Scheuerle Fahrzeugfabrik GmbH

Shore leave for 3100-tonne vessels

SCHEUERLE delivers transport system for submarines to LandCorp for the AMC project in Australia

AMC stands for Australian Marine Complex - one of the most modern dockyards in the world, located near the Western Australian city of Perth. This new facility has been designed for use as a repair and service centre for the submarine fleet and ships of the Australian navy. Underwater vessels weighing up to 3,100 tonnes have to be serviced here on a regular basis. At the same time, the technical equipment on board the ships must be continually upgraded in order to conform to the latest standards. For this work to be carried out, the submarines must be transported on shore. Not an easy undertaking in view of the enormous size of the more than 80-metre long vessels. An especially tricky challenge is transporting from the ship lift to the service and repair centre. Although the hulls are extremely stable underwater, they must be handled with the utmost care and attention when on land: no loads whatsoever may affect the vessel´s structure during transportation. For this challenging task, the naval authorities are relying on the expertise of the Pfedelbach-based special vehicle manufacturer, SCHEUERLE.

As elegantly and effortlessly a submarine moves in the water, the more immovable and fragile it is if lifted ashore. In a way, it almost resembles a stranded whale lying helplessly on dry land. What a whale and submarine do have in common - apart from size and weight - is the acute sensitivity of each when being moved on shore. In order to be able to transport the multi-million dollar submarines as carefully as possible from the water to its designated berth on land, AMC invested in a new dockyard. The main feature of the new facility is a floating dock which has an integrated ship lifting system. When a submarine is taken from the water, bearing supports are firstly arranged one behind the other on the platform of the ship lifting system in which the vessel will subsequently be positioned. After this procedure has been completed, the floating dock casts off and moves away from the quayside and heads for deeper waters. At this point, the buoyancy chambers are flooded until the floating dock is submerged so that the submarine can move onto the U-shaped platform and over the bearing supports. When the vessel is correctly positioned, the water is pumped out of the buoyancy chambers and filled again with air. The submarine is now slowly lifted out of the water. The floating dock then returns to the quayside.

This is when the SCHEUERLE transporter comes into its own – a self-propelled modular transporter from the SPMT series. The total of 24 vehicle units (18 six-axle, 3 four-axle and 3 triple-axle module transporters) are coupled one behind the other in a 6-file vehicle arrangement.

The Power Pack Unit (PPU) is then coupled to the last vehicle of each group. These accommodate the energy supply, a Daimler COM 502 LA diesel engine with a performance of up to 350 KW/476 hp. The three PPUs must mobilize a total of 1,050 KW/1,428 hp in order to set the 3,200-tonne colossus in motion. The diesel engines drive the hydraulic pumps which produce the oil for the drive, steering along with the lifting and lowering of the vehicle platform.

Hercules on 516 wheels
The modular transporter now drives in three rows under the bearing supports on which the submarine rests. One transporter row drives into the middle tunnel while the other two rows are positioned on the left and right under the cantilever arms in each case. The three transporter rows are now coupled electronically with one another and synchronized by means of a data link. All instructions sent to the transport system now take place via a single cable or radio remote control which is operated by specially-trained personnel. The order to raise the vessel is given by the push of a button and the diesel engines of the three Power Pack Units are started simultaneously on full load. Hydraulic pumps begin to supply a total of 258 hydraulic cylinders with oil which is fed through a series of pipe and hose lines which are mounted in the pendulum axles. Slowly, as if guided by a ghost´s hand, the bearing supports are lifted off the ground. A load of over 3,200 tonnes now rests on the SCHEUERLE heavy load modular transporters.

The lifting procedure is controlled via allocation boxes which monitor and regulate the lifting and lowering function. If unexpected pressure loss should develop in one of the cylinders which could lead to an unintentional lowering of the vessel, a special pipe-break protection is actuated. This ensures that the oil circulation system concerned is sealed off in a fraction of a second and the platform is kept level.

The lifting procedure ends when the bearing supports have been lifted high enough off the ground so that problem-free driving around the dockyard area is possible. The remaining displaced volume of the hydraulic cylinder is reserved for axle compensation use. With this, the vehicle group can adjust accordingly to any ground surface irregularities.

Sensitive but extremely strong
The hydrostatic drive is the best solution for operations of this kind. In each heavy load module, around a third of the pendulum axles are powered. In order to activate the drive, the operator moves the joystick forwards by applying a minimum of finger pressure - the order for the Power Pack Units to begin supplying oil to the hydraulic motors in the drive pendulum axles. Without any jerking motion whatsoever, the entire vehicle group now starts moving. The vessel starts out on another journey, but this time on land. Giving the impression of almost floating over the ground, the gigantic hull moves from the ship lifting facility onto the dockyard area supported on 516 solid rubber-tyred wheels.

The drive can be very finely apportioned so that highly precise movements can be carried out which is particularly important when positioning the load at its place of destination. In so doing, all functions are controlled electronically as well as being synchronized. The main computer informs each vehicle what function has to be carried out, thus controlling all driving movements from first to the last axle.

With 3.100 tons round the corner
Steering the vehicle group also takes place hydraulically. Each of the individual pendulum axles has a steering angle of +130° and -100°. The electronic control
system, specially developed by SCHEUERLE, is also main element regarding the default settings and control of all steering movements. Each wheel set must adopt its correct steering angle in order to be able to execute one of the driving programs pre-selected by the vehicle operator. Even with a simple cornering manoeuvre, the on-board computers are required to assign the calculated steering angle to each of the 258 pendulum axle wheel sets as well as remaining fully in control of these at all times. As the steering movements are constantly changed, the calculation and control processes are carried out within milliseconds. Specified steering modes such as diagonal drive by which the transport group is driven transversally to the longitudinal axis, greatly help and support the vehicle operator to also move a huge 3,100-tonne and over 80-metre long submarine around the dockyard.  Transversal and carousel drives supplement the range of manoeuvrability and flexibility. With regard to the latter, the submarine can even turn on its own axis.

SPMT – the perfect solution for challenging assignments
SPMT modular transporters from SCHEUERLE are the ideal solution for dealing with challenging transportation tasks which have to be carried out with a very high degree of reliability. Regardless whether it is submarine transportation in Australia, industrial plants in Alaska or historical church buildings in Europe: in thousands of operations, these vehicles have proved their capability and reliability time and time again. ”Our SPMTs have already transported submarines and ships in many shipyards in Europe. The fact that this technology could be used also for the Collins Class submarines of the Australian Navy was the message we took with us to the negotiation table in Australia", said Andreas Kohler, Deputy Managing Director at SCHEUERLE. ”Apart from the actual transportation task itself, the climatic conditions provided a particular challenge for us as the vehicles are used exclusively in a coastal environment and constantly come into direct contact with salt water. Therefore, in addition to our high-quality production processes, we use only the most suitable materials and components which ensure long-lasting and problem-free operations in the Australian Marine Complex."

Scheuerle – expertise in submarine transportation
Submarines have been transported using heavy load vehicles from SCHEUERLE for many years now. A rich source of experience provided the inspiration during the development of the transport system for use at the Australian Marine Complex.

Photos:
Photo 1 - For transporting submarines weighing up to 3,100 tonnes, SCHEUERLE supplied the AMC Australian Marine Complex a transport combination taken from the SPMT series.

Photo 2 - 18 six-axle, 3 four-axle, 3 triple-axle and three Power Pack Units form the transportation combination, which can be combined depending upon the particular size and weight of a ship or submarine.
 
Photo 3 - The entire transportation combination is controlled by means of a cable remote control All functions such as a lifting, lowering, moving forwards and reversing, steering and braking are determined by the push of a button.
 
Photo 4 - Uneven surfaces are eliminated through the axle compensation cylinders. This means that transport-related, mechanical loads affecting the valuable freight are prevented.

Photo 5 - Hydraulic cylinders lock the coupling between two vehicle units. Additional bolted connections ensure an effective frictional connection between the individual modules.
 
Photo 6 - Each individual vehicle module is critically inspected and tested. In addition, the functional capability of the complete vehicle technology is thoroughly checked using excessive test loads.

More Information:   
SCHEUERLE Fahrzeugfabrik GmbH                     
Öhringer Str. 16   
74629 Pfedelbach   
Germany
Tel.     ++49 (0)7941/691-0   
Mobil     ++49 (0)171 / 8730916    
info@scheuerle.com   
www.scheuerle.com

Press Office:
Yource GmbH - Lothar Riesenegger
Magirusstraße 33
89077 Ulm
Germany
Tel.    ++49 (0)731 / 9628782
Mobil    ++49 (0)171 / 8730916
lothar.riesenegger@yource.de
www.yource.de

SCHEUERLE Fahrzeugfabrik GmbH:
Transporters from SCHEUERLE are recognised across the world for their advanced technology and special product quality. Reliability in daily use, high load capacity and a long service life make the vehicles a very important component of modern logistical operations. The history of vehicle technology for heavy transport vehicles is closely connected with the name of SCHEUERLE and the company has a well-earned reputation of linking tradition and innovation. Together with KAMAG Transporttechnik in Ulm and NICOLAS Industries in Champs-sur-Yonne, France, SCHEUERLE belongs to the group of companies owned by the Heilbronn industrialist, Otto Rettenmaier. Within the group, the "TII – Transporter Industry International" heavy-load division is global market leader.