Multi-purpose forest logging tank

Abstract

Unlike urban fires, forest fires present numerous challenges for those attempting to extinguish them, and fire authorities worldwide are struggling to prevent their spread. A definitive method of extinguishing forest fires that satisfies safety, reliability, efficiency, speed, and cost-effectiveness has yet to be established. [Solution] The basic principle of forest fire control is not to extinguish the burning area by flooding it, but to extinguish it by preemptively destroying the area where the fire is expected to spread. This involves using specialized heavy machinery to quickly create a firebreak over a wide area, without using harvesters which involve dangerous flames or require long hours of work because they cannot cut down multiple trees simultaneously, thereby safely and quickly establishing a defensive line.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a multi-purpose forest felling tank, which aims to prevent the spread of wildland fires. An armored tracked vehicle is equipped with a huge chainsaw, and advances while felling a large number of trees in a short time, thereby creating a firebreak to extinguish fire by destruction.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, the Earth is covered by a layer of air called the atmosphere. Air is an essential substance for the survival of animals living on Earth, excluding aquatic organisms. Air is composed of 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen (the remaining 1% is a mixture of 10 other gases). Animals that breathe with lungs, such as mammals, die of oxygen poisoning when the oxygen concentration rises, and die of oxygen deficiency when the oxygen concentration falls. Therefore, the proportion of oxygen in the air must always be kept constant and properly controlled. The providence of nature has been fulfilling this role continuously for hundreds of millions of years. According to the providence of nature, when the oxygen concentration in the air rises, forest fires are more likely to occur to reduce the forests, which are "oxygen production devices", so as to cut down the excessive supply. When the oxygen concentration in the air falls, the nitrogen concentration relatively rises, and the nitrogen fertilizes the soil to make plants grow, promote photosynthesis, expand the forests that are "oxygen production devices", and increase the insufficient oxygen.

[0003] The universe, all phenomena of creation, and all living beings are designed to evolve, harmonize, and maintain order through the providence of nature from the eternal past to the everlasting future. According to the academic system of Earth pathology, which does not exist at present (the first quarter of the 21st century), the size of the Earth is constant, and its carrying capacity ranges from 500 million people to a maximum of 1.5 billion people. When the carrying capacity is exceeded, the providence of nature will try every means to restore the balance. The pre-established harmony like the "invisible hand of God" proposed by Adam Smith in the field of economics also occurs in the fields of meteorology, public health, and sociology. 1 Examples of pre-established harmony (population explosion → oxygen securing) (1) Triggered by the Industrial Revolution, humanity entered an era of mass production and mass consumption, leading to a population explosion. ▲2▼Land development progresses, leading to a decrease in forests. Mass production burns fossil fuels, emitting CO2. ▲3▼The greenhouse effect causes temperatures to rise, and climate change transforms cold regions into environments suitable for plant growth. ▲4▼New oxygen production facilities are opening one after another, maintaining a balance in the oxygen supply. 2. An example of a predictable outcome (population explosion → population decline due to disaster) ▲3▼The greenhouse effect causes temperatures to rise, leading to more severe climate change and intensified natural disasters. ▲4▼When a large-scale disaster occurs, many lives of residents and lives that would have been born in the future are lost. 3. An example of a predetermined outcome (population explosion → population decline due to war) ▲2▼A shortage of water, food, and resources makes war more likely due to the struggle for these resources and for territorial claims. ▲3▼When war breaks out, many soldiers and civilians lose their lives, as well as lives that would have been born in the future. 4. An example of a predetermined outcome (population explosion → social population decline) ▲1▼ The Industrial Revolution was the result of human ingenuity reaching a level that enabled it to occur. ▲2▼The development of wisdom elevates civilization, progressing it from a barbaric society to a sophisticated one. ▲3▼Women's human rights will be respected, and opportunities for education and social participation will expand. ▲4▼The trend of women marrying later in life and remaining unmarried is accelerating, leading to a decline in the birth rate. ○The widening gap in society will lead to an increase in the number of low-income individuals, resulting in more people being unable to marry for economic reasons. ○ A system that classifies aggressive advances (re-proposals) as stalking will increase the number of people who cannot get married. 5. An example of a predetermined outcome (population explosion → genetic population decline) ▲1▼Human science and technology reach a level where they can manipulate genes. ▲2▼In the event of a pandemic, generational trials will be omitted and genetically modified vaccines will be used urgently. ▲3▼Individuals that receive the vaccine will become pregnant and give birth normally, but there is a risk of infertility in the next generation. 6. An example of a predetermined outcome (population explosion → population decline due to pollution) ○The number of people unable to conceive or give birth due to radiation damage, carcinogens, and endocrine disruptors is increasing.

[0004] In geopathology, it is predicted that the following mechanisms will be at work if the symptoms progress to a more severe stage (become more severe) in the future. Rising temperatures will transform the permafrost of Northern Europe and Siberia into warm, green land, increasing oxygen supply to counteract the rise in CO2. Natural disasters will escalate, with super-typhoons, tornadoes, linear squalls, heat waves, and cold waves becoming more frequent. Tensions of war, including nuclear war, will rise between different nations, ethnic groups, and religions. The expansion of tropical and subtropical regions, along with the thawing of permafrost, will lead to pandemics caused by unknown viral infections. Genetic preparations that omit long-term safety verification across generations may result in infertility in the next generation (leopon effect, wild boar effect) or specific infertility in sex chromosomes (XY recessive), leading to a skewed male-female ratio at birth. Furthermore, if humanity acquires immune mechanisms specifically for certain viruses, the general immune mechanism will weaken, increasing the risk of severe illness and death from minor symptoms that would normally heal naturally. If this pre-arranged harmony did not exist, the massive release of CO2 would result in a decrease in oxygen levels rather than a rise in temperature, leading to death from oxygen deprivation or from various diseases caused by oxidation in the body. Therefore, global warming is a blessing bestowed upon humanity by the laws of nature. Because humanity has worked together to reduce CO2 emissions, CO2 levels have decreased compared to before. As a result, the relative proportion (concentration) of oxygen in the air has increased, making wildfires more likely to occur.

[0005] Forest fires are a natural process that has been repeating itself on Earth for hundreds of millions of years, regulating the oxygen concentration in the air, so ideally, it's best to leave them alone. However, while this might have been acceptable in times when only animals existed and humans did not, in modern times, we cannot simply ignore them. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0006] [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0007] This had the following drawbacks: Unlike fires in urban areas, forest fires (wildfires) are not detected and reported to the fire department by neighbors or passersby in their early stages. Instead, the fire is only confirmed when it has grown to the point where fireworks can be seen from a distance, which can lead to delays in the initial response to the firefighting efforts. 2. Even if a fire is confirmed, there are no roads for fire engines to reach the scene. If there are, they are often walking paths or animal trails, with few roads suitable for vehicles. These are often narrow, unpaved roads that are too narrow for large fire engines or water tankers, or roads located on steep slopes or cliff edges. 3. The main method of firefighting is water spraying by rotary-wing aircraft. This cannot be done at night, in bad weather such as strong winds, and is limited to flying upwind to avoid flying through smoke. If a safe altitude is maintained, the water spray disperses as it falls. And above all, the amount of water that can be transported is insufficient for the scale of the fire. 4. If power transmission towers in mountainous or rural areas are damaged, it will cause a power outage and the fire-fighting water pumps will stop working. 5. Timber is an industrial resource used as a building material, and unlike grains, it cannot be harvested every year. It is a valuable asset that takes a long time to grow, so its mass destruction would result in significant economic losses. 6. Forest fires always start in dry conditions, so once they spread, they continue to burn for days or even weeks, expanding the burned area. As they spread, the fire intensifies and the area expands, making it even more difficult to extinguish. In the end, the majority of successful cases of firefighting rely on praying for rain. This invention was made to eliminate the aforementioned drawbacks. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In Japan's Edo period, firefighters extinguished large-scale fires by predicting the direction and speed of the flames' spread and preemptively demolishing combustible materials and buildings to prevent the fire from spreading. In other words, it was a method of extinguishing fires by demolition rather than by spraying water. Forest fires burn in a manner very similar to large-scale fires that engulf entire towns, so demolition is also the most suitable method for extinguishing forest fires. The most reliable way to extinguish a wildfire that has grown to a certain size and is continuing to spread is to create a "firebreak." This is a simple method of ending the spread of fire by creating an area free of combustible materials. This method is sometimes used as a last resort in wildfire fighting operations around the world. However, there is a serious risk that if done incorrectly, it could intensify the fire even further. This method involves using "flames" to create "firebreaks," such as backfires, burnouts, and counterfires. The reason for using flames is that mechanical logging methods are far too slow, and there is no faster way to remove trees than with flames. Therefore, to create a "firebreak," they use a "chainsaw" instead of any "flames." However, this isn't a heavy machine like a "harvester" used in forestry, which takes time to cut down trees one by one. Instead, it's a specialized heavy vehicle equipped with a giant chainsaw that can quickly cut down multiple trees simultaneously. It moves forward on its tracks, cutting down numerous trees as it goes, creating a "firebreak" in a short amount of time. The present invention is a multi-purpose forest logging tank having the above configuration. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] In forest fire extinguishing methods, this method allows for the creation of the most effective firebreak without using dangerous flames, thus establishing a groundbreaking firefighting method that combines safety and reliability. Unlike conventional firefighting methods, this approach allows for the containment of fires with minimal damage, which is particularly beneficial in countries and regions with extensive forests. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] It is a plan view of the present invention. [Figure 2] It is an elevation view of the present invention.

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] Hereinafter, modes for carrying out the present invention will be described. Tanks are called "tank" in English. When tanks first appeared in World War I, the etymology is that they were called "tank (water tank)" for secrecy purposes. The present invention is classified as a heavy machinery vehicle for civil engineering work, and is named tank because its appearance and shape closely resemble a tank. The tank is equipped with a huge chainsaw (3 to 5 m) instead of a gun barrel. There are two types of chainsaws: a front rotor that secures the travel path while felling trees ahead, and a main rotor that fells trees on both sides of the travel path to widen the firebreak. Both of them rotate the chainsaw via a crankshaft from a rotating shaft driven by a high-power engine at the center of the vehicle body. In the front rotor, a shaft pipe protrudes forward from the center of both caterpillars at the lower front of the vehicle body, and a huge chainsaw is mounted at its tip. While moving left and right within a fan-shaped movable range, it moves forward while felling multiple trees simultaneously with powerful force. The range of the movable area is slightly longer than the total width of the vehicle, to an extent that allows the vehicle to pass through with sufficient margin. Ideally, the height of the front rotor is GL (ground level), but the closer the tree is to the ground, the thicker its diameter becomes, so more energy is consumed in felling work. In addition, there is a risk that the rotating blade may be damaged by foreign objects such as stones. When the tree is higher above the ground, its diameter is relatively thin, but it becomes difficult for the caterpillar to ride up to the cut surface of the stump. Therefore, the optimal height of the chainsaw is around the midpoint between the ground and the maximum riding height limit. The main rotor is a chainsaw designed not for clearing a path, but for widening firebreaks. Its range of motion is not fan-shaped, but rotates 360°. Because a fallen tree could directly hit the chainsaw during operation and cause damage, a protective metal rod (guard) is mounted on top of the chainsaw. This metal rod is synchronized with the chainsaw's rotation (seconds-based / spring-based) to prevent interference with the chainsaw's tree-cutting operation. It resembles the barrel of a tank's gun. The main rotor height will be set to the top of the vehicle. If trees are felled at a high position, the cut surface of the stump will be high, making it difficult to drive. However, this is not a zone intended for driving, so it is not a problem. Caterpillar tracks prioritize climbing ability over speed, widening the elevation difference and making the front wheel angle shallower. Because the hardness of wood varies depending on the species, it's not simply a matter of larger diameters making it harder to cut. The chainsaw's output and rotation speed can be adjusted in multiple stages to suit the type and distribution of the trees. The most important thing at a tree felling site is to pay close attention to the direction and timing of a tree's fall in order to prevent personal injury or property damage from being crushed under a fallen tree. However, the crew inside a heavily armored vehicle like a tank does not need any safety precautions at all. They can concentrate on their work without worrying even if a large tree hits them directly. A chainsaw can be replaced with a circular saw if necessary. [Industrial applicability]

[0012] This invention is a heavy machine designed to create a firebreak in a short time for the purpose of extinguishing forest fires. Therefore, it should be accurately described as "felling" rather than "logging." However, after the fire is extinguished, the large number of fallen trees will not be discarded but commercially utilized as timber, since they have already been cut down anyway. Thus, in effect, it will be considered logging. Then, forestry workers who had been felling trees one by one with diameter restrictions using heavy machinery like harvesters came up with the idea of ​​using them for purposes other than their intended use in order to improve work efficiency. As a result, the employment environment for forestry field workers changed, and a new social harmony unfolded.

Claims

[Claim 1] This multi-purpose forest logging tank is a heavy-duty vehicle specifically designed to create firebreaks to prevent the spread of forest fires. It features a large chainsaw on the front and top of the vehicle to cut down a large number of trees in a short time while advancing, caterpillar tracks with varying heights to move over obstacles, a vehicle body covered with thick armor plates to protect the crew from direct impacts from falling trees, an upper guard bar that is synchronized with the rotation of the chainsaw to protect the chainsaw from direct impacts from falling trees, and an attachment mechanism that can accommodate not only chainsaws but also circular saws.

Images