Buoyant Underwater Vessel Elements for In-Water Mounting
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Dry-docking marine vessels for maintenance or repair of underwater elements is a time-consuming, expensive process that requires specialized workforces and disrupts regular vessel operations.
Innovation Solution
Designing underwater elements with a specific mass distribution that aligns the center of buoyancy and center of gravity vertically, allowing them to automatically adopt a predetermined mounting orientation when submerged, enabling installation without dry-docking by divers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If underwater elements are designed with heavy weight for structural integrity, then strength is improved, but ease of operation by divers deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the anti-weight principle by incorporating buoyancy elements that provide an upward buoyant force to counterbalance the downward gravitational force of the heavy underwater element. This allows the element to have sufficient structural weight while maintaining neutral or near-neutral buoyancy, enabling divers to handle and position it easily during installation without requiring dry-docking operations.
2Manufacturing precision
If underwater elements require precise orientation during installation, then manufacturing precision is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-configuring the underwater element with a specific mass distribution during manufacturing that creates a stable equilibrium orientation in water. This preliminary setup ensures that when the element is released into the water, it automatically orients itself in the correct mounting position without requiring divers to manually align it, thereby maintaining precision while simplifying installation operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The underwater element performs self-service by automatically orienting itself in the correct mounting position through its designed mass distribution and buoyancy characteristics. The element's center of gravity and center of buoyancy are positioned such that gravitational and buoyant forces naturally align it in the desired orientation, eliminating the need for complex manual alignment procedures by divers.
3Reliability
If dry-docking is used for maintenance of underwater elements, then reliability of maintenance is improved, but loss of time deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by transitioning from static dry-docking maintenance to dynamic in-water maintenance. The underwater element is designed with adjustable buoyancy and mass distribution that allow it to be easily deployed, positioned, and installed while the vessel remains afloat. This dynamic approach enables maintenance operations to be performed in the natural aquatic environment without requiring the vessel to be out of service, thereby reducing downtime while maintaining maintenance quality.
4Manufacturing precision
If specialized workforce is deployed for dry-docking operations, then manufacturing precision is improved, but productivity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The underwater element performs self-service by automatically orienting and positioning itself through its designed mass distribution and buoyancy characteristics. This eliminates the need for specialized dry-docking workforces to manually align and position the element, allowing standard diving personnel to perform installations with sufficient precision while significantly improving maintenance productivity and reducing operational costs.
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
Facilitates easy and cost-effective maintenance or repair of underwater elements while the vessel is operational, reducing the need for specialized workforces and minimizing downtime.
Implementation Method 1
a buoyant force acting on the underwater element is between 80% and 120% of a gravitational force acting on the underwater element
Implementation Method 2
a mass distribution such that, in the predetermined mounting orientation of the body, the center of buoyancy and the center of gravity of the body are vertically aligned
Data Source
Figure 1~2a
Figure 2b~2c
Figure 3a~3b
AI summary
In one aspect, an underwater element of a marine vessel is provided. The underwater element is to be mounted on a marine vessel in a predetermined mounting orientation. The underwater element comprises a body with such a weight and volume that when the underwater element is in water, the buoyant force acting is between 80% and 120% of the gravitational force acting on the underwater element; and a mass distribution such that, in the predetermined mounting orientation of the body, the center of buoyancy and the center of gravity of are vertically aligned. In a further aspect, a method is provided, for mounting an underwater element on a marine vessel afloat in a predetermined mounting position and a predetermined mounting orientation.