US 4,341,175 A · Shipbuilding method and complex

Abstract

A shipbuilding complex having a dry dock with a dock adjacent area, and a flooding chamber which is adjacent to the head of the dry dock and communicates therewith. An intermediate gate divides the dry dock into a main part which is adjacent to the water area, and a head part which is next to the flooding chamber. The flooding chamber and the head part of the dry dock make up a two-level docking basin. A method for building vessels in this shipbuilding complex is as follows. The aft end and components of the parallel middlebody are assembled in the dock apron area and successively transferred to the upper floor of the junction chamber, whereupon they are floated to and placed on the lower floor of the docking basin to be then transferred to the main part of the dry dock. The latter is used to join together the aft end and the parallel middlebody components, whereupon the preassembled fore end is joined to these to complete the hull. In case gas carriers are assembled in the complex, the tanks are mounted in the middlebody afloat.

Claims9

Dependent claims

A method of making and assemblying hulls of vessels comprising, the steps of, assemblying a section of a hull of a vessel and floating it in a first area of a basin at a certain level, moving the preassembled section of a hull into a second area while in a floating condition, removing the water from said basin and settling said preassembled section of a hull onto a bottom floor level of said second area lower than a level of a bottom of said first area, after removal of the water from said basin placing said second area in communication with a contiguous drydock and moving said preassembled section of said hull into the contiguous drydock while free of water and maintained isolated from said basin until said section of a hull is settled at a level of said bottom floor area of said second area, again isolating said drydock from said basin second area, and repeating the steps until enough preassembled sections of a hull of a complete vessel are in said drydock while free of water for joining and assembly into a hull of a vessel. PG,26

A shipbuilding complex for assembly of vessels comprising;

a drydock having a length and width for receiving in a given sequence, a plurality of individual, floatable, pre-assembled structures of a vessel at least some of which comprise pre-assembled sections of a hull of a vessel for assembly thereof into a hull of a vessel while the drydock is free of water;
a floodable chamber in communication with the drydock;
a first gate between the drydock and the chamber operable to a closed position isolating the drydock from the chamber maintaining the drydock free of water when the chamber is flooded, said chamber having an upper stage with an upper bottom level for receiving the pre-assembled floatable structures individually and floating them therein as the chamber is flooded and having a lower stage having a lower bottom level at the level of the bottom of the drydock, the lower stage being in direct communication with the upper stage for receiving floating, individual pre-assembled structures for lowering thereof to said lower bottom level as water is evacuated from said chamber;
a second gate for opening and closing the chamber and operable to an open position for receiving of individual, floatable, pre-assembled structures in said upper stage and operable to a closed position for allowing flooding of the chamber with an individual, floatable, pre-assembled structure therein;
and the first gate being operable to an open position when the water is evacuated from the flooded chamber for allowing moving of the individual structures from the lower bottom level into the drydock for joining and assembly thereof into a vessel including the hull thereof.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Shipbuilding method and complex

Life of this patent

Shipbuilding method and complex

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims9