A STOPPING AND RETAINING DEVICE FOR CHAIN OR WIRE

Abstract: A device on board a vessel for stopping and retaining either a link (2", 11") in a chain (2; 11) or a clamp on a wire, where the chain or wire is intended to be extended between the vessel and, e.g., an anchor, comprising a grip and stop fork (1) which is designed such that it may be brought up through the vessel deck (6) to engage with said chain link or wire clamp, and where the opening between the outer section of the fork teeth (1', 1") may optionally be closed off with a locking bolt or similar means. The fork (1) has a first, effective locking height (h1) above the deck of the vessel, defined by the bottom (14) of the opening between the fork teeth and intended for a chain (2) lying within a first size range, and a second, effective locking height (h2) above the vessel deck intended for chain (11) or wire lying within a second, smaller size range, said second locking height (h2) being greater than said first locking height (h1). The fork is moreover designed with guide members (12) and a shoulder (13) for the mounting and securing of a U-shaped insert piece (10) in the opening between the fork teeth, the bottom of said insert piece defining said second locking height.

Description: A STOPPING AND RETAINING DEVICE FOR CHAIN OR WIRE. The present invention relates to a device on board a vessel 5 for stopping and retaining either a link in a chain or a clamp on a wire, where the chain or wire is intended extend stretched between the vessel and, e.g., an anchor, comprising a grip and stop fork which is designed such that it may be brought up through the vessel deck to engage with εaid chain 10 link or wire clamp, and where the opening between the outer section of the fork teeth may optionally be closed off with a locking bolt or similar meanε. A device of the type introduced above is known from, for '5 example, Danish Patent No. 260004. A somewhat more compre¬ hensive variant of this known device iε apparent from Norwegian Patent No. 152641. ' Recently, however, a need haε arisen for stopping and 20 retaining deviceε capable of handling chain or wire having a diameter in the range of up to about 170 mm. The εame stoppers muεt alεo be utilizable for chain or wire of a dimenεion down to about 50 mm. For thiε to be poεsible, such a device muεt not have too large a diameter, as a chain 25 of εmall di enεionε would otherwise risk being drawn down into the guide tube conduit of the stopping device. It iε thus important that the distance between the teeth of the grip and εtop fork be correctly gauged, and that the depth of the opening between the teeth be great enough to allow εpace 3o for a chain having a diameter of 170 mm, and alεo that there be εufficient space for a locking bolt at the free end of the fork teeth. According to the invention, the device introduced above is 35 characterized in that the fork haε a firεt, effective locking height above the deck of the vessel , defined by the bottom of the opening between the fork teeth and intended for a chain lying within a firεt size range, and a εecond, effective locking height above the vessel deck intended for chain or wire lying within a second, smaller εize range, εaid second locking height being greater than said first locking height, and that the fork iε designed with guide members and a shoulder for the mounting and securing of a U- shaped insert piece in the opening between the fork teeth, the bottom of said insert piece defining said second locking height. According to further embodiments of the device, it is advantageous that εaid guide memberε are tapered in the direction away from said shoulder, and that the εhoulder iε spaced a distance above the bottom of the fork opening. It iε advantageouε that the ϋ-εhaped insert piece be provided at the free endε thereof with holeε correεponding to axially arranged holeε in the teeth of the fork for the optional inεertion of a locking bolt on the inεert piece. The invention will now be explained in more detail with reference to the encloεed drawings. Fig. 1 iε a εchematic elevational view of the device, according to the invention. Fig. 2 iε a view of the device of Fig. 1 along the line II- II. Fig. 3 εhowε the device according to the invention with the U-εhaped insert piece. Fig. 4 is a view of the device of Fig. 3 along the line IV- IV. Fig. 5 εhows the device, according to the invention, being used with a chain of large dimension and employing one type of towing pins. Fig. 6 shows a variant of Fig. 5, wherein the device, according to the invention, employs a second type of towing pins. Fig. 7 shows the device, according to the invention, used with a U-shaped insert piece for smaller dimensions of chain. In Fig. 1 iε shown a grip and εtop fork 1, with a chain 2 positioned in fork 1, where the chain has a diameter of about 170 mm, so that the distance d 1 between the fork teeth 1', 1" is equal to or slightly greater than the maximum diameter of the chain. Fork 1 is designed so that the horizontal chain link, aε indicated by reference numeral 2' in Figε. 5 and 6, will reεt againεt grip and εtop fork 1. Horizontal chain link 2' will be prevented from twiεting, inaεmuch aε the adjacent vertical chain link 2" iε situated in the opening between fork teeth 1' and 1". The supported, vertically εituated chain link 2" thuε ensures that the horizontal chain link 2' is unable to twist to one side or the other about its longitudinal axiε. Grip and εtop fork 1 iε, at the outεet , constructed εuch that chainε of a diameter in the range of 110 mm - 170 mm will be εtopped directly againεt fork 1 without any ϋ-shaped insert piece having been placed therein, and at a lower height h-^ above the vessel deck than what would be the case for chain or wire dimensions smaller than 110 mm. Although it is described that the device, according to the invention, would be applicable for chains in the dimensional range of 110 mm - 170 mm, it will be immediately understood that the invention cannot be conεidered to be limited to this range of chain dimension, as the use with chains of a somewhat larger dimension, or optionally a slightly smaller dimension, would also be conceivable within the scope of the invention. "When the vertical chain link 2" is εituated between fork teeth 1' and 1", it may optionally be advantageouε to enεure that thiε chain link does not move out of the fork. For this purpose, holes 3 and 3' are provided in the fork teeth at the reεpective outer endε thereof for the inεertion of a locking bolt or the like (not shown). In the embodiment in Fig. 5, the device of Figs. 1 and 2 haε been provided with raising and lowering capability in a vertical direction by meanε of a lifting mechanism 4, e.g., of the hydraulic type or of the nut/εcrew type. Together with the device, according to the invention, the embodiment of Fig. 5 iε shown being used with a pair of known per se towing pins 5 arranged in a stationary position on the vesεel deck. In the alternative embodiment shown in Fig. 6, the tpwing pins are designated by reference numeral 7 and are designed as towing pins having raising and lowering capability, and which cable pins are equipped with locking memberε 8, or so¬ called "flaps," which rotate toward one another in order to lie over the opening between towing pins 7 when they are in their uppermost position. The towing pins are provided with a raising and lowering mechaniεm 9 which causes towing pin 7 to rotate at the same time as the pinε are raised or lowered. Such a raiεing and lowering mechanism as well as towing pins of this type having locking members are known per se. Said locking members or "flaps" alεo prevent the chain from being drawn up over towing pinε 7. The device, according to the invention, will now be explained in more detail with reference to Figs. 3, 4 and 7. This solution is intended to be used for a chain of a smaller dimension, e.g., in the range of 50 mm - 105 mm, or op¬ tionally for wire having a diameter of up to 140 mm. The stated dimensional ranges, however, should be regarded merely as guidelineε and should not be perceived as a limitation to the scope of the invention. As shown in Fig. 3, with the use of the device according to the invention and a chain having the slightly εmaller dimension in the range of, e.g. , 50 mm - 105 mm, it will be necesεary to employ a U-εhaped insert piece 10, indicated by the shaded area in Fig. 3 and by a heavy broken line in Fig. 4. If insert piece 10 should optionally be used in connec¬ tion with a wire, it would be posεible to employ εomewhat thinner walls on insert 10, allowing the dimension of the wire to be as great as 140 mm. As will be clearly apparent from Fig. 7, the bottom of the U- shaped insert piece will be situated at a locking height H 2 above vessel deck 6. The chain 11 or wire (not shown) within this range having εmaller dimenεionε will conεequently be lifted higher up over the deck, which muεt be regarded aε a great advantage during normal anchor handling. It would particularly be advantageouε to uεe the device, according to the invention equipped with U-shaped insert piece 10, in connection with a towing pin arrangement 7, 8 and 9 as εhown and described in connection with Fig. 6. The locking memberε, or said "flapε" 8, on towing pin 7 would be closed over the wire or chain during, e.g. , anchor handling. Thiε would prevent the wire or chain from being drawn up from the device according to the invention, which could normally extend about 18 - 20 cm up above said locking memberε 8, as is indicated by the top part of Fig. 7. As εhown and explained in connection with Figε. 5 and 6, the horizontal chain link 11' will reεt against fork 1 and itε insert piece 10. The vertical chain link or loop 11" will be situated between the arms of said U-shaped insert piece, aε indicated by Fig. 3. Thiε allows the horizontal chain link 11' to twist to a considerable degree, since it is well supported against both fork 1 and its insert piece 10, as well as the vertical chain member 11". The U-shaped insert piece 10 engages with guide members 12 on fork 1, and these guide members 12, as indicated by Fig. 4., are tapered in the direction away from a shoulder 13 εituated above the bottom 14 of the fork opening. To hold U-shaped insert piece 10 in place, mounting holeε 15 and 16 are provided in each of the fork teeth 1' and 1", into which holes may be inserted fixing screwε (not shown) which optionally may threadably engage with insert piece 10. Further, said teeth 1' and 1" on fork 1 may be provided with axially arranged holes 17 and 17' for cooperation with an optional locking bolt to prevent a chain or wire from moving completely out of insert piece 10. The diεtance between the two brancheε 10' and 10" on U-εhaped inεert piece 10 iε designated by D 2 and correspondε to the largest dimension within the εecond, lower dimensional range for said chain or wire. The device according to the invention for stopping and retaining a chain link in a chain or a clamp on a wire may be constructed with a horizontal crosε-sectional dimension that iε relatively small, e.g., in the range of about 45 - 50 cm. The device according to the invention thus displays the advantage of permitting two locking heights above the vessel deck, where the first locking height above the deck is provided by using a U-shaped insert piece to lock a chain or wire with a diameter in the range of, e.g., 50 - 105 mm, or a specially designed U-shaped insert for only wire having a dimension of up to about 140 mm. The lowest locking height above the vessel deck permits the locking of a chain having a diameter in the range of about 110 - 180 mm. When we have a chain of large diameter and this chain is locked to fork 1, there will be the shorteεt possible momentum arm for the forceε exerted on the forks. Moreover, the reεiεtance momentum for the fork for the croεε-εection that is under most stress in this instance is maximal. When we have a chain or wire of a diameter in the range of, e.g., 50 - 105 mm, alternatively up to 140 mm, there iε provided an upper locking bed having a locking height of hg , where the previouεly mentioned U-shaped insert is mounted in an upper part of fork 1. This thereby provides a greater locking height above the vessel deck, which is a major advantage in regular anchor handling with chain or wire dimensionε within the relevant range. The U-shaped insert 10 is constructed so that there is little clearance, maximum 10 mm, between it and vertical chain link 11" that is εupported by meanε of the horizontal chain loop or link 11'. The forceε that would seek to burst fork 1 are thereby reduced in considerable degree.

Claims: P a t e n t C l a i m s 1. A device on board a vessel for stopping and retaining either a link in a chain or a clamp on a wire, where the chain or wire is intended to extend between the vessel and, e.g., an anchor, compriεing a grip and stop fork which is designed εuch that it may be brought up through the vessel deck to engage with εaid chain link or wire clamp, and where the opening between the outer section of the fork teeth may optionally be closed off with a locking bolt or εimilar means, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the fork has a first, effective locking height above the deck of the vesεel, defined by the bottom of the opening between the fork teeth and intended for a chain lying within a firεt size range, and a εecond, effective locking height above the veεεel deck intended for chain or wire lying within a εecond, εmaller εize range, εaid εecond locking height being greater than said first locking height, and that the fork is deεigned with guide memberε and a shoulder for the mounting and securing of a U-shaped insert piece in the opening between the fork teeth, the bottom of εaid inεert piece defining said second locking height. 2. A device as discloεed in claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that εaid guide memberε are tapered in the direction away from εaid εhoulder, and that the shoulder is εpaced a distance above the bottom of the fork opening. 3. A device as discloεed in claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the U-εhaped insert piece be provided at the free ends thereof with holes corresponding to axially arranged holes in the teeth of the fork, for the optional insertion of a locking bolt on the insert piece.

Inventors: HYSTAD PER, HYSTAD, PER +DI
Applicants: HYSTAD SERINA & HF, KARMOY WINCH AS, HYSTAD, SERINA +HF, KARMOEY WINCH A/S
Application year: 1996
Main classification: B63B21
IPC codes: B63B21