EP1524187A1 - Liferaft manoeuvrable from a davit - Google Patents

Abstract

Liferaft (1) maneuverable under davit (7) and comprising for this purpose hooking means (4, 5) adapted to be caught in a hook (6) of the davit (7), the raft (1) being equipped with an armament comprising at least one load (10 ₂ ) heavy or heavier than the others, characterized in that the heavy or heavier load (10 ₂ ) is secured to the aforesaid means (4, 5) for attaching the raft,
thanks to which, when lifting the raft using the davit, the heavy load or at least the heaviest load is suspended from the hooking means of the raft without touching the raft and the raft significantly less unbalanced occupies a position closer to the horizontal.

Description

The present invention relates to improvements life rafts maneuverable under davit and comprising for this purpose means of attachment suitable for being caught in a davit hook, these rafts being equipped with an armament comprising at least a heavy load or heavier than the others.

The invention aims more specifically, although not exclusively, life rafts, particularly of the type pneumatic and large capacity (for example from 12 to 50 people or more) who equip in particular passenger ships ( cruises, car ferries, ...).

The raft is usually equipped with survival (survival equipment, food, drink, ...) which, in the case of a complete armament (called "pack A"), includes including 1.5 liters of water and 1 kg of food per nobody. The device for inflating the raft is also, weighing. For a large raft (dozens of people), this weapon is heavy.

The raft equipment is divided into several charges locked in waterproof bags arranged on the bottom of the raft along the float pneumatic.

These various charges, on the one hand, do not possess usually not all the same weight, some being noticeably heavier than others, and, on the other hand, can not be distributed symmetrically around the circumference the bottom of the raft, in particular because of the fact that the state of storage of the raft in its container, some parts of the equipment are grouped in bags for facilitate the folding of the raft.

In addition, a maneuverable raft under davit generally includes hangers which are distributed peripherally on the inflatable float and whose respective free ends are secured to one fastening member such as a shackle suitable for being grabbed by the davit hook. Folding the raft view of its confinement in the container is carried out at the deflated state. In most specific bends davit rafts, the terminal portions of hangers, with the shackle to which they are joined, come out of the tent covering the raft (or canopy) by an opening planned at the top of it. In addition, shackle is, when folding, brought back to the front of the raft folded, above the bags containing the equipment of way that once the whole locked up in the container, the shackle is easily accessible after opening a hatch provided in the wall of the container.

For the implementation of the raft, the shackle is, after opening the container door, hooked to the davit hook, the davit lifts the container, the overflows and brings it into position at the height of the bridge. The raft inflation is then initiated using a percussion halyard provided for this purpose: the container opens and releases the entire raft which, not yet inflated in pressure, is first of all in the form of a "cone" hanging from the shackle, then gradually takes its shape during inflation. Finally the inflated raft is suspended at a single point (the shackle) located approximately at the center of the raft.

However, the asymmetry mentioned above in the distribution of equipment charges made that, due from its hanging at a single central point, the raft is strongly unbalanced and therefore is inclined consistently.

To better fix the ideas, we illustrated, at the Figure 1 of the accompanying drawing, an example of a raft of pneumatic type survival maneuverable under davit, arranged in position for the boarding of passengers. The liferaft 1 includes, schematically, a float 2 with two pneumatic tubes superimposed and a bottom. 4 lines integral with the float 2 are met superior to fastening means which can advantageously be constituted by a shackle 5 in which is engaged the hook 6 of a maneuvering davit 7. The davit 7 is for example arranged on a bridge 8 of a 9 and serves to maneuver the raft, as indicated more high, for the purpose of boarding passengers (arrow E means the entrance opening - not visible - of the raft).

In the raft 1 are different charges in the form of sealed bags 10 ₁ , 10 ₂ , ... containing armament equipment, at least one of these charges 10 ₂ being substantially heavier than the other loads 10 ₁ , .. . These charges rest on the bottom 3 along the float 2, without being symmetrically distributed. In addition, the raft inflation equipment (gas bottles 11), which is fixed externally under the bottom 3, is also heavy. The accessibility requirements for at least some of the equipment bags, materials, etc. mentioned above lead to the fact that, in particular, the bag containing the heaviest load 10 ₂ and the gas cylinders 11 are located substantially on the same side of the raft, on the side of the entrance E.

As a result, the raft 1, suspended from the davit 7, leans appreciably on the side of the heavier load 10 ₂ and its inclination α with respect to the horizontal is sensitive or significant as can be seen in FIG. 1 (this inclination typically up to 30 to 40 °). This inclination results in an excess height h of the center of the raft with respect to its most offset edge downward.

This inclination is too large and the weight of the raft provided with all its loads 10 ₁ , 10 ₂ , ... is too high to attempt to straighten, at least in part, the raft manually by pulling it by means of a halyard.

This imbalance of the raft suspended under the davit poses several problems.

Passengers are boarded while the raft, suspended under the davit and overflowed, is at the bridge. If the raft is tilted as shown in Figure 1, it is necessary to lift the inclined raft higher than necessary to bring input E (located side of the lowest raft) at deck level. This requires a useful maneuvering height under the davit which is substantially greater than the height minimum required for a raft that is not inclined (height of deployed raft, hook and leader of operating cable). As a result, the davit must be constructed accordingly, with increased height: this greater height is penalizing, even incompatible with the ship's bridge facilities, and in addition the davit thus arranged is more expensive.

In addition, the davits are generally as shown in Figure 1. To bring the edge of the inclined empty raft in contact with the edge of the ship for the purpose of embarkation of passengers, it is necessary first to turn the davit in direction of the interior, then, once the raft balanced by the boarding of the first passengers installed opposite the highest loads, from rotate the davit outward to maintain the raft become approximately horizontal in contact with the edge of the bridge. These maneuvers are penalizing because they complicate boarding surplus the boarding area moves along the edge the bridge depending on the contact of the raft with this edge, itself dependent on the angular position of pivoting of the davit) that mainly because they slow down boarding.

It will be emphasized that these difficulties of maneuvering the raft using the davit are considerably amplified if the ship is in damaged conditions (according to the SOLAS the use of rafts under davits must be able to be when the vessel has a side 10 ° on one side or the other and / or a plate of 20 ° on the front or the back).

Moreover, if the initial inclination of the raft is not compensated by a raft recovery using the davit, the edge of the raft where the entrance E is located is located significantly below the deck of the ship. It is then necessary that the first people jump from the ship in the raft, which constitutes an exercise difficult, even perilous especially in the presence of a sea agitated and / or violent wind. Again, the operation boarding is slowed down.

Finally, the succession of maneuvers to lift the empty raft tilted to bring it up to the edge of the deck of the ship and then to lower it once it's balanced by the first people onboard requires on the part of the crew the knowledge of the maneuvers required and a particular training.

Finally, it should be emphasized that the trend is today to arm ships with rafts of more and more capacity to compensate for digital reductions of crew members (each launched raft must bring at least one member crew who orders it). This increased ability to rafts translates into significant dimensions and by equipment expenses (especially survival rations) increased on the periphery of the raft: results that the tilting torque of such rafts suspended at a single central point becomes more important and that its empty inclination becomes very consequent, which makes the difficulties exposed more High particularly crucial.

The object of the invention is to propose a solution original way of avoiding at least a large part the disadvantages that have just been presented by the current arrangements of life rafts and leading to allow the raft raised by a davit to occupy a position much closer to the horizontal.

For these purposes, a life raft as described in preamble is characterized, being arranged in accordance with the invention, in that the heavy load or at least the the heaviest load of the armament is said hooking means of the raft.

Thanks to this arrangement, the heavy load or the less the heaviest load is physically disassociated from the raft with which it is no longer contact once inflated and suspended from the davit, so that the raft is significantly less unbalanced and can occupy a position closer to the horizontal. Being suspended from the means of attachment of the raft, this heavy load or the heaviest remains above of the raft during maneuvers and falls back into this one after the launching and detachment of the davit hook.

The proposed solution according to the invention so keeps the raft in a situation correct leading to a rapid boarding process and not requiring equipment, including davits, individuals. In addition, it does not require any additional intervention of the crewmen, nor no further training of these.

In the case where the armament is divided into several heavy loads among which some are significantly heavier than the others, these charges heavier are secured to the attachment means of the raft.

In practice, the attachment means of the raft include, in general, several lines joined to a shackle clean to be grabbed by a davit hook and the heaviest load or loads are linked to the Manila.

The provisions according to the invention are a particularly interesting application in life rafts large or very large ability that are more susceptible to imbalance their load when suspended from the maneuvering davit, and therefore the invention finds application all particularly interesting in inflatable rafts survival.

The invention will be better understood on reading the following detailed description of an embodiment preferred given purely by way of example only illustrative and shown in Figure 2 of the accompanying drawing.

FIG. 2 repeats the representation given in FIG. 1, except that the heavier load 10 ₂ is no longer fixed inside the raft, but is secured to the attachment means represented by the shackle 5 so as to that, the raft being suspended, the heaviest load _{2 2} be suspended from the shackle 5 above the raft without touching it. The load 10 ₂ can be secured to the shackle 5 either directly or as illustrated in Figure 2 by means of a strap 12 attached to the shackle 5. Under these conditions, the load 10 ₂ no longer influences the position raft 1.

For example, in the typical example of a raft with a capacity of 37 people, its total empty weight is of the order of 240 kg (without the container); the rations of survival (1.5 ℓ of water and 0.5 kg of food per person) weigh a total of 74 kg, or about 30% of the mass of the raft. The bag (s) containing these rations, suspended the shackle, no longer participate in the imbalance of the raft empty.

As shown in Figure 2, the raft better equilibrium occupies a position closer to the horizontal, the residual slope resulting from the distribution unsymmetrical of other charges or masses, in particular of the inflation cylinder or bottles 11. It thus becomes possible to greatly reduce the inclination residual of the raft, which can be for example typically of the order of 16 ° maximum. Implementation the raft is greatly improved since the davit maneuvers are limited to those strictly required ; the first person embarks on conditions not perilous even if the raft is slightly inclined and on its own it rebalances the raft. In addition, if need be, the raft strongly lightened can be pulled and held against the edge of the bridge by means of a halyard to facilitate boarding, especially by rough sea. We avoid the complications of maneuvers required by a strongly inclined raft and boarding is accelerated, while maintaining davits of minimum height.

In the case where the armament of the raft is distributed in the form of loads, several of which are substantially heavier than the others, these heaviest loads are all attached to the shackle 5 (as illustrated with the load 10 ₃ attached to the shackle 5). ).

As an alternative, the load ₃ has been illustrated as being suspended from the shackle 5 by means of a strap 13 which passes into the free-sliding shackle and which is attached to the raft, for example at a point on a float so that, by appropriate choice of the length of the strap, the load ₃ is raised automatically above the raft during inflation thereof.

The arrangements according to the invention allow to avoid the disadvantages set out in the preamble, without resulting in a significant complication nor a significant additional cost of the raft thus equipped. In Moreover, an arrangement according to the invention makes it possible maintain a raft folding procedure, for its housing in the container, substantially similar to that practiced so far, with the maintenance of the charges of weapons equipment close to the hatch provided for in the container wall for access to the shackle hanging hook of the davit.

Claims (6)

Liferaft (1) maneuverable under davit (7) and comprising for this purpose hooking means (4, 5) adapted to be caught in a hook (6) of the davit (7), the raft (1) being equipped with an armament comprising at least one load (10 ₂ ) heavy or heavier than the others, characterized in that the heavy or heavier load (10 ₂ ) is secured to the aforesaid means (4, 5) for attaching the raft, thanks to which, when lifting the raft using the davit, the heavy load or at least the heaviest load is suspended from the hooking means of the raft without touching the raft and the raft significantly less unbalanced occupies a position closer to the horizontal. Raft according to claim 1, characterized in that the armament is divided into several heavy loads (10 ₁ , 10 ₂ , ...) among which some (10 ₂ ) are substantially heavier than the others and in that these heaviest loads (10 ₂ ) are secured to the means (4, 5) for hooking the raft. Raft according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the attachment means of the raft (1) comprise several lines (4) joined to a shackle (5) and in that the heaviest load or loads (10 ₂ ) are secured to the shackle (5). Raft according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the heaviest load or loads (10 ₂ ) are each suspended from the attachment means of the raft by means of a strap (12) attached to the latter . Raft according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the heaviest load or loads (10 ₃ ) are each suspended from the attachment means of the raft by means of a strap (13) slidably engaged in these and attached to the raft. Raft according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the raft is a pneumatic raft.

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