How it works? | boat lift

Ship lift - a kind of elevator for ships, an alternative shipping locks, which we described in the previous issue. The first experimental ship lift for raising and lowering the boat was designed by James Fyussellom in 1796 and began to be erected as part of the Dorset and Somerset Canal in England. However, this project was never completed. Later, this same scheme has been implemented in the framework of the Great Western Canal in the UK and was put into operation in 1835. Currently, there are about 50 active boat lifts in the world, one of which is located in our country - in Krasnoyarsk. What are boat lifts and how they work - about it in today's issue!

The most popular are the boat lifts in which the ship moves afloat - filled with water in a special movable chamber. Ship swims in the camera, and she locked watertight closures. Thereafter, depending on the type of ship lift camera moves on an inclined, vertical or altogether using a rotating wheel. At the same time, together with the ship and we have to raise a huge amount of water in the chamber. However, according to the law of Archimedes vessel chamber weight equal to the weight of the displaced water to them. Consequently, the weight of the camera is always the same. This allows you to accurately select the counterweights to work on the movement of ships was to work against the forces of friction.

We consider the principle of the inclined Lifts on the example of Krasnoyarsk HPP. Russian lift is a platform, which is moved by the electric drive train along the track and with the toothing gauge 9 meters. Traction to move the camera are created using 156 piston sudomotorov power up to 75 kilowatts. Each of the track rails supported on a separate rack. For loading the ship lift platform is lowered below water level and the tug boat starts in the chamber. When all the preparatory work completed, sudovoz slowly begins to climb the mountain. The speed of movement of the lift is 20 meters per minute. At the top of swivel device is arranged, which is intended for ship-transfer chamber from one channel to another, or to the repair site. Turning in the right direction, the ship sudovoz releases from the chamber, and he continues his voyage.

No less interesting is the device of vertical ship lift. As the name suggests, ships it to move vertically up and down like a conventional elevator. When this water chamber hanging on ropes and counterweight are balanced or are driven on the principle of the hydraulic press.

But the most unusual rotating boat lifts, working on the principle of the Ferris wheel. Court to move them in the two chambers, suspended to a large wheel that rotates on its axis. At the moment, the world's only rotating sudopodomnikom is the Falkirk Wheel in Scotland. The height difference between two channels of which it connects, is 24 meters. In operation, the wheel raises and lowers the two containers filled with water, with capacity of 300 tons each.