Abstract:
A carrier for cargo or personnel is transferred between an offshore platform and a landing platform on a vessel while subject, one with respect to the other, to vertical and lateral movements due to waves and wind within an envelope of motion. When the carrier is on the offshore platform, it is lowered by a cable from a constant tension level lifting winch to a point above the envelope of motion by the landing platform on a vessel. A trailing end of this cable is coupled to the cable of a downhaul winch having variable constant tension levels on the vessel. Slack is eliminated in the coupled cables and the carrier is caused to rise and fall with the movement of the vessel through a preestablished constant tension level by the lifting winch. Constant tension is developed in the coupled cables when the vessel moves toward the carrier within the envelope of motion while the downhaul winch is set at a higher tension level and zero winding speed. The carrier is then drawn onto the landing platform by energizing the downhaul winch to a desired winding speed at the higher constant tension level. Slack is eliminated from the coupled cables by energizing the lifting winch when the carrier and the lifting platform approach each other. The carrier is retained on the landing platform by energizing the downhaul winch to the higher constant tension level. The downhaul winch is then energized to a tension level less than the tension level of the lifting winch when the carrier recedes away from the lifting platform and when the carrier is lifted from the landing platform by the lifting winch. The cable take-up velocity is maintained at a value exceeding the vertical relative motion between the platforms.
Abstract:
A rotatable coupling for a plurality of conduits for different media, comprises a core member with a number of axial passageways connecting to conduits coupled to the core member at various levels. The conduits communicate with annular spaces defined between the core member and a plurality of stacked rotatable ring members. The core member is made up of a stack of bodies connected to each other by tension bolts or the like, these stacked bodies having radially projecting flanges between which the rotatable rings are axially confined. The rotatable rings have ample play both in axial and in radial directions.
Abstract:
A floating transfer vessel provides exterior mooring for a ship adapted to receive loose granular cargo, and interior dry-docking for a plurality of barges loaded with loose granular material within the transfer vessel. All relative motion between transfer vessel and barges, and between automated digging and conveying apparatus mounted in the transfer vessel and barge confines or cargo spaces are eliminated, to permit substantial reduction of working tolerances therebetween without possibility of damage. The reduced tolerances leaves very little grain to clean up requiring no additional independent equipment.
Abstract:
An apparatus for unloading particulate material, especially from ships, having an arm system comprising a horizontal conveyor section and a vertical conveyor section, which sections are interconnected in a torsionally rigid but pivotal manner for mutual relative movements in a common plane. The horizontal conveyor section is pivotally and swingably connected to a frame or foundation for raising and lowering of the horizontal conveyor section and for swinging of the complete arm system relative to the frame or foundation. In addition to being pivotally and swingably connected to the frame or foundation the horizontal conveyor section is tiltably connected thereto for inclination of the plane common to the vertical and horizontal conveyor sections relative to a vertical plane.
Abstract:
This disclosure relates to a floating unloading installation for unloading lighters and includes two pontoons which are secured together in fixed transverse spaced relation with the spacing between the pontoons being sufficient to accommodate between the pontoons a conventional lighter for movement therebetween, the pontoons being connected together by connecting means which includes a tranverse bridge and the bridge having mounted thereon in balanced relation for swinging movement generally across the space between the pontoons to assure the complete unloading of a lighter disposed between the pontoons, the digging means including first conveying means for delivering material to the bridge, the bridge having second conveying means for delivering material to one of the pontoons, the one pontoon carrying a vertical conveyor which is mounted in a tower forming a part of the bridge, and there being carried by the tower for swinging movement a distributing conveyor adapted to receive material from the vertical conveyor and for distributing material into a hold of a ship.
Abstract:
A cargo crane for transporting cargo from one object to another object under conditions of the mutual vibration of objects, particularly ships operating under rough sea conditions, in which cargo ropes, a horizontally mounted jib and a suspension define an imaginary isosceles truncated pyramid, with the ropes being so connected to the system following up the mutual vibration of objects as to provide equal tension of the ropes, thereby ensuring nonimpact and a precise placing of the cargo.
Abstract:
A method of distributing cargo for loading and discharging cargo spaces of unequal size based on information of the cargo volume to be loaded at each loading area and of its destination, or of an estimate of this factor which is gradually adjusted to actual values, consists in loading the same or a larger quantity of cargo in the largest cargo space or spaces as in any of the smaller cargo spaces, and placing during loading the portion of the cargo volume intended for each discharge berth in such a manner that the largest cargo spaces will contain the same or a larger quantity of cargo in this portion of the cargo volume than the smaller cargo spaces. If cargo is lacking to fill all the cargo spaces the loading is carried out in such a manner that the total cargo volume to be loaded in different cargo spaces is distributed among the cargo spaces having the nearest size, and loading and discharge is always carried out in the largest cargo spaces simultaneously with loading and discharging in one or more of the other cargo spaces.
Abstract:
A belt feeder gate for use in self-unloading ships of the type in which the hold of the ship is provided with a hoppered bottom including a plurality of hoppers overlying an unloading conveyor belt moving lengthwise of the ship. Each open hopper bottom is closed by a gate comprising two wheeled gate sections which are movable relative to each other along stationary tracks in a horizontal plane and in a direction laterally of the direction of travel of the underlying unloading conveyor belt. The respective longitudinally opposite wheeled ends of the respective gate sections project in underlying relation to longitudinally spaced "hog ridges" defined by the walls of adjacent hoppers, each "hog ridge" being an inverted V-shaped hollow space defined beneath two upwardly converging oppositely longitudinally inclined walls of two longitudinally adjacent discharge hoppers. The stationary tracks on which the wheeled gates move are also in underlying relation to, although not within, the respective "hog ridges," and the hydraulic rams which impart movement to the gate sections are housed within the "hog ridges." A further feature of the construction is the V-shaped axial cross-section of the wheels on the gate sections, which V-shaped cross-section rides on an inverted V-shaped track to prevent "play" or wobble of the wheeled gate relative to the tracks, thereby providing a constant and stabilized linear relation of the wheeled gate relative to the power means such as a hydraulic ram, which imparts movement to the gate sections.
Abstract:
A loading and unloading installation for standardized types of load units such as containers, to and from a ship docked at a wharf with means for raising or lowering said load units in the ship hull, gripping said load units and moving the same horizontally from the ship over the wharf to a second raising or lowering means on said wharf.