Inflatable Hollow Lip for Underwater Thruster Closure
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing underwater opening closure devices in ship hulls, particularly those for jet rudders, face issues with high maintenance, mechanical stress, and increased flow resistance due to turbulence, leading to increased fuel consumption and potential failure of mechanical articulation points.
Innovation Solution
A covering device featuring a variable-volume hollow chamber lip with a buoyancy body that expands or contracts using fluid, eliminating the need for bearing points and using a bistable spring element and contact elements to ensure reliable closure without mechanical failure, and a thruster design that integrates this device to minimize flow resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If rotary flaps are used to close the openings, then the flow resistance is reduced during normal operation, but the bearing points are subject to high mechanical stress and corrosion leading to failure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical rotary flap system with an inflatable hollow chamber lip system. Instead of using mechanical bearings and rotating parts, the invention uses pneumatic inflation to achieve the closing function. The hollow chamber lip is inflated to close the opening during normal operation and deflated to open it during maneuvering, eliminating mechanical stress on bearing points while maintaining the ability to control flow resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention employs pneumatic pressure to inflate and deflate the hollow chamber lip. During normal operation, the hollow chamber lip is inflated to close the opening and reduce flow resistance. During maneuvering, it is deflated to allow water flow through the thruster. This pneumatic system eliminates the need for mechanical bearings and rotating parts that were prone to stress and corrosion.
2Loss of energy
If the opening is kept closed to reduce flow resistance, then fuel consumption is reduced, but the thruster cannot operate for maneuvering
Solution Approach 1:
The hollow chamber lip is designed to dynamically change its state between inflated (closed) and deflated (open) configurations. During normal cruising operation, it remains inflated to minimize flow resistance and fuel consumption. When maneuvering is required, it can be quickly deflated to allow the thruster to operate, providing adaptability between the two operational states without permanent structural modification.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical state of the hollow chamber lip by controlling its inflation pressure. By adjusting the pneumatic pressure parameter, the system transitions between closed (inflated) and open (deflated) states, enabling both flow resistance reduction during normal operation and thruster accessibility during maneuvering operations.
3Reliability
If mechanical closure devices are used, then the opening can be closed, but the devices require maintenance and can fail due to mechanical stress
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates mechanical closure devices entirely and replaces them with an inflatable hollow chamber lip system. This substitution removes bearings, joints, and other mechanical components that require maintenance and are prone to failure. The pneumatic system requires only inflation/deflation operations with no moving parts to maintain.
Solution Approach 2:
The hollow chamber lip is designed as a simple, replaceable component that can be easily replaced if damaged, rather than maintaining complex mechanical systems. The simplicity of the inflatable structure makes it more reliable and easier to replace compared to sophisticated mechanical closure devices with multiple moving parts.
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 provides a low-maintenance, reliable closure of underwater openings, reducing flow resistance and preventing mechanical failures, thus minimizing fuel consumption and ensuring trouble-free operation in corrosive environments.
Implementation Method 1
at least one volume-variable hollow chamber lip with at least one buoyancy body
Implementation Method 2
the at least one hollow chamber lip can be set into an expanded or shrunk state by the supply or removal of a fluid, in particular air
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The invention relates to a cover device (20, 110) for at least partially closing off an under-water opening (16) in a hull (10) of a watercraft (12), especially an opening (22, 90) of a transverse channel (24) in a thruster (26), wherein the cover device (20, 110) has at least one variable-volume hollow lip (40) with at least one buoyancy element (50), and the at least one hollow lip (40) can be made to expand or shrink by supplying or releasing a fluid (46), in particular air (48). The variable-volume, or inflatable, structure of the cover device ensures reliable and low-maintenance operation of said device. The invention further relates to a thruster, in particular a bow thruster or stern thruster.