US2865319A - Hatch-covers arrangements - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 23, 1958 H. KUMMERMAN HATCH-COVERS ARRANGEMENTS Filed 001:. 3; 1955 fiicfi 2,865,319

Patented Dec. 23, 1958 HATCH-COVERS ARRANGEMENTS Henri Kummerman, Paris, France, assignor to International MacGregor Organization (I. M. G. 0.), Casablanca, Morocco, a body corporate of Morocco Application October 3, 1955, Serial No. 538,192

Claims priority, application France October 7, 1954 1 Claim. (Cl. 114-202) It is an object of this invention to provide improvements in panels or hatch-cover arrangements of the type comprising elements or sections adapted to roll along the edges of the hatchway or the like, to close or open same.

It is a first object of this invention to provide means whereby the panels or sections of the hatch-covers are retracted and concealed under the ships deck or the like when it is desired to open the hatch.

According to another feature of this invention, the panels or cover sections are moved to their stowed positions by sliding or rolling on corresponding slide or runways.

According to a still other feature of this invention, the arrangement comprises guideways with or without adequate ramps located beneath the deck surface or like floor area, opening into the hatchway and adapted to receive the hatch-cover sections when the hatchways are opened.

The aforesaid guideways comprise horizontal, inclined or vertical sections, or a combination of some or all of these elements.

The joints between the hatch-cover sections and the hatchway coaming or edges are formed by exerting on the said sections an upwardly directed pressure. Control means are provided for this purpose whereby the panels or cover sections may be raised and lowered, when it is desired to perform the closing and opening of the hatchway.

It is apparent that a considerable advantage is derived from the fact that the deck surface is cleared completely. Consequently the handling of freight and other operations are greatly facilitated on board. Moreover, the power required for handling the hatch-covers is reduced to a substantial extent since the hatch-cover sections may be moved to and from their hatchway closing positions by simply pulling or pushing them into the stowage space.

According to a complemental feature of this invention the aforesaid control means consist of hydraulic, screw or like jacks mounted on the panels or along the hatchway edges.

Other features and particulars of this invention will become apparent from the following description proceeds with reference to the attached drawings forming part of this specification and illustrating diagrammatically by way of example a few forms of embodiment of the invention. In the drawings:

Figure l is a diagrammatical section of an improved arrangement;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary view showing the hatch-cover section in its closed position;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 showing the hatch-cover section ready to move to its stowing position;

Figure 4 is another fragmentary view showing a modified embodiment which may be necessary if a bulkhead or like wall were located in the vicinity of the hatchway.

In the example shown in Figures 1 to 3 reference numeral 1 designates the hatchway, 2 is the deck and 3 the conventional bulkhead of a ship. It is assumed that each one of the hatch-cover sections 4, 4' consists respectively of hingedly interconnected elements a, b and a, b. These elements are interconnected at 5, 5, as shown. Each element is provided with wheels or rollers 6, 6' adapted to carry the hatch-cover by rolling along the edges 7 of the hatchway.

Two compartments 8, 8 having their bottom level defined by runways 9, 9 are provided. Laterally and beneath the ships deck 2, ramps 10, 10' are also provided for connecting the hatchway edge 7 with the runway 9, as shown.

In this example each hatchway element carries lifting jacks 11 or 11. Each element or section a, b comprises two pairs of jacks, each pair being mounted along one lateral edge of the element. The arrangement of these jacks is clearly shown in Figures 2 and 33. When the jacks are in their load-supporting condition the hatchcover section is raised, and when the jacks are inoperative the wheels engage the runways (see Figure 3).

Sealing gaskets 12 are provided and adapted to form a water-tight joint with the edge 13 of the deck or the hatchway. These gaskets may be supported, if desired, by adequate members 14 carried by the hatch-cover sections.

The operation of the arrangement described herein.- above is extremely simple. In fact, the hatch-cover section 4 illustrated on the left-hand side of Figure l is shown in its closed position, i. e. with all the jacks 11 in the position shown in Figure 2. When it is desired to open the hatchway, the jacks 11 are actuated to lower the hatch-cover sections and cause the wheels 6 to engage the runway 7. Thus, the sections will be positioned as shown in Figure 3. It is evident that in this position the sealing joint consisting of elements 12, 13 and 14- will be opened. Therefore by exerting a thrust on the section 4 in the direction of arrow f the former may be easily moved to engage the ramp 10 and to be brought automatically by the latter to its stowing position on the bottom 9 of compartment 8.

The right-hand side of Figure 1 shows the position of the relevant hatch-cover section during the hatchway opening operation.

The thrust may be exerted on the section 4 by pulling ropes 15, 15' or in any other suitable manner.

When it is desired to close the hatchway, the hatchcover sections are moved back by pulling the ropes 115, 15 in the direction opposite to that indicated by arrow f whereby the elements a and b of the section will run up the ramp 10. In their closed position the jacks 11 are actuated to engage the runways 7 so as to raise the sections and their relevant wheels, and the water- tight joint elements 12, 13 and 14 will become operative.

Figure 4 shows the specific case in which the stowing space available is insutficient to permit the complete development of the hatch-cover elements a, b. In the arrangement proposed in this figure it is assumed that the hatch-cover section 4 is divided into three hingedly interconnected elements a, b, c, and in this case the ramp it) is made slightly longer and followed by avertical space 16 instead of a horizontal space 8. It will be readily understood that, the hatch-cover section, when moving on the ramp 10 to its stowing compartment 16 will engage the latter with its element 0.

In the examples just described the water-tight joint between the hatch-cover sections and the hatchway edges is formed by raising the sections to the proper level, i. e. flush with the surrounding deck surface, the necessary pressure being exerted in the upwards direction. In hatch-covers of conventional design these joints are generally formed by exerting a pressure in the opposite direction i. e. downwards.

Of course, this invention is not limited to the few 3 embodiments shown and described herein as many modifications and alterations may be brought thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as per the appended claim.

What I claim is:

In a hatch-coverarrangernent for opening and closing hatches on board of ships, in railwaytrucks and like vehicles, comprising a'hatch, withlateral and transverse edges, guideways on the lateral edges of said hatch, a plurality of laterally aligned solid rectangular cover sections, roller means adjacent the corners of the lateral sides of each of said sections for operative engagement with said guideways, meanspivotally connecting adjacent transverse edges of said cover sections, a single flexible means for controlling the displacement of all of said sec tio-ns along the said guideways to close and open said hatch, a stowage space for locating said sections when the hatch is open, said space being situated under the ships deck laterally of said hatch and at a lower level than the level of saidguideways, guiding means in said space for said sections, inclined ramp means connecting said guiding means and guideways, sealing means on all of said sections adapted to form a water-tight joint with said edges on said hatch and lifting means comprising jacks at each corner of each cover section operating between said guideways and sections, located along the lateral edges of said hatch and leaving the hatch opening References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 294,108 Ballard .Feb. 26,1884 956,152 Oldham Apr. 26, 1910 1,653,631 Kirkland Dec. '27, 1927 1,656,089 Trouwborst et'al W Jan. 10, 1928 1,795,016 Faber Mar. 3, 1931 2,124,970 Bagley July 26, 1938 2,141,180 'Geddes Dec. 27, 1938 2,386,702 McBride Oct. .9, 1945 2,657,661 Robson No-v. 3,1953 2,707,928 Farrell May 10, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 46,584 Netherlands Sept. 15, 1939 466,466 Great Britain May 28, 1937

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