Raparthi Rama Anil Kumar

4/4 B.E N.A.M.E

Regd. No: 312106918025

Assignment-1

Side Launching
Launching is the process of transferring a vessel to the water, making it water
borne. The launching of a vessel is a critical event in the building process and,
configuration of design and selection of materials for suitability and strength,
and the control of and making use of the natural forces of gravity, buoyancy,
water resistance and friction is, in essence, the art of ship launching.

Side Launching:

o Side launching is often used where the width of water available is considerably restricted. This is done where the limitations of the water channel
would not allow lengthwise launching, but occupies a much greater length of
shore.
o There are three common methods of sideways launching:
1. The ship slides down ways which are built well down under the water.
2. The ship tips or drops off the end of the ways into the water,
sometimes tipping a part of the ways too.
3. The ship is built on piles which are made to collapse by a sideways
push to allow the ship to fall in water.

o Essentially, side launching is of the second method.

Side Launch Equipment

1. Side Launch Cradle

o The side launch cradle
transmits the weight of
the vessel onto the
launching grease and
consists of transverse
sleds or longitudinally
disposed sliding ways
(or butter-boards), wedges, wedge riders, packing and necessary hardware
fittings.

o Sliding ways or butter-boards are placed

parallel to the keel and perpendicular to the
ground ways on which they rest.
o Launching sled tops have wedges, wedge
riders and blocking to support the vessel.
2. Ground Ways
o Ground ways support the cradle which
supports the vessel to be launched.
o Ground ways for side launching are of side launch tilting ground ways and
side launch rocker ground ways types.
o Titling ways are a variation of conventional ground ways where the outshore
way ends are above water.
o Rocker or pivoting ground ways have a trunnion at its mid-length, about
which the ways and the vessel rotate.
Vessel Movement
o Sliding:
Linear translation of the vessel parallel to and down the ground ways from
release to start of tipping about the ground way ends.
o Tipping:
Start of tipping until the hull first touches the water.
o Tipping and Immersion:
From when the hull touches the water until the end of tipping
o Dropping:
Bodily dropping after sleds leave the way ends and tipping ceases. Heaving,
rolling and translation till the vessel's motion ceases.
Advantages and Disadvantages
o Advantages include the absence of keel declivity, the relatively simple cradle
and short ground ways which do not extend into the water.
o However it means that a large area of waterfront is taken up by a single
building berth, and the ship is only reasonably accessible from one side during
construction.
o Where the ground ways are not extended into the water, the ship takes to the
water violently and may roll heavily on entry, the ship may roll thirty degrees
or more. Too large angles of roll causes the risk of capsizing or hitting the quay.
Stability at large angles and water tightness are therefore important
considerations.
o Also, waves may cause damage on adjacent shores.