The present invention relates to a method for the manufacture of a floating dock as defined by the preamble of claim 1. Furthermore it relates to a device of the floating dock as defined by the preamble of claim 3.

The term "Service cables" refers to power cables, signal cables, fiber cables, water pipes, and in some cases pipes or hoses for other purposes.

Background Floating docks comprising concrete and a block of a buoyant material, e.g. assembled from smaller blocks of lsopor ^® are well known, the covering layer being concrete or other settable mass. At present any desired recess for reception of cable protective tubes is manually cut in dependence of the actual project's need for cables and pipe conduits. Cable protective tubes are then positioned in the recesses. This is an expensive solution and therefore little extra capacity for future need for cables and pipes is generally included. Manual cutting of the channels for the cable protective tubes is also time-consuming.

Without such cable protective tubes subsequent installation is expensive and complicated and requires external installations

The development of floating docks for harbours and marinas has led to an increased demand for supply of power and water to the individual boat mooring places. Arrangement with guidances in concrete docks for such supplies to all boat mooring places has until now been too expensive in relation to the need. Subsequent installation on individual basis has also been too expensive.

US patent No. 6,205,945 (Passen et al./ Eastern Flotation Systems Inc.), 2001 teaches casting of a liner in a floating dock to be able to pull in pipes, hoses or cables to a service site on the completed dock. Longitudinal channels are used as guidances for service cables, both water pipes and electric cables. Use of such channels is not convenient in floating docks. Use of plastic channels or pipes is too expensive and therefore rarely used.

US patent No. 6,308,658 (Equitech) teaches manufacture of module elements for buildings with channels arranged to house pipe arrangements. This system has not proven to be convenient for floating docks, i.a. because the module element not has been adapted to use casted as a buoyant element. Objects

The main object of the present invention is therefore to provide a floating dock that is adapted to versatile installation and post-installation of cables, pipes and the like, as well as mounting of bollards, in order to make it simple to provide a boat mooring place with electricity and water if so desired.

This means that the base cost for preparing for later pulling of pipes and cables should be so low that it allows installation stage by stage with post-installation of auxiliary equipment at each boat mooring place when the need arises. At the same time the preparation for such post-installations should be made in a manner allowing the installation work to be simple. It is a particular object that the post-installation of service cables can take place without use of cable protective tubes or the like.

In addition to preparing for pipes and cables it is desirable that the device is prepared for mounting of bollards, electric pylons, windbreaks and fittings for fenders and other mechanical equipment.

The present invention

The present invention is defined by claim 1. The novel feature is that a block of a buoyant material is covered by a covering layer of assembled elements that are manufactured with a groove in their bottom side for formation of at least one longitudinal channel for allowing service cables to be pulled there through. The term "buoyant material" refers to a material with a density lower than that of water and which provides buoyancy when put on a water surface.

The molding of the covering elements and the turned orientation of the U channels make it simpler to assemble a floating dock having a high versatility with respect to conveying of service cables to the individual boat mooring places. The same is the case for post-installations. The invention thus makes it possible to manufacture a floating dock which can be adapted to different needs both from the start and later, with low labour efforts and low costs.

It is a central advantage that the service cables can be pulled in without use of cable protective tubes. This makes the floating dock according to the present invention particularly inexpensive while at the same time being adapted to versatile use and post-installations. The invention furthermore comprises the features disclosed by claim 3, namely a floating dock in which a block of a buoyant material is covered by a covering layer of pre-manufactured elements provided with grooves at their bottom side for formation of channels for allowing service cables, such as power cables, signal cables and water pipes, to be pulled directly there through. By the term "directly" is understood that in this connection the pulling of service cables does not require use of cable protective tubes or other form for external protection around the service cables.

Preferred embodiments of thee invention are disclosed by the dependent claims.

By molding in stead of cutting a harder and smoother surface is obtained and the channels are better suited for pulling cables therethrough. By establishing such a channel system the dock is provided with a complete channel system which covers any future need in which further equipment easily and without use of cable protective tubes can be subsequently installed.

The covering elements according to the present invention have the form of modules which in a completed dock comprises an upper layer of buoyant material and is assembled from standardized modules that fit together.

The modular system includes guidances for cable pulling. The guidances form a network of longitudinal and transversal channels all the way to each boat mooring place. Furthermore there are recesses in the elements forming a system of reinforcement in the concrete layer for attachment of equipment to the dock, such as bollards, windbreaks, through bolts or fender sleeves, markings for wells and so on. This solution does not require use of cable protective tubes but such tubes may be used additionally if so desired. The module system can be used for docks of all length and width dimensions.

The present solution simplifies the constructing process because: a) All cut-outs in the covering elements are made in the pre-manufactured building blocks. b) Marks are provided in the covering elements to indicated positioning of equipment. c) Recesses are included to form a pattern of reinforcement of the concrete.

The present solution allows subsequent installation of auxiliary equipment to a standard dock in a simple and safe manner and without addition to the initial price due to pre-installation of tubes and wells. Examples

The invention is described in further detail below with reference to the enclosed drawings, in which

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a floating dock according to the present invention, Figs. 2 and 3 are perspective views of a module element according to one embodiment of the invention, for assembly of distribution channels for service cables, Figs. 4 and 5 are views corresponding to Figs. 2 and 3 of an additional module element, Fig. 6 is a perspective view illustrating how the module elements are arranged on top of a buoyant member to prepare for later pulling of service cables. Fig. 7 is a perspective bottom view of a covering layer of module elements according to Figs. 2-5, while Fig. 8 is an end view of the buoyant core of the dock shown in Fig. 1.

In Fig. 1 an extended floating dock 11 with a top side 12 and a fender beam 13, 14 along each side and an extended pontoon box 15. The pontoon box 15 and the top side 12 are casted with a convenient settable mass, e.g. concrete, in a mold or by spraying onto a reinforcing net.

At each end of the dock 11 three areas 16, 17, 18 are indicated side by side at the top side 12, each representing an inlay in the casted mass which can easily be opened to provide access to the space below where the layer of covering elements 23, 36 are positioned, as described below. At each end of the dock to pairs 19, 20, 21, and 22 of openings to through channels, which will be described further below, are also shown. These channels are intended for continuous steel wires (not shown) which in a known manner are tensioned to hold a number of floating docks 11 together.

Figures 2 and 3 show a first covering element 23 of foam material according to the present invention, e.g. lsopor ^® , which together with other corresponding elements are used to form a central, longitudinal covering layer 24 (Figures 6 and 7) in the completed buoyant member 25 of the floating dock 11. Each first covering element 23 is a rectangular plate or a block having a first smooth long-side edge 26, two smooth end edges 27, 28 and another long-side edge 29 having a recess as described below.

Centrally at the bottom side of the first covering element 23 there are three parallel through running U channels 30, 31, and 32. Along the other long-side edge 29 recesses 29A and 29B are made outside the outer U channels 30, 32 which together with a symmetrically aligned adjacent element form a U channel. Where desired the walls of the formed U shaped longitudinal channels can easily be broken into a transversal recess 29A or 29B so that a service cable can be pulled out laterally from on of the U channels 30, 31, 32.

At the first covering element's 23 top side a central indication area 33 is provided at the edge near the other long-side edge. The object of the indication area 33 is to indicate where auxiliary equipment requiring supply from service cables can be positioned.

Recesses/ cavities 34, 35 are arranged on each end half of the first covering element 21.

Figures 4 and 5 show a second covering element 36 which is adapted to the first one and can have identical outer dimensions, e.g. with a length which is twice its width. The other covering element 36 has one or more longitudinal, centrally arranged U channels 37, 38. In addition it has transversal recesses 39A, 39B at one end, which mainly correspond to the recesses 29A and 29B in the first covering element. The second covering element 36 has a central, transversal recess 40 and two or more recesses 41, 42 near each end.

The recess 40 is typically dimensioned to be able to receive a transversal bolt. The cavities or recesses 41, 42 will, like the recesses 34, 35 in the first element, be filled with concrete when the covering elements are casted into a floating dock of the present invention. Then vertical cones/ columns of concrete are formed which strengthen the dock and the attachment bolt's grip in the dock.

Figure 6 shows how a row of covering elements 23, 36 can be laid on top of a buoyant block 43 which in convenient manner is assembled by block elements. The covering elements 23, 36 will form a covering layer 44 which is shown from below in Figure 7. The covering layer 44 will have three groups of longitudinal U channels, one central group 45 having three channels 30, 31, 32, and a groups 46 resp. 47 at each side, each having one or more channels 37, 38 in the shown embodiment. Figure 7 also shows how transversal channels 48 are formed.

The covering layer 44 is assembled of tightly arranged covering elements 23, 36 so that the markings on the top side are arranged in a fixed pattern according to a measurement form that can be pointed out after casting. There will typically be a fixed distance between transversal channels 48 in the completed dock and a fixed pattern of recesses 34, 35, 41, 42 where the top layer casted over the layer of covering elements forms reinforcing cones of settable mass. The object of the channels in channel groups 45, 46, 47 is as previously mentioned to provide guidance for simple pull-in of service cables such as water pipes, electrical cables, signal cables and the like. Thereby the completed dock will be adapted for later mounting of supplementary equipment in a pattern of alternative connection or service points on the dock, without use of the earlier mentioned cable protective tubes and wells (conventional solution).

Figure 8 provides an end view of the buoyant block 25 with applied covering layer 44. Figure 4, 5, and 8 also show a longitudinal edge groove 49 in the second covering elements 36 to obtain increased strength in the area of the fender lists.

Summing up the covering elements used to form an upper layer of buoyant material are comprised by module elements which are pre-casted with one or more transversal/ intersecting U- channel in from the bottom side. The walls between longitudinal and transversal channels can easily be broken where desired in connection with subsequent mounting of equipment.

The covering elements are arranged to be mounted edge-to-edge and are preferably manufactured with smoothly adapted side edges. The joints between each covering element can before casting into a dock, be covered with tape.

The main advantage of the invention is that all elements being part of the floating dock can be manufactured rationally in a production plant. Furthermore the invention will provide good capacity for different arrangements of service cables and connection points at many alternative places on a floating dock. This also makes it easy to subsequently install service cables and accompanying equipment. The omitting of cable protective tubes makes it inexpensive to assemble a floating dock without an initial addition to the price. To build a corresponding dock with this capacity with conventional tubes would be very expensive and hardly realistic.