Layers Cone Heavy Lifting Airbags Cylindrical Docking Shipping Air Bags

Customized Sizes / Layers Durable Boat Docking Heavy Lifting Airbags

Product Introduction:

The history of heavy lifting airbag dates back to 1981. Xiao Qinghe ship repair and building shipyard, located in Jinan city of Shangdong Province, launched a 60 DWT tank barge with airbag suspension on January 20, 1981. Seven airbags were deployed in that project. One was 2 meters in diameter and 6 meters long and used for elevating. The remaining six airbags were 0.8 meters x 6 meters long and acted as the rollers. The first intention of that trial launch was to develop a prompt, less landform limited ship launching method for warfare purposes.

How has the technology advanced since then?

Over the past twenty years, the airbag ship launching system has made advancements in not only the airbag, but also the ship launching/landing technology. The first generation airbags used a rubber dipped canvas as a reinforcement layer to form the air chamber trunk. Two cone-shaped molds were then used to make the ends and everything was stuck together.

With today’s airbags, the whole-enlacing-technology used for manufacturing is done together. Rubber dipped synthetic-tyre-cords are used as the reinforcement layers with the trunk and two cone-shaped ends made at the same time. Everything is then-laced together, so the airbag doesn’t have any joints. Due to the development of rubber chemistry, the performance of the rubber employed in the latest airbags is highly enhanced and about 15 times that of the first generation bag with the same specifications.

The launching and landing technology has also developed. In the beginning, only small and flat bottom ships located on a fabricated slope could be launched with airbags. Now this technology is more flexible and less limited by the ship and landform. Now any type of ship with a DWT below 55,000 and in a place with enough launching space can be launched using airbags. The launching slope even can be sloped upward. It has really developed into a cutting edge technology for launching ships, and especially useful for some marine emergencies.

The Heavy Lifting Airbag:

Structure of Marine Airbag

1. Terminal iron

2. Cone airbag body 

3. Cylindrical airbag body

D: Diameter of airbag

L: Valid length of airbag

Loa: Total length of airba

Specifications: 

Instruction of Airbags Application in Ship Launching

Airbag is more and more widely applied in ship launching project. The application method is ceaselessly improved. The airbag application application method for common medium ship launching ship launching is as below,
1. Based on calculation result, enough rolling airbags and lifting airbags, towing machines and air compressors are prepared. Before using, airbags must be inflated and tested without loading(the testing pressure must be no less than 1.25MPa). In case of air leakage, the airbag must be prepared before using.
2. The way for ship movement, including the way from shipbuilding berth to ramp, must be cleaned and flattened. Sundries must be removed from the way, especially sharp iron nails and stones, to avoid piercing the airbag. The ramp should be long enough and wide in water.
3. All the protruding sharp corners and burrs on casting like ”A” bracket and stern post must be polished to be smooth.
4. Fasten the hull with the steel cable of winch.
5. Close the sea chest valves of ship, fix the rudder and propeller.
6. There are many ways to remove all blocks and fill in the rolling airbags. Here we recommend two methods as below. User may choose one basing on the equipment conditions such as ship weight, amount of the airbags, etc.
(A)For light ship, the bearing capacity of the airbag is large enough to lift the ship away form the blocks and therefore blocks can be removed directly and fill in the airbags.
(B)For heavy ship, lifting airbags can be adopted to lift the bottom of stern. Before lifting, firstly specify the optimum position of the front-pivot and lifting airbags. According to the figure as below,

the closer the front pivot to the center of gravity the better, however, it will result in too many blocks around of the front-pivot, which means a lot of workload to remove the blocks manually. Therefore, the position shall be determined reasonably considering such elements as ship length, etc. If possible, the lifting airbags shall be located in the stern. However, the location is also subject to line shape of the stern as the lift of the lifting airbag will not be enough if the bottom is too high to the ground. In this condition, it would be better move forward. Therefore, the optimum position of the front-pivot and lifting airbags shall be decided after specific calculations as the case varies from ship to ship.
Q*Lq＞W*Lw

In the formula,
Q=lift of the lifting airbag
W=weight of ship
Lq= the distance from the lift center of the lifting airbag to the front-pivot
Lw=the distance from the center of gravity of the ship to the front-pivot
 

7. Firstly, remove all the blocks in the lifting airbags and the ones around the front-pivot. Then fill the lifting airbags and start inflating until the bottom separates slightly from the blocks. Remove blocks one by one from middle to the stern. Whenever blocks of the section are removed, fill in the rolling airbags immediately in the planned position and inflate it appropriately. Followed by continuous block removing until all blocks in the stern are completely removed and the rolling airbags are filled in.
 

8. Remove blocks from the middle of the ship to the front-pivot and fill in all rolling airbags in the front by modifying pressure of the airbags filled in the stern or similar methods as mentioned above. Of sake of safety, add removed blocks in appropriate number between the filled rolling airbags at any time. The blocks will not be removed until the rolling airbags can support the weight of the ship. Besides, when removed blocks of the same section, it shall be started from middle to both sides. When remove the outermost block, workers shall carry out the work outside the fender.
 

9. Adjust pressure in the airbags so that the bottom can be lowered to appropriate working height. Make sure that the bottom will not touch the ground while moving the ship. For average small-size ship, the working height could be chosen within the arrange of 0.2m-0.3m.
 

10. All airbags shall be pointed at the center of the ship and perpendicular to the launching direction.
 

11. Start the traction winch to release steel cable slowly followed by slow movement of the ship. When the forefront airbags located in the front part separates from the bottom, it shall be placed under the stern immediately and fill in the airbags according to the arrangement space of the airbags defined in the calculations.
 

12. Repeat the above process to move the ship to waterside slowly. When the airbags can’t be filled in, block the river and forbid any ships to pass.
 

13. Evacuate personnel in the dangerous zone, Inform staff on the ship to get ready. When conditions such as water depth and so on are enough, cut cable or unhook to shat the ship can launch quickly. If the river is too narrow to realize quick launching, release the cable slowly by traction winch to launch the ship slowly.
 

14. For large ships, it is necessary to install anti-slip device.
 

15. Collect the airbags.