APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PERFORMING WORK AT SEA

Abstract: An apparatus intended for work at sea includes a boat part (1), a pontoon (2) coupled thereto and a work implement (3). The pontoon is coupled to the boat part for pivoting movement in a vertical plane and the work implement projects outside the exterior configuration of the unit (1, 2) formed by the boat part and the pontoon. According to one method of delivering a load to a lighter from said apparatus, the pontoon (2) is rotated for driving said pontoon up onto a movable ramp so that the work implement (3) is positioned above the lighter, after which the work implement is actuated for delivering the load to the lighter.

Description: APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PERFORMING WORK AT SEA DESCRIPTION Technical Field The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for performing work at sea. More specifically, the invention relates to an apparatus including a boat part, with a buoyant body coupled thereto and a work implement, and to a method of delivering a load to a container in, or in association with a sea, lake or the like from such an apparatus. Background Art It is already known to arrange excavators and other apparatus on pontoons for taking up material or equipment from the lake or sea bed in shallow water. The greatest disadvantage with these apparatus is that stability will be insufficient, unless they are provided with extra buoyant bodies and/or supporting legs. It is further known to arrange apparatus for sinking implements to the sea bed to take up material or equipment, and to return these to the surface of the water after work by driving air into buoyancy tanks, but neither do these apparatus solve the stability problems. The Swedish Patent 75 13866-9 teaches apparatus which solves the stabilization problems by arranging an excavator on a frame which is carried by two upwardly and downwardly swingable pontoons, one on either side of the frame. Even if the latter apparatus has been found to function satisfactorily from the stability aspect, it is burdened with certain disadvantages, of which the greatest is perhaps that the excavation depth is heavily limited. Another considerable disadvantage is that the delivery of excavated material cannot be made to a container positioned on land or floating in the water, for example, since the pontoons are arranged on both sides of the excavator in the conveying direction of the apparatus, the alternative being to deposit the material in shallow "BUREA OMPI water where it may be taken care of by such as an excavator at the shoreline. A further disadvantage is that it is difficult to exchange the excavator for some other machine, inter alia due to its position between the pontoons. Disclosure of Invention One object of the present invention is to remove the disadvantages with the above-mentioned, previously known apparatus and to provide an apparatus intended for work at sea, which is relatively small and simple in its construction, is stable and assumes a substan¬ tially horisontal position on the water surface indepen¬ dent of whether it carries load or not, can work at relatively large depths or water, can perform different kinds of work and can deliver the load to a container floating in the water or positioned on land. This object is achieved by the invention being given the characterizing features disclosed in the claims. Description of Figures Fig. 1 is a schematic side view of an apparatus in accordance with the invention according to a first embodiment, floating on the water and not carrying any load Fig. 2 is a schematic side view of an apparatus in accordance with the invention according to a second embodiment, floating on the water and carrying a load, and Fig. 3 is a schematic side view of a portion of the apparatus in Fig. 1 , carrying and transporting a load to a container floating in the water. Preferred Embodiments The apparatus in accordance with the invention includes three main parts, namely a boat part 1, a buoyant body or pontoon 2 in the form of a cylindrical drum coupled ot the boat part to form a unit, and a ' BURt α work implement 3. The boat part 1 is, inter alia, provided with a deckhouse 4 and driving means with propellers 5 (of which one is illustrated) as well as motors, steering and operating means etc. for operating the different components of the apparatus, including the work implement 3. Arms 6, pivotably mounted one on either side of the boat part 1 , connect it to the pontoon 2, which is rotatably mounted on a shaft 7 connecting the arms. An actuating means in the form of a piston cylinder device 8 connects each arm 6 to the boat part 1. An implement arm 9 is arranged pivotably on each arm 6 on either side of the boat part, to thrust out to the left past the pontoon 2 for carrying a quick-release fastening 10, to which can be coupled some suitable implement. The implement is illustrated in Fig. 1 as a hinged bucket for taking up material, and in Fig. 2 in the form of a lime spreading unit, including a con¬ tainer 11 for powdered lime and a pump 12 for spreading lime mixed with water through a pipe 13. Other implements (not shown) , which can to advantage be coupled to the quick fastener 10 are such as apparatus for reed cutting, oil decontaminating, piling, log retrieving and post erecting. The fastening 10 is pivotably mounted on the arms 9 and can be pivoted in a vertical plane by at least one actuating means such as a piston-cylinder device 14, acting between the arms 9 and the fastening. The implement arms 9 are pivό.table, with the aid of an actuating means in the form of a piston-cylinder device 15 con- necting each arm 6 and its associated implement arm 9, from the substantially horisontal position illustrated in Fig. 1, in which their right-hand portions engage against the undersides of the arms 6, to a substantially vertical position in which the implement is directly under the unit 1, 2. A pontoon 16 (only one illustrated) is pivotably Oft'.PI attached to each arm 6. The pontoons 16 can be pivoted by a suitable actuation means, e.g. in the form of a piston-cylinder device indicated at 17, between the up¬ wardly lifted position illustrated in Fig. 1 and a position projecting out from the apparatus such that they rest on the water surface and stabilize the apparatus laterally during the execution of work and transport of load. The pontoon 2 is driven for rotation, e.g. by a hydraulic motor mounted inside it and indicated at 18, and is provided on its cylindrical surface with strip-like projections 19, so as better to engage against the ground or a ramp described below. The modus operand of the apparatus will now be described. With the parts of the apparatus assuming the " positions illustrated in Fig. 1 , it is moved with the aid of the propellers 5 to the place in the sea or lake where work is to be performed. The piston-cylinder device 17 is then actuated so that the pontoons 16 are moved down to the water surface. If the implement 3 is the bucket illustrated in Fig. 1 , and dredging work is to be carried out, the piston-cylinder devices 15 are actuated so that the implement arms 9 are turned anti- clockwise until the bucket engages with the sea bed for taking up material from it. The piston-cylinder devices 14 are then actuated and the bucket closed, the piston- cylinder devices 15 then being actuated once again for turning the arms 9 clock-wise and lifting the bucket to its upper position above the water surface. The piston- cylinder devices 16 are actuated simultaneously as the piston-cylinder devices 15 for turning the arms 6 anti¬ clockwise about their mounting points on the boat part 1 , so that the boat part will assume a horisontal posi- tion in the water. The size of the turn of the arms 6 depends on the weight of the material in the bucket and is greater the greater is the weight of the material. The size of the turn of the arms 6 also depends of course on the displacement of the pontoons 2, the boat part 1 and the distance between them. The above-described, second embodiment of the work implement 3 is illustrated carrying a load in Fig. 2, and it will be perceived from this figure that the boat part 1 has been turned clockwise relative the arms 6, so that it will assume a horisontal position on the water surface, and so that its center of gravity will be moved somewhat further away from the implement, thus increasing the lifting capacity of the implement 3. If the arms 6 had been rigidly connected to the boat part, the latter would have assumed a sloping position, with the deckhouse 4 lying lower in relation to the water surface, than its right-hand portion, thus causing certain stabili¬ zation problems, difficulties for the crew to be on the boat part and problems with equipment falling over in the boat part. With the apparatus loaded, it is advanced with the aid of the propellers 5 towards the place where the load is to be deposited. If unloading is to take place on land, the propellers are stopped and the motor 18 started when the pontoon 2 engages against the ground, the pontoon being rotated anti-clockwise to move the entire apparatus onto land. Before moving onto land, it is suitable to actuate the piston-cylinder devices 8 to lift the boat part to the left in Fig. 1 upwards, so that its bottom will not come against any ground obstacle. During the advance onto land, a wheel 20, suitably made as a pontoon, and attached to the right-hand bottom portion of the boat part in Fig. 1, engages against the ground. When the load has been deposited, the apparatus can once again be returned to the lake or sea by rotating the pontoon 2 clock¬ wise. unloading into a container or lighter 21 floating in the water can also take place. In such a case, the apparatus is advanced with the aid of the propellers 5 to a removably attached ramp 22 on the lighter in the manner illustrated in Fig. 3, after which the pontoon 2 is rotated anti-clockwise so that the pontoon engages with the ramp, which is suitably provided with strips 23 to prevent sliding between the ramp and the pontoon 2, which is also provided with strips 19. When the pontoon 2 is in its uppermost position on the ramp 22, the piston-cylinder device 14 is actuated and the bucket opened for delivering the load into the lighter 21. Return of the apparatus to the lake or sea takes place by rotating the pontoon 2 clock-wise. A plurality of modifications of the illustrated and described embodiments, as well as further embodi¬ ments are possible within the scope of the invention, which is only limited by the disclosures in the claims.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. An apparatus intended for work at sea, includ¬ ing a boat part (1), a buoyant body (2) coupled to the boat part for pivoting movement relative to it in a vertical plane, and a work implement (3) project- ing outside the outer configuration of the unit (1, 2) formed by the boat part and the buoyant body, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the buoyant body (2) projects out from the boat part (1) in a direction parallel to the advancing direction thereof/and/in a position at least partially above the water surface of the work implement (3) , is situated between the work implement and the boat part. 2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, c h a r a c¬ t e r i z e d in that the work implement (3) i pivotably mounted on members (6) connecting the boat part (1) and the buoyant body for pivoting movements between positions above and below the water surface, with the aid of at least one actuating means (15) acting between the work implement and said connecting members. 3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or 2, c h a r¬ a c t e r i z e d in that the buoyant body (2) , which is pivotably mounted on the connecting means implemented as arms (6), comprises a drum rotatable by a motor (18) for engaging with the ground when the apparatus is advanced on land, during which actuating means (8) , acting between the arms (6) and the boat part (1), • lift the lower portion of the boat part facing towards the drum relative the arms, while the lower portion of the boat part facing away from the drum is carried by at least one wheel (20) , preferably formed as a buoyant body. 4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2 or 3, c h a r¬ a c t e r i z e d in that the work implement (3) includes second arms (9) pivotably mounted on said arms (6) , the ends of the former facing away from the mounting points carrying a preferably pivotable fastening (10), to which may be coupled an excavator bucket or apparatus for reed cutting, lime spreading, piling, log retreiving, post erecting or oil deconta¬ minating. 5. Apparatus as claimed in any of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d by two buoyant bodies (16) which are pivotably mounted on the apparatus such as to swing on either side of the apparatus between uplifted positions and positions where they float on the water surface. 6. Method of delivering a load to a container from an apparatus intended for work at sea, including a boat part {1) , a buoyant body coupled thereto in the form of a cylindrical, rαtatably driven drum (2) and a work implement (3) , which projects out from the unit -formed by the boat part and the drum, c h a r¬ a c t e r i z e d in that the drum (2) is rotated for propelling it onto a preferably movable ramp (22) so that the work implement (3) projecting out in the direction of advance of the apparatus is placed over a container (21) carrying the ramp, the container being positioned in, or in connection to, a lake or sea, after which the work implement is actuated for delivering the load to the container. G.YIPI - . i '°

Inventors: SONERUD JOHN TEODOR, SONERUD, JOHN, TEODOR
Applicants: SONERUD JOHN TEODOR, SONERUD, JOHN, TEODOR
Application year: 1983
Main classification: E02F5
IPC codes: B63B35, E02F5, E02F9