Mabey Uniflote System (United Kingdom), Tactical Floating Bridges and Ferries
Development
The Mabey Bridge Limited (previously Mabey & Johnson) Uniflote was conceived in the late 1950s as a flotation system based on unit construction principles, in which identical flotation units can be assembled together to form rafts of various load-carrying capacities, as well as pontoon bridges.The Uniflote has been supplied to numerous military forces for use as a floating bridge, ship-to-shore causeway, jetty and as vehicle and personnel rafts. It has also been widely used for civil purposes such as landing stages, roll-on roll-off terminals and temporary applications to carry land-based plant such as cranes, excavators and pile-driving equipment for marine works.
Description
The Mabey Uniflote was conceived as a flotation system based on unit construction principles, in which identical flotation units can be assembled together to form rafts of various load-carrying capacities, as well as pontoon bridges. All Uniflote equipment can be carried on standard military or commercial vehicles and if necessary can be skidded into the water. Assembly in the water is accomplished by a maximum of four personnel and the units are held together by locking pins inserted in the couplers.The standard Uniflote is 5.283 m long, 2.438 m wide and 1.219 m deep. It is a structural steel-framed unit of all-welded construction with 4 mm skin-plates welded to the frame. Two internal watertight bulkheads are incorporated to provide three watertight compartments, each with a watertight hatch. Individual compartments in the flotation units can be flooded or emptied by compressed air. Under a load of 9,000 kg, each Uniflote maintains a freeboard in the region of 230 mm. Couplers are placed so that Uniflotes can be joined end to end, side to side and end to side. Steel gunwales are provided along the side of the Uniflote and are drilled allowing sample saddles to be fitted. The couplers allow for the transmission of loads throughout a Uniflote raft. Concentrated loads can be applied to the gunwales through saddle attachments. Runners are attached to the bottom to assist in skidding operations on shore and four lifting shackles are fitted. The Uniflote is also available in a 1.828 m deep version.
| The complete article appears in the following publication: | |
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| Publication Title | Jane's Military Vehicles and Logistics |
| Publication date | Mar 25, 2011 |
| Section | Tactical floating bridges and ferries |
| Publication synopsis | Jane's Military Vehicles and Logistics will support your market research and assist you in appraising the world's military vehicles and logistic equipment. Details on developments, technical descriptions, main variants, specifications and current status will enable you to conduct independent comparisons and evaluations, while updated photographs will aid your recognition. In addition, Jane's Military Vehicles and Logistics also includes manufacturer details and authoritative country inventories to support your procurement and business development. |
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