Rocket Recovery Barge With Active Leveling Landing Platform
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional launch vehicle recovery barges face instability due to wave motion, making it difficult to accurately land and transport launch vehicles from the sea to land, as they are prone to tilting and rolling, which can lead to failed recoveries and accidents.
Innovation Solution
A barge design featuring a floating plate with a landing platform, adjustable operation members, slope sensors, and a control unit that maintains the landing platform level by adjusting the angle between the floating plate and the landing platform, using support members and lubrication systems to ensure stable support and smooth operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional barge is used to recover launch vehicles from the sea, then the launch vehicle can be recovered on the sea, but the barge cannot maintain level due to pitching and rolling, making accurate landing difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The barge transitions from a static floating structure to a dynamic active stabilization system. The control unit continuously adjusts the operation members (hydraulic cylinders) based on real-time slope sensor feedback, actively counteracting wave-induced motions to maintain platform levelness, thereby resolving the contradiction between recovery capability and stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements closed-loop feedback control using slope sensors to detect platform inclination and a control unit that processes this information to generate correction commands. This feedback mechanism enables the barge to automatically compensate for pitching and rolling, maintaining stability while recovering launch vehicles from the sea.
2Reliability
If the launch vehicle is recovered on a barge that is not level, then the launch vehicle may fall down during transportation, but adding stabilization systems increases device complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The barge system performs self-stabilization through integrated sensors and control mechanisms that automatically detect and correct platform inclination without external intervention. The slope sensors monitor the platform state, and the control unit autonomously adjusts the operation members, enabling the system to maintain safety while minimizing the need for complex external stabilization structures.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the barge operates in rough sea conditions, then recovery work can proceed, but the pitching and rolling increase, making level maintenance difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The stabilization system dynamically responds to varying sea conditions by continuously adjusting the operation members based on real-time slope measurements. The control unit modifies its correction actions according to the intensity and frequency of wave motions, enabling the barge to maintain platform levelness across a range of sea states from calm to rough conditions.
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 barge ensures safe and stable recovery and transportation of launch vehicles by maintaining the landing platform level, reducing the risk of accidents and failures even in rough sea conditions, allowing for efficient recovery and reuse of launch vehicles.
Implementation Method 1
a floating plate formed in a barge type to float on the sea
Implementation Method 2
using support members and lubrication systems to ensure stable support and smooth operation
Data Source
AI summary
A barge for recovery of a rocket launch vehicle is proposed, which can recover a launch vehicle from the sea onto the land in safety during launch vehicle recovering work. The barge can recover the launch vehicle in safety by effectively preventing a slope of the structure which supports the launch vehicle.