Hydraulic and earth engineering – Marine structure or fabrication thereof
Reexamination Certificate
2001-05-15
2003-11-25
Will, Thomas B. (Department: 3671)
Hydraulic and earth engineering
Marine structure or fabrication thereof
C114S122000, C114S126000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06652193
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a motion reduction apparatus for reducing motions caused by incoming waves impacting on a structural body floating on water such as floating bridges, warehouses, parking lots, platform work ships, oil drilling platforms and a floating body having the motion reduction apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
When installing a floating bridge or floating parking lot, or working on a stationary platform ship, waves hitting such a floating bridge, parking lot or platform ship can sometimes cause the structural bodies to oscillate, so that it is necessary to reduce the severity of motion that such floating bodies may encounter.
Various apparatuses for reducing motion of a floating body have been proposed. For example, the present inventors have already proposed a method in a Japanese Patent Applications, First Publication, No. 2000-142569 and Japanese Patent Application, No. 2000-12790 (not published). The apparatus proposed in the Japanese Patent Application, First Publication, No. 2000-142569 has a plumb plate extending through the water surface on the wavefront side on the floating main body to reduce motion of the floating body. Also, in a wave-resistant large-scale floating body described in the Japanese Patent Application, No. 2000-12790, L- or inverted L-shaped break-wave structures of different shapes are provided on the wavefront side of the large-scale floating body to reduce motion of the floating body.
However, although such motion reduction apparatuses described above are able to reduce motion to some extent by adopting the prescribed structures, it is insufficient for many purposes. Therefore, there has been a demand for a motion reduction apparatus to further improve the safety of operation by reducing motion even more reliably.
The present invention is provided to resolve the problem described above, and an object is to provide a motion reduction apparatus that reliably reduces motion of a floating object to improve the safety of operation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To achieve the object of the present invention, in a first aspect of the invention, a motion reduction apparatus for a floating body floating on water comprises a plumb plate provided at least on a wavefront side of a floating main body and separated from the floating main body by a specific distance and extended beyond a bottom surface of the floating main body substantially in a vertical direction.
According to the motion reduction apparatus, incoming waves impact the floating main body and the plumb plate and some of the incoming waves also flood through the flow sections, so that the wave energy that can act on the floating main body is reduced and the plumb plate reduces rolling or pitching of the floating main body, thus reliably reducing motion of the floating body to provide improved safety of operation of the floating body.
In a second aspect of the invention, the plumb plate is supported at a specific location of the floating main body by means of a plurality of stay members arranged on the floating main body in parallel so as to provide flow sections between the stay members for flooding with incoming water.
According to the motion reduction apparatus, the plumb plate can be supported at a desired location using a simple structure.
In a third aspect of the invention, the floating main body is orthorhombic-shaped, and the plumb plate is provided at least on one side section along the longitudinal direction of the floating main body.
According to the motion reduction apparatus, plumb plate can reliably suppress rolling motion of the floating main body.
In a fourth aspect of the invention, the plumb plate is constructed so as to be retractable above a bottom surface of the floating main body.
According to the motion reduction apparatus, when the floating main body is adopted to a platform work ship, for example, interference with cruising operation of the ship can be avoided by raising the plumb plate above the floating main body when not in use.
In a fifth aspect of the invention, the motion reduction apparatus for a floating body floating on water comprises a horizontal plate provided at least on a wavefront side of a floating main body and separated from the floating main body by a specific distance and extended substantially along a horizontal direction.
According to the motion reduction apparatus, incoming waves impact the side section of the floating main body while some of the incoming waves flood through the flow sections, so that the wave energy that can act on the floating main body is reduced and the resistance offered by the horizontal plate and the flow sections can suppress rolling or pitching motion of the floating main body, thus reliably reducing motion of the floating body to improve the safety of operation of the floating body.
In a sixth aspect of the motion reduction apparatus, an upper surface of the horizontal plate is situated at substantially at the same height as the bottom surface of the floating main body.
According to the motion reduction apparatus, resistance offered by the horizontal plate reliably reduces rolling.
In a seventh aspect of the invention, the horizontal plate is supported at a specific location of the floating main body by means of a plurality of stay members arranged on the floating main body in parallel so as to provide flow sections between the stay members for flooding with incoming water.
According to the motion reduction apparatus, the horizontal plate can be supported at a specific location using a simple structure.
In an eighth aspect of the invention, the floating main body is orthorhombic-shaped, and the horizontal plate is provided at least on one left side section or a right side section along the longitudinal direction of the floating main body.
According to the motion reduction apparatus, rolling motion of the floating main body can be reliably suppressed using the horizontal plate.
In a ninth aspect of the invention, the horizontal plate is constructed so as to be retractable above a bottom surface of the floating main body.
According to the motion reduction apparatus, when the floating main body is adopted to a platform work ship, for example, interference with cruising operation of the ship can be avoided by raising the horizontal plate above the floating main body when not in use.
In a tenth aspect of the invention, the motion reduction apparatus for a floating body floating on water comprises a swing plate provided at least on a wavefront side of a floating main body and separated from the floating main body by a specific distance so as to enable to position the swing plate in a retracted position situated above a bottom surface of the floating main body, or in a horizontal position situated substantially at the same height as the bottom surface of the floating main body; or in a vertical position to extend downward beyond the bottom surface of the floating main body.
According to the motion reduction apparatus, when there are no interfering objects nearby, the swing plate can be moved to the horizontal position to reliably reduce motion of the floating main body, while when there are interfering objects nearby, the swing plate can be positioned vertically to reliably reduce motion of the floating main body. Further, when not in use, the swing plate can be raised to the retracted position so as to prevent interference.
In an eleventh aspect of the invention, the motion reduction apparatus for a floating body comprises a water surface plate provided at least on either a front section or a back section of a floating main body having an orthorhombic shape in disposed along a water surface.
According to the motion reduction apparatus, when the incoming waves impact on the front section or the back section of the floating main body, the horizontal plate and the flow sections offer resistance to suppress rolling motion to enable to reliably reduce motion of the floating main body.
In a twelfth aspect of the invention, the motion reduction apparatus f
Hirai Takahiro
Matsuura Masami
Nishigaki Makoto
Yamaguchi Youichi
Mayo Tara L.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd.
Oblon & Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt P.C.
Will Thomas B.
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