US20240209581A1

US20240209581A1 - Floating docks

Info

Publication number: US20240209581A1
Application number: US18/395,279
Authority: US
Inventors: Eric Ball
Original assignee: Winchester Facilities LLC
Current assignee: Winchester Facilities LLC; Orenco Systems Inc
Priority date: 2022-12-22
Filing date: 2023-12-22
Publication date: 2024-06-27

Abstract

In some embodiments, the floating dock of the present disclosure includes a monolithically-molded structure having opposed top and bottom surfaces and one or more side surfaces connecting the top and bottom surfaces, the monolithically-molded structure including an integral polymeric foam core. In some embodiments, the monolithically-molded structure includes one or more edge channels at the periphery of the monolithically-molded structure.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/476,818, which was filed on Dec. 22, 2022 and entitled “Monolithically Molded Composite Thermoset Plastic Foam Core Floating Dock.” The complete disclosure of the above application is hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to a floating dock suitable for use in marine environments. Docks are structures used in the mooring of boats or ships, transfer of passengers or cargo, or for water access by recreationists or persons involved in waterside activities. Fixed docks are immobile, permanent docks that are secured to structures below the water. By contrast, floating docks are buoyant, rest on the water's surface, and rise and fall with the water level.
Innovative efforts are directed to producing floating docks that are as strong, durable, and light-weight as possible, that are easily deployed or removed, that require minimal or no maintenance, have a minimal number of parts and connections, and are not constructed of materials that are subject to rot, corrosion, or degradation in an outdoor environment, especially a marine environment.
Existing floating dock designs commonly feature separate floats, frames, and surface decking or plates, all manufactured with various materials, and numerous metal fasteners. Over time, they require a lot of maintenance to address issues like loosening fasteners, rust, cracked or leaking floats, and other degradation, especially in saltwater.
Some floating dock designs use polymeric foam as a floatation means, where the polymeric foam supports a foundational frame with decking attached to the foundational frame and extending over the polymeric foam. The frame is most commonly wood, galvanized steel, or aluminum. The decking on the top of the frame is often wood, synthetic wood, aluminum, plastic, fiberglass grating, or even concrete. In such a structure, the frame and decking form the visible deck structure on which one walks, while the foam is merely a buoyancy means underneath the decking to keep it afloat. The frame further provides a firm location for affixing attachment means such as footings, cleats, dock section connectors, utility poles and the like. Such assemblies are heavy and therefore cumbersome to install and remove each season. Moreover, steel, wood, and wood composites are susceptible to degradation and corrosion from environmental exposure over time.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,701,582 discloses a floating dock with polymeric foam core consisting of foam billets, with a structural collar that extends continuously around the perimeter of the polymeric foam core. The polymeric foam core and structural collar are covered with a protective coating that adheres to and completely covers the polymeric foam core and structural collar. This design eliminates the extensive foundational frame and surface decking or covering plates typical of earlier floating dock designs. The complete disclosure of the above patent is hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes.
However, the above design requires a structural collar and the application of a protective coating, which increases the complexity and increases the manufacturing costs. What is needed, therefore, is a floating dock with a simple structure making production easier, more efficient, and more economical.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of an example of a floating dock of the present disclosure having a monolithically-molded structure with an integral polymeric foam core and closed edge channels and showing various examples of fixtures directly attached to a monolithically-molded structure.

FIG. 2 is another isometric view of the floating dock of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 3 is a partial exploded view of the floating dock of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the floating dock of FIG. 1 taken along lines 4-4 in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the floating dock of FIG. 1 taken along lines 5-5 in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 6 is an isometric view of another example of a floating dock of the present disclosure showing a monolithically-molded structure with an integral polymeric foam core having open edge channels with support braces to support the open edge channels.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the floating dock of FIG. 6 taken along lines 7-7 in FIG. 6 .

FIG. 8 is a partial view of a further example of a floating dock of the present disclosure showing a monolithically-molded structure having an integral polymeric foam core and open edge channels with end openings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIGS. 1-5 , an example of a floating dock 10 is shown. Unless explicitly excluded, floating dock 10 may additionally, or alternatively, include one or more elements of one or more other floating docks described in the present disclosure. The floating dock includes a monolithically-molded fiber-reinforced polymer structure 11 having an integral polymeric foam core 12 and one or more edge channels 14.
The polymeric foam core can be, for example, polyisocyanurate foam, polyurethane foam, polyethylene foam, or polystyrene foam. The core can be made of multiple foam elements or foam pieces 16 (e.g., sheets, boards, and/or billets) that are wrapped in fiberglass fabric and/or matting and placed in a mold on top of fiberglass matting 18. Additional layer(s) of fiberglass matting 18 are layered on top to create a top layer 22. The fiberglass fabric and/or matting that is wrapped around the foam pieces creates a fiberglass web 20 that structurally tie top layer 22 to a bottom layer 24. A vacuum-infusion process is used to introduce resin under a disposable nylon vacuum bag, which wets out all of the dry glass layers of fabric and fully encapsulates the foam core. The result is a single, monolithically-molded structure 11 without joints or seams and without the need for a structural collar, a foundational frame, or application of a protective coating. Monolithic molding offers a number of advantages over earlier art with respect to enhanced durability, low maintenance, and economy of manufacturing. Monolithically-molded floating docks are formed as a single piece making production easier, more efficient, and more economical. The monolithically-molded structure includes a top surface 22, a bottom surface 24, and one or more side surfaces 26. Keel rails 27 are molded with bottom surface 24 of the dock to confer greater stability on the water and provide protruding surfaces to attach skid plates (further discussed below). Monolithically-molded structure 11 also includes opposed first and second end portions 28 and 30, opposed third and fourth end portions 32 and 34, and a central portion 35.
One or more edge or perimeter channels 14 are monolithically-molded along the first, second, third, and/or fourth end portions. In the example shown in FIGS. 1-5 , edge channels 14 extend along the entire periphery of the monolithically-molded structure (i.e., along the first, second, third, and fourth end portions) and each of edge channels 14 extends the full length or width of the polymeric foam core. Alternatively, the edge channels may be along less than the entire periphery (e.g., along only one or more side surfaces) and/or may not extend the full length or width. Additionally, edge channels 14 are monolithically-molded with and/or alongside the polymeric foam core 12 and are fully contained within or fully surrounded by monolithically-molded structure 11 except for corner openings 36 to provide access to the insides of the edge channels. Edge channels 14 provides an internal space for conduit, plumbing, electrical wiring, lighting, etc. Although floating dock 10 is shown to include edge channels 14, other examples of floating dock 10 may exclude edge channels or be free from edge channels.
In some embodiments, the floating dock includes fixtures, hardware and/or accessories 38, such as bumpers, cleats, utility poles, wire and fluid conduit channels, dock section and ramp connectors. The fixtures are directly affixed, mounted, or attached to the top outside edge, or to the sides of the dock through the edge channels, such as via fasteners 39, without penetrating into the integral polymeric foam core. In other words, there is no structure, such as a protective collar or a foundational frame, between the fixtures and the polymeric foam core. Instead, the fixtures are directly attached to the periphery of the polymeric foam core. The edge channels provide easily accessible space for installation and/or removal of fixtures 38. Although particular types of fixtures 38 are shown, the floating dock may additionally, or alternatively, include other types of fixtures, such as the other fixtures described above.
In some embodiments, floating dock 10 includes skid plates 40 that are attached to the underside of the dock, such as on the keel rails (e.g., via adhesive), so that the dock can be readily deployed or removed by dragging or skidding over rocks and barnacles on the shore without damage to the dock. The skid plates may be made of any suitable materials, such as polyethylene, to protect against wear and provide a slick sliding surface. Additionally, in some embodiments, an anti-slip coating 42, such as polyurethane, MMA, epoxy, or acrylic coating with embedded aggregate, is applied to one or more portions of the top surface of the floating dock (e.g., central portion 35), and/or a marine-grade polymeric coating 44, such as polyester gelcoat, acrylic coating, polyurethane coating, or epoxy coating, is applied on the sides and bottom surface, to resist marine growth and allow easy cleaning.
Referring to FIGS. 6-8 , another example of floating dock 10 is generally shown at 100. Unless explicitly excluded, floating dock 100 may additionally, or alternatively, include one or more elements of the one or more other floating docks of the present disclosure. Similar to floating dock 10, floating dock 100 includes a monolithically-molded structure 111 having an integral polymeric foam core 112 and one or more edge channels 114. However, unlike floating dock 10, edge channels 114 are open and more readily accessible as compared to floating dock 10.
In the example shown in FIGS. 6-8 , edge channels 114 includes a top panel or top member 150 and a side panel or member 152. The top and side panels are monolithically-molded and/or formed around the perimeter of the polymeric foam core as part of monolithically-molded structure 111. Top member 150 may be co-planar with the top surface of the polymeric foam core, while side member 152 may be perpendicular to the top member and/or parallel to an adjacent side surface of the polymeric foam core. As best shown in FIG. 7 , top member 150, side member 152 and adjacent side surface 126 collectively form or define a U-shaped channel 154. The top and side members may be continuous and/or may each span the entire length or width of the adjacent side surface. Alternatively, the top and side members may be non-continuous and/or may include one or more end openings 156, as shown in FIG. 8 . Additionally, side members 152 are shown to have a height that is about half the height of the corresponding side surfaces but may alternatively have a height that is less than or more than half the height of the corresponding side surfaces.
Additionally, floating dock 100 may include support braces 158 that attach side member 152 to side surface 126 of the polymeric foam core to further support the top and side members. The support braces may be spaced from each other, such as every 1 to 2 feet. Additionally, support braces 158 may be made of any suitable materials, such as fiberglass reinforced polyester, stainless steel, aluminum, and/or another structural plastic material. The above U-shaped channels provide a user with better access to the edge channels by allowing access underneath the edge channels.
It will be appreciated that the invention is not restricted to the particular embodiment that has been described, and that variations may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims, as interpreted in accordance with principles of prevailing law, including the doctrine of equivalents or any other principle that enlarges the enforceable scope of a claim beyond its literal scope. Unless the context indicates otherwise, a reference in a claim to the number of instances of an element, be it a reference to one instance or more than one instance, requires at least the stated number of instances of the element but is not intended to exclude from the scope of the claim a structure or method having more instances of that element than stated. The word “comprise” or a derivative thereof, when used in a claim, is used in a nonexclusive sense that is not intended to exclude the presence of other elements or steps in a claimed structure or method.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A floating dock, comprising:

a monolithically-molded structure having opposed top and bottom surfaces and one or more side surfaces connecting the top and bottom surfaces, the monolithically-molded structure including an integral polymeric foam core.

2. The dock of claim 1, wherein the monolithically-molded structure further includes one or more edge channels at the periphery of the monolithically-molded structure, the one or more edge channels being adjacent to the top surface and the one or more side surfaces, and being spaced from the bottom surface relative to the top surface and the one or more side surfaces.

3. The dock of claim 1, wherein the one or more edge channels are fully contained within the monolithically-molded structure, the edge channels having opposed end openings in the one or more side surfaces.

4. The dock of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more edge channels includes a top member and a side member, the top member being co-planar and formed with the top surface, and the side member being parallel to a corresponding side surface of the one or more side surfaces and formed with the top member, and wherein the top member, the side member, and the corresponding side surface collectively define a channel that is accessible from external the monolithically-molded structure.

5. The dock of claim 4, wherein the top member, the side member, and the corresponding side surface collectively define a U-shaped channel that is accessible from external the monolithically-molded structure.

6. The dock of claim 1, wherein the one or more edge channels extend around the periphery of the polymeric foam core.

7. The dock of claim 1, further comprising one or more fixtures directly mounted to one or more end portions of the top surface or at least one side surface of the one or more side surfaces of the monolithically-molded structure.

8. The dock of claim 7, wherein the one or more fixtures are directly mounted to the one or more end portions the top surface or the at least one side surface via one or more fasteners, the one or more fasteners extending into the one or more edge channels.

9. The dock of claim 1, wherein the bottom surface includes two or more spaced keel rails.

10. The dock of claim 9, further comprising a skid plate attached to each of the two or more spaced keel rails.

11. The dock of claim 1, further comprising an anti-slip coating applied to the top surface.

12. The dock of claim 11, further comprising a polymeric coating applied to the bottom surface and the one or more side surfaces.

13. The dock of claim 1, wherein the dock is free from a structural collar and a foundational frame.