This application is based on and claims the priority under 35 USC 119 of German Patent Application 10 2012 021 583.5, filed on Oct. 23, 2012, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
The invention relates to an apparatus for shock-secure arrangement of a door or hatch on marine ships, whereby a door leaf is movably arranged via hinges on a doorway frame so that the door can move between open and closed positions relative to the doorway opening. Latching elements are operable via a handle for latching the door leaf in its closed position in the doorway frame.
Various door and hatch arrangements of the above general type are known for use on marine ships. With such known arrangements, difficulties exist with regard to transmitting the forces of shock events into the doorway frame in order to prevent an unintended springing-open of the door in case of a shock.
For securing a ship door against shock as mentioned above, it is already known from the German patent publication DE 10 2006 041 141 B3, to carry out a latching or locking between the door leaf and the doorway frame by slidable rod linkage elements via a plurality of corresponding latching tongues or strap plates distributed around the perimeter of the door, and to form a closed perimeter-encircling operating ring via ball elements in corner areas. In this regard, difficulties exist in the operation thereof by additional remote-controllable handling elements, and the danger exists that the rod linkages will no longer be operable in a correct orderly manner after shock loading.
In view of the above, it is an object of the invention to provide an embodiment for a force-withstanding stability door that is strongly loadable by shock loading, which prevents an unintended springing-open thereof and also permits a remotely-controllable opening and closing thereof. The invention further aims to avoid or overcome the difficulties or disadvantages of the prior art, and to achieve additional advantages, as apparent from the present specification. The attainment of these objects is, however, not a required limitation of the claimed embodiments of the invention.
The above objects have been achieved according to the invention in a door arrangement for a ship, comprising a doorway frame bounding a doorway opening, a door movably mounted by a hinge arrangement to the doorway frame, and a latching mechanism. Opposite first and second frame edges of the doorway frame respectively have first and second latching bars that extend longitudinally along the frame edges and along the doorway opening. The first latching bar is a movable latching bar. The door is movable between an open position and a closed position in which the door respectively opens and closes the doorway opening. Opposite first and second door edges of the door respectively have therein first and second latching grooves that extend longitudinally along the door edges and that are configured to receive at least partly therein the first and second latching bars when the door is in the closed position. The latching mechanism is connected to the movable first latching bar and adapted to move the movable first latching bar into and out of the first latching groove when the door is in the closed position so as to respectively latch and unlatch the door in the closed position.
The term “door” includes any door, hatch, portal cover, and any other movable cover of a passage or access opening on a ship. The term “ship” includes any ship, boat, and any other watercraft. The terms “hinge” and “hinge arrangement” include any mechanism and any components for movably supporting a door relative to a doorway frame or structure around a passage or access opening, whereby the door may pivot, swing, slide and/or shift to move between an open position and a closed position. The hinge arrangement may include plural individual hinges or a single hinge in the nature of a full-length piano hinge. The term “bar” as in the “latching bar” refers to any elongated member or element in the configuration of a bar, a rail, a batten, a strip, a rod, or the like. Various components may be made of metal, fiber reinforced synthetic composite material and/or other suitable materials known in the art. The location of the latching grooves and the latching bars may be reversed, i.e. the grooves may be on the doorway frame and the bars may be on the door edges, whereby the latching mechanism would be provided on the door itself.
In particular embodiments of the invention, the ship's door arrangement can have the following particular features. The doorway frame comprises continuous or through-going latching bars or rails as latching elements on two mutually oppositely located longitudinal sides, which latching bars or rails are receivable in corresponding grooves of a door leaf frame, whereby the side of the door leaf pivotably connected with the doorway frame comprises a stationary latching bar for engaging into the groove of the door leaf frame during a closing motion of the door leaf, and a latching bar that is adjustable in the doorway frame is guided on the oppositely located side, which adjustable latching bar is insertable into a groove of the door leaf frame via adjustment elements in the closed position of the door leaf.
By this arrangement, an allocation of the individual elements with relatively small play is possible, and a continuous or through-going uptake of arising shock loads is ensured without impairments.
A simple actuation or control exists in that the adjustment elements for the latching bar are formed by pneumatic cylinders and/or manually-actuatable, pivotable operating levers.
Furthermore, for security and avoiding an unintended sliding displacement of the latching bar from its latched position when the door is in the closed position, it is suggested to further provide a securing or locking rod arranged parallel to the latching bar in the doorway frame. The locking rod is arranged to be movable vertically or perpendicularly to the motion of latching bar via an allocated operating lever. In this regard a portion of the locking rod is embodied as a toothed gear rack, into which a corresponding tooth or gear element of the pivot axis of the operating lever engages for moving the locking rod. A locking coupling couples the locking rod with the latching bar so that in one of its positions the locking rod allows free motion of the latching bar, but in another one of its positions the locking rod blocks and prevents an unlatching motion of the latching bar.
To achieve or enable a small play and thus a relatively tight fit between the door leaf and the doorway frame, it is provided that the sectional profiles of the edges of the door leaf frame facing the doorway frame comprise a sloping taper in the area adjoining the latching grooves and facing the latching bars for guiding or slidingly urging the latching bars into the latching grooves.
Further it is advantageous that the pivotable operating levers act on the latching bar via bolts or pins via an over-dead-center bearing or over-center toggle in the latching position.
As an additional security or safety, it is provided that the outwardly located surfaces of the door leaf and doorway frame have, mounted thereon, respective corresponding or mating fixture elements that brace against one another in the closed position of the door, so as to act as shock limiters or shock-transmitting elements.
In order that the invention may be clearly understood, it will now be described in connection with example embodiments thereof, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
In the illustrated arrangement, a door leaf 1 as a door element is connected pivotably via hinges 2 for closing an opening 3 on a doorway frame 5 fixedly or stationarily provided on a bulkhead 4 or partition of a ship. As shown in
The doorway frame 5 on the hinge side, i.e. at which the door leaf 1 is mounted on the hinges 2, has a stationary latching bar or rail 6 for engagement or insertion in a corresponding groove 7 of a door leaf frame 8 forming the corresponding edge of the door leaf 1. The sectional profile at the edge of the door leaf frame 8 in this embodiment has a sloping taper 29 for guiding the latching bar 6 into the groove 7, as shown in
In comparison, the doorway frame 5 on the oppositely located side has a movable latching bar 10 that is guided and adjustable in the doorway frame 5, particularly in a receiving groove 28 in the doorway frame 5, and that is insertable into a corresponding groove 13 of the door leaf frame 8 for latching the door. The movable latching bar 10 is actuated between its latched extended position and its unlatched retracted position, and is held in this latched position or unlatched position, via pneumatic (or hydraulic) cylinders 11 and/or pivotably arranged manual operating levers 12. In that regard, the pneumatic cylinders 11 and the operating levers 12 engage the latching bar 10 via bolts 14′ and 14 respectively. The pivoted operating levers 12 are held in the latched position and in the unlatched position via an over-center toggle or over-dead-center-point mechanism 31 (see especially
As shown in
More particularly, in the illustrated embodiment, manually pivoting an operating lever 16 causes a vertical sliding motion of the locking rod 17, because an engagement portion of the locking rod 17 is embodied as a toothed gear rack 18, which is engaged by a corresponding tooth or gear element 18′ provided on the pivot shaft of the operating lever 16. The opposite distal free ends of the locking rod 17 respectively extend through and are slidably guided in vertical first guide channels or holes 24A in guide blocks 15. Locking pins 22 extend horizontally from the movable latching bar 10 and respectively extend into and are slidably guided in horizontal second guide channels or holes 24B that intersect the first guide channels 24A in the guide blocks 15. Further in the illustrated embodiment, the locking rod 17 has holes 23 which are brought into alignment with the second guide channels 24B by appropriately sliding the locking rod 17 into an unlocked position. Thus, in the unlocked position, the locking pins 22 of the movable latching bar 10 can slide laterally outwardly away from the door through the second guide channels 24B in the guide block 15 and the holes 23 of the locking rod 17 received in the first guide channels 24A of the guide block 15. Then, the movable latching bar 10 is free to move from its latched position to its unlatched position. On the other hand, when the movable latching bar 10 is in its latched position, the locking pins 22 are retracted out of the holes 23 of the locking rod 17. Thus, the locking rod 17 can be moved to its locked position, in which the holes 23 do not align with the second guide channels 24B of the guide block. Thereby, in the locked position the locking rod blocks the second guide channels 24B so that the locking pins cannot slide outwardly, and therefore the movable latching bar 10 cannot move outwardly out of its latched position to its unlatched position. Alternatively, the locking rod need not have holes 23 therein, but rather the unlocked position of the locking rod would retract the locking rod tips sufficiently so that the locking pins can pass by the tips of the locking rod in the guide block.
Additionally, fixture elements 20 and 21 are applied on the outwardly located surfaces of door leaf 1 and doorway frame 5, and these fixture elements 20 and 21 butt or contact against one another in the closed position and serve as shock limiters or shock force transmitting elements.
In further detailed embodiments of the door arrangement, the latching bars respectively extend continuously along at least 75%, or even at least 90%, or even essentially full-length, of a total length of the vertical doorway frame edges. The latching bars preferably extend along the two opposite longer edges of a rectangular (non-square) door, but in alternative embodiments, the latching bars extend along the two opposite shorter edges of such a door. The latching bars are preferably provided along the hinge-side edge and the opposite edge of the door arrangement. The hinge arrangement being “proximate” to an edge of the door means that the hinge arrangement is mounted or connected closer to that edge than the opposite edge of the door.
Although the invention has been described with reference to specific example embodiments, it will be appreciated that it is intended to cover all modifications and equivalents within the scope of the appended claims. It should also be understood that the present disclosure includes all possible combinations of any individual features recited in any of the appended claims. The abstract of the disclosure does not define or limit the claimed invention, but rather merely abstracts certain features disclosed in the application.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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10 2012 021 583.5 | Oct 2012 | DE | national |