WO1995028528A1

WO1995028528A1 - Apparatus for booms

Info

Publication number: WO1995028528A1
Application number: PCT/SE1995/000407
Authority: WO
Inventors: Henrik Österlund
Original assignee: Swedish Roto Trading Ab
Priority date: 1994-04-15
Filing date: 1995-04-12
Publication date: 1995-10-26
Also published as: SE9401289D0; AU2378195A

Abstract

This invention relates to an apparatus for drawing up and winding up booms, preferably so-called self-expanding booms, provided with an upper floating body portion and a lower skirt portion, which comprises a plate arranged on a platform, which plate is rotatable by means of a motor unit, and which is provided with a winding up means positioned essentially vertically and essentially at the middle of the plate, and a means for feeding in the boom, the platform and the motor unit being designed in that way that the later one can be plugged into and out of the platform, and the plate being designed in that way that it can be driven by means of a gear pinion which is arranged in the motor unit and goes into engagement with the plate when plugging the motor unit into the platform. According to the invention the apparatus is characterized in that it comprises the combination of the following features: A supporting means (12) with such a design, that for a supporting purpose it can be brought into contact with the boom (23) at the border area between its upper (24) and lower (25) portions, is intended to be arranged between the feeding means (11) and the platform (2), the supporting means (12) being intended to be plugged into and out of the platform (2); An elongated pressing means (18) is directed in over the platform and is intended to be resiliently applied against the outside of the boom during the winding up phase for pressing air out of the same, the pressing means (18) being positioned after the supporting means (12), seen in drawing up direction of the boom (23).

Description

APPARATUS FOR BOOMS 1

This invention relates to an apparatus for drawing up and winding up booms, preferably so called self-expanding booms, provided with an upper floating body portion and a lower skirt portion, which comprises a plate arranged on a platform, which plate is rotatable by means of a motor unit, and which is provided with a winding up means positioned essentially vertically and essentially at the middle of the plate, and a means for feeding in the boom, the platform and the motor unit being designed in that way that the later one can be plugged into and out of the platform, and the plate being designed in that way that it can be driven by means of a gear pinion which is arranged in the motor unit and goes into engagement with the plate when the motor unit is plugged into the platform. Such an apparatus is previously known by the allowed and printed Swedish patent application 465.277. This apparatus functions very well in normal cases when winding up booms. In this known apparatus as well as in other apparatuses in the market, however, there can be problems if the the boom, being drawn up, is made extremely dirty with oil. This problem consists of the fact that the boom slides down on the "roll" during the rolling up phase, whereby the "roll" becomes ungainly and unnecessaryily space-requiring.

This invention intends to remove these problems. This has been made possible by an apparatus of the kind mentioned by way of introduction, which is characterized by the fact that it comprises a combination of the following features:

- A supporting means with such a design, that for a supporting purpose it can be brought into contact with the boom at the border area between its upper and lower portions, is intended to be arranged between the feeding means and the platform, the supporting means being intended to be plugged into and out of the platform;

- An elongated pressing means is directed in over the platform and is intended to be resiliently applied against the outside of the boom during the winding up phase for the same, the pressing means being positioned after the supporting means, seen in drawing up direction of the boom. Due to this fact there will be an effective evacuation of air out of the boom at the same time as it is secured that during the winding up phase, the boom will not slide down on the "roll".

A preferred embodiment of the invention shall be described more closely below with reference to the accompanying drawings, where Fig 1 shows the apparatus taken into pieces, and Fig 2 shows the apparatus mounted together with a boom during the winding up phase.

Referring to fig 1 is shown there the new apparatus. This one comprises a rotatable plate 1, which is arranged on a platform 2. This one comprises tubular plate girders, which are arranged -in that way that there are created two cavities 3a, b; 4a, b; 5a, b; 6a, b, functioning as female means and with rectangular cross section at four areas outside the plate, each of which area having an angular distance to each other of about 90°. In any one of these cavities a motor unit 7 can be plugged in, and this motor unit is intended to drive the plate 1 around. When doing that the male part 8 of the motor unit 7 is pushed into the cavity 6 b. The motor unit comprises a gear pinion 9, which is intended to go into engagement with the plate 1 when the motor unit is plugged in, the peripheral portion of the plate being arranged in that way that it can receive the teeth of the gear pinion.

The apparatus comprises a winding up means 10, which is arranged centrally on the plate 1 and around which the boom, taken up, is intended to be rolled, and a means 11 for feeding in the boom, which means is arranged in that way that it directs the boom in towards the plate 1 with the winding up means 10.

According to the invention the apparatus comprises a supporting means 12, which is intended to be plugged into the platform 2 and accordingly be positioned between this one and the feeding means 11. The supporting means 12 is provided with a male means 13 which in this case is intended to be plugged into the cavity 3 of the platform 2. The supporting means comprises two arms 14, 15, which are arranged at a distance from each other and which projects essentially vertically from a cross-bar 16, which is arranged on the male means 13. In this connection, the arms 14, 16 are arranged in that way that their upper portions are directed inwards towards each other. Furthermore, the arms 14, 15 are intended to be arranged in that way that they can be raised and lowered. In each of the upper ends of the arms 14, 15 is an essentially horisontal, elongated arm 16, 17 arranged. In this connection, these arms 16, 17 are designed in that way that their end portions are bent outwards. The horisontal arms 16, 17 have a direction which essentially corresponds to the drawing in direction of the boom and the distance between these arms is essentially less than the distance at the bottom between the vertical arms 14, 15. In the end portion of the one arm 16 closest to the platform 2 is an elongated, essentially horisontal pressing means 18 articulately fastened. This pressing means is intended to be influenced in that way by a spring means 19 that it strives inwards in the direction R towards the central portions of the plate. In this connection the spring force of the means 19 shall be so strong that the pressing means 18 is capable of squeezing the boom 23 together so that the air is evacuated from the same. Right out on the pressing means 18 there is arranged a sliding, rolling or a wheel means 20 for a contact against the object, i.e. the boom. The male means 13 at its rear portion is designed as a female means 21 in which another male means 22 of the feeding means 11 is intended to be pushed in.

In fig 2 is shown the winding up phase for a boom 23 when using the apparatus according to the invention. The boom has an upper floating body portion 24, swelled by air, and a lower, thin skirt portion 25. The one end of the boom 23 is fastended to the winding up means 10, a control being made that the boom ends up between the essentially horisontal means 16, 17 of the supporting means 12. In this connection, these means 16, 17 shall be arranged in that way that the upper floating body portion 24 of the boom is in contact with and slides on the mentioned means. At the same time is controlled that the pressing means 18 is in contact with the boom at its outside and exerts a pressing force against this one so that the air is pressed out of the floating bodies of the boom, whereby the boom is effectively rolled around the winding up means 10. Due to the existence of the supporting means 12 and the special design of the same, is secured an effective and correct winding up procedure for the boom around the winding up means, without the boom being slid down. The invention is of course not limited to the mentioned embodiment but can be modified within the scope of the following claims. Thus, it is not necessary that the pressing means constitutes an integral part of the supporting means, as is shown in the drawing, but the pressing means can of course be arranged separately.

Claims

1. An apparatus for drawing up and winding up booms, preferably so called self- expanding booms, provided with an upper floating body portion and a lower skirt portion, which comprises a plate arranged on a platform, which plate is rotatable by means of a motor unit, and which is provided with a winding up means positioned essentially vertically and essentially at the middle of the plate, and a means for feeding in the boom,^" the platform and the motor unit being designed in that way that the later one can be plugged into and out of the platform, and the plate being designed in that way that it can be driven by means of a gear pinion which is arranged in the motor unit and goes into engagement with the plate when the motor unit is plugged into the platform, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that it comprises the combination of the following features:

- A supporting means (12) with such a design, that for a supporting purpose it can be brought into contact with the boom (23) at the border area between its upper (24) and lower (25) portions, is intended to be arranged between the feeding means (11) and the platform (2), the supporting means (12) being intended to be plugged into and out of the platform (2);

- An elongated pressing means (18) is directed in over the platform and is intended to be resiliently applied against the outside of the boom during the winding up phase for pressing air out of the same, the pressing means (18) being positioned after the supporting means (12), seen in drawing up direction of the boom (23).

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the supporting means (12) comprises two means (16, 17), which are arranged at a distance from each other and which are designed in that way that the floating body portion (24) of the boom (23) resting against these ones can pass the means (16, 17) by sliding during the drawing up phase for the boom.

3. An apparatus according to claim 2, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the means (16, 17) comprise two essentially horisontal, elongated arms, which have a direction that essentially corresponds to the drawing in direction of the boom (23).

4. An apparatus according to claim 3, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the essentially horisontal arms (16, 17) are arranged at the upper ends of two other arms (14, 15), which are arranged at a distance from each other and which at the bottom have an essentially vertical extension, the distance at the bottom between the essentially vertical arms (14, 15) being larger than the distance between the essentially horisontal arms (16, 17).

5. An apparatus according to claim 4, the essentially horisontal arms (16, 17) being bent outwards at their respective end portions, characterized in that at the front end portions of the one arm (16) there is an elongated, essentially horisontal pressing means (18) articulately fastened, which has an end portion at its front part and its rear part, and that this pressing means is intended to be influenced in that way by a spring means (19) that it strives inwards in the direction R towards the central portions of the plate.

6. An apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that the front end portion of the pressing means (18) has a sliding, rolling or wheel means (20), which is intended to be in contact against the outside of the boom (23), and that the pressing means (18) has a cross-bar (26) at its rear end portion, in which the one end of the spring means (19) is fastended, whereas the other end of the spring means is fastened to the rear end portion of the one horisontal arm (16).