- Transportation Find out what NIST is currently working on in Transportation.
Jack Pevenstein
Technology Partnership Office
301-975-5519
nisttech@nist.gov
100 Bureau Drive, M/S 2200
Gaithersburg, MD, 20899
A cabled platform suspension system includes a platform having first and second support points at spaced locations along a front work-access edge of the platform and a third, stabilizing/rotator support point. A platform support structure, such as the two or four towers of a dry dock, defines first, second, third and fourth platform suspension points arranged in a substantially rectangular pattern. Six cables are connected between the platform and support structure, with five cables being respectively connected between the first and fourth suspension points and the first and second platform support points, two cables being respectively connected between the second and third suspension points and the first and second platform support points and two cables being respectively connected between the second and third suspension points and the third platform support point.
The invention describes a crane concept to facilitate the transfer of containerized cargo between two ships at sea. The invention uses a macro/micro design under which a serial set of independently controlled manipulators move a load from a base ship to a target ship. The manipulator mounts on a ship which is moved by the actions of sea and wind. The macro-manipulator is a modified container crane. The modifications compensate for large motions of the base ship. The micro-manipulator moves the load and compensates for the motions of the receiving ship and the unscheduled motions of the base ship remaining after the macro-manipulator compensation.