The present invention relates to a hinge pivot for vessel ramps and similar pivotally mounted hatches.

When it was wished to repair bearings in previously disclosed hinge pivots for large and heavy ramps of the kind that are pivotally mounted about horizontal pivot shafts, it was necessary to lift the ramp as a whole during the repair work. A ramp often weighs up to 100 tonnes, and heavy lifting equipment is accordingly required in order to be able to lift such a heavy ramp, which is expensive because lifting equipment of the kind required must support the ramp for the entire duration of the dismantling and assembly process and, naturally, also during the repair work. There is an associated risk of the attachment plate, to which the bearing is securely locked, working loose during operation as a result of the forces acting on the bearing, in conjunction with which ball bearings, for example, are caused to fracture for that reason.

German patent publication 1, 158, 401 shows an articulation between hinged hatches on a vessel. The aforementioned articulations are divided and comprise a shaft pin which connects the end parts of two bearing pins together in a pivoting fashion and is locked by means of locking blocks, one of which is permanent and the other is in a recess in the aforementioned shaft pin. The aforementioned shaft pin can be caused to move, by pivoting the bearing pins, between a lowered and a raised position ; see Figs. 8 and 9. The bearing attachments are formed by pin shanks, which are single and double, and locking is effected by means of a securely welded component and a bolted locking block.

The possibility of removing the bolted locking block is

provided, and the shaft pin can then be withdrawn after first causing the bearing as a whole to rotate through 180°. This is difficult. if th2 bearing weighs up to several tonnes.

The principal object of the present invention is thus, in the first instance, to solve the above problems by simple and effective means.

The aforementioned object-is achieved by means of a hinge pivot in accordance with the present invention, which is characterized essentially in that bearing attachments connected to one another and attached respectively to the frame and the ramp of the vessel and provided with holes are held together by means of a pivct shaft extending along the intended pivot axis, and in that one of the bearing attachments is capable of being divided in its axial sense.

The hinge pivot to which the present invention relates is illustrated int he accompanying drawings, in which : Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a hinge pivot viewed from the inside of d supported ramp with the ramp lowered ; Fig. 2 shows the hinge pivot viewed from outside with the ramp in the lowered position ; Fig. 3 shows an exploded view of an aforementioned hinge pivot ; Fig. 4 shows a cross section of an aforementioned hinge pivot ; Fig. 5 shows a sectioned view of the hinge pivot installed and with the ramp in the upward pivoted position ; r-i-g. 6 also shows a sectioned view of a hinge pivc and associated bearing components on a vessel and the ramp along the line VI-VI in Fig. 5 ; and Figs. 7 and 8 show the bearing shaft rotated through 90 degrees in two positions rotated in relation to one another the bearing shaft.

A hinge pivot 1 intended for vessel ramps 2 and other similar pivotally mounted hatches comprises, in accordance with the present invention, bearing attachments 4, 5, 5 connected to one another and provided with holes and attached respectively to the frame 3 and the ramp 2, etc., of the vessel. The aforementioned bearing attachments 4, 5, 5' are held together by means of a pivot shaft 7 extending along the intended pivot axis 6, which can exhibit an end stop 8 so arranged as to prevent the pivot shaft 7 from being pushed completely through the aforementioned bearing attachments 4, 5, held together by the pivot shaft 7. For this purpose e of the bearing attachments 4, 5, 5' is capable of bei divided in its axial direction 9, 10, namely the bearing attachment 5. In the example shown here, the aforementioned pivot shaft 7 is lockable in the axial sense by means of a locking component 11.

The axial forces which act on the shaft 7 will push out the shaft 7. What prevents this is a mechanical contact between the recess 8 of the shaft and a corresponding radius in the bearing part 5 of the ramp or a side washer. Axial forces are prevented il this waR7 from passing through the weld of the locking plate, whereby the risk of overstressing the weld of the locking plate is minimized. this results in the locking block 11 or the locking plate not falling off bcause of axial forces.

A hinge pivot 1 is preferably arranged on each side part of the ramp, and hook-like engageable pivot supports (not illustrated) are provided between these two hinge pivots 1 so that it is only necessary to actuate the outer hinge pivots 1 during assembly and disassembly of the ramp 2.

The aforementioned bearing attachments 4, 5, 5'are in the form of sheet-like flanges which are provided in pairs 5, ri individually 4 with transcurrent central openings 12, 13, 14 to accommodate the aforementioned pivot shaft 7.

The aforementioned dividable bearing attachment is in the form of a cover 15 provided with a hole, which is so arranged as to be screwed to one 5 of the aforementioned two bearing attachments 5, 5'. The cover 15 exhibits a thickened part 17 situated on one side A of a sheet-like component 16 and projecting axially 10 from the aforementioned sheet-like component lõ, which thickened part is accommodated in a centrally located hole 18 in one 5 of the aforementioned pairs of bearing attachments 5, 51. Seals in the form of o- rings 19, 20 are accommodated in annular grooves 21, !-, in the aforementioned cover 15.

The aforementioned cover 15 is capable of being locked to the aforementioned single bearing component 5 by means of screws 23 in such a way as to prevent its rotation, which screws are accommodated in smooth transcurrent holes 24 in the cover 15 and in threaded holes 25 in the bearing component 5. An attachable grip handle 2o is attached in a preferablv detachable fashion to the pivot shaft 7 via a threaded component 27, 28 in the handle 26 and in the pivot shaft,.

To permit easy release and removal of the aforementioned cover 15, a number of transcurrent axially threaded holes ° is distributed around the periphery of the cover and extends all the way through the cover 15 as far as a smocth part of the associated attachable single bearing component 5. The aforementioned threads 25 are so arranged as to engage with the threads 31 on the securing screw 23, which locks the cover 15 securely to the aforementioned bearing <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> component 5. In conjucntion with disassembly of the cover 15, by screwing in the screws 23 previously unscrewed for the purpose axially 10 into the aforementioned threaded holes 29, the cover 15 is pressed in an axial direction 9 away from the bearing component 5 so that its centrally located thickened part 17 is drawn from the associated accommodating hole 18 in the aforementioned bearing component 5.

The aforementioned end stop 8 in the pivot shaft is in the form of the recess 30 in the inner end 31A of a part 31 of the pivot shaft 7 tapering in a direction away from one end 7A of the pivot shaft.

A locking component 11, for example in the form of a square flat block, is capable of being accommodated in a matching slot-snaped transverse groove 32 on the pivot shaft 7, and the aforementioned lockina component 11 can also be secured against falling out, for example by spot-welding it securely to one of the locking components 51.

Finally, it must be stated that the pivot shaft 7 includes a number of supply channels 33-35 designed to be able to supply lubricant to components mounted on the pivot shaft 7, and that grease nipples 33A-35A close them off at their respective open end.

Arranged between the centrally located bearing component 4 and the two laterally located bearing components 5, is a number of spacer rings 36-39, of which two are secured to a bearing component 40 with the help of spring clips H G.

V-shaped sealing rings 43, 44 are also arranged between pairs of spacer rings 36, 37 and 38, 33, and a sealing o-ring 45, 46 is accommodated in inward-facing annular grooves 47, 48 in two of the aforementioned spacer rings 26, 39 around the external rotating surface 7A the pivot shaft 7.

The sealing rings 43, 44 are so arranged as to act each in its own space 49, 50, which exhibits free plav of approximately 8 mm between the pairs of spacer rings 36, 3 and 38, 39.

The invention should have been appreciated from the above description and specification, but it is not restricted in that respect and may be varied within the scope of the Patent Claims without departing from the idea of invention.

The invention also makes it possible to reduce the axial forces through the bearing by releasing the axial moment and causing the bearing to move freely in the longitudinal sense along the shaft 7, which is achieved by the use of larger tolerances and grease. The axial force between the vessel and the ramp is located at a point in such a way that the axial force is transferred directly between the bearing attachments 5, _')'of the ramp and the bearing attachment 4 of the vessel. The bearing attachment 4 can also be double.