Introduction

Throughout the history of our country, the river system has played a vital role in the shaping of our economy and the national identity. The river system is as vital to our nation as the highway system but unlike the highway system, the commerce that is conducted on the inland waterways goes largely unnoticed by the majority of Americans. As a result, the problems and angers faced by the men and women who work on our waterways are also unnoticed.

The purpose of our project is to produce a device that will allow for commercial carriers to take advantage of new technology in navigation, composites and materials to enhance safety, increase profitability and help operators become better at their job of piloting a tow.

Barge traffic on the inland waterways is critical to our national economy. Over $1 billion in products are moved using barges annually and anything that can be considered a bulk material can be transported by barge. From coal to steel to grain to fuel, it can all be transported in the most cost effective manner by barge.

This presents several logistical issues. The first is the problem of empty barges. A barge that is empty is not earning money for its owner but barges cannot always make trips loaded both ways. This presents a variety of issues that our device sets out to solve. The first predicament is that it costs money to transport an empty barge back to a terminal for loading. If this could be done in a more rapid manner, say by making it more maneuverable by reducing the turning radius, it would necessarily increase the profitability of the barge. The second complication is that of the stability of an empty barge. Since an empty Barge rides very high in the water, it is more susceptible to the force of winds than a loaded barge would be. The last dilemma our device is intended to solve is that of preventing damage to barges by underwater obstacles through the use of forward looking navigation aids or sonar.

Courtesy of Towboat Joe's Detailing Site #2

The device designed by our team is a technologically enhanced centerboard that will provide lateral stability in high winds, reduce the turning radius of a barge to promote greater handling capabilities, and a means of ‘looking’ under the water out in front of a tow to see and react to any obstacles in the water. The innovative carbon fiber was chosen as material of choice due to its weight saving characteristics as well as its high strength. To get a sense of the practicality of the device, we collected background information on the history of commerce on the river system, towboats and navigation with special attention to sonar, accidents involving barges, barges and how they are made, the ports and terminals that barges serve and emerging technology in carbon fiber and its practical application in a marine environment as a construction material for our centerboard.

Image used with the permission of David F.