Spud Carrier Cable Drive System for Dredging Vessels
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing spud systems for dredging vessels face issues with complex hydraulic cylinders and crossing wire systems, which complicate operations and fail to maintain a well-defined neutral position of the spud carrier, especially under external forces like sea currents and waves.
Innovation Solution
A simple mechanical spud carrier drive system using separate cable systems on each side of the spud carrier, with operationally coupled winches and a load limiting device featuring a centring cylinder and accumulator system to maintain a generally vertical stance and ensure quick return to neutral position.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a hydraulic system is used to drive the spud carrier, then the spud carrier can be driven, but the system becomes complex requiring a complex hydraulic cylinder
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the hydraulic driving system with a purely mechanical cable-driven system. Winches mounted on the vessel wind or pay out cables to move the spud carrier along guide rails, eliminating the need for complex hydraulic cylinders while achieving the same driving function through mechanical advantage
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces cables as intermediary elements between the winches and the spud carrier. These cables transmit the driving force from the winches to the spud carrier, serving as a simple mechanical mediator that replaces the direct hydraulic connection and reduces system complexity
2Ease of operation
If a wire system with crossing wires is used to drive the spud carrier, then the spud carrier can be driven, but the crossing wires cause operational difficulties
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the cable drive system into separate upper and lower cable systems that operate independently on opposite sides of the spud carrier. Each cable system runs along its own path without crossing other cables, eliminating the interference problems caused by crossing wires while maintaining full driving capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent resolves the cable crossing problem by utilizing the vertical dimension - running cables at different heights (upper and lower systems) and separating their paths in three-dimensional space. This dimensional separation allows cables to reach the spud carrier from different directions without intersecting, eliminating operational difficulties
3Reliability
If the spud is allowed to move to prevent overloading, then overload protection is achieved, but the neutral position is no longer well-defined and the spud carrier does not quickly return to neutral position
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism through the guide rails that constrain the spud carrier's movement. When the spud deviates from vertical due to overload, the cable tension changes and the guide rails provide restoring force that actively pushes the carrier back toward the neutral position, ensuring both overload protection and position recovery
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a dynamic system where the spud carrier can temporarily move to absorb overload forces, but the guide rail constraint and cable tension automatically restore the neutral position. This dynamic response allows the system to adapt to varying loads while maintaining precise positional control and quick recovery
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 solution eliminates the need for complex hydraulic cylinders and crossing wires, providing a stable and efficient operation by maintaining the spud's vertical stance and ensuring quick recovery to the neutral position, even under heavy loads.
Implementation Method 1
at least one of the cable drive systems is coupled with the spud carrier through a load limiting device comprising a centring cylinder and an accumulator in fluid connection with a source of pressure
Implementation Method 2
The cable drive systems each comprise a cable
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
A spud system for a dredging vessel with a longitudinal direction includes a spud carrier for mounting a spud therein in a generally vertical stance and a spud carrier cable driving device coupled with the dredging vessel and the spud carrier for driving the spud carrier with respect to the dredging vessel. The spud carrier is moveable with respect to a longitudinal direction of the dredging vessel for advancing the dredging vessel. The spud carrier cable driving device comprises at least an aft cable drive system which extends at an aft side of the spud carrier, and a fore cable drive system separate from the aft cable drive system. The fore cable drive system extends at a fore side of the spud carrier, and each of the aft cable drive system and the fore cable drive system is coupled with the dredging vessel and the spud carrier