Container Ship Side Opening Wheeled Platform
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current container handling methods restrict flexibility, as they require a container crane for transferring containers to a container ship, limiting operations on docks without such equipment.
Innovation Solution
A container ship design featuring side openings and a wheeled platform that allows direct movement between the ship and a dock, supported by a floor board or rail, enabling container handling without a gantry crane, and a submersible hull for efficient cargo management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If containers are handled by a container crane mounted in a container yard, then containers can be transferred to a container ship, but containers cannot be handled on a portion of a dock outside a container yard
Solution Approach 1:
A wheeled platform is introduced as an intermediary device between the dock and container ship. The platform has a deck that receives containers directly on the dock and transports them to the ship through a tunnel, eliminating the need for container cranes at the dock location and enabling flexible container handling outside traditional container yards.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a wheeled platform is used to move containers between the ship and dock, then container handling flexibility is improved, but the ship structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The wheeled platform is nested within the ship structure by providing a tunnel that extends from the deck through the hull to the interior of the ship. The platform moves along rails within this tunnel, allowing containers to be transported inside the ship's structure rather than requiring external handling equipment, thus integrating the complexity within the existing hull.
Solution Approach 2:
The container handling system transitions from vertical operations (crane lifting) to horizontal operations (platform moving through tunnel). The tunnel provides a three-dimensional pathway that allows the wheeled platform to move containers from the deck level into the ship's interior, adding a spatial dimension to the loading process.
Data Source
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AI summary
To be able to improve the flexibility in handling containers, a container ship configured to transport containers includes: an opening 106 through which cargo may be handled by moving a wheeled platform 501 between the container ship and a dock, the wheeled platform 501 including a plurality of containers 401 placed thereon; and a floor board 108 or a rail configured to support the wheeled platform 501 loaded from the dock through the opening 106.