It would seem that we can talk about the anchor? The simplest, at first glance, design. But he plays a huge role in the life of the ship. The main task of the anchor is to reliably tie the ship to the ground, wherever it is: in the open sea or near the coast. A motor boat or a yacht, a cruise liner or a multi-ton tanker - safe movement in the open sea for any ship depends on the reliability of the anchors.
Anchor structures have been modified for hundreds of years. Reliability, ease of use, weight - each parameter was tested in practice by the sea itself, counting nautical miles. Most anchors have common names: Admiralty, ice, plow, cats. But there are anchors named after their creators. Among the inventors of reliable designs are the names: Hall and Sailors, Danfort, Bruce, Byers, Boldt.
"Anchor chains ring in the port ...", or the ship's role of the anchor
An anchor must ensure the safe parking of a vessel, ship , boat or yacht in the roads and on the high seas. In addition, the anchor plays a huge role in solving other tasks:
- It limits the mobility of the vessel during mooring to another vessel or berth under adverse weather conditions, strong currents, and loading operations.
- Allows you to make a safe turn in a limited space (for example, in a narrow harbor).
- It can quickly suppress inertia and stop the ship when a collision is threatened.
- Helps to get the ship aground by crew.
Parts of the anchor structure (chains, closures) are sometimes used when towing.
Situations when the anchor is used can be conditionally divided into two groups.
The first group is for emergency use: in situations where the anchor must hold the ship at the maximum value of wind and sea waves.
The second group is for everyday use: for a short stop in good weather
Anchor structure
The bow of the ship is the place where the anchor device is located. An additional anchor structure is installed at the stern of large vessels, icebreakers and tugboats. Such a design includes the anchor itself, the anchor chain or rope, the chain box, the device with which anchor chains are attached to the hull of the ship, the clutch, the stopper, as well as the spire and windlass, with which they give and raise the anchor.
And what does the anchor itself consist of, in the steel paws of which are the safety of the vessel, crew and passengers on board?
An anchor is a special design (welded, cast or forged) that sinks to the bottom and holds the vessel with an anchor chain or rope. It consists of several elements:
Spindle (longitudinal shaft) with an anchor bracket in the upper part - with this bracket, the anchor is attached to the chain;
Paws and horns that are attached to the spindle motionless or on a hinge.
For anchors with a rod, a transverse rod is installed in the upper part of the spindle, reinforcing the holding force.
Anchor structures: purpose, type
According to the designation, ship anchors are:
- Auxiliary : anchors, movers, woods, cats, ice. The role of auxiliary anchors is to help the anchors in certain situations: when boarding and disembarking passengers, loading and unloading, to take the ship aground, to keep the vessel at the edge of the ice field.
- Deadlifts : there should be 3 of them on each ship (2 in the locks, 1 on the deck).
According to the method of soil collection are divided into two groups.
One group includes anchors that take soil (i.e., bury it) with one paw. First of all, the admiralty anchor is referred here.
In another group are combined anchors that take the soil in two paws: the anchors of Hall, Byers, Boldt, Gruzon-Hein, Matrosov.
Dead anchors must meet the following criteria:
- strength;
- quick return;
- good soil sampling;
- easy separation from the ground when lifting;
- Convenient fasteners in the "marching" position.
One of the most important criteria is the large holding force, that is, the maximum force, measured in kilograms, under the influence of which the anchor does not come out of the ground and can keep the vessel “on a leash”.
Anchor "Admiral"
The Admiralty anchor can rightfully be considered a veteran among ship anchors. This is almost the only representative of designs having a stock. Despite the fact that he was replaced by more modern and reliable models, he still fulfills his ship role in the navy. This is due to the versatility of the design.
The structure of the Admiralty anchor, tested over centuries, is laconic: motionless legs and horns are cast or forged together with a spindle and form a single whole with it, without additional mechanical elements. The stem is wooden or metal. Its task is to help the rapid collection of soil and the correct orientation of the anchor clinging to the bottom.
The design itself folds compactly: the stem is laid along the spindle, and in modern models the legs can also be folded. This simplifies the storage and transportation of anchors during a sea voyage.
The advantages include a large holding force (its coefficient is 10-12), which is higher than that of many "brothers" with the same weight.
"Admiral" is able to cope with any soil: he is not afraid of any large stones, among which his "colleagues" are often stuck, neither the insidious compliance of silt, nor the thickness of underwater algae.
The disadvantages of the naval old-timers are cumbersome and voluminous, time-consuming to handle - this leads to the fact that it is troublesome to attach to the stowed position and can not be quickly given away. An anchor is forged from iron with strict requirements to the quality of the material and workmanship - this leads to its high cost.
The stock often fails: the iron bends, and the wooden is damaged by mollusks, it is fragile and short-lived.
When immersed in the ground, one paw sticks out, posing a threat to ships in shallow water, and the anchor chain can catch and become entangled in the horn protruding above the ground.
Hall Anchor
In 1988, the Englishman Hall patented an anchor named after him. This anchor is also considered a naval veteran, only rodless. The design consists of a spindle and two paws, molded together with the box.
Paws in this design are unusual: they have a flat shape, swing and can rotate on the axis.
The box and paws are weighted with tides with bulge-shaped bulges. Their task is to turn the paws, forcing them to go into the ground to a depth that can be 4 times the length of the paws themselves. This is especially important if the soil is weak and it is necessary to deepen deeply in order to achieve a solid foundation.
The indisputable advantages of the Hall anchor are considered to be a sufficiently large holding force, quick recoil (it can be given on the go, moreover, this method of recoil even helps to deepen the paws to the maximum) and convenient cleaning in the clue.
In shallow water, it is not dangerous for other vessels, since the paws lie flat on the ground, entanglement of the anchor chain or rope around the paws is excluded.
The disadvantages of the design include the unreliability of anchoring the anchor on a heterogeneous soil when a torque occurs or when standing on an open road when the wind direction changes or when there is a strong current, when the anchor begins to crawl jerkily. In this case, with a strong jerk, the anchor jumps out of the ground, and then deepens again thanks to the shovels that manage to warm up the hillock from the ground. This is due to the too large distance between the legs. In addition, the hinge box may jam when sand or small pebbles is collected into it.
When the anchors are pulled into the clue during harvesting, the paws can not always independently take the necessary position due to the not very successful location of the center of gravity.
Anchor Matrosova
This anchor is one of the most modern designs with increased holding power. Created by a Soviet engineer I.R. Matrosov in 1946, he absorbed the advantages and eliminated the disadvantages inherent in the legs of two types of anchors: with fixed legs (such as the Admiralty) and with swivel (Hall anchor).
The design of the anchor is as follows: spindle, paws, side stocks, anchor bracket.
In the Matrosov system, wide swivel legs are almost very close to the spindle and are so close to each other that during digging into the ground they begin to work like one big paw. The area of each of them is larger than in other anchor structures. Together with the paws, a rod with side tides is cast. The stem is displaced upward with respect to the axis of rotation of the spindle. Its task is to protect the anchor from tipping over and increase the holding force, plunging into the ground with its paws.
The advantages of the design are stability when dragging on the ground, a large holding force, even on soft sandy-silty soils and in stones, a relatively small weight and ease of retraction into the cluez during harvesting. When you turn the boat 360 360 holds steady.
The design has its drawbacks. On dense soil at the initial stage of deepening, the anchor is unstable. If the legs are twisted out of the ground, they do not re-enter the ground, and the anchor continues to crawl. The space between the legs of the spindle is so narrow that it is often clogged with soil - this does not allow the legs to freely deviate.
Production
Anchor Matrosova is available in two versions:
- welded (welded paw)
- full cast (cast paw)
The technical standard for the Matrosov anchor is GOST 8497-78. It is used for anchors that are used on surface ships, ships and inland watercraft.
Specifications and parameters are determined by weight (weight of the anchor)
Welded anchor
The Matrosov welded anchor is made from 5 to 35 kg in weight from stainless steel or from steel with anodized coating or with paint coating.
Anchors coated with paint require additional care (stripping from rust and painting), since the paint is quickly peeled off with soil. The anode coating is more resistant, but also subject to physical impact upon contact with the ground. The most resistant of welded structures are anchors welded from stainless steel.
Cast anchor
Cast anchors of Matrosov are made weighing from 25 to 1500 kg.
They are usually cast from cast iron and coated with anode spraying or paint.
The cast Matrosov anchor in the experimental version was successfully tested on offshore fishing vessels in operating conditions. Its advantages over the Hall anchor were indisputable.
Which is better?
Given the wide variety of ship anchors, it is impossible to unequivocally answer the question of which design is better.
However, numerous tests to determine the magnitude of the holding force on various types of soil showed that the Matrosov anchor is 4 times superior to the Admiralty and Hall with equal weight.
Anchor is effective for use on inland vessels, river vessels, boats and yachts. On ships of the navy , its use as an auxiliary is practiced.