Pneumatic Rubber Air Lifting Bag For Ship Launching

 What were the first uses of airbags in the launching of ships?

The history of marine airbag ship launching dates back to 1981. Xiao Qinghe ship repair and building shipyard, located in Jinan city of Shangdong Province, launched a 60 DWT tank barge with airbag suspension on January 20, 1981. Seven airbags were deployed in that project. One was 2 meters in diameter and 6 meters long and used for elevating. The remaining six airbags were 0.8 meters x 6 meters long and acted as the rollers. The first intention of that trial launch was to develop a prompt, less landform limited ship launching method for warfare purposes.

How has the technology advanced since then?

Over the past twenty years, the airbag ship launching system has made advancements in not only the airbag, but also the ship launching/landing technology. The first generation airbags used a rubber dipped canvas as a reinforcement layer to form the air chamber trunk. Two cone-shaped molds were then used to make the ends and everything was stuck together.

With today’s airbags, the whole-enlacing-technology used for manufacturing is done together. Rubber dipped synthetic-tyre-cords are used as the reinforcement layers with the trunk and two cone-shaped ends made at the same time. Everything is then-laced together, so the airbag doesn’t have any joints. Due to the development of rubber chemistry, the performance of the rubber employed in the latest airbags is highly enhanced and about 15 times that of the first generation bag with the same specifications.

The launching and landing technology has also developed. In the beginning, only small and flat bottom ships located on a fabricated slope could be launched with airbags. Now this technology is more flexible and less limited by the ship and landform. Now any type of ship with a DWT below 55,000 and in a place with enough launching space can be launched using airbags. The launching slope even can be sloped upward. It has really developed into a cutting edge technology for launching ships, and especially useful for some marine emergencies.

They look very similar to Yokohama Fenders, how do they differ?

The main use of Yokohama fenders and Henger marine airbags are definitely different. It is well known that Yokohoma fenders offer an effective fender system providing a soft and stable berthing condition to ships. Henger marine airbags are widely used for ship launching, landing, heavy transport and air lifting. Due to the special use, structures of Henger marine airbags are optimized for safety and built for heavy duty use. The surface layers are enhanced for anti-abrasion and are pierce resistant. Even if they are somewhat wounded, Henger marine airbags can still work safely until repaired. The length of airbags are usually more than 10 meters and two cone-shaped ends make them look like huge sausages. Also, Henger marine airbags never use tires and shackles.

What are the advantageous to using this system over traditional ship launching techniques?

An marine airbag ship launching system does not need the traditional fabricated slipway so it saves time, investment, land, etc. Marine airbag need no extra maintenance and after use they can be cleaned and folded in the corner to wait for another mission. It is easy to find that airbags’ elasticity can give more protection to the launched ship. A remarkable character of airbags is that the working height can be changed to redirect the ship or object being launched by adjusting the inner air pressure. For this character it is peerless compared to traditional ship launching techniques.

So what are the other uses for this system?

Henger marine airbag are not only used for ships, floating docks and caisson launching but they are also cutting edge for ship landing, heavy transport, marine salvage, etc. It is a versatile tool for many marine applications.

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