Vessel Stability Testing Using Load Cell Intermediary
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for determining a vessel's center of gravity are limited as they require transporting the vessel to a water basin for stability tests, preventing intermediate testing during construction and making corrective changes complex and time-constrained.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for conducting stability tests ashore, using supporting structures with adjustable inclination and load cells to detect reactions, allowing for accurate determination of the center of gravity at any stage of vessel construction and setup.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If stability tests are conducted in water basins using prior art methods, then accurate center of gravity determination is achieved, but the vessel must be transported to water basins and testing can only occur after construction completion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary system consisting of supporting structures with load cells that mediates between the vessel and the ground, enabling accurate measurements without direct water contact. This intermediary setup allows testing to occur at the construction site during assembly, eliminating the need to transport the vessel to a water basin while maintaining measurement accuracy through force sensing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the traditional water-based mechanical buoyancy system with a land-based electronic sensing system. Instead of using water displacement and buoyant forces to measure stability, the invention uses load cells to directly measure reaction forces, substituting a mechanical field-based measurement with an electronic force sensing approach that enables earlier testing during construction.
2Reliability
If the vessel is transported to a water basin for stability tests, then practical verification of center of gravity position is achieved, but corrective changes become complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables preliminary stability testing to be performed during the construction phase, before the vessel is complete and launched. This preliminary action allows verification of center of gravity position and implementation of corrective changes while the vessel is still accessible and modifiable at the construction site, rather than after launch when corrections would require complex maritime operations.
Solution Approach 2:
By introducing the supporting structure system with load cells as an intermediary testing platform, the patent creates a controlled environment that simulates operational conditions without requiring water. This intermediary setup provides reliable verification data while the vessel remains at the construction site, where corrective manufacturing changes are far easier to implement than after launch.
3Measurement precision
If multiple stability tests are conducted to verify and correct center of gravity position, then accurate vessel stability is achieved, but the process becomes lengthy and complex when repeated in water basins
Solution Approach 1:
The supporting structure system with load cells serves as a reusable intermediary testing platform that can be rapidly reconfigured for multiple tests. Unlike water basin testing which requires vessel transport and launch/recovery operations, this land-based intermediary system allows quick setup and repeated testing cycles at the construction site, dramatically improving productivity while maintaining measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
By substituting the complex water-based mechanical testing system with an electronic load cell measurement system, the patent eliminates time-consuming operations such as vessel launching, water basin navigation, and recovery. The electronic sensing system enables rapid data collection and analysis, allowing multiple iterative tests and corrections to be performed efficiently during construction, thereby improving overall productivity.
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
Enables early and accurate detection of design errors, simplifies corrective actions, and reduces costs by allowing repeated tests without the need for water-based testing, facilitating easier and faster adjustments.
Implementation Method 1
detection means suitable for detecting the reaction exerted by said one or more supporting structures on the vessel supported on the supporting structure
Data Source
AI summary
A system and a method for carrying out stability tests on a vessel are provided. In order to assess the stability of the vessel, it is of utmost importance to know the position of its center of gravity, and in particular of its center of gravity in the vertical direction. The system and method disclosed herein provide stability tests that include determining the position of the center of gravity of a vessel ashore, i.e., without the vessel having to be put in the water. Stability tests can thus be carried out in the same shed in which the vessel is being built, without the vessel having to be transported to the nearest water basin. In addition, the stability tests can be carried out at any stage of the process of construction and set-up of the vessel, and may also possibly be repeated several times at subsequent stages of the process.