Ship Bale Stowing Arrangement With Twisted Rows

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Solution Overview

Problem

The existing ship loading and unloading of round bales is inefficient due to difficulty in gripping and damage caused by friction during unloading, leading to increased time and effort for clearing and cleaning.

Innovation Solution

A ship loading arrangement where bales are stacked in multiple transverse rows with a twisted stack in between, allowing for minimal frictional contact during gripping, and incorporating a 5% gap for easy access, ensuring stable and damage-free handling and unloading.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Quantity of substance

If bales are packed closely together in transverse rows to maximize transport space, then transport space utilization is improved, but gripping difficulty increases and bale damage occurs due to friction

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetransport space utilizationVSAvoidgripping ease

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The bale stack is segmented by introducing longitudinal gaps that divide it into sections. These gaps create accessible spaces for gripper tongs to reach individual bales without plunging through tightly packed rows, thereby maintaining high space utilization while enabling easy gripping operations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Longitudinal gaps act as intermediary spaces between the gripper tongs and the bales. These gaps provide a pathway for the tongs to access bales without direct frictional contact with surrounding bales, reducing damage while maintaining compact stacking.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Productivity

If gripper tongs plunge into tightly packed bale stacks to grip bales, then gripping speed is improved, but bale damage increases due to friction with wrapping film

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveunloading speedVSAvoidbale damage

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The harmful frictional contact is eliminated by extracting the gripping action from the tight bale stack interior. Instead of plunging tongs through closely packed bales, the longitudinal gaps provide direct access pathways, allowing tongs to grip bales externally without frictional damage to the wrapping film.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Ease of operation

If longitudinal gaps are introduced in bale stacks to facilitate gripping, then gripping ease is improved, but transport space loss increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvegripping easeVSAvoidtransport space utilization

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The dimensions of longitudinal gaps are optimized to minimal necessary widths that allow gripper tong access while occupying only about 5% of the total stack width. This parameter optimization enables easy gripping operations while maintaining high transport space utilization by minimizing the volume consumed by access gaps.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentEP2870062B1Vessel stowing arrangement

Publication Date: 2020.01.15 SCHUSTER ENG

Figure 1~4
Figure 5~7

AI summary

The invention relates to a loading arrangement for ships comprising a plurality of bales, in particular packaged garbage round bales that are stacked in a hull and that can be loaded and/or unloaded by means of a crane and/or a transfer device, preferably with gripper tongs for gripping two bales at once in each case. For the gentle unloading and secure gripping of the bales, according to the invention the bales are stacked in multiple transverse rows (5), in particular dual rows, between which in each case a bale stack (6) is arranged that is oriented in a right angled horizontally twisted manner.