Bridges – Floating – Adjustable height
Patent
1990-10-29
1992-07-21
Britts, Ramon S.
Bridges
Floating
Adjustable height
114 45, 114273, E01D 1514, B63C 0102, B63B 0116
Patent
active
051311097
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to a clamped-down bridge comprising a superstructure supported by pontoons, each end of said bridge being fixedly secured to the bottom by means of anchors and anchor cables and clamped down to the expected maximum load by means of sinkers and sink cables, the anchor cables and the sink cables being wound in pairs onto a common shaft in such manner that winding up of the sink cables causes unwinding of the anchor cables, and vice versa.
Bridges or loading platforms are previously known, the outer end of which is clamped down to different levels to correspond to the changes in level of a vessel relative to the water surface in loading or unloading, or to stabilise the bridge against heeling moments when the load is uneven. Such bridges are, however, freely floating or provided with complicated means for adjusting and maintaining the bridge at a correct level relative to, for example, a vessel.
The object of the present invention is to provide a clamped-down bridge which normally acts as a freely floating bridge but, when loaded or in case of transitory changes of the water level such as when subjected to wave action, is automatically locked, and which allows vertical adjustment of the bridge as the water level rises or sinks. This object is achieved by means of a bridge having the features as stated in the characterising clause of claim 1.
The invention will now be explained by means of examples, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a bridge according to the present invention, the superstructure being shown merely by dash-dot lines;
FIG. 2 is a side view of the bridge shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is an end view of the bridge shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of part of the bridge, showing an automatic locking device which is included in the bridge shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the locking device according to FIG. 4;
FIGS. 6A-6C illustrate the principle of the function of the locking device, when subjected to wave action;
FIGS. 7A-7E show the principle of the function of the locking device as the water level rises;
FIGS. 8A-8E show the principle of the function of the locking device as the water level falls or the bridge is loaded; and
FIGS. 9A-9I illustrate in principle the stress occurring under different conditions.
With reference to FIGS. 1-3, the bridge comprises a superstructure 1 which is supported by pontoons 2 which preferably are arranged in each of the corners of the bridge. The bridge is secured to the bottom by means of an anchor 3 arranged in each corner. The anchors 3 are connected with the bridge by anchor cables which are wound in pairs onto pulleys 4 mounted on a shaft 6 which is common to each such pair. On each shaft 6, there are further arranged pulleys 5 for sink cables connected with sinkers 10 which clamp down the bridge to the expected maximum load. To avoid uneven load of the anchor cables and oblique floating of the bridge, the sinkers should be centred on the shafts 6. The anchor cables on the pulleys 4 and the sink cables on the pulleys 5 are wound in opposite directions, so that unwinding of the anchor cables causes winding up of the sink cables, and vice versa. The two shafts 6 are, by means of chain gears 7, chains 8 and cables 9, rotatably connected with one another and with an automatic locking device 11 according to the invention.
The automatic locking device 11 is shown in more detail in FIGS. 4 and 5. The locking device comprises two toothed ratchet wheels 12, the teeth of one wheel being opposed to the teeth of the other wheel, and the ratchet wheels being mounted side by side on a shaft 27 which is supported by two bearings 26. On the shaft 27 there are further mounted two chain gears 13 which by means of chains 25 are connnected with the cables 9 and, thus, with the chain gears 7 on the shafts 6. Thus, rotation of one of the shafts 6 causes rotation of the ratchet wheels 12. Moreover, the locking device 11 comprises lock means 14 which are mounted on a common locking b
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patent: 4312287 (1982-01-01), Kuo
patent: 4686920 (1987-08-01), Thomas
patent: 4993341 (1991-02-01), Merkel
Grip Bertil
Grip Evert
Britts Ramon S.
Connolly Nancy
Grip Bertil
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