Self-contained staging system for cleaning and painting bulk cargo holds
AssigneeMetro Machine Corporation
InventorsRichard A. Goldbach, James A. McMichael, Charles A. Garland
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Each of a plurality of cargo holds of a bulk carrier vessel has a self-contained staging system lowered into it, from the platform track of which workers operate semi-automatic blasting machines that are mounted onto the platform. The set-up for each vessel also includes, for each hold, a ventilation unit provided on a hatch plug, and a transporter for the staging system. Groups of staging systems are served by on-deck air compressors. Staging systems actually engaging in blasting are served by recycling shot blast units which recycle and supply steel shot. Following blast cleaning, the cleaned surfaces are painted from the platforms.
Claims28
Apparatus for applying work to internal wall surfaces of a bulk cargo vessel hold, comprising:
- a first tower arranged to be removably supported on a bottom wall of the cargo vessel hold;
- a work platform mounted to said first tower for vertical movement and for positioning at a selected elevation above the bottom wall of the cargo vessel hold;
- said work platform including at least one horizontally extending track;
- at least one work applicator mounting mechanism mount ed on a respective at least one horizontally extending track, for being shifted therealong;
- each said work applicator mounting mechanism including a connector for removably securing a work applicator to said work applicator mounting mechanism, adjustable arm means arranged for varying the extent of projection of the connector and therefore a work applicator when secured thereto, from the respective said track towards and away from a respective internal wall surface of the cargo vessel hold, and an adjustment feature for accomplishing angular movement of the connector, and therefor of a work applicator when secured thereto, throughout an arc about a horizontal axis;
- at least one abrasive grit-sprayer nozzle removably secured by a respective said connector to a respective at least one said work applicator mounting mechanism to function as a respective said work applicator;
- and
- an abrasive grit supplying and recycling unit comprising:
- a second tower arranged to be supported on a bottom wall of the cargo vessel hold;
- at least one abrasive grit supply hopper supported on said tower and arranged to continuously apply abrasive grit therefrom, in a stream of compressed air to a respective said abrasive grit-sprayer nozzle;
- and
- a recycling system arranged to receive spent abrasive grit mixture resulting from use of each said work application, separate from that mixture reusable abrasive grit, and supply that reusable abrasive grit to each said abrasive grit supply hopper.
Apparatus for applying work to internal wall surfaces of a bulk cargo vessel hold, comprising:
- a first tower arranged to be removably supported on a bottom wall of the cargo vessel hold;
- a work platform mounted to said first tower for vertical movement and for positioning at a selected elevation above the bottom wall of the cargo vessel hold;
- said work platform including at least one horizontally extending track;
- at least one work applicator mounting mechanism mounted on a respective at least one horizontally extending track, for being shifted therealong;
- each said work applicator mounting mechanism including a connector for removably securing a work applicator to said work applicator mounting mechanism, adjustable arm means arranged for varying the extent of projection of the connector and therefore a work applicator when secured thereto, from the respective said track towards and away from a respective internal wall surface of the cargo vessel hold, and an adjustment feature for accomplishing angular movement of the connector, and therefor of a work applicator when secured thereto, throughout an arc about a horizontal axis;
- at least one abrasive grit-sprayer nozzle removably secured by a respective said connector to a respective at least one said work applicator mounting mechanism to function as a respective said work applicator, wherein:
- each said adjustable arm means comprises a pair of arms which converge towards the respective said connector and diverge towards the respective said track;
- and adjustable means for maintaining the arms of each pair at a selected included angle to one another.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.