Mae tîm peirianneg yng nghanolfan llynges California wedi creu dyfais newydd ar gyfer profi cynhwysedd cario llwyth y bolardiau, a ddefnyddir i angori llongau mawr yn y porthladd ac sy'n gorfod gwrthsefyll cannoedd o dunelli o bwysau.
Mae Llynges yr UD yn cynnal miloedd o bolardiau ledled y byd. Er mwyn eu profi, mae'r ddyfais newydd, siâp hirsgwar ac wedi'i gwneud yn bennaf o diwbiau dur sgwâr, wedi'i gosod o amgylch y bolard. Mae ei haenau addasadwy ynghlwm wrth y lanfa.
Rhoddir cebl o amgylch y bolard. Mae croes-aelodau addasadwy a phinnau clo yn gosod y cebl ar onglau amrywiol. Mae braich hydrolig neu winsh (tensioner) yn cael ei actifadu gan y gweithredwr prawf i dynnu'r cebl, gan roi grym i'r bolard ar fesuriadau dymunol.
For their work, U.S. Patent 11,215,541, titled In-situ Bollard Tester, was assigned to the U.S. Navy on January 4, 2022. It is the first patent assigned to the Navy this year, which typically receives over 250 patents per year, and makes them available for commercialization by private companies through technology transfer agreements.
Daw'r peirianwyr a adeiladodd y ddyfais o Reoliad Peirianneg Cyfleusterau'r Llynges ym Mhort Hueneme. Y rhain yw Gerritt Lang, Elaina Ryan, Juan Carrillo, Ricardo Contreras, Zachary Harwood, a Benjamin Hulbert.
Yn ôl eu cais am batent:
"In-situ tests are the preferred method in determining whether bollards and other mooring hardware are performing at their design capacity. There is, however, no accepted standard testing device and procedure. If a bollard is degraded, a ship's mooring line may break the bollard, resulting in damage to the ship and creating a dangerous situation.
"Past bollard test procedures have included the use of tugboats, which is dangerous and not representative of vertical mooring line angles that may cause uplift on the bollards. In this regard, there is a need for improvement to develop a safe device and procedure for testing bollards in-situ."
Interested in using this device? It's not yet available or for sale, but the newly issued 20-year utility patent can now be licensed by the Navy to private companies who can then commercialize it.
TechLink, the U.S. Navy's national partnership intermediary for technology transfer, guides companies through the licensing process. To learn more tap the contact button below.
