Ship Sail Propulsion Retractable Cavity Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sail propulsion systems for merchant ships require significant modifications to the ship's structure to accommodate retractable units, which is costly and inefficient.
Innovation Solution
The integration of sail propulsion units into existing transverse bulkheads of a merchant ship, utilizing movable supports and drive mechanisms to vertically retract the units into cavities defined by the ship's structure, allowing for efficient storage and deployment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If sail propulsion units are made retractable to reduce space requirements and exposure during loading/unloading and navigation maneuvers, then the space requirement and exposure are reduced, but the device complexity increases due to the need for movable supports and drive mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The sail propulsion unit is nested within a cavity formed by transverse bulkheads when in stowage position. The support structure with movable support and drive means is integrated into the existing ship structure, allowing the propulsion unit to be stored compactly within the ship's inherent structural spaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The transverse bulkheads serve dual purposes: they provide structural support for the ship and simultaneously form cavities that accommodate the retractable sail propulsion units. The existing ship structure is utilized for multiple functions, avoiding the need for separate dedicated storage structures.
2Ease of manufacture
If sail propulsion units are integrated into existing transverse bulkheads to avoid costly structural modifications, then the ease of manufacture is improved, but the adaptability of the ship structure is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The transverse bulkheads are designed to serve multiple functions: structural support and accommodation of sail propulsion units. The cavity formation utilizes the bulkheads' inherent structure, allowing integration without major modifications while maintaining the bulkheads' primary structural role.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates movable supports that can dynamically adjust the position of the sail propulsion units between deployed and retracted states. This dynamic capability allows the same structural integration to serve different operational requirements without permanent structural changes.
3Ease of operation
If the support is made movable in vertical direction within the cavity to enable retraction, then the ease of operation is improved, but the reliability may be reduced due to additional moving parts
Solution Approach 1:
The drive means act as an intermediary mechanism between the control system and the movable support. This intermediary component enables controlled vertical movement of the support within the cavity while isolating the potential reliability issues of moving parts from the main propulsion system.
Solution Approach 2:
The retraction system is segmented into distinct functional components: the cavity structure, the movable support, and the drive means. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently, with the drive means handling the complexity of movement while the cavity and support focus on structural and operational simplicity.
Data Source
AI summary
A ship comprises at least one sail propulsion unit (100) extending in a generally vertical direction in a position of use and comprising one or more propulsion elements (111, 112) and a mast (121). According to the invention, the structure of the ship intrinsically comprises transverse structural elements (T; 300) defining at least in part at least one respective cavity, while the ship comprises at least one sail propulsion unit (100) situated generally above a cavity. The ship additionally comprises a support (210) for the sail propulsion unit, the support being movable in a generally vertical direction within the cavity (CA), and drive means for selectively moving the support between a raised position of use and a retracted position of stowage.