A ship lift is a device of crossing of uneven for Bateau X, making it possible a boat to quickly cross great differences in level between two water levels (two levels).

Generally in a ship lift, the boat is raised or lowered in a vat filled with water. The first advantage compared to a lock is to be able to cross greater differences in level. The second advantage is a negligible water consumption. The disadvantage lies in the technical difficulty of implementation, like in the cost of construction and exploitation of such a work. Transportable tonnages are also limited being given the enormous masses put moving. The two sides of the vat, as well as the two ends of the channel, are closed during the jacking maneuvers, and are open only for the passage of the boats.

Types of ship lifts

Among the ship lifts, four types can be distingués :

• the vertical ship lift by which one or more vats are vertically moved level of water to the other. Several technical devices exist to allow such a mouvement :

• the funicular elevator: the vat is maintained by cables, and its weight is compensated by a counterweight (e.g.: ship lift of Niederfinow or double Ship lift of Scharnebeck)   ;
• the float elevator: the vat is assembled on a column inserted in a well. This column is floating, and the water addition in this well makes it possible to make mount the vat (ex : Ship lifts of Henrichenburg or ship lift of Rothensee). This type of elevator can include/understand one vat.
• the elevator out of hydraulic balance: the two vats, functioning in parallel, are animated by a hydraulic system, the weight of the two vats compensating for (ex : Ship lifts of the Channel of the Belgian Center or ship lift of Anderton, in England).

• the tilted Plane which allows the transport of a ship in a vat on a slope arranged for this purpose, generally on railway. As for the vertical elevators, the counterweight can be traditional (ex : Plane tilted of Saint-Louis-Arzviller) or consisted another vat. The vat can be transported (ex  axially;: Plane tilted of Ronquières, in Belgium or Plane tilted of Krasnoïarsk, in Russia) or of through (ex: Saint-Louis-Arzviller). Transport can also be operated dry (without vat), also on railway (ex: Plane tilted of the channel of Elbląg in Poland, Ber rolling of Big Falls to the Canada), sometimes called railroad for boats (in  : Navy railway , of  : Schiffseisenbahn ). A close technology, the diagonal lock, awaits a first concrete realization.

• the " slope of eau" : The Channel of the South and the Canal of the Garonne include/understand each one an original work of a principle close to that of the inclined plan, the slopes of water , of which the slopes of water of Montech and Fonséranes.

• the rotary ship lift , in which the vats are moved to the top or bottom while turning around a metal axis like a wheel of fun fair (ex : Wheel of Falkirk or " Millenium Link" in Scotland).

• the elevator with box , in which the boat is placed in a tight box, then put in a water column of a diameter higher than the size of the box. According to the ballasting of the box, this one will go up or go down in this column. Once arrived, the box is recovered and opened, and the boat can leave it towards the channel. The Elevator with box of the channel with coal of Somersetshire close to Bath, England, will function in 1798 and 1799. It was finished, but it will not exceed the testing stage and will be replaced by a tilted plan then by locks.

Principles of operation

The Poids of a full vat is practically constant, that this one is occupied by a boat or not, since a boat precisely moves its weight net out of water (Archimedes' principle). Consequently, the counterweight and/or the force of rise in the vats can be adjusted precisely, so that the power of drive compared to the moved weight is very low. Thus, for example, to actuate a vat of the Ship lift of Scharnebeck, close to Lunebourg (of: Lüneburg) requires only one total of four electrical motors of 160 kw, to raise the vat weighing approximately 5.800 tons.

Certain ship lifts, whose Ship lifts of the Channel of the Belgian Center, can be operations without almost of additional power. It is simply enough to fill a little more the vat to be gone down that the other vat (or the counterweight), so that its weight is slightly higher and starts its descent while the other, simultaneously, goes up. On the channel of the Belgian Center, only one person is necessary to actuate an elevator, simply in load of pipings which will make it possible to add or to withdraw water with the one of the vats.

Locks

The principle of the lock is very wrongly allotted to Léonard de Vinci. In fact, the studies show that this type of work appeared gradually and well before its birth, towards the end of the Middle Ages, by bringing closer two Pertuis with boats to make them frame a basin (which will become the hopper) on variable level. Intermediate works of this type, named " Basin with marine doors " or " Paléo-lock " are still quite visible today on Thouet, downstream from Montreuil-Bellay, and Lawe, in Gorgue, in North. A lock " moderne" generally consists of a basin, generally rectangular in plan, closed by a door with each one of its ends. Space between these two doors thus determines a volume of flexible water, which one can bring to the level of one or the other of the two levels separated by the work. It is what one technically calls a lock doubles (because two doors: one upstream and the other downstream). This type of work exists per thousands, and is the simplest means to make pass from the boats of one level to the other of a channel or a river made navigable. In certain circumstances of other types of locks can be envisagées  ;

• the long lock  : it is about a double lock, but whose distance between the two doors allows the passage of a ship without stopping whereas the water level between those goes up or goes down towards the lower or higher level.
• the single lock  : it is about a simple door which is open only when the two with dimensions ones of this one undergo the same height of water. This device is in particular used in the seaports, sensitive to the tides. One of most important is located on the Canal of Kiel.

One calls also " lock simple" the ancestor of the namely, lock the Pertuis with boats or " carry marinière" , brutal and antiquated system of crossing of the stoppings of the mills, on the rivers. The terminology is very ambiguous with regard to the concepts d'" lock simple" and " lock double".

• the staircase of water or multiple lock  : the principle is the same one as that of the double lock, but each hopper opens directly on another hopper, and so on. For each hopper added, only a door must be added, which reduces handling, the expenses of masonry and frame, and makes it possible to cross important unevennesses on a short distance. The ancestor of all the multiple locks is the sevenfold lock of Rogny-the-Seven-Locks (1609), on the channel of Briare, and which made it possible this one to cross uneven of 24 Mr. the Escalier of water of Fonséranes on the Canal of the South or that of Bingley in England function on this principle.
• the blue Wave  : on certain channels and rivers, it would be possible to make pass from the boats of one level to the other, towards the downstream or the upstream, while opening doors, judiciously spaced and of weak fall, a way coordinated with the passage of the boats, which would go without stopping and in a progressive way from one level to another by guaranteeing the height of water in the channel. Its patent was deposited by engineer Jean-Marc Deplaix. ( external bonds : ,)

History and performances

The principle of the tilted plan was quickly imagined to make it possible to avoid long turnings. One of the first devices created was it on the site of current the Canal of Corinth in Greece, where as of the 6th century before the Christian era, a paved way allowed the passage of boats per bearing or on cart. Similar devices also very early existed in China.

With the Netherlands and in Flandres, similar installations were developed, known under the name of Overtoom (in the Netherlands) or Overdracht (in Flandres). The boats were tractor drawn on light slopes where they progressed on logs or the lubricated ground. Overtoom is in addition the name of an important street of Amsterdam where one of these devices was.

The first ship lift of the world was built of 1788 with 1789 close to Halsbrücke on the river Mulde, in the north of Freiberg in Saxony, Germany. Four men could actuate the device of the Poulie S allowing to raise 3 tons with 8 meters.

Astonishing the Ascenseur with box of the channel with coal of Somersetshire was tried out fine 18th century, but ever exploited.

The first device using a vat, making it possible not to leave the boat water, goes back to 1875. It is about the Ship lift of Anderton in England. It has just been rehabilitated.

The largest ship lift of the world is the funicular Ascenseur of Strépy-Thieu in Belgium, which was inaugurated in 2002. The uneven one between the two water levels is of 73,15 meters, with two vats of 8.000 tons functioning independently one of the other. They are hung by wire ropes. A more imposing work still is in construction in China on the Barrage of the Three Throats. The Ship lift of the stopping of the Three Throats will allow the transport of boats on uneven of 150 meters. The vats will be 120 meters long on 18 meters broad. Filled, they will weigh 11.800 tons. Ships of 3.000 tons should be able to be transported.

Important devices could in addition be deployed if the project of the Canal of Congo were carried out.

See too

Internal bonds

List of the ship lifts

External bonds

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