GB2374572A

GB2374572A - Collapsible aqua-culture transport structure

Info

Publication number: GB2374572A
Application number: GB0109434A
Authority: GB
Inventors: La Vega Manuel De
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2001-04-17
Filing date: 2001-04-17
Publication date: 2002-10-23
Anticipated expiration: 2021-04-17
Also published as: WO2002082896A1; GB2374572B; GB0109434D0

Abstract

A collapsible floating structure for aqua-culture transport comprises a plurality of buoyant beam members connected end to end by means of flexible hinges such that when unfolded they form a continuous floating enclosure. When not in use the structure can be folded up without disconnecting the beams into a more compact structure which allows the structure to be towed more quickly. In a folded or unfolded condition the structure may be attached to a towing vessel by means of a harness (16, Fig 3). The flexible hinges may contain a rotating joint (4, Fig 5) to prevent damage to the hinge should the beam members flex during use.

Description

Collapsible, Floating Aquaculture Transport Structure This invention relates to a collapsible, floating aquaculture transport structure.

Large-scale sea aquaculture (fish farming) occurs in three distinct phases: 1) The fishermen find the shoals and entrap them with nets. It is important to keep the nets tense as the fish need to be kept alive, as if the nets collapse on the fish they will die. This requires several boats pulling the nets from opposing directions to keep them open until the transportation cage arrives.

2) The boat pulling the transport cage is notified of the position of the fish. However conventional cages are rigid and very slow to move. It can take several days for the cage to catch up with the fisherman during which time the fish can die if the net is not constantly kept tense.

3) The fish are transported to a farming pool for fattening for the market.

It is important that the fish stay alive as they have greater commercial value. It is costly to wait for a conventional cage to arrive to transport the fish to an aquaculture site.

According to the present invention there is provided a collapsible, floating aquaculture transport structure comprising of twelve floating poles with eleven flexing hinges and single non flexing locking plate. The hinges allowing the structure to flex in the horizontal axis whist remaining fixed in the vertical axis and allow the structure to be collapsed to allow towing. Rotating joints incorporated into the hinges prevent the hinges from being damaged under strain if the pipes warp due to heat.

A specific embodiment of the invention will now be described by was of example with reference to the accompanying drawing in which :- Figure 1 shows the opened structure viewed from above.

Figure 2 shows the closed structure viewed from above.

Figure 3 show the closed structure being towed by a boat held in a supporting harness.

Figure 4 shows the detail of the standard hinge joint and pipe construction viewed from the side, the pipes, end joints and rotating joint being shown in cross section to reveal internal detail.

Figure 5 shows the detail of the standard flexing hinge joint when viewed from above, the pipes, end joints and rotating joint being shown in cross section to reveal internal detail.

Figure 6 shows the detail of the locking plate when closed, viewed from above.

Figure 7 shows the detail of the flexing hinge plate, viewed from above.

Figure 8 shows the detail of the locking pin, viewed (a) from the top and (b) from the side.

Referring to the drawing the structure comprises of twelve pipes 1 each containing a solid floating foam rod 2. At one end of each pipe 1 section is an end plate 3 onto which a hinge tongue 13 is fixed, supported by support plates 6. At the other end of the pipe 1 there is a tongue 13 attached via a rotating joint 4 to the end plate 3. The pipes 1 are connected to each other using hinge plates held together by locking pins 7. Each structure contains eleven flexing hinge plates 5 (fig 7) and one locking hinge plate comprising of male 10 and female parts and a spring loaded locking bolt 12 with a removable bolt pin 15 (fig 6).

The structure is transported with the pipes 1 lined up as in figure 2. The flexing hinges are used to hold the pipes in line as shown. The two halves of the separated locking plate 10,11 are used to connect the pipes to the harness 16 (figure 3).

Upon arrival at the area where the fish have been caught the front of the structure is lowered on to the water and the two halves of the locking plate 10,11 are released from their connections on the harness 16. The structure is opened one hinge at a time by removing the locking pin 8, moving the pipe, then replacing the locking pin 8 into the appropriate hole in the hinge tongue 13. The flexing hinges 5 are opened first and finally the locking plate 10,11 is clipped together and the removable bolt pin 15 is unscrewed so as to prevent the joint from accidentally opening. This produces the final structure (fig 1) onto which a weighted net can be attached to transport the fish. The structure is attached to the transport boat using ropes attached to the midpoint holes 14 on the flexing hinge plates (fig 7) To collapse the structure after transportation the steps described in the paragraph above are carried out in the reverse order.

Claims

Claims 1. A collapsible structure comprising of a twelve-sided structure, a body in the form of a dodecagon with means for folding up, the folded structure being adapted to attach to a harness and to be towed through water.
2. A collapsible structure as claimed in Claim 1 wherein collapsible means that the twelve sides of which it is comprised can be adjusted easily by means of a series of hinges so as to allow the structure to be formed into a compact linear structure for towing purposes.
3. A collapsible structure as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein ease of mobility means that it can be towed, assembled and repaired faster and with ease at sea.
4. A collapsible structure as claimed in Claim 2 wherein each side is provided with two hinges, one of which contains a rotating joint preventing damage to the joint if the pipe warps.
5. A collapsible structure as claimed in Claim 4 wherein eleven hinges contain flexing plates allowing movement up and down whilst preventing the joint moving side to side allowing the structure to maintain its shape at sea.
6. A collapsible structure as claimed in Claim 4 wherein one hinge contains a locking plate so as to allow ease of construction at sea.
7. A collapsible structure substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in, Figures 1-8 of the accompanying drawings.

7. A collapsible structure as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein mobility is aided by use of an attachable harness.

8. A collapsible structure as claimed in Claim 6 and Claim 7, wherein the collapsed structure can be attached to the harness.

9. A collapsible structure as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the structure provides speed of towing and assembly and therefore has a higher rate of fish survival.

10. A collapsible structure substantially as described with reference to Figures 1-8 of the accompanying drawings.

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Amendments to the claims have been filed as follows 1. A collapsible, floatable structure for transportation of live fish from an entrapment site to an aquaculture site, the structure comprising twelve floatable longitudinally extending members flexibly connected end to end by rotatable flexible joints, the arrangement being such that for transportation of the structure to the entrapment site the members can be folded together to form a compact generally linear structure capable of being towed through the water at a relatively high speed, whilst for towing to a desired aquaculture site the members can be unfolded and formed into a polygonal structure on to which a weighted net for transportation of the live fish can be attached.

2. A collapsible structure as claimed in Claim 1, wherein adjacent pairs of the floatable members are joined together by a hinged plate provided with means for both vertical and horizontal movement.

3. A collapsible structure as claimed in Claim 2, wherein the hinged plate is also provided with means for rotational movement to prevent damage if the members warp in use.

4. A collapsible structure as claimed in Claim 2 or 3, wherein one adjacent pair of the floatable members is connected by a lockable plate having male and female interlocking members and provided with removable locking means which can be used to allow construction of the polygonal structure at the entrapment site.

5. A collapsible structure as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the structure is provided with means for attachment to a tow line for transport to the entrapment site.

6. A collapsible structure as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the floatable members each comprise a pipe containing a solid rod of foam material.

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