US20080098943A1 - Method and apparatus for use in assembly of hydrofoil skeg - Google Patents
Method and apparatus for use in assembly of hydrofoil skeg Download PDFInfo
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- US20080098943A1 US20080098943A1 US11/591,298 US59129806A US2008098943A1 US 20080098943 A1 US20080098943 A1 US 20080098943A1 US 59129806 A US59129806 A US 59129806A US 2008098943 A1 US2008098943 A1 US 2008098943A1
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- skin
- gantry
- hydrofoil
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
- B63B—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPPING
- B63B1/00—Hydrodynamic or hydrostatic features of hulls or of hydrofoils
- B63B1/16—Hydrodynamic or hydrostatic features of hulls or of hydrofoils deriving additional lift from hydrodynamic forces
- B63B1/24—Hydrodynamic or hydrostatic features of hulls or of hydrofoils deriving additional lift from hydrodynamic forces of hydrofoil type
- B63B1/248—Shape, hydrodynamic features, construction of the foil
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
- B63B—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPPING
- B63B35/00—Vessels or similar floating structures specially adapted for specific purposes and not otherwise provided for
- B63B35/28—Barges or lighters
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- Fluid Mechanics (AREA)
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Ocean & Marine Engineering (AREA)
- Arc Welding In General (AREA)
Abstract
Description
- The present disclosure relates to assembly of structures with smoothly curved surfaces, and relates particularly to construction of hydrofoil shapes such as those of skegs for oceangoing barges.
- Oceangoing barges can be towed more economically when equipped with hydrofoil skegs such as those disclosed in Gruzling, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,217,844 and 4,569,302, and in Heyrman, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,782,779, than when not equipped with such skegs.
- In the past, hydrofoil skegs for barges were manufactured in a highly labor-intensive manner, with skin plates for the skegs being cut oversized from plate material of the required thickness, and then bent to the required curved shape for the location of the skin. Thereafter, the bent skin plate was burned into three parts, a nose part, a middle part, and a tail part, and the edges of each part were then scarfed by hand so that a V-groove weld could be used to rejoin the parts of the skin plate during final assembly. Each skin plate part was welded to several supporting web members to form a structural section of the skeg, and girders were welded to the web members of the middle section. Finally, the nose and tail sections were welded to the middle section, which required numerous passes of hand welding to create the V-groove welds rejoining the sections of the skin parts for each side of the skeg, another multiple pass V-groove weld along the nose of the skeg, and welds along the tail edge of the skeg, to completely interconnect the skin plates of the opposite sides of the skeg to each other.
- Cutting torches could be guided mechanically to follow lines scribed or drawn on the surface of the skin plate. For example, the cutting torch could be guided by tracks fastened to the metal being cut, but the tracks often shifted as a result of the heat distortion encountered during the burning process, but after being scarfed by hand the skin parts frequently did not meet closely when the structural sections were assembled, and gaps that resulted between the edges of the plate pieces were too deep to permit the plate sections to be simply welded together.
- What is needed, then are methods by which to cut and bevel a plate to form parts of a skin for a skeg or hydrofoil more accurately than has been previously possible, and to assemble a hydrofoil structure more precisely, more quickly, and with less labor than was previously required for construction of such a hydrofoil structure.
- As an answer to some of the needs mentioned above the present disclosure provides a method and apparatus for use in manufacture of structures having curved outer surfaces, such as hydrofoil structures for waterborne vessels, as defined by the claims appended hereto.
- In one embodiment of a method disclosed herein a skin plate for a hydrofoil structure is bent to a required shape, and then, in a single cutting operation, the skin plate is separated into skin parts, and margins of each of the skin parts are formed with a predetermined configuration.
- According to one embodiment of the method the margins of a skin part may be appropriately shaped to form the sides of a groove along which the skin parts can be welded together efficiently in connection with joining structural sections including the skin parts.
- In one embodiment of the method structural sections of a hydrofoil structure include respective ones of the skin parts, and after the structural sections are initially fastened together, at least two elongate joints between adjacent ones of the skin parts are welded simultaneously to rejoin the skin parts to each other as incorporated parts of a hydrofoil structure.
- In one embodiment of apparatus that may be used in accordance with the method disclosed, a gantry is equipped with at least one pair of cutting torches and is movable along a predetermined path to carry the cutting torches, in order to cut a workpiece along a predetermined cutting path and also simultaneously to form margins, each having a predetermined configuration, on the resulting separate parts of the workpiece.
- In one embodiment of such apparatus the gantry is equipped with at least a pair of welders arranged to be carried along a workpiece by the gantry to form simultaneously at least two welded seams to join at least three separate elements of a structure to one another.
- In one embodiment of the apparatus disclosed such welders are arranged to precede the gantry as it moves along a predetermined path to perform the simultaneous welding operations.
- In one embodiment of the apparatus such cutting torches are carried on the gantry so as to precede the gantry as it moves along a predetermined path relative to a workpiece while cutting the workpiece into separate parts.
- The foregoing and other features and advantages will be more readily understood upon consideration of the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
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FIG. 1 is an isometric view from below and behind a starboard quarter of waterborne vessel such as a barge, showing a hydrofoil skeg arrangement mounted thereon. -
FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of a portion of the barge hull and the hydrofoil skeg arrangement shown inFIG. 1 . -
FIG. 3 is a sectional view, at an enlarged scale, of a generally horizontal hydrofoil skeg section, taken along the line 3-3 inFIG. 1 . -
FIG. 4 is an isometric view of an upper, or inner, side of a bottom skin plate for a hydrofoil structure such as that shown in sectional view inFIG. 3 . -
FIG. 5 is a top plan view of a parts support table and an associated gantry carrying an arrangement of cutting torches and welders. -
FIG. 6 is an end elevational view of the parts support table and gantry shown inFIG. 5 , taken along line 6-6 ofFIG. 5 and showing a skin plate such as the one shown inFIG. 4 being cut into separate parts. -
FIG. 7 is a detail view at an enlarged scale showing the arrangement of a pair of the cutting torches shown inFIG. 6 . -
FIG. 8 is a view similar to that ofFIG. 4 showing the skin plate after it has been cut into separate parts. -
FIG. 9 is an isometric view showing web members being attached to a middle skin part and a girder member, as a step in assembling a middle structural section of a hydrofoil structure such as that shown inFIGS. 1-3 . -
FIG. 10 is an isometric view showing a further step in the assembly of a middle structural section for a skeg including the web members and skin part shown inFIG. 9 . -
FIGS. 11A and 11B show steps in assembling skin members and web members of a nose structural section of the hydrofoil skeg structure shown inFIGS. 1-3 . -
FIG. 12 is an end elevational view of the parts support table and gantry shown inFIG. 5 , taken along line 12-12 ofFIG. 5 and showing a nose seam being welded on the nose structural section shown inFIGS. 11A and 11B . -
FIG. 13 is a sectional view of the middle structural section of a hydrofoil structure such as is shown inFIG. 3 , at an enlarged scale, together with portions of the nose and tail structural sections, prior to their being fitted together with the middle section. -
FIG. 14 is an end elevational view of the gantry arrangement and parts assembly table as shown inFIG. 12 , showing a pair of seams being welded simultaneously on a hydrofoil structure such as that shown inFIG. 3 . -
FIG. 15 is a view of a detail ofFIG. 14 , at an enlarged scale, showing a seam being welded. - Referring now to the drawings which form a part of the disclosure herein, in
FIG. 1 a starboard quarter portion of anoceangoing barge hull 20 is equipped with ahydrofoil skeg arrangement 22 which may be generally similar to those disclosed, for example, in the previously mentioned Gruzling, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,217,844 and 4,569,302. Such a skeg arrangement may include two or more verticalhydrofoil portions 24 extending downward from thehull 20 of the barge and interconnected at their lower ends by ahorizontal hydrofoil portion 26. Thevertical portions 24 andhorizontal portion 26 of theskeg arrangement 22 are attached at selected angles relative to thehull 20 so that they affect the flow of water near the hull as the barge is towed, in order to reduce the energy required to tow the barge. - The vertical and
horizontal portions skeg arrangement 22 are constructed generally similarly, with eachvertical portion 24 and thehorizontal portion 26 having generally similar hydrofoil shape defined by arespective skin 28 supported internally by a system of webs and girders. Ahorizontal portion 26 shown in section inFIG. 3 is representative of the general structures of any of thevertical portions 24 as well, with the exception of variations in the hydrofoil shape which do not affect the manner of construction and assembly of the skeg portion. - The
horizontal skeg portion 26 includes a nosestructural section 30, a middlestructural section 32, and a tailstructural section 34. Thenose section 30 includes several apart-spacednose webs 36, a topnose skin part 38, and a bottomnose skin part 40, all of material such as suitably thick steel plate. Abacking bar 42 extends along the nose and is located innotches 44 defined in thenose webs 36. Thewebs 36 are welded to the topnose skin part 38 and bottomnose skin part 40, and thebacking bar 42 is held in place in alignment with anose seam 46 along which respective margins of the topnose skin part 38 and bottomnose skin part 40 are aligned with each other and welded together. - The middle
structural section 32 of the hydrofoil structure of thehorizontal portion 26 of theskeg arrangement 22, similar to thenose section 30, includes a plurality ofparallel webs 50 that may be spaced apart from each other and aligned with corresponding ones of thenose webs 36.Transverse girder members webs 50 adjacent thenose section 30 and thetail section 34. Atop skin part 56 andbottom skin part 58 of the middlestructural section 32 are also welded to thewebs 50. - The
tail section 34 similarly may include a plurality ofwebs 62 of steel or other metal which may be spaced apart from and parallel with one another and aligned with respective ones of thewebs 50 of themiddle section 32, and to which a toptail skin part 64 and a bottomtail skin part 66 may be welded. - The
webs central openings cutouts girders skin parts girders - The three
skin parts skin 28 of the horizontalhydrofoil structure portion 26 are interconnected with each other and with thegirders welded seams skin parts skin 28 on the opposite, or bottom side of the horizontalhydrofoil structure portion 26 are also interconnected with each other and with thegirders welded seams top skin part 38 is welded to the nose sectionbottom skin part 40 along thenose seam 46 at the nose of thehydrofoil structure 26, as previously mentioned. The toptail skin part 64 and bottomtail skin part 66 of the tailstructural section 34 are welded together along thetail margin 89 of thehorizontal hydrofoil structure 26. - The hydrofoil structures of the skeg
vertical portions 24 orhorizontal portions 26 ofskeg arrangements 22 may be constructed by assembling sets ofnose webs 36,middle section webs 50, andtail section webs 62, all cut from suitable material such as ½ inch thick steel plate, withskins 28 andgirders skins 28 may be manufactured by first cutting a skinblank plate 90 of suitable plate material to an appropriate size, leaving a margin strip beyond the desired final size of the actual skin portion, for use such as in handling theplate 90. Theskin plate 90 may then be bent to the appropriate shape in which it will be used as the skin of a hydrofoil structure, which may be a shape which is uniformly curved along theentire length 92 of theplate 90.Separation lines plate 90 to indicate the proper locations for cuts to divide theplate 90 into separate portions such as thenose skin part 40,middle skin part 58, andtail skin part 66 of the bottom skin of thehydrofoil structure 26, and to separate amargin portion 100 from thenose skin part 40 in preparation for assembly of the nose, middle, and tailstructural sections hydrofoil structure 26. - As shown in
FIGS. 5 and 6 , theplate 90 may be cut along thelines bottom skin parts bottom skin parts welded seams lines separation lines bent skin plate 90 on a table 102 equipped with a set of cradle forms 104 built to conform to the shape of theskin plate 90 when it has been bent to the required shape as shown inFIG. 4 . Several cradle forms 104, for example fivecradle forms 104 for aplate 90 having alength 92 of about 22 feet, are used to provide ample and solid support for thebent plate 90 atop the table 102. - The table 102 may be located beneath a predetermined path of a
gantry 110, defined as by pair ofparallel rails 112. Thegantry 110 may include a motor (not shown) so as to be movable at an accurately controllable speed along therails 112 in a forward direction indicated by thearrow 114 inFIG. 5 , or in an opposite rearward direction. It will be understood that the gantry may be supported otherwise than on therails 112, so long as it is moveable along an accurately defined path with respect to the location of the table 102 and a workpiece, such as theskin plate 90, supported on the table 102. The table 102 and the cradle forms 104 are set to support abent skin plate 90 so that itsentire length 92 is oriented generally horizontally and parallel with therails 112 or otherwise defined path along which thegantry 110 is arranged to move. - Sufficient clearance is available beneath the
gantry 110 to allow thegantry 110 to be moved along and over theskin plate 90 while it is supported on the table 102. Thus thegantry 110 has an amplylarge width 116 betweenside posts 118 to provide clearance in a transverse direction with respect to the forward direction indicated by thearrow 114 as the gantry moves along therails 112. - Supported on a
transverse member 120 extending along the front of the gantry are an array of adjustably supported cuttingtorches individual stands 134 fastened adjustably to the top of the table 102, as byclamps 136 allowing for shims (not shown) to be held between thestands 134 and the top of table 102 as necessary to align the cradle forms 104 with each other and with the path of movement of thegantry 110, so that as thegantry 110 moves along thetracks 112 or other predetermined path of movement the individual cutting torches, once adjusted to a required position and orientation with respect to one of theseparation lines gantry 110 at aconstant distance 138 from aplate 90 being cut, as shown inFIG. 7 , along theentire length 92 of theplate 90 as thegantry 110 moves along therails 112. - As shown best in
FIG. 6 , thestands 134 may be constructed so as to support asimilar cradle form 140 on an opposite side of apivot axis 142 defined by thestands 134, so that the cradle forms 104 or 140 can be selected by simply rotating them about theaxis 142, and thereafter the selectedcradle form latches 144, so that, when desired, the cradle forms 140 each can easily be placed in the required position to be used to support a bent skin plate (not shown) appropriately shaped to become a top skin portion for thehydrofoil structure 26. - In order to divide a bent plate such as the
plate 90, the plate is placed to be supported by the appropriate cradle forms 104 or 140 mounted on the table 102, and thegantry 110 is positioned in the location corresponding to the top ofFIG. 5 . The cutting torches 122, 124, etc. are positioned to cut the plate along theseparation lines plate 90 so as to leave a margin surface on the resultingseparate skin parts angle plate 90 or therespective skin section separation line 96 and arranging the flames both of the cutting torches 128 and 130 to be directed toward theseparation line 98, on the upper, or interior, side of theplate 90 as it rests on the cradle forms 104. Thecutting torch 126 may be located closer than thecutting torch 124 to thetransverse member 120 of thegantry 110, and, similarly, thecutting torch 130 may be located closer to thetransverse member 120 than is thecutting torch 128, so that the cutting torches 124 and 128 precede thetorches gantry 110 moves forward as indicated by thearrow 114. The cutting torches may, then, be oriented so that their cuttingflames FIG. 7 , at theangles plate 90 and extending along theseparation line 98. Thecutting torch 122 is similarly oriented non-perpendicularly with respect to theplate 90 along theseparation line 94, as shown inFIG. 6 . - With the cutting torches 122, 124, 126, 128, and 130 operating, the
gantry 110 is then moved at a controlled speed, such as, for example, 8 inches per minute, along theentire length 92 of theplate 90, and the torches cut the plate into the separate elongate parts shown inFIG. 8 , including thenarrow margin piece 100, the nose sectionbottom skin part 40, the middle sectionbottom skin part 58, and the tail sectionbottom skin part 66. Because of the arrangement of the cutting torches, each of the margin surfaces 154 and 156 of the nose sectionbottom skin part 40, the margin surfaces 158 and 160 of the middlesection skin part 58, and theadjacent margin surface 162 of the tail sectionbottom skin part 66 are all oriented at non-perpendicular slopes with respect to the major surfaces of theplate 90. - It will be appreciated that during this cutting operation, as the
gantry 110 moves in the forward direction, indicated by thearrow 114, the cutting torches precede thegantry 110 and are thus clearly in view, so that they can be adjusted, as in the event that theplate 90 appears to have been misaligned, and so that it is generally easier to visually monitor the progress of the cutting operation. - When the
skin plates 90 for both sides of ahydrofoil structure 26 have been bent and cut into the several skin parts as described above, assembly of the hydrofoil structure is performed by first assembling three separate structural sections, the nosestructural section 30, the middlestructural section 32, and the tailstructural section 34. Thestructural sections hydrofoil structure 26. - To assemble the middle structural section 32 a skin part such as the bottom
middle skin part 58 is placed on an assembly table 166 and clamped to the table top in a predetermined position, as by the use of a suitable hydraulic ormechanical clamp 168, as shown inFIG. 9 . The table 166 may be provided with profiled pieces to support the curved shape of theskin section 58 accurately. Additional clamps (not shown) may be desirable to hold theskin part 58 in the desired position and keep it flat upon the top of the table 166, in order to overcome internal stresses within the middle sectionbottom skin part 58 which may have been released as a result of cutting theskin plate 90 into the several parts. - The table 166 may also be provided with several accurately located
alignment stanchions 170 near which theskin part 58 may be placed and which are aligned perpendicular to the top of the table 166 to act as guides for alignment of theseveral webs 50 and thegirder 52. Thegirder 52 is located as required along a margin of theskin part 58 and clamped to thestanchions 170, where it is held while it is securely tack welded to the middlebottom skin part 58. Thewebs 50 are then securely tack welded to the inner surface of the bottommiddle skin part 58 and to thegirder 52 in their predetermined locations, which may have been etched or scribed on the surface of theskin plate 90 before it was cut into the separate nose, middle, and tail skin parts. Thegirder 52 extends beyond the edge of themargin surface 158 to be used in interconnecting the middlestructural section 32 with the nosestructural section 30. Next, thegirder plate member 54 may be securely tack welded to the opposite margin of theskin part 58 and to thewebs 50, while the bottommiddle skin part 58 remains clamped to the table 166. This forms a three sided box structure with theparallel webs 50 spaced apart along the structure. - Next, as shown in
FIG. 10 , thebottom skin part 58 is released from the table top and the partially assembled middle structural section is then rolled 90 degrees and thewebs 50 may be more completely welded to thegirders 52 and d54 and to thebottom skin part 58 to structurally unite thewebs 50,girders skin sheet 58. - This completion welding may best be accomplished in a careful sequence to minimize the expansion and shrinkage effects of heating and cooling, and to provide a structure that is straight and free from unnecessary included stress upon completion of the welding. For example, welding can be begun along the
web 50 nearest the middle of the length of thehydrofoil structure 26, first welding everysecond web 50 to thegirder plate 52, in the angle on one side of each such web, then rolling the middlestructural section 32 and welding along both sides of each of thesame webs 50 to attach them to thegirder plate 54, and thereafter also welding one side of the previouslyunwelded webs 50 to thegirder 54. Next the middlestructural section 32 can be rolled back 180 degrees and the remaining unwelded angles can be welded to connect thewebs 50 completely to thefirst girder 52, after which the section can be again turned over and the remaining unwelded corners can be welded to completely fasten the remainingwebs 50 to thegirder plate 54. - Thereafter, the top
middle skin part 56 can be placed into position and tacked securely into place, using a portable hydraulic press as necessary to hold thetop skin part 56 in the required position with respect to the remainder of the middlestructural section 32 until theskin part 56 is securely attached. The remainder of the welds necessary to securely interconnect thewebs 50,girders skin parts several holes 172 provided in each of thegirders - Assembly of the nose
structural section 30 of thehydrofoil structure 26 is generally similar to the assembly of themiddle section 32, although slightly simpler. As shown inFIGS. 11A and 11B , the nose sectionbottom skin part 40 may be fastened to the table 166, supported bycradle forms 176 shaped to correspond with the curvature of the outer surface of the nosestructural section 30. Several of theforms 176 may be located on the table 166, spaced apart along the table at locations aligned with thealignment stanchions 170, for convenience. At predetermined locations along the nosebottom skin part 40, thenose webs 36 are placed on thebottom skin part 40 and aligned with the alignment bars 70 and then tack welded securely into position.Locator bodies 178 may be positioned on the top of the table 166 spaced apart and opposite thealignment stanchions 170, to help keep thebottom skin section 40 correctly aligned on the table 166. Portable overhead hydraulic rams may also be used to hold thebottom skin 40 properly aligned with the table 166 and theshaped forms 176 while thewebs 36 are aligned with theskin section 40 and tack welded into place. - Once the
nose webs 36 have been tacked to thebottom skin section 40, thenose backing bar 42 may be inserted through thenotches 44, to fit snugly against the interior surface of thebottom skin section 40. When thebacking bar 42 is properly located it may be fastened in place by being tack welded to at least the ones of thewebs 36 at the ends of thenose section 30. - Thereafter, the
top skin part 38 may be placed atop thenose webs 36, as shown inFIG. 11B . Thetop skin part 38 may be held in the required position, aligned with and fitting tightly against thewebs 36, by devices such as an overheadhydraulic ram 180 equipped with a suitably contouredpressing head 182, while the topnose skin part 38 is tack welded to thenose webs 36. Thepressing head 182 may include sharp hardened teeth to engage thetop skin 38 securely while pressing it into the required position against thenose webs 36. It may been seen that the nose margin of thetop skin part 38 is thereby positioned in contact with thebacking bar 42, and that the inclined margin surfaces of thenose skin parts groove 184 seen in end view inFIG. 11B . Sacrificial spacers of material such as ¼ inch×¼ inch steel stock may be placed in the bottom of the groove and tack welded to theround bar 42 along the margin of thebottom skin sheet 40 to assure that the V-shapedgroove 184 has a root width sufficient to assure good weld penetration for completion of thenose seam 46. - Once the
top skin part 38 has been securely tack welded to thewebs 36, thewebs 36 may be welded completely to theskin parts middle section webs 50 into place between thegirders nose section 30 with a minimum of distortion resulting from thermal expansion and contraction of the welds. - With the inclined nose margin surfaces 154 of the
top skin section 38 andbottom skin section 40 extending to thebacking bar 42, the V-shapedgroove 184 is fairly tightly closed at its bottom by thebacking bar 42, and any gaps which do remain along thebacking bar 42 may be closed simply by welding them shut by hand if necessary. - When welding of the
nose skin parts webs 36 has been completed the nosestructural section 30 may be lifted from the assembly table 166 by a suitable crane and may be placed nose-up on the table 102 beneath thegantry 110 with the V-shapedgroove 184 facing openly upward. The nosestructural section 30 may be supported upon thestands 134 mounted on top of the table 102, with thestands 134 adjusted to provide a flat support for thenose section 30, as by placing aflat plate 186 atop thestands 134, extending between them along the length of the table 102, as shown inFIG. 12 . - A pair of
flux dams 188, which may be narrow strips of metal plate, may be tack welded to thenose skin parts groove 184 to form a trough along thegroove 184 as shown inFIG. 12 to hold welding flux. A pair of submergedarc welders structural member 194 extending horizontally across the rear end 195 of thegantry 110, generally opposite the location of thetransverse member 120 supporting the cutting torches 122, etc., as may be seen inFIG. 5 . Thenose section 30 is supported with the V-shapedgroove 184 aligned parallel with therails 112 supporting thegantry 110. Once the nose section is properly aligned the gantry may be moved in a rearward direction, opposite the direction of thearrow 114 shown inFIG. 5 , to move the submergedarc welder 190 along thenose section 30 as it operates to weld together the nose margins of the topnose skin part 38 and the bottomnose skin part 40 of the nosestructural section 30. With each of theskin parts seam 46 thus formed along the V-shapedgroove 184 may take one to three welding passes along the nosestructural section 30 to form a completely filled weldedseam 46 that can be ground flush to provide a smooth surface along the nosestructural section 30 when completed. Once theseam 46 is completely welded along the V-shapedgroove 184 theflux dams 188 are removed. - Each of the submerged
arc welders - Each submerged
arc welder flux feed tube 196, for providing a flow of granulated flux into the trough defined by theflux dams 188, ahead of the electrodes. A fluxremoval vacuum tube 198 is provided for removing remaining granulated flux from behind the point at which the welder is actually operating along the seam being welded. Agauge wire 200 may extend forward from eachwelder gantry 110 and thewelders gantry 110 during the welding operation, if necessary. - Assembly of the top
tail skin part 64 and bottomtail skin part 66 to thewebs 62 of the tailstructural section 34 is similar to assembly of the nosestructural section 30, except that a seam may need to be welded by hand along the trailingedge margin 89. - Once assembly of the tail
structural section 34 has been completed, thestructural sections structural section 34 may be placed on an assembly table 204 in a horizontal position with itstrailing edge seam 89 facing outboard and the open side of the tailstructural section 34 facing toward the middle of the table. - The middle
structural section 32 is then placed onto the assembly table 204, aligned with thetail section 34 and is moved into a mating position in which thegirder member 54 extends between themargins 162 thetop skin section 64 andbottom skin section 66.Short sections 205 of metal such as ¼ inch by ¼ inch square dimensional stock may be tack welded into place along the top and bottom of thegirder member 54 to assure that a sufficient root width is provided in the V-shaped grooves between the margins of thetop skin parts margins bottom skin parts FIG. 13 , thewebs 36 of the nosestructural section 30 and thewebs 62 of the tailstructural section 34 may be cut to be slightly larger than theopposite girder member top skin part 38 andbottom skin part 40 to thenose webs 36, and after welding of thetop skin part 56 andbottom skin part 58 to thewebs 62 of the tailstructural section 34, the margins of theskin parts sufficient separation gaps web members nose skin part 38 and bottomnose skin part 40 can pass over and fit onto thegirder member 52 with anose skin gap 210 and agirder height 212, and the margins of the toptail skin part 56 and bottomtail skin part 58 can fit similarly over thegirder member 54 of the middlestructural section 32 as shown inFIG. 13 and atail skin gap 214 andgirder height 216. - Appropriate portable rams may be used to push the two
structural sections top skin parts bottom skin parts structural section 32 andtail section 34 are rolled over and the process is repeated to tack weld thebottom skin part 58 andbottom skin part 66 securely together along the entire structure. - Next the nose
structural section 30 is placed alongside the combinedmiddle section 32 andtail section 34 and the nosestructural section 30 is similarly tacked to the middlestructural section 32. The nosestructural section 30 may have bowed sufficiently so that initially only the middle part of the length of thenose section 30 will meet the middlestructural section 32. This part of the nosestructural section 30 may be secured to themiddle section 32 with tack welds and thereafter thenose section 30 will have to be forced toward the middle section and tacked at spaced apart locations progressing toward each end of thehydrofoil structure 26. - When the three
sections gantry 110, supported on thestands 134 and the cradle forms 104, that have been aligned with each other atop the table 102. The submergedarc welders seams top skin part 38, the middletop skin part 56, and the tailtop skin part 64 of theskin 28 of the top of the preliminarily fastened hydrofoil structure as it is shown inFIG. 3 , usingflux dams 218 temporarily tacked to theskin 28. The submergedarc welders opposed margins seams skin 28 and attaching it to thegirder members hydrofoil structure 26 at a speed of, for example, 18 inches per minute, thus completing the welds of theseams seam - Once the
seams hydrofoil structure 26 is raised and rolled and reversed, and thecradles 140 are raised into position to hold thehydrofoil structure 26 while theseams arc welders flux dams 218 are removed and the surfaces of the weldedseams weld dams 218 had been attached are ground smooth and to a required shape. Finally, excess material from thetail edge 89 which may have been used during the process of assembling the hydrofoil structure as a convenient location for attachment of clamps, etc., used to move and reposition the hydrofoil structure, may be trimmed at 222 by using one of the cutting torches 122, etc. carried by thegantry 110. - The terms and expressions which have been employed in the foregoing specification are used therein as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention in the use of such terms and expressions of excluding equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof, it being recognized that the scope of the invention is defined and limited only by the claims which follow.
Claims (20)
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US8728265B2 (en) | 2011-10-05 | 2014-05-20 | Courtney T. Harris | Skeg protector apparatus and method of making |
US11751551B2 (en) * | 2021-04-15 | 2023-09-12 | Bradley David Cahoon | Hydrofoil fishing lure apparatus |
Citations (5)
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US4217844A (en) * | 1976-05-19 | 1980-08-19 | Seaspan Development Co. Ltd. | Barge dagger skegs |
US4569302A (en) * | 1978-01-16 | 1986-02-11 | Seatronics Technologies Ltd. | Barge dagger skegs |
US4588872A (en) * | 1984-03-22 | 1986-05-13 | Bollinger John G | Self-guided welding machine |
US4782779A (en) * | 1976-05-19 | 1988-11-08 | Seatronics Technologies Ltd. | Barge lattice skegs |
US4915048A (en) * | 1987-04-28 | 1990-04-10 | Corwin R. Horton | Vessel with improved hydrodynamic performance |
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2006
- 2006-10-31 US US11/591,298 patent/US7363872B1/en active Active
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US4217844A (en) * | 1976-05-19 | 1980-08-19 | Seaspan Development Co. Ltd. | Barge dagger skegs |
US4782779A (en) * | 1976-05-19 | 1988-11-08 | Seatronics Technologies Ltd. | Barge lattice skegs |
US4569302A (en) * | 1978-01-16 | 1986-02-11 | Seatronics Technologies Ltd. | Barge dagger skegs |
US4588872A (en) * | 1984-03-22 | 1986-05-13 | Bollinger John G | Self-guided welding machine |
US4915048A (en) * | 1987-04-28 | 1990-04-10 | Corwin R. Horton | Vessel with improved hydrodynamic performance |
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US7363872B1 (en) | 2008-04-29 |
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