NO20180625A1

NO20180625A1 - Soft hold anchor

Info

Publication number: NO20180625A1
Application number: NO20180625A
Authority: NO
Inventors: Geir Furberg
Original assignee: Aqualine As
Priority date: 2018-05-02
Filing date: 2018-05-02
Publication date: 2019-11-04
Also published as: NO345088B1

Description

Soft hold anchor

The present invention is related to an anchor comprising a fluke and a shank connected at an angle to the fluke, according to the preamble of patent claim 1.

Background of the invention

This type of anchor are known per se, for instance from Vryhof Anchors in the Netherlands. Anchors of this type are for instance described in WO 01/81161 and WO 2017/074177.

There is a lack of anchors being able to give high holding power for soft soils, and the main object of the invention is thus to provide a new anchor which will give sufficient holding properties even in soft ground.

Anchors are normally used to hold a floating object at the correct location, wherein the object might be a ship, a drilling rig, a barge or the similar. In relation to this invention, the anchors may also be used to anchor fishing plants comprising a number of fish cages and floats and rafts.

The invention

The object is met by an anchor comprising a fluke and a shank, wherein the shank is connected at an angle to the fluke. The fluke has a penetration edge at least in the front, and a distal part of the shank protrudes above the penetration edge. The distal part of the shank comprises means for connecting to a floating object to be anchored. A plate is arranged on each side of the shank, extending from the shank towards the fluke, creating at least one cavity between the shank and the fluke.

The object to be anchored by an anchor according to the present invention may be a ship, a drilling rig, a fish plant, raft or barge, or any other floating object. The means for connecting the object to be anchored, at the distal part of the shank might be a hole, a shackle, bolt or any other suitable means being obvious to a skilled person.

The fluke has a plane A-A of symmetry running from a rear end to the penetration edge, and the shank is connected to the fluke in this plane. The shank is connected at an angle α, meaning that a close end of the shank is in touch with and connected to the fluke, and a distal part is protruding above the fluke. The angle α between the fluke and the distal part of the shank is preferably 35 degrees.

The penetration edge connects an upper and lower surface of the fluke, and is made slanting, wherein the lower surface of the fluke is larger than the upper surface, and the edge is slanting towards the lower surface. When the anchor is being used, the penetration edge will both ease the penetration it self as it has a sharp point, but it will also guide the ground onto the upper side of the fluke, and further into the cavity or cavities.

The cavity or cavities created between the fluke, shank and the plates, is open towards the penetration edge, and preferably closed towards the rear end. When the anchor is used, the object to be anchored will be connected to the distal part of the shank and the anchor will be pulled along the ground. The penetration edge will penetrate the ground and guide the anchor into the ground. As the ground passes onto the upper surface of the fluke, it will accumulate in the cavity or cavities and then the anchor will appear heavier, and penetrate even deeper into the ground. Thus sufficient holding properties will be achieved even in soft ground.

In a preferred embodiment each of the plates extending from the shank towards the fluke has several sides, wherein at least one side is arranged along the shank from a distance above the fluke towards the fluke, and at least one side is arranged along the fluke. In a more preferred embodiment, the plate is inclining continuously from the fluke to the shank. In a preferred embodiment is the plate flat and triangular, having one side arranged along the shank, one side along the fluke and one side being free.

In a preferred embodiment, each plate is arranged at an angle γ to the fluke inclining away from the penetration edge, and crosswise at an angle δ to the shank, wherein the angle γ preferably is 125 degrees, and the angle δ preferably is 61 degrees. In a preferred embodiment, the plate is further arranged at an angle θ to the rear side of the fluke. The angle θ is preferably 39 degrees.

In a preferred embodiment, the plate is fixed to the shank and fluke, for instance by welding, gluing, or any similar fixed attachment being obvious to a skilled person. The connection between the plate and shank and fluke must be strong enough to resist the forces acting on the anchor during use.

The cavity or cavities between the plate, shank and fluke should preferably be closed at the rear end, meaning that any material entering the cavity will be accumulated therein. This may be performed by arranging one side of the plate along the shank until the shank meets the fluke, an adjacent side of the plate along the fluke until the fluke meets the shank, and the corner between in the sides at the area wherein the shank is connected to the fluke.

The shank preferably has the shape of an L, wherein two legs of different length are fastened to each other substantially perpendicularly, having an inner corner and an outer corner. The short leg is truncated and fastened to the fluke at an angle such that the long leg will be angular to the surface of the fluke. The angle between the short leg and the fluke is preferably γ.

The connection between the shank and the fluke should preferably be along a distance rather than a simple point, to provide the anchor with sufficient strength. As described above, the shank should preferably be connected to the fluke along a symmetric plane of the fluke, and more preferably it should be connected to the fluke along a distance in the symmetric plane. When the shank has the shape of an L, and the short leg is connected to the fluke, the shank will be connected to the fluke along a distance. The cavity or cavities created by the plates arranged on both sides of the shank, will thus partly or in whole be separated by the short leg of the shank. In a more preferred embodiment, the plates are fastened to the shank close to the inner corner of the L-shaped shank, and further the free edge of each plate is in the same plane as the edge of short leg of the L-shaped shank.

In a preferred embodiment, the shank is longer than the fluke, leaving the distal end of the shank protruding beyond the fluke. In a preferred embodiment, the shank is longer than the fluke, leaving the closer end protruding beyond the fluke. In a preferred embodiment the shank is protruding the fluke in both ends. If the fluke is L-shaped, then the distal part of the long leg protrudes longer than the penetration edge of the fluke, and the outer corner of the L is protruding beyond the rear edge of the fluke.

In a preferred embodiment, the fluke is shaped as a pentagon having two parallel sides, two intersecting slanting sides, and a side between the parallel sides. At least the intersecting sides comprise the penetration edge, and the side between the two parallel sides is the rear side of the fluke.

When the fluke is shaped as a pentagon, the shank is preferably connected to the fluke centred between the two parallel sides, and the parts of the shank protruding above the fluke, are parallel to the two parallel sides of the fluke.

At the distal end the shank is preferably provided with at least one bar protruding substantially perpendicular on both sides of the shank. In a more preferred embodiment, the shank has a thorough, crosswise hole, and the bar is entered into the hole and protrudes on both sides. This bar will assist in aligning the anchor if it becomes angular to the ground. As the bar protrudes on both sides, and preferably protrudes longer than the width of the fluke, the bar will hit the ground when the anchor is tilted, and sufficient tilting to turn over the anchor, will be avoided.

When the anchor is vertically lowered to its anchoring ground, the lower surface of the fluke should be resting on the ground. However some tilting may occur during the lowering, for instance due to water current and the similar, and the user may not be aware of the correct orientation of the anchor. If the anchor is not correctly positioned, it will be dragged along the ground, rather than penetrating the ground, and thus sufficient anchoring may not occur. The above described bar or bars protruding crosswise to the shank, will assist in the positioning, and if the anchor is tilted during the penetration, the bars will straighten the anchor into position again.

In a preferred embodiment there is an angle β between the fluke at the rear side of the fluke and the means at the distal part of the shank for fastening the objects to be anchored. This angle is important for initiation of penetration, and depth of the penetration of the anchor into the ground. The angle β is preferably 45 degrees.

In a preferred embodiment, the materials of the anchor are metal, more preferably steel, and the parts are welded to each other.

Examples

The invention will now be described with the help of the enclosed figures, showing an anchor according to the present invention. The different parts of the figure are not necessarily in scale to each other, as the figure is merely for illustrating the invention.

The following description of an exemplary embodiment refers to the drawings, and the following detailed description is not meant or intended to limit the invention.

Instead, the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims.

Reference throughout the specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the subject matter disclosed. Thus, the appearance of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” in various places throughout the specification is not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further, the particular features, structures or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more

embodiments.

The invention will in the following be described with reference to the enclosed figures, where

Figure 1 shows an anchor in perspective from above,

Figure 2 shows the anchor in perspective from a rear side,

Figure 3 shows the anchor from above,

Figure 4 shows the anchor from the side, and

Figure 5 shows the anchor in perspective from below.

The anchor shown in Figure 1-5 comprises a fluke 1 and a shank 2, where the shank is connected to the fluke at an angle α. The shank has one long leg 2a and one short leg 2b being welded to each other to an L-shape, and the short leg 2b is welded to the fluke 1. The short leg 2b is welded at an angle γ in such a way that the long leg 2a creates an angle α to the fluke 1. The angle α is 125 degrees and the angle α 35 degrees as shown in the Figure 4.

The fluke is shaped as a pentagon, having two parallel sides 3, 4, two intersecting sides 5, 6 and one side 7 between the parallel sides. The side 7 between the parallel 3, 4 sides is the rear side of the anchor, and the two intersecting sides 5, 6 are at the front of the anchor. The shank is welded to the fluke at the rear part, in the embodiment shown in the Figures, the short leg 2b is welded from the rear side 7 and forward on the fluke 1, leaving the rear part of the long leg 2a protruding behind the fluke and the distal part of the shank protruding above and beyond the front part of the fluke.

The fluke is symmetrical about a plane A-A running from the middle of the rear side 7 to the intersection between the two intersecting sides 5, 6, and the shank is welded to the fluke 1 along this plane leaving the anchor symmetrical long the same plane.

The intersecting sides 5, 6 have a penetration edge, slanting towards a lower side of the anchor. In the shown embodiment, the parallel sides 3, 4 also have the same penetration edge, all assisting the anchor to penetrate into the ground and also in guiding ground onto the fluke.

At the distal part of the shank there is means 8 for connecting the objects to be anchored. In the shown embodiment these means are a thorough hole 8 and the objects may be fastened with a rope and a shackle or the corresponding. A preferred angle β between the rear side 7 of the fluke and the hole is 45 degrees.

Further, there is a second hole at the distal part of the shank, accommodating a transverse bar 9 which assists in guiding the anchor during lowering, and prevents tilting of the anchor.

At the rear end of the shank, in the shown embodiment at the part protruding beyond the rear end of the anchor, there is a third thorough hole 10. This hole 10 may be used when the anchor should be removed from the ground, by fastening a rope or the similar to the hole and pulling the anchor backwards. This is a known procedure for a skilled person.

Between the shank 2 and the fluke 1 there is arranged one plate 11 on each side of the shank. The plate 11 is arranged from a point on the long leg 2a, close to the intersection between the short 2b and long leg 2a of the shank, (inner corner of the L-shape), across the short leg 2b towards the rear side 7 of the fluke, and along a part of the fluke 1. In this way a cavity 12 is created between the shank 2, the fluke 2 and the plate 11, on each side of the shank.

In the shown embodiment, each plate 11 is shaped as a triangle, having one side along the shank, one side along the fluke, and one side free. The plates are arranged in such a way that the free sides have the same angle γ to the fluke and protrudes the same distance from the rear side7 of the fluke, as the short leg 2b of the shank. The cavities 12 will thus be totally separated by the short leg 2b of the shank.

The plates further have an angle δ crosswise to the shank. As shown in Figure 3, the side of the plate being arranged along fluke is not parallel to the rear side 7, but arranged at an angle θ to the rear side of the fluke. In the shown embodiment the angle γ is 125 degrees, the angle δ is 61 degrees, and the angle θ is preferably 39 degrees. This is for instance shown in Figure 4, where the lower part of the short leg is covered by the plate 11, in Figure 1 and in Figure 3.

Further, as shown in Figure 2, the plates 11 should cover the area between the shank 2 and the fluke 1 completely, and thus the cavities 12 will be closed in their rear end. Any ground being led onto the fluke 1 will be collected in the cavities 12. As shown in Figure 3, the plates 11 end a distance before the side 3, 4 of the fluke, but this is merely a choice of a skilled person and may be increased or reduced without deviating from the scope of the invention.

The example above is given to illustrate the invention and should not be used to interpret the following claims limiting. Even if this application is written referring to an anchor of steel where the parts are welded to each other, it may very well be made of other materials being connected in another way. This will be obvious to a skilled person.

The scope of the invention is not limited by the example give above, but the enclosed claims. Modifications and amendments of the invention, being obvious to a person skilled of the art, should also be included in the scope of the invention.

Claims

Patent claims

1. Anchor comprising a fluke and a shank connected at an angle to the fluke, the fluke has a penetration edge at least in the front, and a distal part of the shank protrudes above the penetration edge, the distal part of the shank comprises means for connecting to a floating object be anchored, characterized in that a plate is arranged on each side of the shank, extending from the shank towards the fluke, creating at least one cavity between the shank and the fluke.

2. Anchor according to claim 1, characterized in that an angle α between the fluke and the distal part of the shank is 35 degrees.

3. Anchor according to claims 1 or 2, characterized in that an angle β between the fluke at the rear side of the fluke, and the means at the distal part of the shank for fastening the objects to be anchored, is 45 degrees.

4. Anchor according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that the plate is triangular having one side along the shank from a distance above the fluke and towards the fluke, one side along the fluke, and at least one side is free in the direction of the penetration edge.

5. Anchor according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that the plate is arranged at an angle γ to the fluke and an angle δ to the shank, wherein the angle γ is 125 degrees, and the angle δ is 61 degrees.

6. Anchor according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that the shank comprises two legs, one short leg and one long leg, wherein the legs are connected to each other at an L-form, wherein the end of the short leg is truncated and connected to the fluke at an angle, and the long leg protrudes above the fluke.

7. Anchor according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that shank is longer than the fluke, leaving the distal end of shank protruding beyond the fluke.

8. Anchor according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that the fluke is shaped as a pentagon having two parallel sides, and where at least the two intersecting sides comprises the penetration edge, and the side between the two parallel sides are the rear side of the fluke.