Spud Carriage Biasing Layout to Prevent Wire Slack During Pitching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional spud carriage biasing systems for dredging vessels are complex, vulnerable, and difficult to maintain due to the use of tensioning cylinders within hydraulic cylinders, which can lead to wires becoming slack during vessel pitching.
Innovation Solution
A spud carriage biasing system utilizing two sets of connected hydraulic cylinders with pressure chambers and low-pressure tensioning accumulators, which counteract wire slackening by redistributing pressure fluid, eliminating the need for tensioning cylinders within the hydraulic cylinders.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If tensioning cylinders are provided within hydraulic cylinders to maintain wire tension, then wire tension is maintained during vessel pitching, but the system becomes complex, vulnerable, and difficult to maintain
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the tensioning cylinders from within the hydraulic cylinders. Instead of having nested cylinders (tensioning cylinders inside hydraulic cylinders), the system uses separate hydraulic cylinders that directly control wire tension through a different mechanical arrangement, thereby removing the complex nested structure while maintaining the wire tension function during vessel pitching
Solution Approach 2:
The invention segments the tensioning function from the hydraulic actuation function. Rather than combining both functions in nested cylinders, the system separates them into distinct hydraulic cylinders that work together through a segmented control mechanism, simplifying the overall structure while maintaining functional effectiveness
2Reliability
If tensioning cylinders are provided within hydraulic cylinders to maintain wire tension, then wire tension is maintained during vessel pitching, but the system becomes vulnerable and difficult to maintain
Solution Approach 1:
By extracting the tensioning cylinders from the hydraulic cylinder assembly, the invention eliminates the vulnerable nested structure that was difficult to access and maintain. The simplified arrangement with separate hydraulic cylinders allows for easier inspection, troubleshooting, and repair of individual components without disassembling complex nested structures
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of having tensioning cylinders inside hydraulic cylinders (nested arrangement), the invention inverts the approach by having hydraulic cylinders that directly provide tension through a separate mechanical linkage system. This inverted arrangement makes components more accessible and easier to maintain
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 system effectively maintains wire tension during vessel pitching, ensuring the spud carriage remains stable and simplifies maintenance by avoiding complex cylinder arrangements, resulting in a more reliable and robust biasing mechanism.
Implementation Method 1
a first low pressure tensioning accumulator (15) in fluid communication with a first pressure chamber (11) comprised in the first cylinder (10); a second low pressure tensioning accumulator (25) in fluid communication with a second pressure chamber (21) comprised in the second cylinder (20)
Data Source
Figure 1a~1b
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The invention relates to a spud carriage biasing system comprising a first hydraulic tensioning cylinder (10); a first low pressure tensioning accumulator (15) in fluid communication with a first pressure chamber (11) comprised in the first cylinder (10); a second hydraulic tensioning cylinder (20); and a second low pressure tensioning accumulator (25) in fluid communication with a second pressure chamber (21) comprised in the second cylinder (20). The biasing system (1) further comprises two sets of two connected hydraulic cylinders (30, 40, 50, 60). The first set comprises a third hydraulic cylinder (30) and a fourth hydraulic cylinder (40), wherein a piston rod (33) of the third hydraulic cylinder (30) is connected with a piston rod (43) of the fourth hydraulic cylinder (40). The second set comprises a fifth hydraulic cylinder (50) and a sixth hydraulic cylinder (60), wherein a piston rod (53) of the fifth hydraulic cylinder (50) is connected with a piston rod (63) of the sixth hydraulic cylinder (60). Further, a third pressure chamber (31), which is part of the third hydraulic tensioning cylinder (30), and a fifth pressure chamber (51), which is part of the fifth cylinder (50) are in fluid communication with the first pressure chamber (11), which is part of the first cylinder (10), and a fourth pressure chamber (41), which is part of the fourth cylinder (40) and a sixth pressure chamber (61), which is part of the sixth cylinder (60) are in fluid communication with the second pressure chamber (21).