INTERNATIONAL AND SPECIALIZED TRANSPORT
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OCTOBER 2013
THE KNOWLEDGE
43
mounted to the underside. This airbag
looks like an inner tube cut in half, the
bottom is open. The air pallet is connected
to an air compressor that fills up the airbag
and lifts the air pallet (with load) off the
ground. Since the bottom of the airbag
is open, air escapes from here. This is
exactly what it is intended to do. While the
air escapes it creates a tiny gap between
the airbag and the floor surface, forming
a continuous film of air. Effectively the
airbag, with its load, is now floating and
friction is at approximately 2 %. It is the
same principle as a hovercraft.
As with all other moving methods there
are a number of pros and cons. The biggest
advantage is that air pallets can freely
move in any direction. They are not bound
by path or track and final positioning of
the load becomes an easy task.
Disadvantages, however, are that
wherever the air pallet is moved to, the
compressor with all the hoses needs
to follow. No air pressure, means no
movement. Also, the air pallet only works
well on a perfectly smooth floor without
cavities or cracks. Unevenness in the floor
causes the air to escape from the airbag at
the lowest point in the floor and disturbs
the film of air, which means no more
movement. Air pallets are also unsuitable
for work on inclined floors, since the
Using air bag rollers to launch ships
requires careful attention in tying them back
A group of tank rollers on a steel guide track
airbags are not creating the air film at the
exact same moment. This means the load
could move (under the influence of the
incline) while one of the airbags is still in
contact with the floor. There is a realistic
risk of airbag damage in such cases.
Next month’s article will continue with
this theme and address more alternative
methods of moving and lifting.
■
NOTE:
Every effort is made to ensure the
accuracy of the contents of these articles. If
you find any mistakes, a brief notification and
explanation would be appreciated.
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