The role of rubber fenders part 2

A rubber fender is a shock absorber installed on a quay to absorb the mooring energy of the vessel to be moored.The energy of berthing. As the various types of rubber fenders are manufactured to suit the application, it is necessary to select and design fenders according to the type of boat and type of berth.

As the various types of rubber fenders are made to suit the application, it is necessary to select and design the right fender for the type of boat and type of berth.

With increase in the size of vessels, the requirements for rubber fenders have diversified; furthermore, it has become necessary to increase the area contacting the vessel hull to reduce the contact pressure, taking into account the hullstrength. To this end, a configuration in which a fender panel is fixed to the front of a rubber fender is widely used.

In particular, fender panels are attached to most marine rubber fenders for large vessels. Rubber fenders without fender panels are primarily used for medium- or small-sized vessels for which the hull pressure is not a design issue. Thus, a rubber fender that satisfies the given requirements can be selected. The fender performance can also be adjusted by changing the rubber material, that is, by using materials with a different performance grade or rubber grade.

Fenders also play a crucial role in mooring. A situation in which a ship is moored on a quay is shown in Fig. .

In this case, the fender acts when the vessel approaches the quay, whereas the tension of the mooring ropes is the acting force when the vessel moves farther.