You may be familiar with fenders, but are you familiar with polyurethane foam fenders? In modern ports and ship transportation, collisions and impacts during berthing are inevitable. Polyurethane fenders are an upgraded version of the traditional fenders and can effectively avoid these problems.
What is polyurethane fender? What is its structure? What is its function? In the following content, HENGER will provide you with detailed answers to these questions to help you better understand polyurethane fenders.
Table of Contents
What is polyurethane foam fender?
Polyurethane fender, as the name suggests, is a kind of marine fender made of polyurethane as the main material. In addition to using polyurethane as the main material, it can also be used in combination with foam, with polyurethane as the outer skin material and foam filling inside. Its main function is to protect the structure of the ship/wharf/float etc. from damage due to impact. Foam has obvious advantages over traditional pneumatic fenders. Some of the more prominent features are lightweight design/stronger impact resistance as well as durability and maintenance free. This product is now the ideal choice for protection of ships, docks and harbors.
Structure of Polyurethane Foam Fenders
Polyurethane fenders have a simple design structure, which is why they are easy to maintain. There are three main parts to the design structure, and each part plays a key role:
Foam Core: This part uses closed-cell polyurethane foam or regular fender foam, which has a high energy absorption capacity. In addition, the high-density structure ensures that the fender remains stable after many uses.
Coating: The coating is a highly resilient coating, commonly made of polyurethane or rubberized outer skin material. These materials are highly resistant to seawater and natural erosion, which greatly enhances the life of the fender.
Anchoring system: The anchoring system provides strong support and ensures that the fender can be easily fixed. In addition, it can be customized according to the installation environment to ensure that it meets the requirements of different environments.
Advantages of Polyurethane Foam Fenders
High energy absorption: Polyurethane foam fenders are able to absorb more energy over a wider range of deformation than traditional rubber fenders.
Anti-aging and corrosion resistance: not affected by seawater, UV rays or bad weather, long service life.
Maintenance-free design: no need for regular repairs or replacement parts, saving costs in the long run.
Light weight: easy to install and transport, reducing labor costs.
Application areas
Polyurethane fenders have excellent performance and wide applicability. It is currently used in a variety of marine transportation and offshore operations. The following are the common application areas:
ports and terminals: suitable for large cargo ships, container ships, tankers and other types of ships.
offshore operations: to provide protection for offshore oil platforms, floating production storage and offloading units (FPSOs), and other equipment.
Yachts and small vessels: lightweight and easy to install, suitable for the individual needs of private marinas and small berths. This is essential for the protection of yachts and small boats.
Summarize
Polyurethane foam fenders offer a more efficient and safer means of protection as an alternative solution to traditional pneumatic fenders. It plays an important role in modern harbors as well as in marine facilities.
At HENGER, we can offer you specialized solutions for ship protection. In addition to foam fenders, we also offer rubber fenders/pneumatic fenders and marine airbags. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our team for professional advice.