Inžiniersky tím na námornej základni v Kalifornii vytvoril nové zariadenie na testovanie{0}}nosnosti stĺpikov, ktoré sa používajú na kotvenie veľkých lodí v prístave a musia odolať stovkám ton tlaku.
Americké námorníctvo udržiava tisíce stĺpikov po celom svete. Na ich testovanie je nové zariadenie, obdĺžnikového tvaru a vyrobené predovšetkým zo štvorcových oceľových rúrok, umiestnené okolo stĺpika. Jeho nastaviteľné vzpery sú pripevnené k prístavisku.
Okolo stĺpika je umiestnený kábel. Nastaviteľné priečky a poistné kolíky umiestňujú kábel do rôznych uhlov. Skúšobný operátor aktivuje hydraulickú ruku alebo navijak (napínač), aby potiahol lano, pričom pri požadovaných meraniach pôsobí silou na stĺpik.
For their work, U.S. Patent 11,215,541, titled In-situ Bollard Tester, was assigned to the U.S. Navy on January 4, 2022. It is the first patent assigned to the Navy this year, which typically receives over 250 patents per year, and makes them available for commercialization by private companies through technology transfer agreements.
Inžinieri, ktorí postavili zariadenie, sú z veliteľstva námorných zariadení v Port Hueneme. Sú to Gerritt Lang, Elaina Ryan, Juan Carrillo, Ricardo Contreras, Zachary Harwood a Benjamin Hulbert.
Podľa ich patentovej prihlášky:
"In-situ tests are the preferred method in determining whether bollards and other mooring hardware are performing at their design capacity. There is, however, no accepted standard testing device and procedure. If a bollard is degraded, a ship's mooring line may break the bollard, resulting in damage to the ship and creating a dangerous situation.
"Past bollard test procedures have included the use of tugboats, which is dangerous and not representative of vertical mooring line angles that may cause uplift on the bollards. In this regard, there is a need for improvement to develop a safe device and procedure for testing bollards in-situ."
Interested in using this device? It's not yet available or for sale, but the newly issued 20-year utility patent can now be licensed by the Navy to private companies who can then commercialize it.
TechLink, the U.S. Navy's national partnership intermediary for technology transfer, guides companies through the licensing process. To learn more tap the contact button below.
