Spindle moored ship
AssigneeChicago Bridge & Iron Company
InventorDonald C. Stafford
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A mooring system for a vessel comprising a floatable vessel having a vertical well therein, extending through the vessel bottom, defined by a bulkhead; a vertical spindle supported by the vessel within the well; the spindle being anchorable in place in water against significant lateral movement and against rotation about a vertical axis; and machined bearing retaining and contacting sleeves, cooperatively supported by the well bulkhead and the spindle, containing radial-thrust bearings at the top and bottom side portions of the spindle and vertical-thrust bearings along the side of the spindle. The bearings are maintained immersed in lubricant to protect them, such as from sea water.
Claims8
A mooring system for a vessel comprising, in combination:
- a floatable vessel having a vertical well therein, extending through the vessel bottom, defined by a bulkhead;
- a vertical spindle supported by the vessel within said well;
- said spindle having means to anchor it in place against lateral movement in water;
- a first pair of horizontally positioned, vertically telescoped bearing retaining inner and outer sleeves, having machined opposing spaced-apart surfaces, located near the top of the spindle, and with the inner sleeve joined to the outside of an inner ring and the outer sleeve joined to the inside of an outer ring;
- a second pair of horizontally positioned, vertically telescoped bearing retaining inner and outer sleeves, having machined opposing spaced-apart surfaces, located near the bottom of the spindle, and with the inner sleeve joined to the outside of an inner ring and the outer sleeve joined to the inside of an outer ring;
- bearings retained by the first and second pair of inner and outer sleeves;
- said sleeves being joined to their respective rings prior to machining the sleeves;
- and
- said inner rings being joined to the spindle, and said outer rings being joined to the vessel well bulkhead, by non-welding means which avoids distorting the sleeves and rings.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.