Tube Docking Device with Pivotal Sling for Marine Transfer Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for transferring personnel and equipment between vessels or structures at sea, such as boats, offshore rigs, and bridges, face instability due to wind, waves, and tidal influences, particularly when using rubber fenders or strakes, which lose grip in turbulent conditions, and require extensive obstacle-free zones for towing.
Innovation Solution
A tube docking device with pivotal sling retaining Tee bars or ergonomic rubber shoes that deploy onto a cylindrical tube, utilizing forward propulsion to maintain a stable purchase and adjust height, while preventing unintentional entanglement, and can incorporate hydraulic or blocking mechanisms for secure locking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If rubber fenders or strakes are used for vessel docking and personnel transfer, then protection of superstructures and grip are provided, but stability and reliability of the transfer platform deteriorate in turbulent sea conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The docking system is divided into two independent components: a fixed cylindrical tube attached to the receiving subject (ship, rig, or pontoon) and a movable docking device attached to the transferring vessel. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently, with the tube providing a stable reference point and the docking device adapting to sea conditions, thereby maintaining platform stability despite turbulent conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The cylindrical tube acts as an intermediary element between the receiving subject and the docking device. It provides a stable, fixed reference point that mediates the interaction between the two vessels, allowing the docking device to maintain reliable grip while the tube absorbs and distributes the forces generated by wave action and vessel movement.
2Reliability
If rubbing strakes are used for vessel-to-vessel transfer, then hull protection and grip are created, but the transfer platform becomes unstable with gaps and changing positions
Solution Approach 1:
The cylindrical tube is pre-installed and fixed to the receiving subject before the docking operation begins. This preliminary action creates a stable, predetermined docking point that ensures consistent positioning. When the docking device engages with the tube, it automatically aligns to this pre-established reference point, eliminating gaps and position changes during the transfer operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the fundamental parameter of docking from surface friction (rubbing strakes) to form closure (docking device around tube). This parameter change transforms the interaction from dependent on surface conditions to dependent on geometric fit, ensuring consistent positioning regardless of sea state or vessel movement.
3Ease of operation
If towing with warps or bridles is used for vessel maneuvering, then directional control and position holding are achieved, but extensive obstacle-free zones are required
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the control function from the towing system. Instead of using long warps or bridles that extend far from the vessel, the cylindrical tube provides a localized control point directly at the docking position. The docking device engages with this extracted control point, providing directional control and position holding without requiring extensive clear space for towing operations.
4Reliability
If rubber bow pads or shoes are used for vessel-to-rig transfer, then grip is provided through forward propulsion, but grip becomes inconsistent in turbulent seas
Solution Approach 1:
The cylindrical tube provides a curved, three-dimensional engagement surface that allows the docking device to maintain grip through form closure rather than friction. The circular cross-section of the tube enables the docking device to wrap around it, creating a mechanically interlocking connection that resists slip in all directions, unlike flat rubber pads that rely on friction and can become inconsistent in turbulent conditions.
Data Source
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AI summary
A tube docking device unit (1), includes attachment means (15) directly to a boat, bridge, walkway or a desired subject, or to a mounting bed (21) which will afford retract ability, hydraulic operation/deployment of device and to put vessels in trailer through the employment of hydraulic rams (22) a pivotal sling (8) (or rubber pads) which when deployed by the device will take purchase of the unencumbered facia of a cylindrical tube C which is fixed to a receiving subject, the forward propulsion of the sling (8) and the jaws (4) against the cylinder forces the floating shaft (2) back through the hollow body (1) the initial energy is absorbed by two air rams (16) the propulsion energy is transferred by energy levers (11) to the jaws (4) which deploy the sling around the tube facia C and finally compress the rubber finals (7) against the tube.