Field of the Invention

This invention relates to the structure of floating carriers for waterage of such bulk cargos, which have en mass positive floatability (for instance, cash grain of wheat, rye, maize, barley, oat, seeds of sunflower, soya and the like).

For the purpose of this description, the term“waterage" that employed herein and in the appended claims refers to the transportation of bulk cargos using any (including unnavigable) rivers, canals, natural and man-made lakes, and near-shore zone of inland seas under condition that their choppiness is no more than three points.

In addition to transportation, the proposed floating carriers can be used during off-season as temporal depositories of some goods such as bread and feed grain, pelletized compound feeds, haylage and the like. These goods can be keeping afloat, under water submerged by an anchor load, on ice and on beaches of various water areas.

Background Art

At present majority of continental conveyances of bulk cargos provides with motor and rail transport, whereas water transport serves preferably for mass intercontinental conveyances using special bulker-type ships.

This situation has been conditioned with two significant factors. Firstly, a major part of any river network has presented usually with small rivers and rivulets, in which usual barges and towboats cannot sail. Secondly, annual operating cycles of said barges are very short and, therefore, production and maintenance of theirs are economically not advantageous.

However, need for collection and holding of large lots of grain (especially from small- scale farm enterprises) necessitates development and use of simple floating carriers. It is extra considerable, if overland communication lines are somewhere underdeveloped.

Lighters, i.e. small-sized non-self-propelled barges having any form in plan and cargo capacity in the range from several up to a few tens tonnes, can serve as samples of aforesaid floating carriers (see, for instant, US 3448711 , SU 772917, SU 1576416 and many other).

Unfortunately, lighters are cumbersome, metal-intensive and unsuitable for road or rail transportation even if they are empty. Moreover, use of powerful pick-and-place mechanisms (including ship-cranes) is necessary condition of their exploitation.

Now multilayer opaque polymeric (especially polyethylene) tubular bags having diameter up to 2.74 m, length up to 75 m and capacity up to 250 tonnes use for storage of grain at farms and buffer stores (https://prom.ua/p185560574 meshki-rukava-polimernve;all.html). Such bags have maximal mass about 150 kg and are, respectively, easy-folding, storable and carriageable. For the purpose of active influence on storage conditions and preservation of organic bulk cargos, these bags can be equipped with known pipe branches and perforated distributive tubes meant for inlet and outlet of gaseous heat-transfer agents, fumigants (as disinsection agents), and inert gases such as carbon dioxide or nitrogen that must prevent acescence (particularly as oxidation of vegetable oils in oilseeds). Known tubular bags, which are meant and used for only overland storage of bulk cargos, have certain disadvantages - difficulties (and usually low productivity) of loading and unloading in spite of availability of grain-packing machines (see, for example, RU 2437272);

requirement of sizeable ground areas for allocation of said bags and of sheds for their cover from solid atmospheric precipitation, and

impossibility of their use as floating carriers without substantial structural improvement.

RU 2266229 discloses a floating carrier for waterage of liquid cargo and hard bulk (in original -‘fluidizated’) cargos on the basis of at least one hermetical in operative position flexible tubular bag, which has made by spiral winding and welding or gluing of strips of lightproof and waterproof textile or nonwoven material having polymeric coating and is equipped with rigid reinforcing longitudinal and transverse binding and at least one means of closure and towage within specified water area. This device is nearest to the subject matter of proposed further floating carrier.

The above-described floating carrier is meant preferably for maritime transportation of such liquid cargo as sweet water produced by dissolution of ice of glaciers and icebergs, whereas use of it for conveyance of bulk cargos having density less than density of seawater was indicated only optionally. It is well known that inertia of water or any other thin Newtonian liquid can cause critical shock loading onto any transport vessel when its speed and/or driving direction will be sharply changed.

Therefore the known technical solution provides fabrication of flexible tubular bags by spiral winding and reliable fastening of great number of strips of durable composite materials and rigid reinforcing longitudinal and transverse bindings.

Obviously, such floating carrier structure is raw material intensive and difficult-to-make.

Summary of the Invention

The invention is based on the problem to create - by change of structure - a substantially less resource-demanding and more manufacturable floating carrier for waterage of bulk cargos.

This problem has solved in that in a floating carrier for waterage of bulk cargos on the basis of at least one hermetical in operative position lightproof and waterproof flexible tubular bag equipped with reinforcing longitudinal and transverse binding and at least one means of closure and towage according to the invention each said tubular bag has made from polymeric material in the form of an unbroken sleeve, and said binding includes at least two resilient longitudinal tension bars located at practically even angular distances and linked together near end parts of said tubular bag and at least two resilient rings that surround said tubular bag and had linked to the said tension bars.

Use of unbroken polymeric sleeves as a base of flexible tubular bags and resilient tension bars and rings for the purpose of their reinforcing longitudinal and transverse binding simplifies substantially the floating carriers’ structure and facilitates production of theirs. First additional feature consists in that said tension bars and said rings are made from thermoplastic polymeric materials. This facilitates production of said carriers additionally.

Second (additional to the first) feature consists in that said thermoplastic polymeric materials are semi-finished products selected from the group consisting cables, strips and their combinations. It is especially convenient for production of said binding.

Third additional feature consists in that at least some said tension bars and/or some said rings are equipped with loops. These loops can be used for slinging of the tubular bags during their loading or unloading and for assemblage of rafts from several such bags.

Fourth additional feature consists in that said floating carrier has in initial position a rounded or a rectangular cross-section. The rounded form is more producible whereas the rectangular form simplifies transport of bulk cargos through shallow water.

Fifth additional feature consists in that said floating carrier is single tubular bag. Such minimal embodiment of the invention is preferable for operation at shallow water and/or for delivery of short-run batches of bulk cargos.

Sixth additional feature consists in that said floating carrier is a raft comprising at least two tubular bags, which have a joint means of towage. This allows transportation of large lots of bulk cargos and decrease expenditure appreciable.

Seventh (additional to the sixth) feature consists in that said means of towage includes a crosspiece fixed in front of said raft and at least two towing cables connected with said crosspiece. This increases course-keeping ability of the raft and decreases hydrodynamic resistance to movement of it by a tugboat.

Eighth (additional to the sixth) feature consists in that said means of towage includes a rigid back stop equipped with a clutch gear for connection to a push-boat in operative position, longitudinal catches of the tubular bags that are located alongside of said raft, and a streamlined fairing. This increases course-keeping ability of the raft and decreases hydrodynamic resistance to movement of it by a push-boat.

It is clear for each person skilled in the art that said additional features can be used together with basic invention in many various combinations within scope of rights that are confined only by appended claims.

It is clear also that during realization of the invention can be used well-known details and units (for example, above-mentioned pipe branches and perforated distributive tubes, humidity detectors and thermometers, sampling devices, outboard floats, reinforcing means that are able to protect bottoms and sides of the tubular bags from damages et cetera).

Brief Description of Drawings

The invention will now be explained by detailed description of proposed floating carrier with references to the accompanying drawings, in which -

Fig. 1 shows a general view of a simplest floating carrier;

Fig. 2 shows a floating carrier according to the Fig. 1 having rounded cross-section;

Fig. 3 shows a floating carrier according to the Fig. 1 having rectangular cross-section; Fig. 4 shows locking of a mouth of any floating carrier according to the Fig. 1 ;

Fig. 5 shows towage of single floating carrier according to the Fig. 1 ;

Fig. 6 shows towage of a raft of several floating carriers by a tractive tugboat;

Fig. 7 shows towage of a raft of several floating carriers by a push-boat;

Fig. 8 shows a design of loading and unloading of a grain on the beach.

Best Embodiments of the Invention

Any floating carrier for waterage of bulk cargos (see Fig. 1 ) has at least one hermetical in operative position lightproof and waterproof flexible tubular bag 1 equipped with reinforcing longitudinal and transverse binding 2, 3 and at least one means 4 of closure and towage.

The tubular bag 1 is made in the form of an unbroken sleeve segment. This sleeve is made from a suitable polymeric material (for example, pure or reinforced polyethylene) and can be monolayer or multilayer. Particularly, the tubular bags 1 can serially produce from materials offered on web-sites:

<https://prom.ua/p185560574-meshki-rukava-polimernye;all. html>, or

<https://prom.ua/p108797728-meshki-rukava-polimernye.html >, or

<http://www.planetaplast.com/katalog-tovaru/rukava-dlya-z berigannya-zerna/>.

Said longitudinal binding shaped as at least two (but preferably three and more) resilient longitudinal tension bars 2 that are located at practically even angular distances and linked together near end parts of said tubular bag 1. Said transverse binding shaped as at least two (but preferably three and more) resilient rings 3 that surround said tubular bag 1 and had linked to the said tension bars 2. Specified number of said bars 2 and said rings 3 can be chosen with regard to stability of shape of tubular bag 1 in operative position (i.e. when it is filled by a bulk material).

These bars 2 and rings 3 can be made from thermoplastic polymeric materials (for example, high-density polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinylchloride, polyamide such as capron or nylon, and many others). It is preferably if they are semi-finished products selected from the group consisting cables, strips and their combinations. Particularly, it is desirable to make the bars 2 from strips and the rings 3 from cables.

The tubular bag 1 can have various initial form of cross-section, but it is preferable, if this form is either rounded for the sake of produceability (see Fig. 2), or rectangular (with truncated corners) for the sake of decrease of draught and of towing forces at shallow water (see Fig. 3).

The Fig. 3 shows also that the rings 3 (and, optionally, the bars 2 too) can have loops 5, which can use for slinging of the tubular bags 1 during their loading or unloading and for assemblage of rafts from several such bags 1 , as it should be shown and explained below.

Each tubular bag 1 has:

- a head having mouth 6 that serves for loading and unloading of any bulk material and is hermetically closed during its transportation or storing (see Fig. 4), and

- a not designated especially tail part that is always tightly closed.

A floating carrier may be made either as single tubular bag 1 (see Fig. 5), or as a raft comprising at least two (but usually more) interconnected said tubular bags 1 , which have a joint means of towage (see Figs 6 and 7).

It is clear that said rafts can assemble - by only serial coupling of said tubular bags 1 in order“a head to a tail”, or

by only parallel coupling of said tubular bags 1 in order“aboard”, or

by combination of serial and parallel coupling as it is shown on Figs 6 and 7).

The rafts can convey either by tractive tugboats, or by push-boats.

Any towed raft must have a crosspiece 7 fixed in front of said raft and at least two towing cables 8 connected with said crosspiece 7.'

Any pusher-type raft must have - a rigid back stop 9 equipped with a clutch gear 10 for connection to a push-boat in operative position,

longitudinal catches 1 1 of the tubular bags 1 that are located alongside of said raft, and a streamlined fairing 12.

The above described floating carrier must be made and used as follows.

Firstly, an unbroken sleeve made from a pure or composite polymeric (especially trilaminar) lightproof and waterproof flexible material must be cut into segments of predetermined length. Further each sleeve segment must be sealed hermetically at future tail part (e.g. by ultrasonic welding or mechanical jamming), rolled up and equipped with a mouth 6 at future head. Then first ends of the resilient longitudinal tension bars 2 joint to the outside mouth 6, first resilient ring 3 fasten to these bars 2, rolled sleeve segment unwind step-by-step and regular resilient rings 3 fasten to the bars 2 and, finally, ends of these bars 2 attach to the tail part of the obtained tubular bag 1 and, if it is necessary, fasten the loops 5. This ready- made bag 1 must be folded in a zigzag or in a silphon-like manner and delivered to a loading terminal that is conceptually presented on the Fig. 8.

Loading of each tubular bag 1 includes - attachment of the open mouth 6 to the outlet sleeve of a buffering bulk material storage such as a bunker 13 that is ready-mounted onto a river bank, and

stowdown of the most part of folded tubular bag 1 onto a slip 14, lower part of which is found in water.

Said bunker 13 must be beforehand filled with a selected bulk material (as a rule with a cash grain) from a body of any truck 15 or other suitable vehicle.

As the tubular bag 1 will be filling, it will be unfolding and sliding in water.

Mouths 6 of filled tubular bags 1 must be closed hermetically, and then said bags 1 must be dispatched either immediately one by one to single conveyance, or to assemblage of rafts.

For the purpose of unloading must be carried out following operations:

disassembling of each raft,

pulling-out of a head of each filled tubular bag 1 from water along slip 14

opening of the mouth 6 and joining of it with an inlet sleeve of not showed here some receiving bunker of bulk cargo (for instant, a hold of a bulker-type ship or a compartment of any coastal storehouse), and

transshipment of said cargo (particularly by a pneumatic transport).

The discharged tubular bags 1 must be cleaned, dried and folded until next use.

It is clear for each person skilled in the art that above-described processes of loading und unloading are only particular example and that other procedures of transfer reloading of bulk cargos using the proposed floating carriers

Industrial Applicability

Floating carriers can serially produce from available high-strength thermoplastic materials using usual equipment for their treatment.

Ready-made floating carriers can use preferably for waterage of a various cash grain along inland waterways (particularly, by rafting along streams).

As it was mentioned, the proposed floating carrier can be used for long-term storage of various bulk cargos - either in any local pond (afloat or under water at warm weather, and on ice in winter), or on a beach near shore line.