious vessel backwards.

Beams 1 are extensible, being free to slide one inside the other. Pins 1 5 are used for fastening the beams as required.

Each tracked unit consists of two separate tracks, and each track is driven by a hydraulic motor, so that each unit can rotate around the central axis of its respective struts 6 or 7 i.e.

in the directions P or R shown in Figure 2.The tracked units 5 can therefore assume any required orientations and thus move the amphibious vessel in any direction.

Such a system is particuarly useful for movements when ashore. Figures 9 and 10 respectively show the fore part and aft part of a traditional craft lying on beams 40; the hull lies on supports 41, which by virtue of hinges 42, arms 43 and hydraulic cylinders 44 can attain the required height and inclination.

In a simplified embodiment of the invention the amphibious vessel need not be equipped with the tubular elements used to grant buoyancy and stability, in which case the tracked units, both during haulage and launching always keep in contact with the sea bed.

As already described, the tracked unit according to the invention is provided with saddles upon which the watercraft can rest.

The said saddles can be of any appropriate type, for instance they may consist of strong belts held at their ends by support arms.

According to another possible embodiment, the watercraft support belts may be supported by a rubber carriage, of the type known as travelift.

In such case, the said carriage, which is movable on wheels, could be loaded and fastened on to the tracked unit: thus, the rubber carriage would be free to be removed when on land, whereas the tracked unit according to the invention would undertake the movement in the shallows, on beaches, or when floating at sea.

The embodiment shown can move across sand or gravei without any prior levelling other than the natural levelling by the waves.

The roughness of the sea bed is compensated by the tracked units, which conform to the seabed by the way in which they are articulated to the structure of the amphibious vessel.

The four hydraulically tracked units are independent and drivable on the sea bed or on land in any direction.

They can rotate the frame about a vertical axis by arranging the four tracked units along notional tangents to a turning circle. The four vertical tubular elements enable the vessel to remain half-submerged for the time required to support the craft to be hauled-up; obviously, floating can be obtained by emptying such ballast tanks. Moreover,the vertical tubular elements which from the surface of the sea give, because of their moment of inertia, transverse and longitudinal stability.

The amphibious vessel of the present invention is buoyant enough to be towed from one place to another, even over long distances.

It is of particular value that permanent ground and/or sea-bed structures are not required. Other haul-up systems need such permanent intallations. The present invention thus gives the possibility of cheap servicing at remote locations.

Claims

1. Amphibious equipment for hauling ashore and launching of hydrofoil and small coastal craft, comprising a frame equipped with generally transverse saddles capable of supporting wings of a hydrofoil and/or the bottom of a traditional small coastal craft, and supported upon tracks adapted to allow movement of the frame and supported craft over the sea floor and ashore.

2. Amphibious equipment as claimed in claim 1 in which the frame comprises a pair of longitudinal side members, and a pair of cross members, interconnecting the ends of the side members and supporting the saddles, and in which the said tracks are arranged one at each corner of said frame and are equipped with independent actuating means.

3. Amphibious equipment as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 in which the frame further comprises one or more buoyancy tanks which can be filled or emptied to permit the frame to lie at different levels when floating.

4. An amphibious equipment as claimed in claim 3 in which the buoyancy tanks are formed as substantially vertical tubular bodies long enough to rise above water level, thereby providing the amphibious equipment with stability against pitch and roll when the amphibious equipment is floating; each body tubu lar body being adapted to permit variable flooding in order to vary the draft of the amphibious equipment.

5. Amphibious equipment as claimed in claim 4 in which four substantially vertical tubular bodies are present, one at each corner of the said frame; and in which the two vertical tubular bodies at the forward end are each held at the outer end of a horizontal arm rotatable at its inner end around a vertical axis.

6. Amphibious equipment as claimed in claim 5 in which the angular positioning of the horizontal arms supporting the front vertical pipes is controllable by hydraulic jacks, whereby the said tubular bodies can be moved to rest in their outer positions when the vessel first enters the amphibious equipment and in their inner positions contactig the vessel hull when the vessel arrives on the saddles.

7. Amphibious equipment as claimed in any one preceding claim in which the saddles are removable and interchangeable whereby the hulls of different craft can be accommodated.

8. Amphibious equipment as claimed in any one preceding claims in which the longitudinal members of the frame are telescopically assembed in order to provide the facility of changing the effective length of the frame to accommodate different vessels.

9. Amphibious equipment as claimed in any one preceding claim having tracks at each frame corner wherein the tracks are arranged in pairs and an independent hydraulic motor is provided for each pair.

10. Amphibious equipment as claimed in claim 9 in which each of the four tracked units is connected to the frame over an arcuate part-spherical surface, whereby the end tracked unit may conform to configuration of the sea bed.

11. Amphibious equipment as claimed in claim 9 or 10 in which both the front tracks are fastened to the frame by means of hydraulic-piston cylinder systems, whereby the frame and its load can be lifted through controllable operating means, in order to increase the traction of the front tracks during haul-up operations on a sloping sea bed.

1 2. Amphibious equipment as claimed in any one of claims 9 to 11 in which each of the four pairs of tracks is rotatably assembled around a vertical axis and provided with a drive such as to provide for the translation of the system towards any direction and, if required, for the system rotation about a single vertical axis, by orienting the four tracked units tangentially to a common circumference.

1 3. Amphibious equipment as claimed in any one preceding claim in which a saddle is assembled on an aft cross member over about an arcuate surface which allows for relative inclination of the saddle in respect of the underlying cross member to balance possible frame deformations.

14. Amphibious equipment as claimed in any one preceding claim comprising inclinable stop means liftable as a stop against longitudinal displacement of the vessel on the amphibious equipment.

1 5. Amphibious equipment as claimed in any one preceding claim comprising a hydraulic pressure generator connected to hydraulic controls and the tracks, and a thermal engine driving said generator and inside a tubular vertical buoyancy tank.

1 6. Amphibious equipment as claimed in claim 1 5 comprising a manual or radio-operable control station for the various hydraulic controls and/or the thermal engine.

1 7. Amphbious equipment as claimed in claim, 1 substantially as herein described with reference to, and as illustrated in, the accompanying drawings.