IMPROVED JACK UP BARGE

Field of the Invention

The invention relates to marine platforms of the kind known as "Jack Up Barges" or "Self Elevating Platforms" (or simply “Jack Ups”) and specifically to a new type, disclosed below, referred to as a "Multi -Jack".

A conventional Jack Up Barge is an apparatus which, initially floats on water with legs raised, until manoeuvred into its required working position. It then lowers - usually hydraulically - between three and eight supporting legs (depending on the size of the apparatus) to the sea or river-bed, after which the base platform is then raised (again hydraulically) above the water surface to a desired height.

One example of a Jack Up Barge falling within the description immediately above is a Piling and Construction Jack Up. Its conventionally single deck can be of large size, either a single, monohull, watertight hull, or assembled from a plurality of modular large deck sections into a composite watertight hull, which is then hoisted by the jacks into position and - again speaking conventionally - pinned to the legs to operate thereafter as a fixed- position single-deck Jack Up Barge, with the entire load from the single deck being transmitted through the supporting legs. Conventionally the deck area will be substantially flat and usually open, and auxiliary units such as guard rails, accommodation units (possibly multi-storey) , and mobile cranes, or the like may be subsequently added to it. But it only ever has one major load bearing deck and the term Jack-Up is understood throughout the industry to encompass a single deck platform only.

Review of Art Known to the Applicant

The following extensive list of prior publications in the patent field in recent years confirms the statement just made, i.e. that the term Jack Up is understood throughout the industry to encompass a single deck platform only.

• US3999396 (1975)

• US6443659 (1998)

• WO/2015/186851 (2015)

• KR1020140042445 (2014)

• W02020260011 (2020)

Whilst the constructional and operational details of the apparatus disclosed in these many publications vary in detail, none has moved away from the single-deck Jack Up concept.

The Inventive Concept

The essence of the present invention is the realisation that single deck Jack Up Barges are by their nature, very restricted in deck (working) space, but have a very substantial deck load bearing capacity all carried by just one, space restricted deck at the moment. This invention vastly increases available deck (working) space by a factor of at least six times, in the same overall footprint of a conventional Jack Up unit. This is achieved by evenly distributing the total load capacity across plurality of decks rather than just one, and then fastening those decks to the legs, thus transferring the load to the supporting legs, just as a single deck Jack Up does. This Multi deck arrangement therefore introduces an entire new type of Jack Up, which with this innovation, becomes viable in a whole new range of applications, including commercial and retail applications in near-shore, coastal and river, lake and harbour marine environments, which a conventional Jack Up units could never contemplate, and only the present invention can make possible and commercially viable.

Dual modality

Whilst the new additional decks will need to be fixed in position once installed, a major development of the invention is that the decks can now be fixed to the load supporting legs, but a Multi -Jack embodying the invention still retains a jacking capability utilising those legs, and can alter the height of the base deck above water level, or lower the entire unit to water level as required. This enables the unit to be transported by sea at short notice, and its installation can be considered to be of a temporary nature if required.

Self-construction capability

The invention also introduces a new and unique construction technique for hoisting the additional decks into place during construction. This is achieved by building the first of one or more additional new decks in pre-manufactured sections on chocks on the original base deck, the next deck is assembled in the same way on the deck just constructed, and so on until all additional decks are stacked, one on top of the other, on the main base deck. Holes to receive subsequently the supporting legs can be kept in alignment by using spacers, for example.

The supporting legs are then inserted by crane through the aligned holes in the deck stack and the hydraulic jacking units fitted. At this point, the unit becomes an independent Jack Up, with all the extra decks loaded on the base deck, but not connected to the supporting legs.

The base deck is then hydraulically elevated until the top deck in the stack is in line with the securing position for that same top deck on the supporting legs. The deck is fastened to the leg at this point using e.g. pins and bolts sufficient to take the load of the deck.

The base deck then lowers the remaining decks as a stack to the position for the next deck down, and pins that to the legs, then lowers again, fastening a deck at each stage, thereby self -constructing the unit in reverse order from the top deck down. This new method, utilising the unit’s own jacking capabilities rather than the hitherto needed shore cranes, dramatically reduces construction costs and time.

Environmental Impact

By exponentially increasing the amount of space available, while maintaining the already low physical footprint of a Jack Up Barge, the invention introduces the possibility of adding new space to congested marine conurbations (for example when utilised as a car park), which can in turn allow environmental improvements to those areas.

Scope of the Invention

These and other advantages - many of them synergistic - flow from the invention when put into practice. But the inventive concept is a standalone advance in its own right and is both new, and involves an inventive step, in complete contrast to conventional thinking. It is that concept, not any specific way of putting it into practice, which defines the scope of the invention in its broadest aspect and can be summarised, and realised in the form of a “multideck Jack Up”.

Within such a concept, means may be incorporated into the Jack-Up to propel the or each deck after the base one into its in-use position.

In the case just outlined, said means may comprise one or more of the jacks used to propel the base deck initially into its in-use position.

Where a Jack-Up incorporating the inventive concept has more than one extra deck after the first one, the means provided to propel each such extra deck into position may be so arranged as to propel the extra decks into position in the reverse sequence in which, once in position and in use, they rise - or depend - from the base deck. The invention includes within its scope a method of constructing a multi-deck Jack Up, the method comprising implementing the following sequence of constructional steps: a) constructing or otherwise starting with a first, base, deck of the Jack Up; b) constructing the or each extra deck on top of the base deck to sit in a substantially vertically aligned stack; c) inserting legs through the deck stack; d) incorporating means to propel the stack up the legs to a position in which the topmost deck of the stack is in its desired in-use position; e) securing the top deck in place on the legs; f) lowering the stack to a position on the legs in which the next deck below the top deck is in its in-use position, and securing it in that position; and g) repeating the deck-lowering and deck-securing procedure outlined above for the remaining deck or decks - if any - in the stack.

Such a method is clearly so linked to the “Jack Up” (apparatus) aspect of the invention as to form part of the same overall inventive concept.

Means of putting into practice a Jack-Up embodying the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the field to which the invention relates and to whom this present disclosure is addressed. But whilst the claims which end this description are drafted in conventional format, it will already be apparent from the discussion above that the Applicant does not intend strict compliance with the literal meaning of any of the claims to be an essential requirement of the invention. The skilled reader, whether operating alone or in conjunction with others, may well discover one or more variants of a claimed integer or integers which achieve substantially the same result in substantially the same way as the inventive concept now revealed; and whose clearly achieving substantially the same result as the invention in substantially the same way was obvious to such a person - or team of persons - at the time.

Again, such variants are clearly included within the overall scope of the invention. Specific Embodiment of the Invention

One embodiment of the invention is shown by way of example in the accompanying drawings, which are essentially schematic and are grouped in respective clusters as follows:

Group 1 comprises six separate views of a multi-deck Jack Up - a “Multi-Jack” - in its in- use state;

Group 2 comprises four separate schematic views each showing the Multi-Jack in its basic, single deck, state before subsequent decks are added and jacked into position and pinned there;

Group 3 indicates how the original base deck and subsequent extra decks are each secured in place on the legs of the Jack Up;

Group 4 shows the unit with all its decks stacked one on another and ready to be lifted into place and pinned, in succession, from the top deck downwards for subsequent use as a Multi -Jack;

Group 5 shows one of the legs of the Mult-Jack in more detail;

Group 6 shows four projected views of a ramp forming an access ramp on which, once in use, the Multi -Jack can be accessed from the adjacent quayside; and

Group 7 consists of four separate schematic views of stairwells and stairways which could be incorporated between successive decks of the Multi-Jack for use by pedestrians and maintenance workers.

Detailed Description of the Illustrated Embodiment

The illustrated Multi-Jack functions as a multi-level car park when in use. The Group 1 drawings show the essential components in their in-use state and the sheet includes a parts list which links the component integers to the drawings throughout and which is self- explanatory. The drawings are clearly intended to be outline and diagrammatic, only, in nature and the invention is equally clearly realisable in many developed forms. The intended skilled addressee(s) of this specification can supply necessary engineering detail, but the version shown already embodies a overarching aim of the invention which is:

“the provision of space in a marine environment Groups 2 and 3 of the drawings show the initial construction stage of the unit in which the base deck (part number 1 in the parts list on Group l’s sheet) is pinned to each of four respective legs (part 10) so that five more decks (parts 2 through 6) can be built on top of it on chocks (not shown) as previously outlined in the introductory part of this present text; whilst Group 4 shows all the decks stacked and lowered by the jacks (part 7) into their lowest position, e.g. for transport between in-use locations.

As illustrated, chocks (not shown) would be necessary on the base deck as the jacking units 7 do not allow the next deck 2 to lay flat on the base deck 1 so chocks (about 3m high) must be used as in a dry-dock, to allow deck 1 to be built on them.

Once deck 1 is constructed however, it is flat and deck 2 can be built directly on it - and so on, up the stack to deck 6.

So with the base deck 1 floating, and with all decks 2 through 6 stacked in a pile on chocks on the base deck, the legs 10 can then be inserted through the whole deck stack, including the base deck.

The base deck 1 then jacks to full height, taking the stack with it - and when the top deck 6 is in position, it is pinned and the unit jacks down to install the next deck; and so on, until the multi-deck unit is built.

The auxiliary ramps 8, stairways 9 and vehicle and pedestrian ramps 13, 12 (respectively) are then added to complete the assembly to the usable stage illustrated in the Group 1 drawings.

A Multi-Jack embodying the inventive concept could be either one of two types:

Monohull - assembled in a shipyard on a single base and shipped to location by semi-sub ship; or Modular - all elements including modular base are shipped to site and assembled in the manner previously explained.

Both types can embody the following distinct characteristics:

1. They are both “marine units” and will normally be classified by the International Association of Class Societies (IACS);

2. They both float when fully assembled;

3. They both are capable of jacking the entire unit out of the water;

4. They can be jacked down again and towed away (they are not permanent structures);

5. The load on each deck is passed directly to the supporting legs at that deck level as the principle means of support for that deck.

There are possibly other defining characteristics, but these are some of the main ones currently envisaged.

Again, specific details of construction can vary and workable embodiments falling within the scope of the invention can be originated by persons skilled in the relevant engineering and design management arts. Potential applications of the invention are too numerous to list here, but those same intended addressees - guided by the overall concept of "the provision of space within a marine environment' - will originate them now that the inventive concept has been revealed and its potential scope outlined.