Laminated pier bumper

Abstract

Abstract The disclosure relates to a pier bumper assembly intended particularly for marine application, for protecting dock pilings and dolphins from impact and chafing by contact with ships and barges. The bumper assembly is vertically oriented, and is secured over an exposed face of a marine piling. The pier bumper, which may have a substantial vertical height (e.g., 16 feet would not be unusual) is comprised of a vertically laminated stack of elastic plates, which are held under substantial compression by rods extending vertically through the stack. Along one side, the elastic plates are of deeply concave contour, to receive and partly embrace the generally cylindrical contours of the marine piling. A generally flat front face forms the impact surface. At two or more locations along the overall vertical length of the bumper assembly, one or more of the plates are recessed and curved, to form a retaining groove. Cables received in the retaining grooves serve to secure the bumpers to the marine piling. Typically, the dock bumpers of the invention may be utilized in conjunction with a plurality of side-by-side marine pilings, providing cooperative interaction between adjacent bumper assemblies.

Inventors

• 👤 Bert E. Watson

Bibliographic Details