Modular Amphibious Platform With Extendable Floats and Hydraulic Spuds
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Solution Overview
Problem
Amphibious vehicles, such as marsh buggies, are limited in performing earth-moving operations in deeper water due to instability and the cumbersome deployment of spuds, and face challenges in transporting and mounting different hydraulically operated equipment at remote worksites.
Innovation Solution
An amphibious platform vehicle-vessel with modular, hydraulically powered spuds and extendable auxiliary floats for improved stability in deeper water, and a modular design for easy transport and on-site assembly to accommodate various moving-lifting equipment, using adaptive cross members and dual-motor driven chain tracks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If spuds are used to stabilize the marsh buggy in deeper water, then stability is improved, but deployment and retracting becomes cumbersome and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical deployment of spuds with a hydraulic system. The spuds are now deployed and retracted using hydraulic actuators controlled by the operator from the cab, eliminating the need for manual intervention and significantly reducing deployment time while maintaining stability in deeper water
Solution Approach 2:
The spud system is designed to be automatically controlled by the operator through hydraulic controls in the cab. The system serves itself by allowing the operator to deploy or retract spuds as needed without requiring manual handling, making the stabilization process as convenient as operating other vehicle functions
2Device complexity
If marsh buggy is designed for shallow water operation, then simplicity is maintained, but adaptability to deeper water is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates dynamically adjustable features: extendable auxiliary floats that can be deployed or retracted based on water depth conditions, and hydraulically controlled spuds that can be positioned as needed. These dynamic elements allow the vehicle to adapt to varying water depths without permanently increasing base complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The vehicle is designed with multi-functional capabilities through the optional deployment of auxiliary floats and spuds. The same basic platform can operate in shallow water using only its pontoon and track system, or adapt to deeper water by extending floats and deploying spuds, making it universally applicable across different water depth scenarios
3Adaptability or versatility
If different mounting hardware is used for different equipment, then equipment compatibility is improved, but mounting complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs universal mounting hardware that can accommodate different types of hydraulically operated equipment. The mounting system uses standardized interfaces and hydraulic connections that work with various excavators, cranes, and other equipment, eliminating the need for custom mounting solutions for each equipment type
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables stable operation in deeper water, efficient transport, and easy equipment mounting, reducing operational complexity and enhancing productivity in diverse terrain and water conditions.
Implementation Method 1
The pontoons are usually surrounded by a cleated track system which is capable of engaging ground, water, or swamp land to propel the vehicle
Implementation Method 2
Propulsion is provided through amphibious cleats on drive chains in chain tracks driven by dual-motor driving drums
Implementation Method 3
Spud units having a chain-drive spud and a spud-driving mount unit with spud-mount wear strips are hydraulically raised and lowered by a spud-driver motor
Implementation Method 4
An extendable auxiliary float can be extended outward from each compartmented pontoon for increased stability in floating operations
Data Source
AI summary
An amphibious platform vehicle-vessel to support and to move hydraulically operated and controlled earth-moving and lifting equipment, such as excavators and cranes, on solid ground, semi-solid or marshy ground, shallow water, and deeper water. The modular units can be transported to a worksite on separate trailers and assembled and reconfigured on site. Two compartmented pontoon units are mounted to an adaptive cross member that can accommodate different types of moving-lifting equipment through different mounting flanges, and to auxiliary cross members. Propulsion is provided through amphibious cleats on drive chains in chain tracks driven by dual-motor driving drums and over a tension-adjusting passive chain roller, surrounding a sealed pontoon shell internally reinforced with bulkhead partitions, beam shell-bottom stiffeners, and pressed-angle shell-bottom stiffeners. An extendable auxiliary float can be extended outward from each compartmented pontoon for increased stability in floating operations.