Vertical Pneumatic Fender Backup Chain Offset
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vertical pneumatic fenders with weights connected to the bottom face instability and potential weight loss to the sea floor due to excessive external forces or improper handling, leading to damage and loss of functionality.
Innovation Solution
A backup chain is connected to the fender body and weight, offset from the axial centerline, to suspend the weight if the primary connection fails, preventing it from dropping and maintaining the fender's vertical attitude, with the backup chain only supporting the weight in case of a fault, reducing degradation and allowing visual inspection of the fender's inclination to detect issues.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a weight is connected to the bottom of the fender body using a chain or bolt, then the fender can maintain stable vertical attitude through balance between weight, ballast water, and buoyancy, but the connection can be damaged by excessive external forces or large vertical oscillations causing the weight to drop to the sea floor
Solution Approach 1:
A backup chain is pre-installed between the fender body and weight, positioned to remain slack during normal operation but automatically engage when the primary connection fails. This preliminary preparation ensures immediate protection without requiring real-time decision-making or intervention when damage occurs.
Solution Approach 2:
The backup chain acts as a pre-positioned protective measure that absorbs the shock and prevents catastrophic failure. By being installed beforehand in a slack state, it cushions the weight against dropping to the sea floor when the primary connection is damaged, without interfering with normal fender operation.
2Reliability
If the backup chain is connected taut to immediately support the weight, then the weight can be prevented from dropping, but the backup chain will experience continuous degradation from supporting the full weight
Solution Approach 1:
The backup chain transitions from a static pre-tensioned state to a dynamic engagement state only when needed. By remaining slack during normal operation, the chain experiences minimal stress and degradation. When the primary connection fails, the chain dynamically engages to support the weight, providing reliability only when required.
Solution Approach 2:
The backup chain is designed as a sacrificial protective element that remains inactive during its service life to minimize degradation. It is positioned to engage only in failure scenarios, effectively serving as a low-cost insurance mechanism that extends the overall system reliability without requiring long-term durability under continuous load.
3Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If the backup chain is connected at an offset position from the axial center line, then visual inspection of fender inclination can detect connection issues, but the fender body becomes inclined when the weight is suspended by the backup chain
Solution Approach 1:
The offset connection creates a visible geometric change in the fender body's orientation that serves as an indicator of failure. When the weight suspends from the offset position on the backup chain, the fender body inclines at an angle, providing a clear visual signal that the primary connection has failed and the backup chain is engaged.
Solution Approach 2:
The backup chain is intentionally connected at an asymmetric offset position from the axial center line rather than symmetrically. This asymmetry creates a detectable inclination when engaged, allowing visual inspection to distinguish between normal vertical operation and failure state where the backup chain is supporting the weight.
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
The solution effectively prevents weight loss and maintains the fender's stability and functionality by using a backup chain to support the weight only when necessary, reducing wear and allowing easy visual detection of connection issues, thus ensuring the fender's vertical attitude and prolonging its operational life.
Implementation Method 1
one end of the backup chain is connected to the fender body and the other end is connected to the weight
Implementation Method 2
The vertical pneumatic fender is maintained in a stable attitude by the balance between the vertical downward force of the weight and the ballast water stored in the interior space and the buoyancy force acting on the fender body
Data Source
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AI summary
Provided are a vertical pneumatic fender and a monitoring method for same that prevent a weight connected to the bottom of a fender body from dropping to the sea floor and that can ensure more stable functionality of the fender. A vertical pneumatic fender (1) comprises a fender body (2) having bowl-shaped hemispherical portions (4) joined to both ends in the axial direction of a cylindrical body portion (3), and a weight (7) that is connected to the bottom of the fender body. The vertical pneumatic fender (1) accommodates ballast water (W) in an interior space of the fender body (2), and is provided with a backup chain (9). One end (9a) of the backup chain (9) is connected to the fender body (2) in a position that is offset with respect to the axial line (CL) of the fender body, and the other end is connected to the weight (7). The fender body (2) and the weight (7) are connected with the backup chain in a sack state. The slope of an axial orthogonal reference line (3a) and an axial parallel reference line (3b), which are provided in a region located above the water surface of the outer peripheral surface of the fender body (2), are detected by way of a reference line detector.