Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
  • B63B—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPPING 
  • B63B59/00—Hull protection specially adapted for vessels; Cleaning devices specially adapted for vessels
  • B63B59/06—Cleaning devices for hulls
  • B63B59/10—Cleaning devices for hulls using trolleys or the like driven along the surface

Definitions

• the present invention relates generally to clean ⁇ ing devices which hydraulicly or mechanically abrade the surface of a ship's hull to remove any accumulated deposits therefrom and more particularly to a carriage for control ⁇ ling the movement of such cleaning devices across the hull surface of a ship.
• a well-known problem encountered by seagoing ves ⁇ sels is that foulant such as barnacles, marine plant growth and the like accumulate upon the ship's hull. Such foulant increases the drag as the ship moves through water and therefore increases fuel consumption and reduces the top speed of the ship. Consequently, the hulls must be cleaned periodically to remove the foulant and thus avoid the high cost of inefficient operation of the vessel. In addition to the energy savings, hull cleaning maintains the productivity of each vessel, and as a result, initial fleet investment can be minimized.
• foulant such as barnacles, marine plant growth and the like accumulate upon the ship's hull.
• Such foulant increases the drag as the ship moves through water and therefore increases fuel consumption and reduces the top speed of the ship. Consequently, the hulls must be cleaned periodically to remove the foulant and thus avoid the high cost of inefficient operation of the vessel.
• hull cleaning maintains the productivity of each vessel, and as a result, initial fleet investment can be minimized.
• a known means for removing the foulant comprises scrapping or chiseling the foulant from the hull surface.
• manual scraping of the hull surface is extremely tedious and time consuming.
• manual scraping is best accomplished in dry dock and, therefore, prolongs the time during which the ship is not available for service.
• An improved means for scraping the hull comprises the use of powered rotating brushes which are mounted on a manually guided, wheeled platform.
• scrubbing devices have been adapted for use below the waterline while the ship is anchored, they are difficult to control. Conse ⁇ quently, they are typically transported and controlled by a vessel separate from the vessel to be cleaned.
• Another previously known manner for removing fou ⁇ lant comprises the use of a highly pressurized flow of fluid through a hose and against the foulant on the hull surface.
• the fluid can be water or a combination of particulate matter and water which is discharged with great force against the foulant.
• the use of particulate matter as an abrasive medium is disadvantageous in that the particles can pit the surface of the hull and remove the paint from the surface. In addi ⁇ tion, as the particles are reflected from the surface, they are released into the atmosphere and present undesirable safety and environmental consequences.
• Another previously known means for removing foulant comprises the use of only pressurized water.
• the pressurized water is delivered through a hose having a noz ⁇ zle at the end which increases the force of the fluid stream discharge.
• the present invention overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages by providing a cleaning device incorporating a carriage that supports a plurality of cleaning means so that they can be operated and moved across the hull of a ship auto ⁇ matically.
• the device includes means for resisting any forces exerted against the hull which tend to push the cleaning means away from the hull surface.
• the device also includes means for moving the nozzles in a predetermined path along the sur ⁇ face of the hull.
• the device generally comprises a carriage, a plurality of cleaning nozzles facing outwardly from one surface of the carriage and a manifold carried by said carriage to provide a supply of pressurized fluid to the nozzle.
• the carriage is supported a predetermined distance away from the surface of the hull by a support means such as swiveling casters so that the carriage is easily moved about the surface of the hull.
• Translational control means for moving the carriage across the hull preferably comprises flexible horizontal and vertical elon ⁇ a ed elements such as
• the vertical and horizontal members are secured at one end to the carriage.
• the other end of each member is secured to an extension/retraction means, such as a winch, which can be mounted in a fixed position with respect " to the hull.
• the means for resisting the force of the cleaning nozzles and thereby maintaining the carriage casters against the hull preferably comprises a reactor nozzle extending out ⁇ wardly from the carriage surface opposite to the surface carrying the cleaning nozzles.
• the reactor nozzle is posi ⁇ tioned so that the reaction force applied to the carriage by the nozzle directly opposes the effective force vector produced by the plurality of the cleaning nozzles which tends to push the carriage away from the hull.
• the reactor nozzle is aligned so as to create a force component which tends to maintain the support members in a tensioned condition.
• the nozzle alignment is adjustable so that the placement of the winch members can be varied.
• the present invention provides a device for controlled cleaning of foulant from the surface of a shi 's hull.
• the carriage is adapted to carry a plurality of clean ⁇ ing nozzles so that a wider area of the hull can be cleaned in a given time.
• the reactor nozzle provides sufficient resistance to the force exerted against the hull by the cleaning nozzles to restrain the cleaning device against the hull of the ship.
• the device is especially useful in that it reduces the
• cleaning means other th high-pressure nozzles such as the previously known rotary brushes, can be advantageously used with this controlled pat ⁇ tern carriage device.
• the device permits cleaning of the hull in dry dock or while the ship is at anchor. In fact with the addition of stabilizing fins on the carriage to maintain positioning, it is possible to accomplish cleaning while the ship is underway.
• FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the cleaning device of the present invention positioned on a ship's hull during the cleaning operation;
• FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the cleaning device of the present invention.
• FIGURE 3 is a sectional elevational view taken substantially along the line 3-3 in FIGURE 2.
• the present invention 10 is thereshown comprising a carriage 12 mounted on casters 14 for rolling movement along the hull surface 16 of the ship 18.
• the carriage is secured in position by elongated retaining cables 20 and 22.
• the cable 20 is secured at one end to the carriage 12 and at its other end to a winch 24 which is se ⁇ cured to th deck of the ship 18.
• Means for operating the winch (not shown) permit the cable 20 to be extended and retracted vertically.
• the cable 22 is secured at one end to the carriage 12 and at its other end to the winch 26.
• the winch 26 is shown secured to a drydock wall 27, although it could also be secured to the bow or deck of the ship 18.
• Means for controlling the winch 26 (not shown) permit the carriage 12 to be translated in a horizontal direc ⁇ tion.
• a plurality of cleaning nozzles 30 extend outwardly from the bottom surface of the carriage 12.
• the nozzles 30 fluidly communicate with fluid passageways of a manifold 32.
• the ' inlet passage 34 of the manifold 32 fluidly communicates with the fluid coupling 36 secured to the outside of the carriage 12.
• a hose 38 is mated with the coupling 36 to provide fluid communication between a remotely positioned fluid source 40 via pump 42 (see FIGURE 1) and the manifold 32.
• the nozzles 30 can be aligned substantiall normal to the surface 11 of the carriage 12, and thus sub ⁇ stantially normal to the surface of the hull, in order to permit the full force of the fluid discharged from the nozzle to directly impinge upon the foulant on the surface of the hull, as shown in FIGURE 3, the nozzles 30 are inclined with respect to the surface of the hull for a reason to be herein ⁇ after described.
• the nozzles 30 are arranged so that a wide path beneath the carriage 12 is cleaned as the carriage moves in an arcuate path along the hull. It is to be under ⁇ stood that the nozzles 30 are not limited to the particular arrangement disclosed in the drawing, so long as the arrange ⁇ ment of nozzles provides a cleaning swath beneath a large por ⁇ tion of the area beneath the carriage 12 as the carriage is displaced along the surface of the hull.
• a reactor nozzle 40 Extending outwardly from the top surface 13 of the carriage 12 is a reactor nozzle 40. A nozzle 40 is secured
• rotatable pivot means 42 to the carriage 12 and in fluid communication with the manifold 32.
• the rotatable pivot means 42 enables the direction and inclination of the nozzle axis 44 to be selectively adjusted so that the force of the flow stream discharged from the nozzle can be aligned as desired.
• the rotatable pivot means 42 is fixedly secured with respect to the carriage 12 at a point which coin ⁇ cides with the effective center point of the forces defined by the discharge from the cleaning nozzles 30.
• the reaction force component 46 of the fluid dis ⁇ charged along axis 44 from the nozzle 40 can directly oppose the effective force 47 exerted by the cleaning nozzles 30 in order to maintain the carriage 12 closely adjacent the hull's surface 16.
• the nozzle 40 is shown inclined in a direction which substantially bisects the angle between the retaining cable 20 and retaining cable 22.
• one component of the force vector along axis 44 tensions the cables 20 and 22. Consequently, extension or retraction of the cables 20 and 22 by the winches 24 and 26, respectively, causes respective vertical and horizontal translation of the carriage 12 across the hull surface 16.
• the nozzles 30 are also inclined so as to provide a force vector which enhances the tension force upon the cables 20 and 22.
• the winch 24 is removably secured in a fixed position to the deck of the ship 18.
• the winch 26 is removably secured to a wall portion of the dry dock at or near the water line on the hull surface 16.
• the ends of the cables 20 and 22 are secured to the couplings 29 on the carriage 12.
• the nozzle 40 is then
• the device is prepared for cleaning the bow portion of the hull 16.
• the nozzle 40 is also inclined with respect to the surface 13 of the carriage 12 such that the reaction force component 46 exceeds and directly opposes the sum 47 of the reactive force components from the cleaning nozzles 30.
• the pump 42 is then activated to provide a pressurized flow of fluid from source 40 through the hose 38 and into the mani ⁇ fold 32.
• the manifold 32 thus supplies pressurized fluid to the cleaning nozzles 30 as well as the reactor nozzle 40. As the fluid is discharged from all of these nozzles, the reaction force component 46 from the nozzle 40 slightly exceeds and directly opposes the force component 47 from the cleaning nozzles 30.
• the casters 14 are urged against the hull surface 16 and maintain the nozzles 30 sub ⁇ stantially a predetermined distance above the hull surface 16. Consequently, the carriage 12 follows the contour of the ship's hull as the length of the members 20 and 22 is varied. At the same time, one component of the force vector 44 retains the members 20 and 22 in tension.
• the members 20 and 22 are preferably operated so that the carriage 12 moves in a regular pattern across the hull of the ship. For instance, the carriage 12 can be intitially positioned at the water line of the hull 16 as shown in FIGURE 1.
• the winch 24 is then operated so that the cable 20 extends downwardly to permit the carriage 12 to descend along the hull of the ship.
• the winch 26 retracts the cable 22 slightly so that a second swath directly adjacent to the first swath traversed can be cleaned.
• the cable 20 is then retracted by winch 24 so that
• the direction of the swath traversed by the carriage can be changed by rearrangement of the winches 24 and 26 and realingment of the nozzle 40.
• the winches 24 and 26 can be mounted at opposite ends of the deck of the ship. Then by varying the rotational position of the reactor nozzle 40, the respec ⁇ tive extension and retraction of the cables 20 and 22 causes the carriage to traverse a plurality of patterns which effec ⁇ tively cover substantially the entire hull surface below the water line on one side of the ship.
• the winches are positioned for movement of the carriage across one side of the bow of the ship. It is to be understood that such positioning enables additional winches and carriages to be positioned on the same side of the ship so that other portions of the same side can be cleaned at the same time. Consequently, the hull can be cleaned in substantially less time than was previously possible.
• the present invention provides a hull clean ⁇ ing device which enables a plurality of high pressure nozzles or other means to be used to remove foulant from the ship's hull. Since the nozzles or other means are mounted to a single carriage, the cleaner permits a wider swath to be cleaned than would be possible using only a single nozzle manually controlled by a worker. Moreover, since the carria ⁇ e

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• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Ocean & Marine Engineering (AREA)
• Cleaning By Liquid Or Steam (AREA)

Priority Applications (1)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=22831482

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (3)

Cited By (3)

Citations (5)

Family Cites Families (4)

• 1981
  • 1981-12-31 WO PCT/US1981/001781 patent/WO1982002368A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1981-12-31 JP JP1982600002U patent/JPS6340080Y2/ja not_active Expired
  • 1981-12-31 EP EP19820900599 patent/EP0068022A4/en not_active Ceased

Patent Citations (5)

Non-Patent Citations (2)

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