US3073125A - Drydock - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 15, 1963 R. PEARLSON 3,073,125

DRYDOCK Filed Dec. 3, 1958 e Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEYS Jan. 15, 1963 R. PEARLSON 3,

DRYDOCK Filed Dec. 3, 1958 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 3 INVENTOR lqmM/wism ATTORNEYS Jan. 15, 1963 R. PEARLSON 3,073,125

DRYDOCK Filed Dec. 3, 1958 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 ATTORNEY 9 Jan. 15, 1963 R. PEARLSON 3,073,125

' DRYDOCK Filed Dec. 3, 1958 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 glii l llii INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Jan. 15, 1963 R. PEARLSON 3,073,125

' DRYDOCK Filed Dec. 3, 1958 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR ATTGR-NEYS R. PEARLSON Jan. 15, 1963 DRYDOCK 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed D80. 3, 1958 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS III. II

@M/Mw .III A United States Patent by mesne as- Inc,

This invention relates to structures for handling boats and ships to lift them from the water for painting or repair of the hulls, and for major repair work, and in particular to those structures known as drydocks.

In the handling of boats and ships during lifting, it is necessary that they be supported along the keel either continuously from bow to stern or at relatively closely spaced points, and that additional side chocks be provided for the proper support. if this is not done then the ship may be fractured or tilt in the drydock when it is being lifted. Considerable difificulty has been encountered in the past in achieving this, due to the fact that the keel profiles of difierent ships are different and at different angles to the horizontal when the ship is afloat. Dry dock operators are usually supplied with pertinent information as to the hull contour of the ship to be drydocked prior to the arrival of the ship so that precautions may be made to receive and handlethe ship. As mentioned above, however, many problems have arisen with existing equipment in preparing the drydock for the particular ship to be handled.

The general object of the present invention is to provide a drydock which will be capable of quickly and efiiciently handling a ship which is to be lifted, and accomplishing this with a minimum of labor.

A more specific object is to provide a drydock which will have a vessel supporting floor capable of tilting to adjust to a particular keel angle and then liftingwhile maintaining the desired angle of tilt.

Another object is the provision of checking means which may be adjusted mechanically regardless of the angle of the drydock floor or the vertical position of the floor in the dock.

A further object of the invention is to provide a drydock having a floor of a plurality of sections which are independently movable to adjust to keel contour with the whole floor being movable as a unit after adjustment.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following description of practical embodiments thereof, when taken in conjunction with the drawings which accompany, and form part of, this specification.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a drydock' constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention, a ship being shown therein raised from the water;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the structure shown in FIGURE 1, parts being brokenaway at the center to shorten the view;

FIGURE 3 is a partial longitudinal view through the floor of the dock illustrating the manner in which the several sections of the fiuOl are interconnected, and is taken on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is also a longitudinal section taken through one beam of the floor and its adjacent sections, and illustrating the hoisting means for the beam and the operating means for the bilge blocks, and is taken on the line 44 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is a transverse section through the structure shown in FIGURE 4, taken on the line 55 of FlGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 is a horizontal section taken substantially on the plane of line 6-6 of FIGURE 5, showing both ends of a floor beam and the mechanism for moving the bilge blocks;

FIGURE 7 is a top plan View of another arrangement.

FIGURE 10 is an enlarged detail view illustrating the.

connection between one flooring section and an adjacent supporting beam.

in general, the invention is concerned with drydoclcs, having movable floors which can be adjusted as to contour or inclination and, when adjusted, raised and lowered in adjusted position. This is accomplishedby the use of synchronous motors which are independently operable for adjusting the fioor, and simultaneously operable for raising and lowering the adjusted floor. In addition, mechanical means are provided for the movement of bilge blocks toward and from the dock center, which means is, operable irrespective of the height or adjustment of the dock floor or platform.

Referring to the drawings in detail, and first adverting to the form of the invention shown in FIGURES l to 6 inclusive, there is illustrated a CllYdOClZ including the side walls 1 and 2 that define a slip 3 into which a ship is floated for handling. Between the side walls there is a vertically movable fioor, or platform, 4.

The side walls may be constructed in any desired'manner, and are shown as including a series of spaced piers 5 supporting at their tops a catwalk 6. The catwalk is of appropriate width, and may be supplied with guard rails 7. A platform, or dock, 8 is located at the outside of the walls below the catwalk, but at a suitable height above the water level. Piers 5 are spaced apart suitable distances to define a series of alcoves 9 which house parts of the floor elevating mechanism, as will be described.

The floor, or platform, 4 is composed of a plurality of parallel, transversely extending, keel supporting beams 1'9, and a plurality of intermediate floor sections 11, one between each pair of beams. The beams and floor'sections are interconnected, as will be desired, to form a longitudinally flexible, articulated floor.

The beams are spaced apart a distance equal to the distance between centers of the alcoves 9, and are supported at their ends by hoisting mechanism 12 carried by the dock side walls and operable in the alcoves. Beams 10 are the load-bearing-mernbers of the floor, and their center-to-center spacing iscalculated in accordance with the load to be carried and the stresses to be imposed upon the keels and hulls of vessels when being lifted,

Each beam 19 is a relatively heavy l-beam, of a length to substantially span the distance between the side walls of the dock; On the undersides of the beams adjacent to the ends, short sections of auxiliary beams 13 are connected so as to project beyond the ends of the main beams 10. The beam sections 13 carry brackets 14, each of which journals a multiple groove pulley 15. A cable 16 is trained about this pulley and another pulley l7 supported by brackets 18 on channel beams 19 seated on the tops of the piers 5. Channel beams 19, in turn, support the catwalk 6. The cable 16 has one end anchored to a channel 19, as at 20, and the other end wound on a drum 21, mounted on the platform, or dock, 8. Each cable drum is driven by its own synchronous motor 22.

The motors 22 at any one beam position can be operated independently of the other motors of the system to wind or unwind the cables 16 on the drums 21 to raise or lower the beam. By reason of this arrangement, the several beams of the floor can be raised to dillerent heights so that the beams will lie along any predetermined keel contour or angle, to the end that each beam of the floor will contact a ships keel simultaneously when all of the beams are raised together by simultaneous operation of all of the synchronous motors.

The beams are tied together to form a floor by means of the intermediate floor sections 11. These comprise pairs of transversely spaced, longitudinally extending beams 23 held in spaced relation by bridge members 24. Any suitable flooring 25 may be used. The floor sections are secured to the beams 10 so as to permit the beams to have relative vertical movement, yet tie them together to prevent swaying of the beams. I-beams it} are provided with ears 26 and pins 27 pass through the cars 26 and the longitudinal stringers 23 of the floor sections. To relieve the pins 27 of the load of the floor sections, the I-beams are provided with shelves 28 upon which the ends of the beams 23 rest. The ends 23' of the stringers 23 terminate short of the vertical webs of I-beams it and slots, such as slots 26 in cars 26, are provided to receive pins 27 and allow some tilting movement of the platform sections relative to the I-beam. This arrangement will permit adjacent I-beams the limited independent movement which will be necessary in use without the weight of the intermediate fioor sections being removed from the shelves 2%.

Each of the beams 10 carries a pair of bilge blocks 29 upon its upper surface, with the blocks of the pair being on opposite sides of the center of the beam. It is desirable that these blocks be movable toward and from the center of the beam, and to this end the blocks are con nected to sprocket chains 30. Each chain has its ends attached to opposite ends of a bilge block and passes around an operating sprocket 31, rotatably mounted adjacent one end of beam 10, and an idler sprocket 32 mounted near the center of the beam (see FIGURE 6). It will be obvious that upon rotation of sprocket 31 the block will be caused to move alon the top of the beam 10. In order that sprocket 31 may be operated at all elevational positions of beam 10, the sprocket is provided with a square central opening 33 to slidably receive a square operating shaft 34. The upper portion of shaft 34 is rounded and suitably journalled upon a standard 35, fixed to the catwalk 6. Shaft 34 carries a bevel gear 36 at its upper end which meshes with a bevel gear 37 connected to a hand wheel 38 also mounted upon standard 35. Rotation of the hand wheel in opposite directions will cause similar rotation of shaft 34 and thus movement of the bilge block toward or from the center of beam 10. This will be true irrespective of vertical adjustment of the beam, as the sprocket 31 will slide along shaft 34 as the beam is moved.

It will be seen from the above description that independent operation of the motors controlling each beam permits the beams to be moved so that they will assume positions conforming to any ship keel contour or inclination, and that simultaneous operation of all of the synchronous motors will cause the entire floor or platform to move while maintaining its previously adjusted contour. The bilge blocks can be moved to desired positions no matter what the elevation of the beams may be. This permits the operator to preset the floor to the plan of the keel and hull of an incoming ship, so that when the ship is floated into the slip the floor may be moved upwardly to make precise contact with the ship along the full length of the keel to raise the ship without changing the angular position it had when afloat, and without placing undue strain on any part of the hull.

Referring now to FIGURES 7 to 9, inclusive, a slightly difierent form of drydock is shown which is suitable for smaller ships and small boats. Here, a single wall 39 is provided, having a catwalk th and supporting framework 41 to carry motor and cable drum units 42 mounted near the ends of the wall. Suitable skeleton framework 43 is erected spaced from the wall ends to mount additional motor and cable drum units 44. intermediate the wall and the framework 43, there is a floor, or platform, 45.

In this form of the invention, the floor is a unitary, rigid platform. It consists of transverse, load supporting, end beams 36 and spaced longitudinal beams 47, bridging the distance between the beams 46. A perimctric frame 48 may be used about the floor and suitable flooring 49 will surface the platform. Any number of additional flooring beams 56) will be used as required.

' trolled by individual switches 56 and 57 on a convenient panel 58 in the catwalk so that either end of the fioor may be raised independently to adjust for angle. A master switch 59 will operate all of the synchronous motors simultaneously so that the floor will raise or lower at the angle at which it has been set.

The floor in the illustration is provided with rails oil to accommodate a boat supporting dolly, but it is evident that the same bilge block arrangement described in connection with the first form of the invention may be used with the rigid floor also.

While in the above two practical embodiments of the invention have been disclosed, it will be understood that the precise details of structure described and shown are merely by way of illustration, and the invention may take other forms within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A drydock comprising, supporting structure in spaced sections defining a slip into which a vessel may be floated, an articulated platform within the slip, the platform including a plurality of load-supporting beams having horizontal ledges in parallel spaced relation transversely spanning the slip, and a plurality of flooring sections one between each two adjacent beams, and having its sides pivotally connected to the adjacent beams, each flooring sec tion including a frame and an overlying floor with the pivotal interconnection between the flooring sections and the load-supporting beams being to the frame and the frame having portions resting upon the horizontal ledges of the load-supporting beams, individual cables connected to the ends of the load-supporting beams and to the supporting beams may be operated as a pair to raise and lower individual load-supporting beams to cause the platform to conform to a determined pattern and all of the motors may be operated simultaneously to raise and lower the platform while maintaining the determined pattern.

2. A drydock as claimed in claim 1, wherein bilge blocks are slidably positioned on some of the load-supporting beams, and there are means to move the bilge blocks longitudinally of the load-supporting beams operative regardless of the vertical position of the platform or the individual supporting beams.

Ely Jan. 28, 1829 268,177 Bowe Nov. 28, 1882 6 Flynn Dec. 15, 1891 Kinipple Aug. 23, 1892 Rolli July 4, 1916 Crandall Ian. 2, 1917 Hill Mar. 25, 1924 Caroni Aug. 30, 1927 King June 22, 1948 Wichert Sept. 21, 1954 Robbins Aug. 26, 1958

Claims (1)

1. A DRYDOCK COMPRISING, SUPPORTING STRUCTURE IN SPACED SECTIONS DEFINING A SLIP INTO WHICH A VESSEL MAY BE FLOATED, AN ARTICULATED PLATFORM WITHIN THE SLIP, THE PLATFORM INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF LOAD-SUPPORTING BEAMS HAVING HORIZONTAL LEDGES IN PARALLEL SPACED RELATION TRANSVERSELY SPANNING THE SLIP, AND A PLURALITY OF FLOORING SECTIONS ONE BETWEEN EACH TWO ADJACENT BEAMS, AND HAVING ITS SIDES PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO THE ADJACENT BEAMS, EACH FLOORING SECTION INCLUDING A FRAME AND AN OVERLYING FLOOR WITH THE PIVOTAL INTERCONNECTION BETWEEN THE FLOORING SECTIONS AND THE LOAD-SUPPORTING BEAMS BEING TO THE FRAME AND THE FRAME HAVING PORTIONS RESTING UPON THE HORIZONTAL LEDGES OF THE LOAD-SUPPORTING BEAMS, INDIVIDUAL CABLES CONNECTED TO THE ENDS OF THE LOAD-SUPPORTING BEAMS AND TO THE

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