Bottom Discharge Doors
VOSTA LMG’s bottom discharge doors are a box-shaped rigid welded steel construction. Almost all bottom doors are custom made design as all the trailing suction hopper dredgers have a different size and shape and more important a different height level above the bottom door.
Also the amount of hopper doors inside the hopper hold is of importance as depending on the type of soil, the discharge process is required to be quick and efficient.
- Being quick means the cargo has to be released fast in case of emergency.
- Being efficient means one needs to prevent "rest load" that stays inside the hopper.
Inside the hopper (on topside of the bottom discharge doors), the doors are equipped with wear-protection plates. Each door is moved by its own double-acting hydraulic cylinder and is equipped with level indicators. In a closed position, the bottom discharge doors are flush with the ship’s bottom.
