Hull equipment

The present invention relates to hull equipment adapted to be fixed in a reversible manner on an external surface of a structure made of ferromagnetic material of a vessel or of a marine or submarine system, the equipment comprising at least one surface of fixing suitable for fixing the equipment to the structure.

The invention also relates to a vessel or a marine or submarine system provided with such equipment.

In the shipbuilding industry, it is desirable to attach equipment to the hull of a vessel in a simple and if possible reversible manner. It is, for example, a shell coating providing desirable properties to the building, for example an improvement in its acoustic or radar stealth.

This is particularly the case in the case of underwater vessels, since it is common to cover the hull of these with a technical coating.

These coverings are generally fixed by gluing, which allows quick and simple installation, while remaining inexpensive in terms of equipment and qualified personnel.

However, these coatings sometimes need to be removed, to be replaced or to access the hull for maintenance. Reversible attachment is therefore desirable, to facilitate removal of the coating, and to be able to optionally reuse it once the operation requiring removal is complete.

Reversible mounting systems also find utility for hull equipment other than liners, such as sensors and cameras. They can also be mobile devices such as robots, devices or hull inspection machines that use the reversible aspect of the attachment during their movement.

It is known to fix the equipment in a reversible manner by means of threaded studs screwed into pins previously welded to the hull of the building, which crush the coating on the hull.

The previous reversible fixing systems are not entirely satisfactory. Indeed, a screw fixing requires welding a large number of pins on the hull, which is long and expensive in terms of equipment and skilled labor.

An object of the invention is to provide hull equipment, which can be fixed in a reversible manner, the installation of which is simple to implement and inexpensive in terms of specific material and labor.

To this end, the invention relates to hull equipment of the aforementioned type, characterized in that the equipment comprises a plurality of permanent magnets arranged in the vicinity of the fixing surface to ensure the fixing of the equipment to the structure.

The attachment of such equipment to a ferromagnetic structure is simple and does not require specific equipment or qualified personnel. The equipment is held against the structure by the permanent magnets when using the marine or submarine vessel, and can be easily removed during maintenance or replacement operations. Such a system is more compact, simple and robust, as well as harmless to the support. It also does not require any energy input, and finally is not very sensitive to aging.

According to particular embodiments, the hull equipment according to the invention has one or more of the following characteristics, taken in isolation or in any technically feasible combination:

- The magnets are arranged in a network on the fixing surface, each magnet being adjacent or in the vicinity of at least one closest neighbor, each magnet having a polarity, the polarity of each magnet being oriented in the opposite direction to the polarity of its at least one closest neighbors;

- the network forms a checkerboard, each magnet being adjacent to between one and four closest neighbors;

- The equipment comprises a tile of elastomeric material intended to form a coating of at least part of the shell;

- The magnets are embedded in the tile in the vicinity of the fixing surface, or flush with the fixing surface;

- the fixing surface comprises an internal region extending away from the edges of the tile and a peripheral region surrounding the internal region and extending in the vicinity of the edges of the tile, the magnets being disposed on at least a part the peripheral region of the fixing surface, the inner region of the fixing surface being devoid of magnets;

- the tile has at least one chamfered edge adapted to cooperate with an anti-slip rib extending over the outer surface of the shell;

- the equipment comprises at least one wheel, at least one movable foot, or at least one caterpillar, the fixing surface extending on a tread of the wheel or of the caterpillar or under the movable foot, the equipment being able to move along the outer surface of the shell while being held in contact with the shell by the magnets of the attachment surface; and

- the equipment comprises a magnetic plate, suitable for being placed in the vicinity of the structure, the fixing surface extending on the magnetized plate, the equipment also comprising at least one wheel, at least one track or at least one foot suitable for moving the equipment relative to the structure, the wheel, the track or the foot being non-magnetic.

The invention also relates to a vessel or marine or submarine system provided with hull equipment as described above, the equipment being fixed in a reversible manner on an external surface of a structure of the building or system, the surface fixing being arranged in the vicinity of the structure, the fixing of the equipment to the structure being provided by the plurality of magnets.

The invention will be better understood on reading the description which follows, given solely by way of example and made with reference to the accompanying drawings, among which:

- Figure 1 is a side view of an underwater building comprising equipment according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of one of the equipment items of FIG. 1;

- Figure 3 shows a rear view of a detail of the equipment of Figure 2;

- Figure 4 shows a sectional view of three items of equipment according to a second embodiment of the invention;

- Figure 5 is a perspective view of equipment according to a third embodiment of the invention; and

- Figure 6 is a perspective view of equipment according to a fourth embodiment of the invention.

A submarine vessel 10 is shown in FIG. 1. The submarine vessel 10 comprises a shell 12 made of ferromagnetic material, defining an external surface 14 and sealingly separating an internal space from an exterior of the submarine vessel 10. , even under the effect of external pressures.

A plurality of hull fittings are attached to the outer surface 14 of the hull 12. The hull fittings are reversibly attached to the outer surface 14, i.e., they can be removed from the shell. the outer surface 14 without damaging them, or damaging the shell 12.

In particular, it is possible to reassemble the hull equipment on the hull 12 after having removed them, without having to modify them in the meantime in order to be able to carry out the reassembly.

According to a first embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 4, the hull fittings are tiles 16 forming a coating of a portion of the shell 12 to modify at least one property of the outer surface 14.

For example, the tiles 16 are made from an elastomeric material exhibiting advantageous properties of absorbing acoustic vibrations, and form an anechoic coating of the shell 12.

The outer surface 14 then exhibits largely reduced acoustic wave reflection properties, and in particular sonar waves, which increases the stealthiness of the underwater vessel 10.

The tiles 16 have for example a parallelepipedal shape, with a rectangular or square base. The base is in this case the face of the tile 16 facing the shell 12.

As shown in Figure 2, the tile 16 has an outer side 18 and a fixing surface 20, extending on either side of the tile 16, as well as side edges 22.

The tile 16 comprises a plurality of permanent magnets 24 ensuring the fixing of this tile 16 to the shell 12, arranged in the vicinity of the fixing surface 20. The magnets 24 are for example embedded in the tile 16, in the vicinity of the surface. mounting 20, or flush with the mounting surface 20.

The magnets 24 are for example magnets comprising neodymium, for example neodymium / iron / boron, having a rectangular or disc shape.

Advantageously, the magnets 24 are of small size, each magnet 24 having a relatively low individual adhesion force compared to the total adhesion force of all the magnets 24. It is then the multiplicity of the magnets 24 which allows to provide good adhesion of the hull equipment to the hull 12.

According to the embodiment of FIG. 2, the fixing surface 20 comprises an internal region 26 extending away from the edges 22, a peripheral region 28 surrounding the internal region 26 and extending in the vicinity of the edges 22, and a central region 30 extending through the middle of the attachment surface 20, surrounded by the inner region 26.

The magnets 24 are disposed on the peripheral region 28 and the central region 30, the inner region 26 being devoid of magnets 24.

This arrangement makes it possible to maximize the resistance to tearing of the tile 16, the stresses resulting in tearing of the tile 16 being located in the vicinity of the edges 22.

The magnets 24 are arranged in a network on the fixing surface 24, for example a network forming a checkerboard.

Each magnet 24 is thus adjacent to at least one closest neighbor, for example to between one and four closest neighbors in the case of a checkerboard network.

By adjacent is meant that the magnets 24 are in contact via a respective lateral edge, or else that their respective neighboring lateral edges are in the vicinity of one another.

As shown in Figure 3, each magnet 24 has a polarity oriented in a direction substantially orthogonal to the fixing surface 20.

Each of the closest neighbors of the magnet 24 has a polarity oriented in the opposite direction to the polarity of the magnet 24.

By convention, in the figures, the magnets 24 whose polarity is oriented towards the shell 12 are shown in white, and the magnets 24 whose polarity is oriented outwardly are shown in gray.

Thus, the proportion of magnets 24 whose polarity is oriented in one direction and the proportion of magnets 24 whose polarity is oriented in the opposite direction are substantially equal, advantageously equal.

According to one variant, the material of the tiles 16 has advantageous properties of thermal insulation, absorption of electromagnetic waves, reduction of hydrodynamic drag, or others.

According to one variant, the tiles 16 have the shape of a prism with a hexagonal base, which increases the resistance of the tile 16 to tearing. More generally, the shape of the base can be any geometry making it possible to ensure a desired covering of the external surface 14 of the shell 12.

According to a variant, the magnets 24 are embedded in the tile in the vicinity of the fixing surface 20, for example at a distance less than 5 mm from the fixing surface 20.

According to a variant, the magnets 24 are glued to the tile 16 at the level of the fixing surface 20.

According to a variant, the magnets 24 are groups of permanent magnets in contact or close to each other, having polarities oriented in the same direction, the groups of magnets being arranged in an array in an identical manner to the magnets 24 described above. .

According to a variant, the magnets 24 are arranged in a disorderly manner on the fixing surface 20, the proportion of magnets 24 whose polarity is oriented in one direction being substantially equal to the proportion of magnets 24 whose polarity is oriented in the direction reverse.

According to a variant, the central region 30 is devoid of magnets 24, the magnets 24 being arranged on the peripheral region 26 only.

According to a variant, the magnets 24 are arranged over the entire fixing surface 20.

According to a variant, the polarities of the magnets form a non-right angle with the fixing surface 20, or else are tangent to the fixing surface 20.

According to a variant, the magnets 24 are not adjacent to their closest neighbors, but separated by a constant pitch from each of their closest neighbor.

According to a variant shown in FIG. 4, the edges 22 of each tile 16 are chamfered and adapted to cooperate with anti-slip ribs 32 extending on the external surface 14 of the shell 12. This makes it possible to increase the resistance of the tiles 16. sliding along the outer surface 14 of the shell 12.

According to a second embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the hull equipment comprises an active device, for example a projector 34, and a fixing plate 38.

The projector 34 is mounted by means of a foot 36 on the fixing slab 38. The slab 38 defines a fixing surface 20, extending on a side of the slab 38 opposite to the foot 36, and comprising the magnets 24 arranged in a network as previously described.

As a variant, the active equipment item is for example a sensor, a camera, an antenna, a signaling device or a tool.

According to a third embodiment shown in Figure 6, the hull equipment is mobile equipment, for example a robot 50 for inspecting the hull 12.

The robot 50 includes a housing 52 and tracks 54.

The box 52 contains electronics for controlling the robot 50, a motor for driving the caterpillars 54, and means of communication. The shell 52 is suitable for sealingly isolating its contents from the outside, and comprises a window 56 through which the sensors can perform measurements, for example optical measurements.

Each track 54 comprises a tread 58 arranged around at least two wheels 60. The wheels 60 are rotated by the motor and drive the tread 58, which is in contact with the outer surface 14 of the shell 12. .

The fixing surface 20 extends over the tread 58, so that part of the fixing surface 20 is permanently in contact with the outer surface 14 of the shell 12. The magnets 24 are embedded in the tread. 58 and flush with the surface of the tread 58.

Alternatively, the magnets 24 are glued to the surface of the tread 58.

The magnets 24 located on the part of the fixing surface 20 in contact with the shell 12 then ensure the maintenance of the robot 50 against the shell 12 during the movement of the robot 50.

Alternatively, the robot 50 includes movable wheels or feet instead of the tracks 58, and the mounting surface 20 extends over an outer rolling surface of each wheel or under the movable feet.

In a variant shown in FIG. 7, the robot 50 comprises a magnetized plate 70 on which extends the fixing surface 20, situated under the robot 50, ensuring the fixing of the robot 50 to the shell 12, as well as non-magnetic wheels 72 ensuring its displacement. In this case, the magnetized plate 70 is not directly in contact with the shell 12 but placed in the vicinity of the shell 12, for example at a distance of less than 2 mm.

The magnetized plate 70 then has an air gap with the shell 12. The contact between the robot 50 and the shell 12 takes place by the wheels 72, or by tracks or non-magnetic feet, which ensure the movement of the robot 50.

The hull equipment described can be fixed in a reversible manner, and its installation is simple to implement and inexpensive in terms of specific material and labor, since the fixing is ensured by magnets that are easy to handle by a person on the boat. job.

In addition, the hull equipment according to the invention is particularly advantageous in terms of magnetic signature. In fact, the alternation of the polarities of the magnets has the advantage of both generating a significant force of attraction while minimizing the gradient of the magnetic field lines in the shell. The magnetization of the shell is modified on the surface and a few millimetres thick (in its depth) but in a much less important way than a system comprising magnets of large dimensions having or not an alternation of polarities.

The magnetization of the shell is modified very locally and on the surface, which leads to a very slight modification of the magnetic field a few centimetres from the shell, but does not modify the magnetic field at greater distances.

CLAIMS

1.- Hull equipment adapted to be fixed in a reversible manner on an external surface (14) of a structure (12) made of ferromagnetic material of a building (10) or of a marine or submarine system, the equipment comprising at least one fixing surface (20) suitable for allowing the fixing of the equipment to the structure (12),

characterized in that the equipment comprises a plurality of permanent magnets (24) arranged in the vicinity of the fixing surface (20) to ensure the fixing of the equipment to the structure (12).

2.- Hull equipment according to claim 1, wherein the magnets (24) are arranged in an array on the fixing surface (20), each magnet (24) being adjacent to or in the vicinity of at least one closer neighbor, each magnet (24) having a polarity, the polarity of each magnet (24) being oriented in the opposite direction to the polarity of its at least one nearest neighbors.

3. A hull equipment according to claim 2, wherein the network forms a checkerboard, each magnet (24) being adjacent to or in the vicinity of one and four closest neighbors.

4. A hull equipment according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a tile (16) of elastomeric material intended to form a coating of at least part of the hull (12).

5. A hull equipment according to claim 4, wherein the magnets (24) are embedded in the tile (16) in the vicinity of the fixing surface (20), or flush with the fixing surface (20).

6. A hull equipment according to any one of claims 4 and 5, wherein the fixing surface (20) has an internal region (26) extending away from the edges (22) of the tile (16). ) and a peripheral region (28) surrounding the inner region (26) and extending in the vicinity of the edges (22) of the tile (16), the magnets (24) being disposed over at least part of the peripheral region ( 28) of the fixing surface (20), the inner region (26) of the fixing surface being devoid of magnets (24).

7. A hull equipment according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the tile (16) has at least one chamfered edge (22) adapted to cooperate with an anti-slip rib (32) extending over the outer surface (14) of the shell (12).

8.- Hull equipment according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising at least one wheel, at least one movable foot, or at least one caterpillar (54), the fixing surface (20) extending over a strip of bearing (58) of the wheel or the track (54) or under the movable foot, the equipment being able to move along the outer surface (14) of the shell (12) while being kept in contact with the shell (12) by the magnets (24) of the fixing surface (20).

9. Hull equipment according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a magnetized plate suitable for being disposed in the vicinity of the structure (12), the fixing surface (20) extending on the magnetized plate, the equipment also comprising at least one wheel, at least one crawler (58) or at least one foot adapted to move the equipment relative to the structure, the wheel, the caterpillar (58) or the foot being non-magnetic.

10.- Building (10) or marine or submarine system provided with hull equipment according to any one of the preceding claims, the equipment being fixed in a reversible manner on an external surface (14) of a structure ( 12) of the vessel (10) or marine or submarine system, the fixing surface (20) being disposed in the vicinity of the structure (12), the fixing of the equipment to the structure (12) being ensured by the plurality magnets (24).