Walkway for raft cages for marine species, the structural configuration of which increases useful life and strength

Abstract

The present invention relates to a lightweight, rigid walkway for forming a rigid metal structure forming part of the walkways of a raft cage structure used in aquaculture, which comprises, as basic structural elements, at least one base structure, at least one deck or floor element having a structural upper surface and at least one deck element having a structural lower surface. The at least one base structure is configured by a structural frame comprising at least two lateral beams spaced parallel to each other and arranged longitudinally, according to a longitudinal axis of the base structure and further comprising at least one central beam, wherein said beams are open profile beams.

Description

[0001] Corridor for marine species cage rafts, whose structural configuration increases lifespan and resistance

[0002] DESCRIPTIVE MEMORANDUM

[0003] FIELD OF INVENTION

[0004] The present invention falls within the field of aquaculture, in particular it refers to a structural element for the configuration of a cage raft that is used in aquaculture, preferably corresponding to a rigid structural light corridor for the configuration of cage rafts used in aquaculture, which has a simple configuration.

[0005] BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0006] The fish farming systems or aquaculture centers currently used in the industry are cage systems, which include square and / or rectangular cages of rigid and / or semi-rigid characteristics. These cages are basically made up of metal walkways, floats, railings, joints, fish nets, sea lion enclosures, and bird cages. Metal cages of this type are designed with the necessary structural rigidity to withstand the loads they are subjected to during operation at sea, resulting from climatic conditions and exposure. They are typically constructed of closed structural steel profiles, subsequently hot-dip galvanized, which provides the system with protection against the corrosion inherent to metals in marine environments.

[0007] The cage rafts are configured by a series of corridors joined together through articulated joints, to form a perimeter structure from which the fish net will hang, confining a volume of cultivation, and where the corridors will provide the structural resistance of the structure, which will be anchored to be held in place through an anchoring system.

[0008] In general, the marine concessions where aquaculture centers, consisting of cage rafts, are located are preferably situated in calm areas where sea and weather conditions are less harsh, thus preventing damage to the rafts and keeping them in place. However, a raft structure that is sufficiently rigid and robust, yet simple and economical, is required to withstand the sea and weather conditions to which they are subjected over time. This increases their lifespan and reduces maintenance time and repairs for any damage they may sustain.

[0009] The components or elements that make up a cage for aquaculture, particularly for fish, are frequently and constantly subjected to stresses and tractions, due to the action of waves, currents, or other environmental factors, which depend on the sites or areas in which they are located and / or arranged, and where the conditions to which the structures of the rafts that form a cage are exposed are also very corrosive and damaging, which impairs the useful life of the structures of the passageways of a raft, which are normally formed from closed profiles galvanized on their exterior and interior.

[0010] The walkways are rigid elements of the cage raft, constructed from welded steel profiles treated with a galvanizing bath. The different walkways that make up a cage correspond to cross walkways, T-shaped walkways, a central walkway, and side walkways. These are joined together in a flexible, semi-rigid manner through joints located at the ends of the walkways. These joints, formed by welded steel profiles, are galvanized for protection and are used to create the cage structure. The most commonly used joints in the industry are hinge-type joints, consisting of a galvanized steel male / female hinge with a pin inside a rubber bushing. This bushing isolates the pin from the hinge, preventing corrosion and metal-to-metal contact, and cushioning the impact.

[0011] Previous art generally uses closed steel profiles in the construction of walkways, which are joined together at their ends, adjacent to each other, to form a cage raft for the cultivation of marine species. The main disadvantage of using these closed profiles is their short lifespan, since despite being galvanized on their exterior and interior faces, maintenance cannot be performed on their interior faces once they begin to rust after being installed as part of the cultivation raft at sea. In contrast, if open profiles are used in the configuration of the walkways, they have the advantage of allowing good maintenance on all sides; however, they have the disadvantage of being very deficient in torsional strength due to their configuration.

[0012] The structural configuration of a walkway like the one described above, commonly used in the art, is illustrated in Figure 8. It comprises, as its basic structure, two closed side profiles (15, 15') and at least one closed central profile (16), which are joined together by a series of closed transverse and orthogonal profiles, as well as a plurality of gussets. Floor elements (17) are then placed on top of this basic structure formed by these profiles. The closed profiles used are galvanized on their inner and outer faces before being put into service, i.e., when the cage rafts are configured. This walkway structure has the advantage that, by using closed profiles, it is very resistant to bending and torsion. However, it has the disadvantage of requiring maintenance, as mentioned above, once it is used at sea, which reduces its service life.Therefore, there is a need for a structural configuration of the corridors of a cage raft that combines the advantages of using closed profiles in relation to tensile and flexural strength, with the longer lifespan that open profiles offer as they are easy to maintain once used at sea, configuring a cage raft for the cultivation of marine species.

[0013] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0014] The object of the invention is to provide a corridor for the configuration of cage rafts used for the cultivation of marine species, whose structural configuration allows optimization of the relationship between useful life and resistance to bending, torsion and traction, where it also has a light, simple and quick to build configuration to reduce manufacturing costs, yet is resistant to torsion and traction, resistant to corrosion, and easy to maintain, to increase its useful life.

[0015] The present invention relates to at least one rigid lightweight walkway (1), preferably metallic, for a cage raft, comprising as basic structural elements, at least one base structure (2), at least one structural upper surface cover or floor element (3) and at least one structural lower surface cover element (4), wherein the base structure comprises open profiles.

[0016] The solution proposed by the present invention is to provide an excellent increase in torsional resistance capacity by taking all the open profiles in its configuration as a whole and packaging them at their upper and lower parts, by means of the upper and lower structural covers, thus making a structure that takes on the character and behavior of the closed profile, achieving excellent qualities in tension, torsion, compression, bending and with the advantage of being of simple, lightweight and economical construction.

[0017] Furthermore, the fact that at least one rigid lightweight walkway (1) of the present invention is configured by “T”, “C”, angled, and / or double “T” beams allows the walkways to be structurally configured by open profiles, which allows them to be fully galvanized and treated with protective paint on all sides, allowing them, once installed in the configuration of a cage raft at sea, to be easily maintained and repaired in situ for corrosion effects, allowing all faces of said beams to be fully repaired or maintained at sea, thus achieving complete corrosion protection, thereby optimizing the walkway's service life without the need for replacement.

[0018] DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] In order to aid a better understanding of the characteristics of the invention, according to a preferred example of its practical embodiment, a set of drawings is included as an integral part of the description, in which the invention has been represented for illustrative and non-limiting purposes.

[0020] Figure 1 corresponds to a top perspective view of the rigid lightweight walkway for a cage raft according to the present invention.

[0021] Figure 2 corresponds to a side view of the rigid lightweight walkway for a cage raft according to the present invention.

[0022] Figure 3 shows a top perspective view of the rigid lightweight walkway for a cage raft according to the present invention. Figure 4 shows a top perspective view of an exploded view of the rigid lightweight walkway for a cage raft according to the present invention.

[0023] Figure 5 corresponds to a side view of a breakdown of the rigid lightweight walkway for a cage raft according to the present invention.

[0024] Figure 6 corresponds to a top perspective view of the basic structure of the rigid lightweight walkway for a cage raft according to the present invention.

[0025] Figure 7 corresponds to a top perspective view of a floor element comprising the rigid lightweight walkway for a cage raft according to the present invention.

[0026] Figure 8.- corresponds to a front view of a cross-section of a rigid corridor normally used in the prior art for the configuration of a cage raft.

[0027] Figure 9 corresponds to a front view of a cross-section of the rigid lightweight walkway for a cage raft according to the present invention.

[0028] PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

[0029] The present invention relates to at least one rigid lightweight walkway (1) for a cage raft, preferably metallic, as illustrated in Figures 1 to 5, comprising as basic structural elements, at least one base structure (2), at least one structural upper surface deck or floor element (3), and at least one structural lower surface deck element (4). As shown more specifically in Figure 6, the at least one base structure (2) is configured by a structural frame comprising at least two parallel side beams (5, 6) spaced longitudinally along a longitudinal axis of the base structure (2) shown by arrow X. These beams preferably correspond to double “T” shaped beams, although they may include “C” shaped beams, angle beams, and / or “T” shaped beams, i.e., open profile beams. It also comprises at least one central beam (7).which preferably corresponds to a double “T” shaped beam, however, it may comprise “C” shaped, “T” shaped, and / or angle shaped beams, i.e., open profile beams, which are arranged centrally longitudinally between the side beams (5, 6), where preferably said at least one base structure (2) comprises at least two central beams (7, 8), parallel and spaced apart from each other, and which are arranged centrally between both side beams (5, 6) spaced apart from each other. The ends (9) of said beams (5, 6, 7, 8) are joined at a distance by at least one transverse beam (10), which preferably corresponds to a “C” shaped beam, however, it may comprise “T” shaped, angle shaped, and / or double “T” shaped beams, i.e., open beams,and that configure at least one articulation and joining head element (11) comprising at least one articulated and / or pivoting joining element (12) that allows pivoting or articulated joining with at least one adjacent rigid light passageway.

[0030] The base structure (2) further comprises on its upper surface, i.e. the surface facing the sky, when the walkways are assembled forming a cage raft arranged on the surface of a body of water, at least one structural upper surface roof or floor element (3), as shown in figures 1 to 5, formed by at least one floor element that is attached to the lateral and / or central beams (5, 6, 7, 8) of said base structure (2), where said at least one floor element (13) may comprise at least one structural grid-shaped element (14), as illustrated in figure 7.The at least one structural lower surface cover element (4) is fixed to the lower surface of the base structure (2), which corresponds to the surface facing the bottom of the body of water where the rigid light walkway (1) will be arranged, which preferably comprises at least one structural grid-shaped element (14), as illustrated in Figure 7.

[0031] The size of at least one rigid lightweight walkway (1) for a cage raft of the present invention, in relation to its length, is variable with respect to the conditions in which the raft will be located, that is, for example, a cage raft that will be located in a more exposed sea will require walkways with a shorter length, however, rafts located in less exposed sectors, can be configured with longer walkways.

[0032] The solution proposed by the present invention is to increase the excellent torsional resistance capacity by taking all the open profiles in its configuration and packing them at their upper and lower parts, through the upper and lower covers, thus creating a structure that takes on the character and behavior of the closed profile, achieving excellent qualities in tension, torsion, compression, bending and with the advantage of being of simple, lightweight and economical construction.

[0033] The fact that at least one rigid lightweight walkway (1) of the present invention is configured by “T”, “C”, angled, and / or double “T” beams allows the walkways to be structurally configured by open profiles, which allows them to be fully galvanized and treated with protective paint on all sides, allowing them, once installed in the configuration of a cage raft at sea, to be easily maintained and repaired in situ for corrosion, allowing all faces of said beams to be fully repaired or maintained as structural elements in situ, thus achieving complete corrosion repair, thereby optimizing the service life of the walkway, without the need for replacement.

[0034] Although the shape of the at least one rigid light corridor (1) described constitutes a preferred inclusion of this invention, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to this precise shape of the at least one rigid light corridor (1), and that changes can be made to it without departing from the scope of the invention, which is defined in the appended claims.

Claims

CLAIMS 1.- Lightweight rigid walkway (1) for the formation of a rigid metal structure that will form part of the walkways of a cage raft structure used in aquaculture, CHARACTERIZED in that it comprises as basic structural elements, at least one base structure (2), at least one structural upper surface cover or floor element (3) and at least one structural lower surface cover element (4), the at least one base structure (2) being configured by a structural frame comprising at least two lateral beams (5, 6) spaced parallel to each other and arranged longitudinally, according to a longitudinal axis (X) of the base structure (2) and also comprising at least one central beam (7), where said beams (5, 6, 7) are of open profiles, 2.- Rigid metal light walkway (1) for a cage raft, according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED in that it further comprises at least one transverse beam (10) joining the ends (9) of the beams (5, 6, 7, 8) by joining them in a spaced manner, and which configure at least one articulation and joining head element (11) comprising at least one articulated and / or pivoting joining element (12) which allows pivoting or articulated joining with at least one adjacent rigid light walkway. 3.- Lightweight rigid metal walkway (1) for a cage raft, according to claims 1 and / or 2, CHARACTERIZED in that the beams preferably correspond to double “T” shaped beams, however they may comprise “C” shaped beams, angle shaped beams, and / or “T” shaped beams. 4.- Lightweight rigid metal walkway (1) for a cage raft, according to the preceding claims, CHARACTERIZED in that the at least one structural upper surface cover or floor element (3) comprises at least one floor element (13) that is attached to the side and / or central beams (5, 6, 7, 8) of said base structure (2), where said at least one floor element (13) may comprise at least one structural grid-shaped element (14), and the at least one structural lower surface cover element (4), is fixed to the lower surface of the base structure (2), preferably comprising at least one structural grid-shaped element (14).

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