Bulbous bow, a sea-going vessel with such bow, and methods of its manufacture and installation

Abstract

The present invention concerns a bulbous bow for a sea-going vessel, said bow comprising a load-carrying inner structure mounted at the stem of the vessel and an outer shell structure defining the hydrodynamic properties of the bulbous bow, wherein said outer shell structure is provided with a sub-structure for replaceably mounting on the inner structure. The invention further concerns a seagoing vessel comprising such bulbous bow as well as a method of producing a bulbous bow and a method of mounting or replacing a bulbous bow.

Description

technical field [0001] The present invention relates to a marine vessel with a bulbous bow. Background technique [0002] The bulbous bow is used on seagoing vessels to enable a better hydrodynamic engagement with the water, reducing the overall drag of the vessel when sailing through said water. The bulbous bow design has been around for decades and is very widely used for optimally breaking water for larger vessels, reducing the overall drag of said vessel, allowing for smaller propulsion systems and thus lowering fuel consumption and approved solutions. [0003] A solution to collisions and other types of damage to the bulbous bow is disclosed in FR2822797A1 by designing the bulbous bow with an internal elastic mechanism to absorb any damage to the bow from the front of the bow and enabling the entire bulbous bow to Detach from the hull of the boat. The design is very simple and straightforward, but increases the cost of manufacturing rather than reducing it by making ...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

The bow is made in the traditional way, with double bent steel plates and substructure, making the design more expensive as it adds complexity

[0007] Bulbous bows are traditionally manufactured from metal that is cut and hammered into hyperboloids, a very difficult and expensive process

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