IE44201B - Apparatus for cleaning and/or painting submerged surfaces - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to cleaning apparatus for cleaning submerged surfaces, and in particular to an apparatus for brushing the submerged surfaces of ships, boats, offshore rigs and the like.

Hitherto, such cleaning apparatus has generally been one of two types. These are single rotary brush pneumatic or hydraulic powered machines and triple rotary brush machines which are usually hydraulically powered . The disadvantages of the single brush machines are that the divers operating them have to resist the reaction torque of the brushes and are thus quickly fatigued, and that it is time-consuming to cover large areas. The triple brush machines are much larger and more powerful and usually have separate hydraulic propulsion motors and steerable wheels to render them capable of control by divers. The disadvantages, however, are that they are costly, cumbersome and only really effective on long straight runs on flat surfaces. All the curved surfaces are more efficiently done with a hand-held single brush machine. Triple brush machines are also extremely heavy out of water and need cranes and trailers to remove and transport them.

According to the present invention there is provided cleaning apparatus for cleaning submerged surfaces, comprising at least one pair of rotary brushes, the two rotary brushes of each pair being supported side-by-side by a frame and being independently pivotted with respect to the frame in such manner that each brush may be inclined towards or away 4201 from the other, a respective handle associated with each brush by which such pivotal movement may be effected manually, and drive means for the brushes arranged to rotate the brushes in opposite senses.

The cleaning apparatus of the present invention may be modified to facilitate the application of paint to a submerged surface, the drive means for the brushes being provided with hollow shafts each connected via supply pipes to a paint supply unit having associated therewith pump means to supply paint from the said paint supply unit to the centre portion of each of the brushes.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of an example, with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:15 FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the apparatus; FIGURE 2 illustrates the apparatus being used by a diver; and FIGURE 3 illustrates a modified apparatus to facilitate the application of paint to a submerged surface Referring to FIGURE 1, the apparatus is provided with a frame member 1, having the shape of a hollow rectangle forming an aperture. The frame member 1 is of sealed hollow construction in order to provide buoyancy. Frame member 1 is provided with two pairs of pivot bearings 2 which support in the aperture two brushing units 3 in such a fashion that the brushing units 3 are free to tilt towards or away from each other when urged by manual force applied - 4 to handles 4 affixed to each unit 3. Each brushing unit 3 comprises a driving motor 5 which may be either pneumatically or hydraulically or electrically powered, a flat disc 6 one face of which is provided with brush material 7, the disc 6 being coaxially fixed to the driven shaft of the driving motor 5, a handle 4 which is rigidly fixed to the driving motor 5 and stub shafts 8 which are rigidly fixed to the driving motor 5 and which are embraced by pivot bearings 2. The brushes 7 project from the aperture on one side of the frame 1 and the handles 4 project from the aperture on the opposite side of the frame. A lever 9 serving as a throttle is pivotally fixed to one of the handles 4. Operation of the lever 9, when the motors 5 are pneumatically or hydraulically powered, actuates a control valve 10 which allows exhaust fluid to pass from the motors 5 to exhaust tubes 11. Motive fluid from supply tubes 12 passes to the motors 5. Valve 10 is biased in such a way that when lever 9 is released the valve 10 closes to prevent exhaust fluid from escaping from motors 5. The arrangement of the tubes 11 and 12 and the motors 5 is such that the motors 5 and brushes 7 always rotate in opposite senses.

When the motors 5 are electrically powered the lever 9 controls the supply of electricity to the motors.

Referring to FIGURE 2, a pictorial representation of a pneumatically-powered cleaning apparatus being used by a diver to clean a fouled surface is shown.

In use the cleaning apparatus is brought by a diver into close proximity with a surface to the cleaned, and the brushes 7 are made to rotate. The rotation o£ the brushes produces a centrifugal force on the water which causes it to be expelled radically by the brushes 7. This nroduces a partial vacuum at the centre of each brush 7 causing the brushes 7 to be drawn into contact with the surface being cleaned. Because the brushes 7 are rotating in opposite senses, there is no reaction torque to be borne by the diver. When he wishes to cause the apparatus to move over the surface to be cleaned, the diver may either move the handles 4 apart, causing the furthest apart edges of the two brushes 7 to press harder against the surface than the adjacent edges of the two brushes, or he may move the handles 4 together, causing the brush edges which are closest together to press harder against the surface than the furthest apart edges of the two brushes. Because the furthest-apart edges are both travelling in the same direction and the closest-together edges are both travelling together in the same direction which is opposite to the direction of travel of the furthest-apart edges, there will be a pull in one direction or the opposite direction, the direction being normal to the line joining the two brush centres if each brush 7 is rotating at the same speed, if the brushes 7 are identical and in contact with surfaces of similar roughness, and if the force exerted on each handle 4 is the same. Adjustment of any of the above variables may cause the apparatus to travel along a curved path, or to turn on the axis of one of the brushes 7 or any other axis.

Thus, by controlling the speed of the brushes 7 and the 4420 force on each handle 4, a diver may manoeuvre the apparatus at various speeds, along various paths and may reverse the direction of motion without changing the speed or sense of rotation of the motors 5.

It will be appreciated that, because the two brushing units are pivotally mounted, the apparatus is free to travel over both convex and concave surfaces, as well as flat surfaces, with equal facility.

The description of the apparatus above refers specific10 ally to the use of two rotary brushes supported side-by-side by a frame. It will be understood that the invention also embraces the use in the apparatus of more than one pair of brushes for example the use of four brushes, namely, two pairs of brushes, suitably mechanically linked to provide the necessary tilting motion. It will also be understood that the apparatus may be propelled sideways by tilting the brush axes in the same directions in parallel planes.

Referring to FIGURE 3 of the accompanying drawings there is illustrated a modified apparatus to facilitate the application of paint to a submerged and cleaned surface. In the modified apparatus the motors 5 are each provided with a hollow shaft 13 each connected via supply pipes 14 and 15 to a paint supply unit (not shown). The hollow shafts 13 supply the paint under a pumping action, applied in any conventional and convenient manner, to the centre portion of each of the brushes 7 for application to the cleaned surface to be painted. 4420 1 In applying the paint to a cleaned surface the diver follows the same basic procedure as followed in the cleaning operation. The paint used is especially designed for very rapid drying and for application to submerged surfaces in the manner described.

Claims (7)

1. CLAIMS:1. Cleaning apparatus for cleaning submerged surfaces, comprising at least one pair of rotary brushes, the two rotary brushes of each pair being supported side-by-side by a frame 5 and being independently pivotted with respect to the frame in such manner that each brush may be inclined towards or away from the other, a respective handle associated with each brush by which such pivotal movement may be effected manually, and drive means for the brushes arranged to rotate 10 the brushes in opposite senses.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the drive means comprises a respective motor for each brush, each brush being mounted on the driven shaft of its respective motor.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein each motor 15 is hydraulically or pneumatically or electrically powered.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 3, further comprising a control lever attached to one of the handles and arranged to control the flow of motive fluid to the motors or the supply of electricity to the motors. 20 5. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein each associated set of brush, motor and handle forms a respective brushing unit which pivots as a whole in an aperture in the frame, and whepein the brushes project from the aperture on one side of the frame and the handles 25 project from the aperture on an Opposite side of the frame. 6. An apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the frame is of sealed hollow construction to provide buoyancy. 7. Cleaning apparatus for cleaning submerged surfaces, substantially as described with reference to Figure 1 and 2

5. Of the accompanying drawings.

6. 8. An apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 6, modified to facilitate the application of paint to a submerged surface, in which the drive means for the brushes is provided with hollow shafts each connected via supply 10 pipes to a paint supply unit having associated therewith pump means to supply paint from the said paint supply unit to the centre portion of each of the brushes.

7. 9. An apparatus for cleaning and/or painting submerged surfaces, substantially as described with reference to 15 Figure 3 of the accompanying drawings.