Device for protecting or containing submerged surfaces, more particularly the hulls of vessels

Abstract

A device for the containment, protection and/or treatment of a submerged surface such as a ship hull, includes a flexible and impervious or non-impervious shell, including two portions, an emerged portion ( 1 ) and a submerged portion ( 2 ) having different features.

1 . Device for protecting an object floating or resting on an aquatic floor having at least one submerged surface ( 5 ), comprising a flexible shell suitable for wrapping around said submerged surface, wherein said flexible shell comprises a lower portion ( 2 ) which when the shell is set up so as to wrap around the submerged surface, is mainly submerged and wraps around the majority of the submerged surface ( 5 ) to protect, and an upper portion ( 1 ) which, when the shell is set up so as to wrap around the submerged surface, is partly emerged, the upper portion ( 1 ) of the shell having a surface area inferior to that of the lower portion ( 2 ), in that at least the respective external sides of the upper portion  1  and lower portion  2  of the shell are made of different materials. 
     
     
         2 . Device according to  claim 1 , wherein the upper portion ( 1 ) and the lower portion ( 2 ) are permanently assembled and affixed to each other. 
     
     
         3 . Device according to  claim 1 , wherein the upper portion ( 1 ) and the lower portion ( 2 ) are temporarily assembled. 
     
     
         4 . Device according to,  claim 1 , wherein the upper ( 1 ) and lower ( 2 ) portions of the shell are made of materials of different densities. 
     
     
         5 . Device according to  claim 1 , wherein at least the outer side of the upper portion ( 1 ) has features of ultraviolet (UV) radiation resistance superior to those of the lower portion ( 2 ). 
     
     
         6 . Device according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the upper portion ( 1 ) of the shell is made at least on its outer side of one of the following materials: PVC, polyurethane, hypalon, nylon,   the lower portion ( 2 ) of the envelope is mainly made of a polyolethylene film.   
     
     
         7 . Device according to  claim 1 , wherein the upper portion ( 1 ) of the shell consists of a plurality of layers of different materials, whether complexed or not to each other. 
     
     
         8 . Device according to  claim 7 , wherein the upper portion ( 1 ) of the shell comprises at least two layers, including a substrate and a outer coating film onto the substrate and having higher UV resistance than the substrate. 
     
     
         9 . Device according to  claim 1 , wherein the upper portion ( 1 ) of the shell comprises an inner layer placed on the side of the object to protect or included in a hem and is made of a material of specific gravity lower than 0.9. 
     
     
         10 . Device according to  claim 1 , wherein the lower portion of the shell has a specific gravity of less than 1. 
     
     
         11 . Device according to  claim 1 , wherein the lower portion of the shell has a weight of less than 0.5 g/m 2 . 
     
     
         12 . Device according to  claim 1 , wherein the lower portion of the shell consists of a plurality of layers of different materials, whether complexed or not to each other. 
     
     
         13 . Device according to  claim 11 , wherein the lower portion of the shell comprises at least one outer layer at least partly separable. 
     
     
         14 . Device according to  claim 1 , wherein the lower portion of the shell is made at least on its outer side opposite to the object to protect, in a treated material which is formulated to provide anti-adhering properties. 
     
     
         15 . Device according to  claim 1 , wherein the upper portion of the shell is provided with means for fastening it to the object to protect.