US3538876A - Ship salvaging system and method - Google Patents

Description

United States Patent Inventor Appl. No.

Filed Patented Assignee Willard Fascom Washington, District of Columbia 688,543

Dec. 6, 1967 Nov. 10, 1970 Ocean Science & Engineering, Inc. Washington, District of Columbia I a corporation of Delaware SHIP SALVAGING SYSTEM AND METHOD 3 Claims, 3 Drawing Figs.

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[50] Field ofSearch .4 l14/55,67; l72/755699,40,37

[56] References Cited FOREIGN PATENTS 160,459 12/1921 Great Britain 114/67 Primary Examiner-Andrew H. Farrell Attorney-Robillard and Byrne ABSTRACT: A system and method of reducing the forces resisting motion between water saturated or wet earthy material and body partially embedded therein by creating a layer of bubbles formed by electrolytic decomposition of water between their contacting surfaces.

Patented-Nov.10,197 0 3,538,876

FIG. 2

, INVENVTOR WILLARD BASGOM MW A77 R/VEYS SHIP SALVAGING SYSTEM AND METHOD In the retrieval of objects at the bottom of the ocean or otherwise stuck in a waterlogged substance, it is not always the weight of the object which causes difficulty in making a retrieval, but rather, it is oftentimes the suction" which develops between the sediment or other materials at the bottom of the ocean and the object which embeds itself therein. A force many times greater than the actual force necessary to lift the body is required to break this suction, or resistive force. it is a principal object of this invention to provide a means wherein this suction is substantially lessened by creating a layer of bubbles between the surface of the object and the material in which it is embedded.

Another objective of this invention is to provide a means by which the forces developed between the bottom surface of the ocean and an object to be retrieved therefrom are reduced by establishing electrical fields of different polarity within the sea water and the object to thereby cause the formation of bubbles on the exterior surface of the object.

Yet another objective of this invention resides in the provision of a novel method for retrieving a vessel wherein the work which must be performed by divers and/or material removing apparatus is substantially reduced.

The foregoing and other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when viewed in light of the accompanying drawing wherein the like elements throughout the figures thereof are indicated by like numerals and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view showing operation;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic view showing a second embodiment of the invention; and

H6. 3 is an enlarged view of an iron-magnesium pellet of the type used in the FIG. 2 system.

Referring now to the drawings wherein like elements indicate like parts, the numeral generally indicates a heavy object which is embedded in the bottom surface 12 of a body of water 14. when vessels or other objects become stuck in this manner, forces many times greater than the weight of the object are necessary to break the contact between surface 12 and the vessel. For lack of better terms, this force will be referred to as a suction" or resistive force.

This force is proportional to the area of contact between the vessel and the material in which it is embedded. The general concept of this invention is in providing a method whereby this contacting area is substantially reduced without moving the object. This reduction is accomplished by forming a great many bubbles along the surface of the object. in FIG. 1, the object 10 is embedded at the bottom of a body of water. It should be understood, however, that the methods of the present invention have equal applicability for removing barges, vessels or other objects which are grounded in mud flats or other shore areas.

In a first method, a source of electricity 16 is positioned near the embedded object by a floating vessel 18. A first electrical cable 20 leading from the positive polarity of the generator is affixed to the hull of the object at a plurality of points. This effectively turns the object 10 into an electrode (cathode). A second electrical cable 22 is connected to the opposing or negativepolarity of the generator and suspends a second electrode 24 (anode) adjacent to the object 10. The sea water 14 acts as an electrolyte and an electrical current flows between the electrodes. Due to an electrochemical phenomenon known as electrolysis, a multitude of hydrogen bubbles will form on the surface ofthe positive electrode (object) l0 and consequently there is a reduction in the suction or static friction between it and the embedding material. Although some of these bubbles will rise to the surface and escape into the atmosphere, others will remain. The hydrogen tends to produce aneffect known as polarization, which increases the effective electrical resistance in the system which reduces current requirement. The polarization also causes the bubbles to become increasingly uniformly distributed and they thus form on all external wetted surfaces of the object, em-

bedded or otherwise.

When a substantial number of bubbles have been developed, as determined by standard ohmmeter, wattmeter, and voltmeter devices, conventional lifting-type devices, here indicated by a'winch and cable mechanism 26, are utilized.

in the above-described method, current is developed from a transportable generator such as that housed on vessel 18.

In FIG. 2 there is shown a second method of forming bubbles. A high-pressure hose 30 driven by remote pumps or compressors is brought to the vicinity of the object 10 by a diver 32. The diver moves about the object and injects a stream of small pellets of magnesium and iron between the object and the embedding material. The surrounding water activates these pellets forming a great many hydrogen bubbles in the sediments beneath the object. Many of those pellets that are deposited in contact with the object, so that bubbles will form directly adjacent to and beneath the object as in the first method. Again, after sufficient bubbles are formed the suctional force between the mud and the object will be broken and, conventional retrieval methods are utilized.

Of the two methods described, the former can be termed as electrical and the latter as electrochemical. The former is restricted to metallic objects, but the latter is not so restricted. However, both have as their common purpose the forming of bubbles beneath an embedded object for the purpose of diminishing resistive forces.

From the above it can be seen that there has been described a method of facilitating the lift ofa ship or any object which is to be retrieved from the bottom of the ocean by reducing the suction or resistive forces between the object and the cmbedding material to a point where conventional retrieval and salvaging methods .can be used.

In a general manner, while there has been disclosed effective and efficient embodiments of the invention, it should be well understood that the invention is not limited to such embodiments, as there might be variations in the circumstances and the exact steps described without departing from the principle of the present invention as comprehended within the scope of the accompanying claims.

lclaim:

1. A method of extracting an object from a water-saturated sediment in which the object is at least partially embedded comprising the steps of creating a force on said object tending to move said object from that portion of the sediment in which it is embedded, and forming bubbles on the portion of the surface of said object adjacent said sediment for reducing suctio forces between the object and the sediment.

2. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein said bubbles on the surface of said object are formed by the steps of attaching one pole of a generator to said object whereby said object becomes an electrode of a first polarity, suspending an elec trode of opposing polarity of said generator near said object, whereby the resulting flow of electrical current will form bubbles from the electrolytic decomposition of water on said surface portion of said object.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said object is submerged and said generator is floated to a position over said object.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,538,875 Dated November 10, 1970 Inventofls) Willard Bascom It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

The inventor's name in the above-identified patent was misspelled upon printing the patent. Therefore, the name of the inventor as it appears on the patent should be changed from Willard "Eascom" to Willard "gascom" Signed and sealed this 1st day of June 1971.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLETCHER,JR. WILLIAM E. SGHUYLER, J'E Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patent:

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