Marine airbag applications

The application of marine airbags in the field of ship engineering can be traced back to January 20, 1981. The successful launching of a ship using airbags marked the beginning of an innovative launching method. With technological advancements over the past four decades, the development of airbag technology has evolved to the use of impregnated cord fabric in a fully wrapped design. After more than 40 years of development, the load-bearing capacity of airbags has increased to 30 times that of the first generation.

Marine airbags are applied in the following areas:

1. Ship Launching Airbags

These provide launching and hauling operations for ships, featuring a cylindrical rubber body with conical ends. Ship launching airbags are not affected by environmental conditions and can support the launching of ships up to 100,000 DWT.

2. Marine Buoyancy Airbags 

Utilizing their lightweight structure, these airbags are widely used in shipwreck salvage, buoyancy assistance, heavy object flotation, and caisson launching. Typically, buoyancy airbags need to be used in conjunction with slings or nylon ropes.

3. Lifting Airbags 

The quality requirements for rubber airbags are the most stringent in this application, as they are used to lift and move massive objects, such as large caissons or sculptures, which have large contact surfaces and low reaction forces. Lifting airbags are the best choice for such tasks due to their cost-effectiveness.

How to Choose Airbags?

1. Length  

The effective length of the marine airbag should be no less than the maximum width of the ship.

2. Diameter  

The diameter of the airbag is determined by the height of the ship's keel blocks. If the keel block is 1 meter high, you should choose an airbag with a diameter of no less than 1.5 meters. If the keel block is 1.5 meters high, you should select an airbag with a diameter of 2.0 meters.

3. Layers   

Generally, airbags with 6 layers of thickness are sufficient for most engineering projects. However, in some specific cases, rubber airbags with 7 to 10 layers may be required.