The Design of Inland Waterways Barges'
BY ALBERT
For the purpose of establishing the scope of this
paper, the t e r m " b a r g e " is understood to be
limited to cargo-carrying vessels not equipped
with machinery for self-propulsion.
T h e t e r m "inland waterways" is understood to
include rivers, harbors, bays, and sounds.
In analyzing barge designs the problem resolves
itself into definite steps such as proportions, form,
construction, and the utility features required to
a d a p t the barge for safe transportation of the con-
templated cargo.
BARGE PROPORTIONS
Barge proportions frequently reflect channel
conditions, industry demands, and lock size.
For example, the three basic sizes which have be-
come standard on the Mississippi River System
are, first, the 175-foot by 26-foot Pittsburgh
standard coal barge, a size limitation of the 360-
foot by 56-foot locks of the Monongahela River;
second, the 195-foot by 35-foot barge, as a func-
tion of the 600-foot by ll0-foot locks of the Ohio
River; and, third, the newly developed barge,
measuring 240 feet by 50 feet, which is largely a
reflection of the clearances of the Gulf Intra-
coastal Canal.
There are other instances of trade standards
setting barge dimensions without reference to lock
sizes. For example, most of the river deck scows
used in the sand and gravel' industry, as well as in
the general contracting industry, fall within the
range of dimensions from 100 feet b y 26 feet to
130 feet b y 30 feet, purely as a m a t t e r of utility.
In the event a problem is not satisfied b y a
standard type of barge, it then becomes necessary
to set suitable dimensions in keeping with the pro-
jected service. River transportation is engaged
largely in, high tonnage m o v e m e n t s of bulk com-
modities. T h u s , a frequent problem is t h a t of de-
termining the largest suitable barge. T o accom-
plish this we m u s t first determine the limiting
draft from a study of the trade route; to the
t Paper presented at spring meeting of The Society of i~aval
Architects and Marine Engineers held in Cleveland, O., M a y 25,
1950.
t Chief engineer, Marine Department, D r a v o Corporation, Pitts-
burgh, Pa.
1" DAWSON, M E M B E R 2
adopted draft add the minimum acceptable free-
board; the sum of these two fixes the depth of the
barge. T h e next step is to establish the limiting
length, a function of the strength requirement for
the waterways traversed. These length limita-
tions are as shown in the following tabulation:
Full seagoing certificate--limited to length-over-depth
ratio not exceeding 14 to 1.
Coastwise certificate--limited to length-over-depth ratio
not exceeding 16 to 1.
Sounds and bays and limited service certificates--limited
to length-over-depth ratio not exceeding 18 to 1.
Recommended standard for river barge--length-over-
depth of about 20 to 1.
Maximum length of fiver barges permitted by tentative
American Bureau of Shipping Rules--limited to length-
over-depth ratio up to 30 to 1.
I t is believed t h a t the river barges having ratios
between 24 to 1 and 30 to 1 should not be used ex-
cept under special demand, usually shoal draft.
Where these ratios are adopted, it is recommended
t h a t they be full deck barges having a t least two
longitudinal bulkheads.
Beam-over-depth ratio limitations of up to 6 to
1, as set b y the American Bureau Rules, normally
provide the designer with ample latitude.
BARGE FORM
Having decided on the barge dimensions, it then
becomes necessary to develop the details of form.
I t is now generally agreed within the industry
FIG. I . ~ B o w WAVE STUDIES, BARGE 2 9 0 F E E T BY 5 2 FEET
BY 13 F E E T AT 10 M I L E S PER HOUR
t h a t the former concept of constructing a barge
with simple box form was in error. Progressive
design developments have established t h a t the
towing resistance m a y be greatly reduced, with
b u t a minor penalty in carrying capacity, thus
 DESIGN OF INLAND WATERWAYS BARGES 7

8'E'DraT'l
020
0.1

0.1
//
FIG. 2 . - - B o w WAVE STUDIES, BARGE 240 FEET BY 50 FEET
BY 12 FEET AT 12 MILES PER HOUR
035

~ 0. I 4
~ 0.13
/
gaining a substantial increase in the ton-miles re- ~=0.~2
turn. a 0 If
The successive steps in determining barge form ~ 0.10 i -' gnuckl~ Rodius-Z'6"
30~
are as follows: ~ 0.09
(1) Set the headlog at a height above the load ~ 0.08 z5
waterline so t h a t it will clear the bow wave a t the
designed still-water speed. Fig. 1 shows a model
?.0o
basin study of bow wave profiles at two drafts on a
model where headlog interference is developed. ~ 0.05
Fig. 2 shows a similar study where the headlog is 0.04
above the bow wave profile. 0.03
(2) Determine the rake slope and rake radius. 0.0z /
Rake radius refers to the radius which is tangent 0.0I c~
to both the rake slope and the b o t t o m of the barge. 0
T h e rake slope and its influence on barge resist- 3 4 5 6 l 8 9 10
ance have been overemphasized and full returns Speed,in S~ofu~eMUes Per Hour
for lowered resistance require the incorporation of FIG. 4,--KNUCKLERADIUSSTUDY, 195-FOoT BY 35-FooT
BARGE, RAKE RADIUS 20 FEET, DRAFT 7 FEET 6 INCHES.
a properly associated rake radius. In this con- DEPTH OF WATER 12 FEET
nection it must be remembered t h a t a long rake
slope will pound badly in rough water and should
.~ 480L . . . . . . . . . . be used only on barges t h a t are employed in river
-oT ~g service exclusively. I t is better to adopt a longer
rake radius, at a substantial reduction in, if not
"~i ~... enlt~
complete elimination of, the "flat" or plane areas
8o" "~ /~
Flee,No.I?.A-~ i~ ~;'- 60"Bi,geRad. of the rake slopes. Should the barge be required
, .~'_]
to venture in areas where rough water will be en-
60' Bilge Rad. countered, it then becomes desirable to shorten up
0.I
Flee, No.IZ Fiee~ Ro.IZ A the rake radius. This adds curvature to the form
A S.T.F.W.-5"/"r
5 5?323 and tends to minimize pounding; it also stiffens
O.lq W.S.Sq.Ft-30503 . 30?.50 // the unsupported areas of the rake plating be-
E
o
tween frames. The resultant increase in towing
E
-~ O.OB
/
7 E
resistance is offset b y drawing in the deck ine
and increasing the bilge knuckle radius.
._~ 8'~" Oraf,- DeepWo,er< ~ /
r~
(3) Decisions as to the use of symmetrical or

~Z
O.OB "~
//"
/ - /

11 "~
E
non-symmetrical ends is a function of turn-around
time. For barges engaged in short runs and fre-
quent loadings, symmetrical ends are in order.
0.041 Flee, No.IZ ~ , - When long runs are contemplated, then the in-
I
troduction of non-symmetrical ends, using a deep
~ N 0 IZ I- transom aft, preferably with increased rake radius
g. and flatter rake angle, offers an appreciable re-
duction in resistance. I t should always be adopted
for long runs. Fig. 3 illustrates the value of non-
8 9 fO symmetrical ends.
Speed ~n S,a, ute Miles Per Hour (4) Bilge radius. F r o m a resistance view-
FIG. 3 . ~ D E E P TRANSOM STUDY AT UNIVERSITY OF 1VIICHI- point, there is a slight gain returned from the
GAN TANK, DRAFT 8 FEET 6 INCHES, DEEP WATER adoption of a large bilge radius. T h e accompany-
8 DESIGN OF INLAND WATERWAYS BARGES
]fiG. ,~. --I.EADI.NG [;NIT ()F TWO-I{AR(;f'~ "I][IGII-~PEED" T O W
ing disadvantage is that it invites sliding when
the barges are "light." As a consequence, we
find small radius bilges throughout the parallel
midbody to be the common practice. At the
raked ends the bilge radius should be increased as
much as practicable. The adoption of large radii
on the rake knuckles has a definite reflection on
the barge resistance, this influence becoming more
pronounced at higher towing speeds. Fig. 4 in-
dicates the gains returnable from this element of
rake end molding.
(5) Where a number of barges are to be fleeted
into a single push towing unit of two or more
barges in width, then a small radius of deck at
corners is dictated as a measure of safety for the
crew. When the barges are to be towed in line as a
single width fleet, it is advisable to incorporate a
rather substantial toe-in to the forward deck line.
FIG. 6.---TRAILING [TNIT OF TWO-BARGE "I [IGH-SPEED" T o w
The deck line aft should have a similar toe-in, if
push towing is used exclusively. In the event the
trade requires o p e n - w a t e r service and the barge
must a t times be towed on a line, it is then rec-
ommended t h a t the after deck line be squared
up so that low resistance anti-yaw skegs m a y be
set as far outboard as practicable.
(6) Barges without rise of b o t t o m offer the
lowest construction cost and the greatest carrying
capacity. Nevertheless, it is frequently considered
desirable to accept the penalty in draft and capac-
ity accompanying a moderate rise of bottom.
Such a design returns some advantage in maneu-
verability when operating in shoal water and, in
addition, is less difficult to "free" after grounding.
The requirements of the projected service, par-
ticularly the speeds demanded, influence the de-
gree of molding of the barge ends. For example,
 DESIGN OF INLAND WATERWAYS BARGES 9

Hiqh SpeedBarcle
I" ....................................... ,I
t ~ Meder~%eSp_eedBoroe '
F
, . . . . . . . _. . . . . . . . . . . .Low
. . . .S.p.e.e.d. .o.r . S. h. u. f.f . .e. S. .e .r v. c e Barqe ~ .
~,, I
' = 1"~ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . M I
"-~ ~, o ' ~ ~l PorQIe M dd e Body ,.~ ' . . _ _ o 4- o J
I
,
I % I I
', 50/v "1,
x .
,~/, ~1
~-, "tft
~/ . . . . . . . . ~l - ,,.-> ,~o.
~J- \ - ~ /
j.~o)"
/
',45
. /"
~30"
."
"-T--~ ~ - ~ - T ~ , o ~ , ~ ' ~o, i - ',~ ' . % / / ~ , , ~ "/" '

. . ,, . 60"Rl, a k e B'fige Rod.

60"Rake B 9e Rod. B~Ige Rod

FIG. 7.--STUDY OF RIVER BARGE RAKE ENDS

the coal towing trade has up to now been largely Barge forms have been developed which will
downstream "loaded" and upstream "light" and, accept speeds up to 14 miles per hour. There
for this reason, has been handled generally at have been several approaches to the problem of
still-water speeds of between 5 and 6 miles per molding these higher speed barges. The normal
hour. The average commercial common carrier one has been an effort to reduce resistance and,
normally operates at still-water speeds of 7 to 8 at the same time, maintain as much as possible the
miles per hour. Recent developments originating economies of the single curved surfaces commonly
in the oil industry, and now spreading into dry incorporated in barge design. Such barges have
cargo carriers, are pointing toward fleet speeds been developed to show excellent resistance char-
averaging 9 to 12 miles per hour through still acteristics in still water. Fig. 5, a leading unit,
water. and Fig. 6, a trailing unit, illustrate rake forming
of a two-barge "high-speed" tow. This fleet not
0.ZU only returns the desired low resistance both in deep
All wifh Rakes-
0.19 - 8890 ShortTons water and in shoal water, but also accepts moder-
~#~ L , ' Displ.@TG"D-oft
0.18 ately rough water without excessive pounding.
6-1gS'x3S'-ModelA-ISBorcJes
O.T7 ~ i
This form incorporates warped surfaces but the
Rakesai" Bow & Stern warping of the plating is done on curves suffi-
0.16 -
I ] I I " l y -9,mOsh'Tns
Dis@.@7'6"Draft ciently "soft" so that special shop forming is not
0.15 _ All wlth Long,Rcid. required. It affords excellent resistance charac-
l 1 l I Rkes- ?'0"0Z0Sh'Tns-
~-0.14

~ oJ3
DIspI.@ 8~B"Draft
-?9O'xSOLModelA A - I Barges / /
teristics while retaining most of the basic prin-
ciples of economical construction. It is realized
Rakes~f Bow&Stern / / that none of the "high-speed" forms currently de-
~ O.IZ - I I I I oDIspL
.,y-z,,~00ShTo.s
@ 8'6" DraFt / veloped can equal the resistance possibilities of the
"~ 0.11 J fully molded, double curve surface type of bow
~ 0.10
--~0.09
0.08
l
Nn-lnJregrclfe~///~ /
i/ known as a "spoon" bow. On the other hand, the
increase in construction costs does not appear to
be warranted. Present-day high-speed barge
forms have been refined to a point somewhat be-
0.07
I: 0.06
/'// yond the abilities of existing power units to keep
pace with their requirements for propulsion.
o
u) 0.0.c 7// Fig. 7 is a comparison of recommended rakes
D. for the three principal types of service; namely,
~ ~" / INon-infegr~fed low-speed or shuttle service barge, m ~ e , Iate-
0.03
~ , " l "/ Integrated > Model-AA-I speed barge, and high-speed barge. The high-
0.0~ speed barge form will accept special end molding
0.01 for additional improvement in performance.
0 I A recent development in river towing is the so-
3 4 s 6 7 8 9 l0 called "integrated" barge. This term means
Speed in Sfafufe Miles Per Hour
barges assembled in fleets where no forming or
FIG. 8.--EFFECTIVE HORSEPOWER CURVES, FLEET OF SIX molding is adopted at those ends of the barges
STANDARDBARGESVS. FLEET OF SIX INTEGRATEDBARGES,
DEPTH OF WATER 12 FEET which are fleeted together. In other words, for
10 DESIGN OF INLAND WATERWAYS BARGES

each "string" of barges all ends are square except zs,000

the bow of the leading unit and the stern of the I I I I I I l!
trailing unit. Fig. 8 exhibits the gains returnable Skeg Resistance: I [
by integration of 6-barge fleets. Two studies are
a- Tw~, Si.~t.-P~a.e S~ns .~t k /
shown, one for 195-foot by 35-foot moderate- -- b - Dravo Tw'm, Double-Plane
speed barges and one for 290-foot by 50-foot zo,00o Skegs @ 5 &lO fo ~- ~ /
moderately high-speed barges. The integrated c - B a r e Barge / ~ /
fleets offer appreciable reduction in resistance and
hold a definite place in the industry. I t is strictly
l IIi
/1(
c
a push towing development, o~ 15,000
It is recommended that the "squared" ends of
integrated units be designed as a quarter of an el-
y_
o* r
//7
ii, ill I
lipse rather than left sharp, thus permitting mod- ! III l//V
erate misalinement without materially affecting .~ I h'l /~ t I
the resistance. ~ Io,ooo ~n13.33'-o.~h o~ Water, /4' / # / ! !
oJ
The best results from high-speed barge forms
are obtained from a three-barge integrated tow o
using a lead unit, a rectangular unit, and a trail-
ing unit. Such fleets have been developed to ac-
cept speeds as high as 14 miles per hour. The s,000 / / ~ ' - J ~ l n Deep W a t e r

adoption of high-speed towing has introduced new

/r
risks and imposes an additional burden on the
pilots, especially when running sharp bends while
traveling downstream under high current condi-
tions. An ordinary "touch-and-go" grounding 0O 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
may easily approach, if not actually become, a Speed in S*a*ufe Hiles Per Hour
"crash landing." Nevertheless, it is a develop- FIG. 9 . - - R E S I S T A N C E VS. SPEED CURVI~S, O I L BARGE 2 3 5
ment which has a definite place in river transpor- F E E T BY 4 0 F E E T BY 11 F E E T 9 INCHES AT 8 - F o o T 8 - I N C H
DRAFT WITH VARIOUS SKEG FORMS
tation.
P e r Cent Increase in Resistance
A . - - l n Deep Water
YAW Dravo Over S i n g l e P l a n e Over
at M.P.H. B a r e Barge Bare B a r g e
In the event a barge is to be towed on a line 6 22.5 p e r c e n t 28.8 per cent
8 25.5 p e r c e n t 31.3 p e r c e n t
rather than push towed, we then are confronted 10 23.2 per cent 2 7 . 8 per c e n t
12 2 0 . 0 per cent 24.4 p e r c e n t
with the problem of yaw. The simple correction B . - - l n 13.33' Depth of Water
of yaw, if we ignore completely the increase in tow- 4 2 1 . 5 per cent 33.4 p e r c e n t
6 19.3 p e r c e n t 32.0 per cent
line pull, presents little or no problem. The real 8 18.0 p e r c e n t 32.0 per cent

problem is to develop anti-yaw corrective de-

vices at the minimum penalty in towline pull.
Barge proportions exert a strong influence over
yawing characteristics. For instance, first model
basin testing and then later numerous long dis-
tance ocean tows established that one class of ves-
sel having hull dimensions of 70 feet beam by 140
feet length offered no yaw problem at all prac-
tical towing speeds.
The higher ratios of length to beam and lower
ratios of length to draft appear to increase the
tendency to yaw. Form has a distinct influence;
for instance, blunt sterns may offer sufficient re-
sistance to reduce, in some instances eliminate, the
tendency to yaw. On the other hand, the same
barge constructed with low-resistance stern and
anti-yaw skegs will enjoy a lower total resistance.
Low-resistance barges more readily accept yaw
correction than high-resistance barges.
In general, studies of yaw correction indicate
that a single fixed skeg on the centerline is use-
less. Likewise, twin fixed skegs are of little or no
value when mounted parallel to the centerline.
No simple analysis has been found which enables
us to predict either the yaw tendency of a given
barge, or its correction, other than model basin
testing. Fortunately, we have yet to experience
an instance where corrective devices developed in
the model basin did not prove equally effective on
the barge itself. Normally, it is possible to de-
velop twin single-plane skegs, fixed at proper
angles, that satisfactorily control the yaw tend-
ency; however, it has always been found that a
pair of double-plane skegs can be developed to
offer equal correction at less penalty in towline
pull. Fig. 9 presents the results of a model basin
study wherein two types of low resistance, anti-
yaw skegs were developed. The advantage of the
 DESIGN OF INLAND WATERWAYS BARGES
double-plane skeg over the single-plane skeg is
obvious.
If a barge is to be pulled on a line in deep water
only, it is then possible to incorporate a single
centerline "centerboard" type of skeg which will
control the yawing successfully. A centerline skeg
extending well into the undisturbed water be-
low the b o t t o m of the barge imposes less of an
increase in towline pull than any'other type of fixed
skegs. Generally speaking, centerboard types of
skegs do not lend themselves to shallow water use.
The notable exception is found on barges engaged
in the Gulf Intracoastal Canal service. Here their
use is confined to the return trip of the "light"
barge and is principally for the purpose of offering
lateral plane to prevent sliding in cross winds.
As a general rule we recommend the attachment
of the towline to the barge be made through a
bridle. Each leg of the bridle should have a mini-
mum length equal to one and one-half times the
beam of the barge. The introduction of a bridle
assists appreciably in yaw control; in some border
line cases it may be found to eliminate the need of
skegs.
DETAILS OF CONSTRUCTION
I t is not within the scope of this paper to dis-
cuss fully all details of construction of various
types of barges. There are, however, some per-
tinent details which it may be well to record.
First, it is in order to report that the tentative
Rules for River Tankers which the American
Bureau of Shipping now has under active study
will fill a long:felt want and will tend to stabilize
the construction details of this class of barge.
It is hoped the Bureau will soon be in a position
to release these and similar tentative rules for the
construction of dry cargo barges. Such rules are
urgently needed b y the industry and will fill a real
need.
Touching on the general question of framing,
the adoption of transverse framing versus longi-
tudinal framing is in many instances dictated by
the type of barge, bearing in mind the funda-
mental rule which points the stiffeners in the direc-
tion of shortest unsupported spans. The ulti-
mate determination of type of framing is depend-
ent largely upon the equipment and facilities
available at the constructing yard. Where the de-
sign incorporates wing bulkheads, it may be found
desirable to adopt one type of framing in the
wings and the other type in the center compart-
ment.
The prime requisite for the design of welded
barges is to devise a type of framing which per-
mits the barge to be assembled in progressive
steps:
11
First, pre-assembly units such as the attach-
ment of the frames to plating;
Second, sub-assembly grouping, that is, the ac-
cumulation of the pre-assembly units, either with
each other or with truss members, to build up
large sections. The limiting size of these sub-
assembled units is restricted only by the lifting
capacity at the builder's plant;
Third, final assembly on the building ways
where these sub-assembled sections are brought
together for final welding, thus completing the
barge structure.
The purpose of this "step" method of assembly
is two-fold. First, it offers a high ratio of "posi-
tioned" shop welding, a recognized economy.
Second, it permits the elimination of much of the
influence of weld shrinkage, thus avoiding the ac-
cumulation of severe locked-up stresses. At the
time of fitting the smaller pieces into the larger
sections, each piece is adjusted to its correct
location, regardless of the shrinkage developed in
the previously assembled units. Consequently, as
each step progresses, the accumulated weld
shrinkage of the previous step is cancelled out.
By this procedure we are able to construct a barge
close to dimension and which is practically free
from excessive locked-up stresses.
Throughout the years certain "minimums"
have developed. One is the case of barges which
are unloaded by means of grab buckets. On river
barges it is found that the deck of "deck load"
barges and the inner bottom on "hopper load"
barges require a minimum of 3/~-inch thick plat-
ing supported at not over 15-inch spacing of
beams. This is the lightest deck that will reason-
ably withstand the blows imposed by the buckets
normally used for unloading such items as sand,
gravel, coal, etc., at river terminals. For coastal
harbor barges where high tower rigs are commonly
used for unloading coal, it has been demonstrated
that a 3/~-inch inner-bottom plate is the mini-
mum advisable in association with 24-inch frame
spacing. Some owners go further and specify a
1-inch inner-bottom plate. Here repairs may be
required on the bucket but seldom on the inner-
bottom plating.
Studies of the framing of the raked ends in-
dicate that the use of trussed raked frames at each
frame, without the use of transverse trussing, will
not properly distribute loads over a large area,
whereas the introduction of widely spaced trussed
frames both transverse and longitudinal, with
posts common to both, offers advantages of better
load distribution in the event of grounding or
other damage.
Headlog construction is now rather commonly
accepted as ~/~-inch thick plating, preferably
12 DESIGN OF INLAND WATERWAYS BARGES
flanged over both at deck and rake. I t usually is
backed b y one or more transverse stiffening angles
of 1/6-inch or 5/~-inch material. These members,
in turn, are supported b y a h e a v y vertical channel
extending from deck b e a m to rake frame.
A corner detail largely adopted is an extension
of the headlog construction with the exception
that at the intersection of the rake bilge plate and
the corner plate the flanging is omitted and in its
place there is inserted a heavy plate, usually 11~
inches to 21~ inches in thickness. For further
defense from lock wall and barge fleeting damage
it is common practice to apply a doubler plate out-
side of the corner plate.
H e a v y sectioned side fenders have been found
undesirable on river barges towed in fleets since
they not only increase the resistance of the fleet
but also offer a drift catching crevice between
barges. At times, the drift will pack into this
crevice, building up into a mass protruding below
the b o t t o m of the barge, greatly increasing re-
sistance. For this reason side fendering is con-
fined to patch plates of ~/~-inch to 1-inch in thick-
ness. These plates are so located as to accept the
normal wear from rubbing against the concrete
lock walls and on adjoining barges.
Serrated members are generally used for the
framing of bulk oil barges. T h e y offer free flow
for the liquid cargo when pumping and free vent-
ing of vapors, particularly with respect to gas
freeing. Full-scale testing of plating stiffened by
serrated members has demonstrated the necessity
of restricting the section modulus used in strength
calculations to 9/~0 of the theoretical section
modulus. This factor is in recognition of and cor-
rects for the added deflection introduced b y the
serration of the framing member.
Serrated members should not be used as fram-
ing on bucketing decks or bucketing inner bot-
toms.
An advisable detail for river barges is the in-
clusion of "grounding" frames in the forward
rake. These are intermediate members located
at midpoint between the rake frames and are car-
ried from the collision bulkhead to the first or
second transverse rake truss b o t t o m chord.
A river barge m a y be caUed upon to traverse
rough water for a portion of its voyage. Under
such conditions it is recommended t h a t the
grounding frames be extended the full distance
from the fore peak bulkhead to the headlog, also a
short distance aft of the fore peak bulkhead.
These extended frames, reducing the unsupported
span on the rake plating b y half, are usually
sufficient to protect normal thickness rake plating
from buckling incident to rough water pound-
ing~
Standard practice for the lashing of push towed
river fleets is the use of wire lines looped around
bitts of the adjacent barges and pulled tight b y
ratchet-operated turnbuckles. The load on these
lines must be sufficient not only to withstand
backing power but also the steering forces. T h e
simple welding of cast steel bitts to the deck plat-
ing has not proved satisfactory. I t has been found
necessary to extend the barrel of the bitt through
both the deck plating and a h e a v y channel
mounted on the underside of the deck beams.
This detail, properly worked out, offers an an-
chorage which will break the bitt casting before
it cants or pulls out.
While discussing the manner of barge lashing,
let us examine the occasional adoption of shear
pins between the square barge ends of integrated
fleets. These pins are in addition to the ratcheted
wire lines. The wire lines, even though pulled up
taut, do provide a moderate degree of vertical
flexibility, permitting a limited change in trim
between the two barges in the event of grounding
at the bow of the leading barge. This change in
trim, even though small, does tend to cushion the
forces, whereas in the event shear pins are fitted
the two barges then tend to act somewhat as a
single barge unit of double length. The forward
barge now pivots around the shear pins instead of
around its center of flotation. This shift of
pivoting point develops an increase in the bending
load on the barge. In one instance the increase
in bending m o m e n t has been calculated to be
about 43 per cent.
At times river and inland waterway barges are
called upon to make rough water trips pulled on a
towline, rather than being pushed. Normally
these voyages are made without a crew on the
barge, consequently there is no one on the barge to
tend the anti-chafe protection on the towline.
This problem has been solved successfully on long
ocean tows b y providing pin connections for the
acceptance of oversize shackles to which the h e a v y
chain bridles are attached. The towing lugs are
located close to the headlog so t h a t the bridle does
not chafe on the headlog.
TYPICAL BARGE DESIGNS
In discussing typical barge designs, it will be
noted they are gathered into associated group-
ings as follows:
Group I - - D e c k load barges including harbor
lighters and carfloats.
Group I I - - B a r g e s carrying cargo in below deck
holds, both open and covered types.
Group I I I - - B u l k petroleum barges. This
group includes t a n k barges of single-skin, double-
bottom, and double-skin types.
 DESIGN OF INLAND WATERWAYS BARGES 13

, ......... ~ ~ , ,, . . . . . . 30 feet b y 9 feet to 112 feet b y 34 feet b y 11

I i I I I I i i feet 3 inches. T h e y incorporate unusually h e a v y
tD . ~__c:~_
-4 .... , r i I ZcYZil scantlings to withstand "drilling" and a high
.... ~ I 1 , '~ . . . . . . ~-- " t u r n around" ratio.
, .... 1 , ,, , : T
' -~.~-~-~ ~ ', [ i , . . . .i "n~r~v Fig. 12 shows a typical carfloat. T h e rugged-
"7"Bii-ts DECK PLAN ness of these units is a reflection of the service de-
'.................... I00L . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . mands.
i---IlL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78'- . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IIl-~
Group I I--Hold Load Barges. Hold load barges
are found in single-skin, double-bottom, and
, "-.LI . . . . . . . . . . I 2- 3"/ double-skin arrangements. Each offers some
\I'5~"Li~N~F D r ~ Over AII characteristic such as economy for the single-skin
SIDE ELEVATION
barge, partial protection in the ease of the double-
b o t t o m barge, and full protection in the ease of the
double-skin barge.
The "Pittsburgh standard" coal barge, measur-
ing 175 feet b y 26 feet b y 10 feet 8 inches or 11
feet, serves as a general utility barge for m a n y
other cargoes not requiring weather protection.
I t is not suitable for use on such waters as the Gulf
Intracoastal Canal east of New Orleans without
the addition of transverse struts at the deck line.
6"Bilge As normally built with non-watertight wood hold
TYPICAL HALF TRANSVERSE FRAME ceiling or inner b o t t o m it has the disadvantage of
FIG. 1 0 . - - D E C K L I G H T E R F O R R I V E R SERVICE, 100 F E E T permitting coal dust to filter through the inner
BY 26 FEET By 7 FEET, CAPACITY 337 ToNs AT 6-FooT b o t t o m into the hull. Certain cargoes, such as
DRAFT
coal with high sulphur content or bulk sulphur,
introduce the problem of dilute acid corrosion de-
veloped from rain water filtering through the
Group I V - - L i q u i d cargo barges for the trans- cargo and into the hull below the hold ceiling. In
portation of products requiring special handling extreme eases this corrosion has gone through an
such as corrosive or noxious cargoes; liquefied 11-pound plate in as little as seven years. T h e best
petroleum gases; cargoes carried under pressure; defense is to change the inner b o t t o m from non-
cargoes requiring special heating provisions; and watertight wood to one of watertight steel con-
cargoes requiring refrigeration. struction. This recommended construction ex-
Group V - - D u m p scows. poses the attacked areas to observation and sim-
Complete discussion of each type is not pos- plifies the application of corrective measures.
sible within the scope of this paper but attention is Fig. 13 shows a river type hopper barge as de-
invited to certain characteristic details of the veloped for common carrier service. I t offers
various groups as follows: steel inner b o t t o m and rolling " w e a t h e r t i g h t "
-Group I--Deck Load Barges. Fig. 10 is a hatch covers. I t is a highly efficient type, offer-
typical example of barges used in the sand and ing adequate weather protection, adequate hold
gravel trade and as a general utility barge b y ventilation, and quick manual control of covers.
heavy construction contractors. I t has sym- Covers m a y be adjusted to permit handling of all
metrical ends as this type of barge is seldom used cargo b y vertical lift cranes.
for long tows. Fig. 14 is characteristic of barges used in coal
Details of special interest are the mild steel trade at E a s t Coast harbors. T h e full form
rails mounted on the top of the cargo box as de- adopted is a reflection of the E a s t Coast practice
fense against bucket damage, and the bracing of of contracting for towing on a point-to-point
the cargo boxes. These bent plate brackets offer basis, without regard to the towing resistance of
the best defense against blows received from over- the equipment. Consequently, these barges are
hanging bows of light barges when being ma- designed more for capacity than for ease of tow-
neuvered into fleeting position. ing.
Special purpose sub-groupings of deck load Group III--Liquid Cargo Barges. In addition
barges are found in the cases of harbor lighters to the normally accepted single-skin, centerline
and carfloats. bulkhead t y p e of oil barge we now find d e m a n d for
Fig. 11 illustrates a standard type of harbor special types as double-bottom and double-skin
lighter. These units range in size from 80 feet b y barges.
 \,

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OUTBOARD PROFILE

It
f
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Tripping Angle on
~Alfern~te Frames

L- .......... m'- - ~#-LU-"P

J- .......... 9L . . . . .
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I~- . . . . . . . . . . . . -.30 Molded. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ~RANSVERSETRUSS FORE AFT RkKE FRAMES

INTERMEDIATE TRANSVERSE FRAME

FIG. l l . - - D s c ~ LIGHTER FOR HARBOR SERVICE, 100 FEET BY 3 0 FEET BY 9 FEET 6 INCHES
 DESIGN OF I N L A N D WATERWAYS BARGES 15

1- r

DECK PLAN

JLj_ ~ II II I]' II E[ L] i ~ II It II II II [I I1 II II II II II tl II II II II II II II II

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ELEVATION

~-~----------'----]Z75

HALF TRANSVERSE FRAME

FIG. 1 2 . - - T w o - T R A C K CARFLOAT WITH PLATFORM, 326 FEET BY 40 FEET BY i 0 FEET 8 INCHES

FIG. 1 3 . - - R I V E R - T Y P E H O P P E R BARGE AS DEVELOPED FOR COMMON CARRIER SERVICE

16 D E S I G N OF I N L A N D WATERWAYS BARGES

I
I
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T- II E ~ 11 i II ii U I? li ii it I!

, x Averocje Light Oro~t = Z'9"

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I ,I
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i_ __ _~.-], A A A A .~
kZ0.Lb,Pl.
Tronsverse F r o m e Roke Frorne
FIG. 14.--HARBOR SERVICE COAL BARGE, 142 FEET BY 34 FEET BY 17 FEET, 1,700 TONS AT 15
FEET 3 INCHES DRAFT

The double-skin type barge, usually built with- heat losses. It is difficult to assign exact values
out a centerline bulkhead, is rapidly gaining favor. to such heat transfer losses, due both to insuffi-
Fig. 15 presents a midship section of this develop- cient experience with this type of barge and to the
ment in the transportation of liquid cargoes. The difference in thermal characteristics of cargoes
center tank is so proportioned that it will accept handled. However, the incomplete data at hand
capacity loads of the heavier products, frequently indicate heating economies of one-third and
those requiring heat. The inclusion of the wing better. On short runs it has been found possible
tank cubic permits the acceptance of capacity to load hot cargo, make the run, and unload at
loads of light weight, free flowing cargoes. pumping temperatures without the addition of
The transportation of heated cargoes in the heat. This type of barge is not recommended for
inner tanks only offers a substantial reduction in eargo requiring unusually high temperatures, say
 D E S I G N OF I N L A N D W A T E R W A Y S B A R G E S 17

** . . . . . 3"-- -,p .Is'

I

/,

"3"
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J,
. . . . J A ~ J
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. . . . . L - : . . . .
.i___ ~, x 1 1 ] , 1 ] --] --T--:~- J
~k
20'- "1
.... 40' M o l d e d V4id~h
F1o. l b , - - H A L F MIDBODY TI~ANSVKRSK SECTION, W E L D E D DOUBLE-SKIN BARGE, 2 1 9 F E E T BY 40
FEET BY 14 FBET 3 INCHES
Center tanks, Wing tanks, Total cargo, Wt per gal of Total cargo, Draft,
bbl bbl bbl cargo, lb short tons salt water
10,000 ... 10,000 8.5 1,785 10' O*
10,000 4,000 14,000 6.1 1,792 10' l/In
i0,000 6,000 16,000 6,1 2,048 I I ~ I '~

FIG. 1 6 . - - 1 7 5 - F u o T l~k" 2G-FoOT t~AR(;E CARRYING 2,72() BARRELS OF LIQUID CHLORINE IN FOUR TANKS, EACIt 8 FEt:~T
9 INCHES DIAMETER BY 64 FEET LONG
18 DESIGN OF INLAND WATERWAYS BARGES
in the order of 350 degrees F to 450 degrees F.
For such temperatures the adoption of cylindrical
tanks, anchored at their midpoint and with the re-
maining supports so designed as to permit tank
expansion, is preferred.
As a general comment on the problems of pump-
ing oil cargo, it appears that an 11-foot hull depth
represents in general a practical limit for on-deck
mounting of pumps and piping. For barges of
greater depth than 11 feet the adoption of below-
deck mounting of pumps and cargo header pip-
ing is recommended. Recent developments of the
industry are pointing strongly toward Diesel
engine pump drive with the on-deck engine driving
a vertical below-deck pump through a right-angle
gear. An incidental advantage of this arrange-
ment is the elimination of cofferdams and pump
rooms with their attendant risks. On river barges
a sunshade roof will be found acceptable either
with or without wire mesh sides, thus gaining
limited protection from sun and bad weather
while maintaining ventilation for the engines.
For most liquid petroleum cargoes, both crude
and refined, the self-stripping type suction nozzle
is recommended. This nozzle is based on the
principle of combined flow; that is, the nozzle
entrance is flattened and elongated to develop its
suction area through a long narrow opening. The
nozzle opening and the shell clearances are so pro-
portioned that the two stream flows combine into
one solid stream without turbulence or eddies.
When properly proportioned, such a nozzle will not
break suction until the liquid level of the cargo is
well below the nozzle intake and stripping sys-
tems are unnecessary.
Group IV--Corrosive or Noxious Cargoes, Lique-
fied Petroleum Gases, Cargoes Carried under Pres-
sure, Cargoes Requiring Heating or Refrigeration.
This is an interesting group of barges, each in-
dividually designed for a specific duty.
A tabular presentation of typical cargoes is as
follows:
Weight
gallon,
Product Pressure
66 Be sulphuric acid Atmospheric in hull corn- 15.3
partments
Acetic acid 5 lb in aluminum t a n k
(heating coils required)
Caustic soda--50% 30 lb in cylindrical tanks
(heating coils required)
Hydrochloric acid 30 lb in rubber-lined
cylindrical tanks
Ethyl ether 100 lb in cylindrical tanks
Butane-50% 100 lb in cylindrical tanks
Propane-42% 225 Ib in cylindrical tanks
Ammonia-50% 250 lb in cylindrical tanks
Chlorine 300 lb in cylindrical tanks
The foregoing are but a few samples. Barge
transportation m a y be made available for
countless other commodities such as petroleum
products, coal and wood tar derivatives, synthetic
organic chemicals, organic solvents, liquefied gases,
inorganic chemicals, food products, etc.
Each of these cargoes requires special precau-
tions and in each instance the builder must work
very closely with the operator, the Coast Guard,
the American Bureau of Shipping, the pump manu-
facturer, and the valve manufacturer.
Fig. 16 illustrates the general character of such
equipment. This is a 175-foot by 26-foot barge
carrying 2,720 barrels of liquid chlorine in four
tanks each measuring 8 feet 9 inches diameter by
64 feet long.
A recent requirement for the bulk transporta-
tion of hydrochloric acid disclosed that there were
no applicable Coast Guard rules. This cargo,
being corrosive to steel, requires that the tanks,
valves, piping, etc., all be rubber lined; the
problem was to establish proper specifications for
the construction and lining of suitable containers.
A series of studies, reports, and conferences were
undertaken by a committee, including chemists
from the staff of the acid manufacturer, and from
the manufacturer of the rubber linings, and rep-
resentatives of the Coast Guard and of the barge
builder. These investigations resulted in the re-
cently adopted Coast Guard rules for the trans-
portation of hydrochloric acid. The rules have
proved adequate. The entire program offers an
excellent example of the cooperation available for
those requiring assistance in the special com-
modity field.
As a general comment on the transportation of
dangerous cargoes, it is believed that additional
crew safety rules are in order. For instance, on a
recent study of the bulk handling of an acid cargo
the instructions invariably given at each plant
visited were: "If you get sprayed with acid, jump
overboard, and we will pull you out." Careful ob-
servation at each terminal failed to disclose any
equipment to assist in carrying out the promise
"we will pull you out"; there being neither hand
per lines, boat hooks, or portable ladders, or con-
Ib
veniently located ring buoys with line attached.
It is appreciated that the maintenance of such de-
vices is severely handicapped b y the problem of
9.0 pilferage; nevertheless some solution is in order.
12.7 Group V--Dump Scows. The bottom dump
type is generally accepted as the all-purpose unit
9.7 for harbor work where reasonably deep water
5.9 dumping areas are available.
4.74 The "self-dumping" or turn-over type is
4.23
4.74 rather special. I t requires deep water both at
10.4 the dredging site and at the dumping area, and
 i i I ' I
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,~ . . . . . . . l l ' l l 'L . . . . . . ~----16'8"(Inside Hopper)--4~- ...... 14'7" . . . . . 4~---IG'B"Onside Hopper)---~l~ ...... 14']" ..... ~,l~----16'8"(Inside H o p p e r ) - - ~ l ~ - . . . . . . I-I'II t . . . . . . . .
O
I<- . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HIS' . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ~f
DECK P L A N

' I El #,i~ ii , A r
2Z Rake Rod. li

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-

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" L" . . . . . . . . . .

HALF OL~TBOARD ELEVATION HALF LONGIT. TRUSS

~_!
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I_.~__ _ I4' - . . . . . . . . . . . . d
HALF BOTTOM PLAN
HOPPER FRAME
FIG. 17.--225-CuBIc-YARD, S I D B - D o o R D U M P SCOW, 115 F E E T BY 2 8 F R E T BY 7 F E E T 6 INCHES, 7 0 0 T O N S AT 6 - F o o t DRAFT
20 DESIGN OF INLAND WATERWAYS BARGES'

suffers the additional handicap of high towing
resistance. Its use is further limited to mild or
tropical climates as a measure of crew safety.
The side d u m p scow is a development of shoal
water dredging requirements where both the
dredging site a n d the dumping areas are shoal.
This type of scow can d u m p its cargo in water of
just sufficient depth for flotation.
Fig. 17 illustrates a 3-pocket side d u m p scow
having a total capacity of 225 cubic yards. I t is
the latest of a series and incorporates the ex-
periences of hard usage handling of all types of
dredged material. The doors are controlled in
pairs b y hand-operated gearing.
Inland waterway transportation has outgrown
the pioneering and experimental stage.. I t has
demonstrated safety, economy, and flexibility far
beyond the early concepts. T o d a y the industry is
prepared to accept a n y assignment, normal or
unusual.

DISCUSSION

h{R. BOYCE WILLIAMSON, Member: Mr. Daw- water excepting between 9 ~ and 113/~ miles per
son has covered well t h e P e r t i n e n t points for work- hour.
ing out the right hull form f o r b a r g e s . ' Fig. 7 The heigfit of the headlog above the water in
gives a comparison of recommended rakes for the double-chine end form is an i m p o r t a n t factor.
various types of service. In general, I agree with When the water piles up against the headlog, the
Mr. Dawson regarding the shapes as recom-
mended. The experience o f the Ingalls Ship-
building Corporation in building a fast bow for 70
barges m a y be of interest. Since the fully molded
"spoon" bow is accepted generally as the best 6.0
A-BowondS'rern-"Spoon"Type 7 /
end form for barges and has less resistance at the .. B~BowandSiern-Oouble-ChineType
5.0
usual speeds in both deep and shallow water, we "*C
directed our efforts toward designing a modifica-
ti0n which could be constructed cheaply and would
2 4.0
15 Fi'.Depih / .~
OeeFl~ t r
approach its performance. .~ 3.0
).-
Fig. 18 shows the results of comparative tank
I LO
tests on two models run b y Professor L. A. Baler
of the University of Michigan on a two-barge
1.0
integrated tow of 480 feet length, 45 feet breadth,
and 8 feet 6 inches draft. Model " A " is the ,' .>,
' I
"spoon" bow type, which was patterned after 5 6 ] 8 9 I0 I1 IZ 13 14
Miles PerHour
the Model No. 9 of Sadler's experiments pub- FIG. 18.--Two-BARGI~ INTEGRATED TOW
lished in the Transactions for the year 1916.
L e n g t h over-all, 480 feet; l e n g t h on w a t e r l i n e , 473.5 f e e t ; b e a m ,
Model " B " is the double-chine type which we 45 feet; d e p t h , 10 feet 3 inches; d r a f t , 8 feet 6 inches; d i s p l a c e -
m e n t , 5,204 t o n s fresh w a t e r ; w e t t e d surface, 28,528 s q u a r e f e e t .
developed b y introducing a considerable a m o u n t
of " V " in the b o t t o m at the rake end and extend-
ing the bilge knuckle plate at the side aft, a dis-
tance equal to a b o u t two times the length of the resistance is sharply increased and the ultimate
rake. This bilge knuckle is warped in way of the speed is limited on this account. The height of
curved rake to a straight line which meets the 1 foot 9 inches above the waterline at the centerline
headlog a b o u t 0.6 of the distance between the appears to give satisfactory performance on a
centerline and the corner (see Fig. 19). tow of this type at speeds of 11 to 12 miles per
Although the double-chine construction costs hour.
b u t little more than the average well-designed con- When all the factors of a barge operation are
ventional type, it is surprising to note t h a t the taken into consideration and a c o s t estimate is
curves indicate its superiority over the "spoon" made on the basis of various speeds and horse-
t y p e in shallow water and at all speeds in deep powers, there is usually a speed and power for the
 ....'

DESIGN OF INLAND WATERWAYS BARGES 21

"/_

S_
3_
i-
~.---
0 E ~. 3 End \Z
=-

d'_
I t 0 ER
-. Plan
FIG. 1 9 . - - D O U B L E - C H I N E END FORM FOR BARGES ~VITH BILGE PLATE WARPED AT CURVED R A K E

towboat t h a t will give the lowest cost per ton barges is n o t s t a t e d , b u t a n u m b e r of reasons un-
mile of cargo delivery. This economical..speed doubtedly could be preset}ted, including:
will v a r y with the type of equipment and ,it will ,1. S h a f t horsepower per shaft apparently has
be lower with slow-speed equipment or ,barges reached the limit set b y the m a x i m u m size of the
with the blunt ended and moderately, shape d U ~ " . p 0 W 6 r unit, the high-sp~ed Diesel engine; so
rakes and it will be higher with vessels capable of t h a t increase in power necessitates additional
attaining the faster speeds. The importance of shafts which complicate the installation and
the speed in relation to the type of operation can- make it more expensive for a given total power.
not be too strongly emphasized and the curves 3. High propeller loading results in low effi-
given b y Mr. Dawson in his discussion on.page ciency and large energy Ioss in the wake, which
61 of the Transactions for the year 1947 are worthy has a destructive effect upon canal and river
of careful study. However, the use of fast barges banks.
would give higher speeds for most economical I t would seem t h a t the use of vertical axis pro-
operation than those indicated. pellers for towboats would offer advantages in
Emphasis also should be made of the fact t h a t increasing the t o t a l power available, without the
"high speed" equipment requires less power at disadvantages enumerated.
the slower speeds due to their lower resistance. The F e b r u a r y 1950 Journal of the American
In any towing operation where the lead barge has Society of N a v a l Engineers gives some statistics
a "spoon" or modified "spoon" bow, where the for such installations, indicating a 1947 total of
barges are used singly or integrated in:single- 570 propellers aggregating 320,000 horsepower,
width tows, end forms of this type will result in a or an average of 560 horsepower per unit, with a
more economical operation. m a x i m u m of 2,200 horsepower on one propeller.
Ninety per cent are installed in vessels having a
MR. DOUGLAS C. MACMILLAN, Member: On draft of 6 feet or less, and they have been used in
page 9, Mr. Dawson states; "Recent develop- European river towboats for years.
ments . . . are pointing toward fleet speeds aver- Very little information has been published
aging 9 to 12 miles per.hour through still water," relative to .the efficiency of vertical axis propellers.
and also, " P r e s e n V d a y high-speed barge forms A brief analysis Of the data available indicates
have been refiiied to a point somewhat beyond the t h a t the pull p e r h0rsePower developed during a
abilities of existing power units to keep pace with bollard test m a y be 25 per cent less than for a
their requirements for propulsion:" shrouded screw propeller; b u t when under way,
The reasons for the inability of the power unit with a load factor ( 1 ; ~ snp~ of about 2, the
to keep pace with propulsion requirements of the \A V3 /
22 DESIGN OF INLAND WATERWAYS BARGES
pull per horsepower m a y be comparable. I t
should be noted t h a t for a given beam and
draft the disk of swept area m a y be greater for the
vertical axis propeller, resulting in a lower load
factor and higher thrust per horsepower.
The vertical axis propeller rotates in one direc-
tion at constant speed, and is able to direct its
thrust in any direction for steering. Therefore,
it is possible to drive more than one propeller b y
one prime mover, to dispense with reversing en-
gines or gears, and to eliminate completely the
steering gear and rudders, all of which should
permit an appreciable economy in first cost.
Since m a n y recent screw propeller towboats are
designed for 3,000 to 3,600 shaft horsepower, a n y
increase to meet the new requirements of higher
barge speeds would result probably in designs
using 4,000 to 5,000 shaft horsepower. For this
size of plant, a single steam turbine plant fueled
with low cost boiler oil would permit operation
of the higher powered towboats at practically no
increase in fuel cost as compared with the usual
Diesel using high grade fuel.
I t would seem, therefore, t h a t the combination
of vertical axis propellers driven b y a single prime
mover would be well worthy of consideration as
an economical method of keeping pace with the
requirements for propulsion of high-speed barge
fleets.
MR. LEWIS C. HOST, Member: I t appears t h a t
this interesting paper was developed before the
American Bureau of Shipping Technical Com-
mittee formally approved the tentative rules for
" T h e Construction of Steel T a n k Barges for Serv-
ice on Rivers and Intracoastal Waterways."
These rules have now been printed. Mr. Dawson
is a m e m b e r of our Western Rivers Technical
Committee and contributed much to the formation
of these rules.
The rules for dry cargo barges are under con-
sideration by t h a t committee and it is expected
t h a t these will be published near the close of this
year. As in the Case of the rules for t a n k vessels,
information, simple formulas, and tables will be
made available to permit the determination of
the principal scantlings for almost all types of
barges with various s3~stems, or combinations of
framing. No a t t e m p t has been made to cover
complete details and the owners, designers, and
builders still retain ample latitude to incorporate
arrangements and design details which suit their
respective service conditions, design features,
and shop practices.
The author's comments with regard to the gen-
eral design features of the various types of barges
vnder the heading "Barge Proportions" are worthy
o f careful consideration as they serve to empha-
size the difficulties with which designers of this
type of craft are faced in order to develop barges
which will be economical in operation and still
be adaptable t o t h e particular limits of the trades
in which they are intended to be engaged. His
suggested desirable proportions for the various
services are quite sound, b u t one should not. take
these too literally. For full seagoing services the
standards are p r e t t y well established but it is very
difficult to differentiate .between ordinary coast-
wise services and unlimited ocean-going services
for vessels of comparatively small type, such as the
types of barges under consideration.
When it comes to Sounds and Bays consider-
ation also should be given to the particular Sound
or Bay in which the vessel is to be operated, since
it should be recognized t h a t the stresses induced
in the barge structure and which would affect
desirable proportions are those which are occa-
sioned not so m u c h b y rough seas in terms of
roughness as applied to small vessels b u t rather
more from the possibility of there occurring long
waves or ground swells which might at some time
approximate the length of the barge itself. For
instance, it is recognized t h a t in the lower Chesa-
peake B a y - t h e r e often occur very long ground
swells with very little evidence of roughness of
water, whereas in the upper reaches of the B a y or
in some other more sheltered waters such as Long
Island Sound the water m a y be comparatively
rough but the seas themselves never attain a n y
appreciable length.
In addition, the type of vessel should be con-
sidered also when determining desirable propor-
tions. In m a n y types such as those intended
only for deck cargoes or tank barges it is possible
to incorporate a completely plated deck with only
very few and very small openings, and it is also
possible to incorporate into the structure of the
hull itself additional longitudinal bulkheads or
trusses which would add to the stiffness of the
structure and in such cases one could be somewhat
more liberal in assessing the ratio of the length to
the depth than would be the case in cargo barges
or hopper barges where it would be impossible to
include these features.
PROFESSOR L. A. BAIER, Member: Mr. Daw-
son has condensed in this paper the results of
extensive research and experience in the design
of towed and pushed inland barges. The writer's
16ng :association with Mr. Dawson's c o m p a n y in
the development of yaw and resistance tests has
been highlighted b y the author's foresight and
practical judgment.
During the last few years the University of
 J
DESIGN OF INLAND WATERWAYS BARGES
Michigan Naval Tank has extended its investi-
gations to cover the economic factors and conse-
quent form design for the higher river speeds
necessitated by increasing costs of operation.
The complete integrated flotilla, as typified b y
the Harry Truman, is a modern development for
economical power at high speeds. All the barges
are square ended except the bow and stern power
unit. However, this system requires a complete
set of spare units to reduce delay at terminals.
In the oil trade terminal facilities often require
splitting a flotilla, which has promoted the cur-
rent design of semi-integrated fleets, usually
composed of pairs of integrated barges. This
method also permits fitting a single barge tem-
porarily into another flotilla since one end is
raked. An unexpected feature of the Truman
flotilla was the sudden rearing of the bow unit
when traveling over a shoaling reef. Apparently
the bow would climb the sudden creation of a wave
and ride the wave of translation until the water
deepened~:when._the bow. ~would:crash,back totevel
trim. After some model testing in the tank this
vulnerability was eliminated by change in bow
sections and length of unit.
(NOTE : A t this point a short film was shown by
Mr. Scott Mellany, of the Federal Barge Line,
operator of the Harry Truman.)
Contra rudders have been installed recently on
several towboats with a substantial increase in
speed. The longitudinal profiles of K o r t nozzles
are being redesigned to low-drag sections i n an
attempt to extend their efficiency to higher river
speeds.
During the last year considerable progress has
been made in the refinement of a simplified barge
form through the use of double-chine construction.
The bow is a semi-V form with turned-in deck
ends and the stern modified to use anti-yaw skegs.
The resistance is low, approaching the molded
spoon form, and I am informed the construction
costs are lower.
Recent studies on a three-unit integrated flotilla
have produced valuable information on the effect
of rake on the tons of cargo carried per year.
For the maximum return on a fixed investment in
power over a given route, the length of stern rake
is a direct function of the river current. The
proper ratio of stern rake to bow rake varies with
the particular over-all design, but its importance
is illustrated for a given case by the following
ratios.
No current . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3-mile current . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5-mile current . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
7-mile current . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
23
MR. EDWARDV. LEWIS, Member: There is one
point which I should like to raise in connection
with t h i s interesting paper. The reduction in re-
sistance resulting ,from the integration of barge
fleets is certainly a forward step. The next move
would appear to be the integration of the towboat
with the barge flotilla, as has been done in at least
one special case (the Harry Truman). Even in
a more normal towboat and barge design, isn't
there a possibility of some saving to be obtained
by modifying the bow of the towboat and the
stern of the trailing barge (or the middle one, if
there are to be three abreast)? The model tests
referred to in the paper (Fig. 3) for investigating
the best type of stern for a high-speed two-barge
fleet do not seem to have included the towboat.
Perhaps with a towboat astern, a somewhat dif-
ferent form might be more economical. The
author's comments on this point would be appre-
ciated.
Designers of towboats and barges for our inland
waterwa3/s.-have-eertainly- made -significant' con-
tributions to the advancement of naval archi-
tecture in recent years through increasing the
speed and economy of river transportation. In
this paper Mr. Dawson has given-a m o s t inter-
e_sting account of the present status of the design
of barges and illustrated clearly the adaptability
of barges to the transportation of an amazing
variety of cargoes.
MR. SHERMAN H. BARBER, ~[ember: The
author is to be congratulated for his careful and
detailed paper on a subject that is not too pro-
fusely covered in the technical publications of
the marine trade nor by the Transactions of our
Society. The author has pointed out quite
clearly the advantages of model testing, long ac-
cepted as basic and fundamental in big-ship prac-
tice. For who is there who would design a
cargo ship or liner today without first testing a
model or models? Yet when we consider the
growing traffic on our rivers and theincreasing costs
of handling any type of commodity today it be-
comes indicative of prudent management of
barge fleets to test models thereof as we do with
cargo ships. And what do we find? We find
that we can reduce the resistance, increase the
capacity and the speed of towing, all without an
appreciable increase in cost! The author has
pointed out the places where these savings can
be realized.
On page 9 the author gives us his recommenda-
tions for the rake radius and rake slope to be used
Ratio = 2~ on three types of barges in different services.
Ratio = 1 In the case of the high-speed and the moderate-
Ratio = 11/~
Ratio = 2 speed barges we note that the rake slope of the
24 D E S I G N OF I N L A N D W A T E R W A Y S BARGES
stern is about one-half the slope of the rake at the
bow, maintaining the same rake radius. Now
there is also associated the deep transom with
this type of stern. In the 1947 volume of the
Transactions of this Society, Professor Baier in his
paper on "The Resistance of Barges and Flotillas"
suggests that the resistance per ton displacement
(Rt/A) can be reduced materially by shortening
the after rake and adding the length to the parallel
middle body, keeping the rake slope similar both
bow and stern.. The statement is made that the
fuller stern adds slightly to the resistance but the
large gain in displacement produces a decrease in
R,/ `5.
In the case of a barge unit 175 feet by 2(i feet
by 7 feet 6 inches with symmetrical ends ex-
cept that the stern rake is shortened some 3 feet
8 inches and this length is added to the par-
allel middle body, we find the decrease in Rt/,5
to be of the order of 32 per cent at 7 miles per hour.
Now, if in this paper-we apply the same theory to
Fig. 7, keep the same deep transom point, make
the slope and radius at the bow and stern sym-
metrical, we find that we add but little t o the
displacement at the stern, but we can lengthen
the parallel middle body some 9 feet 2 inches
and still not change anything else. This is
based on the assumption that the draft shown in
Fig. 7 is 8 feet 6 inches. On a barge of 35-
foot beam this' added length amidships, i~epre-
sents about 76 tons of cargo that can be carried
"free" as it were.
It would be helpful if the author could clarify
the apparent, difference in his recommended
stern f r o m the stern recommended by Professor
Baier. The additional cargo that might be
carried seems to be justified if in the over-all
there is a,reduction in Rt/,5 also. The author's
comments will be greatly appreciated.
CAPTAIN HAROLD E. SAUNDERS, U.S.N., (RE-
TIRED), Vice-President: Let me begin by saying
that I have found this paper most interesting and
readable. Although it has never been one of my
tasks to design barges of this kind, I can under-
stand that the information set down by Mr.
Dawson will be found most useful by those work-
ing in the field.
The bow-wave profiles which are shown in Figs.
1 and 2, especially those portions forward of the
bow-wave crest, appear to be the envelopes of the
broken as well as the solid, water ahead of the
barges. If these profiles were determined by
visual or photographic observations, the solid
water on the forward side of the bow wave was
obscured naturally by-the spray, and-broken water
rolling forward. It would be expected thai the
solid water would rise toward the crest in a fair
line rather than in the discontinuous lines shown
in the diagrams. I t is understandable, of course,
that for operating reasons the spray and broken
water should not come over the deck; for propul-
sion reasons, the solid water should not develop
dynamic pressures against the vertical face of the
headlog.
In the diagram of Fig. 3 neither the rake angles,
the "rake bilge" radius, nor the depth of immer-
sion of the lower knuckle of the submerged tran-
som are given. In fact, the immersions of the
knuckles of the two submerged transoms are not
given in Fig. 7, where the horizontal full line in
the diagram is presumably the designer's water-
line with normal load. I would ask the author to
add the missing dimensions, which appear indis-
pensable in this study, to his closure of the dis-
cussion.
There is mention, on page 8, that "toe-in" is
incorporated in the forward and after deck lines
for certain operating conditions, yet the only barge
illustrated in the paper which has such a toe-in i s
the one whose deck plan is shown in Fig. 12. It
might be well to specify here the amount as well as
the length of toe-in (33 feet at each end for this
barge).
I was frankly looking forward, in this paper, to
seeing some diagrams and close-ups of various
kints of stabilizing skegs such as the "low resist-
ance anti-yaw skegs" which are mentioned on
page 8. The re3ults of some of the author's stud-
ies, as given by Fig. 9, appear to lose much of their
meaning, at least from the point of view of hydro-
dynamics, if they do not include a diagram show-
ing the shape, dimensions, and positions of the
skegs used for test conditions a and b. I can
understand that some of this information might
have been considered as a trade secret at one time
but surely anyone who buys a barge with these
skegs on it can dock the barge and have a look at
them. For a study of the hydrodynamics of barge
design as well as for a study of stabilization while
Steering, any detailed information on these skegs
which could be included in the author's closure
would be exceedingly valuable.
At the top of page 10 it is recommended that the
otherwise sharp corners of barge ends which are to
lie adjacent to each other: in an integrated unit
should be rounded to the shape of a .quarter-
ellipse. Are there any limiting dimensions which
can ' be giyen for this ellipse, either in absolute
sizes or in. ratios t)f the draft or beam of the in-
dividual barges?
It appears from the next paragraph following
that there is a limited optimum length for inte-
grated tow units, or perhaps there is an optimum
 "- DESIGN OF INLAND WATERWAYS BARGES 25

length of parallel midsection in such a unit. If so,

this is an interesting feature. I t is normally ac-
counted for on surface vessels b y wave interference -H-

between the two ends. I t is possible t h a t some

such wave interference m a y exist on these inte-
grated units in shallow water at speeds as high as
14 miles per hour. ,.:i:"~/.
Fig. 10 shows a lighter with what is known as a /
ridge-type deck. This has an elevated and pre-
sumably straight knuckle along the centerline and
sloping b u t straight frame or beam lines on either ]
side. This is an old form of simplified ship con-
struction, which has m a n y advantages but is now
seldom seen.
I t would be interesting to t h e readers of this
. _ pape~.if~there:-dduld be" i~61ffd~d= m " ~ the~,~uthor
. . . . . . . s:
" ' " "~, ..
closure a diagram of the "self-stripping type suc- --E-[
tion nozzle" mentioned in the middle of the left-
hand column on page 18.
Of all the designs illustrated b y the author, only
those shown in Figs. 12 and 15 incorporate any
rise of floor in the bottom. I t is presumed t h a t /
this exists because of operating considerations. /
The author has worked a great deal of useful in-
formation- into this paper. One cannot b u t feel
t h a t he has m u c h more of interest which naval
architects would like to hear.

MR. ROBERT TAGGART, A s s o c i a t e 2tIernber:

/j
/

There is one extremely important factor in the de- -B-.

sign of barge hull forms which apparently has been
overlooked b y barge designers. This factor is the
necessity of properly shaping the sectional area
curve. Innumerable experiments have been car-
ried .out on barge .forms to determine o p t i m u m --AT-
rake slope, rake end length, rake radius, and rake
knucklelradius. The results of most of these tests
show the o p t i m u m values obtained for other
factors are always those which tend to improve
the sectional ~area- curve. When analyzed in this
light, results which formerl)~ appeared to conflict
are readily explainable.
FIG. '~'0.--SEcTIONALAREA CURVES
The author indicates the authenticity of this
hypothesis b y the following statements: " T h e
rake slope and its influence on barge resistance
h a v e been over-emphasized and full returns for A recent series of tests b y the A r m y T r a n s p o r t a -
lowered .resistance require the incorporation of a- tion C o r p s demonstrated .this contention quite
properly associated rake radius." " . . . . it then be- clearly.- Of the twelve barges tested, eight have
comes desirable to shorten up the rake radius . . . . been selected to present a picture of the effect of
T h e resultant increase in towing resistance is off- the sectional area curve on barg~ resistance.
set b y drawing in the deck line and increasing the Table 1 lists the hull dimensions and coefficients
bilge knuckle radius." " T h e adoption of large for these eight barge, forms. T h e symbols given
radii on the rake knuckles has a definite reflection have been defined in other publications of The
on the barge resistance, this influence becoming Society of N a v a l Architects and Marine Engi-
more pronounced a t higher towing speeds." All neers with the exception-of C p r E and CPrR. These
of these design chaflges will lead to a more favor- are the transverse prismatic coefficients of the
able sectional, area curve. entrance and run, respectively, and are defined as
 26 DESIGN OF INLAND WATERWAYS BARGES

TABLE 1

Model A B C D E F G H
L 200.9 109.6 126.2 129.1 116.2 109.7 129.6 112.7
Bx 40.0 30.0 35.0 30.0 33.0 24.0 38.9 29.0
H ". 9.0 7.0 9.0 9.0 8.0 6.0 9.0 7.0
V 60,235 19,246 33,106 31,734 26,758 13,083 39,970 20,706
S 11,130 4,283 6,201 6,232 5 416 3,490 8,342 4,870
L/Bx 5. 023 3.653 3.606 4.303 3.521 4.570 3.330 " ' 3.887
Bx/H 4.444 4. 286 3. 889 3. 333 4.125 4. 000 4. 324 4.137
S~ V'I, 7. 243 5.963 6.007 , 6.221 6.058 6.286 7.135 6.460
S/L ~ O. 276 0. 357 . 0. 389 0. 374 0. 401 0. 290 0. 497 0. 383
Cs 0.833 0. 836 0. 833 0. 910 0. 872 0. 828 0. 880 0. 904 '
Cv 0. 852 0.852 0.850 0.911 0.900 0.852 0.880 0.904
Cx O. 978 0. 981 0. 980 0. 999 0. 969 0. 972 1. 000 1. 000
C~r O. 918 0. 981 0. 980 0. 994 0. 986 0. 923 1. 000 1. 000
Cpv 0. 907 0.852 0.850 0.916 0.884 0.898 0.880 "" 0.904
CPE O. 673 0.662 0.651 0.735 0.733 0.412 0.718 0.531
CPR 0. 685 0. 702 0. 682 0. 694 0. 733 0. 412 0. 718 0. 531
CPVE 0. 872 0. 693 0. 678 0. 767 0. 734 0. 576 0.718 0. 531
CPvR 0. 704 0. 703 0. 687 0. 694 0. 734 0. 576 0. 718 0. 531
CPTE O. 714 0.870 0.891 0.911 0.958 0.800 1.000 1.000
CPTR 0. 967 0. 864 0. 895 0. 982 0. 958 0. 800 1. 000 1. 000
Lg/L 0. 299 0. 234 0. 232 0.152 0. 212 0.125 0.118 " 0. 100
Ln/L 0. 177 0.219 0.222 0.157 0.212 0.125 0. 118 0. I00

the ratio of the v o l u m e of the e n t r a n c e (or r u n ) t o analysis of the sectional area shape on the large
the p r o d u c t of the b e a m a n d the lateral area of n u m b e r of excellent barges n o w in service would
the c o r r e s p b n d i n g rake profile. T h u s t h e y define give the o p t i m u m form of this curve. This, to-
to some e x t e n t the k n u c k l e radius. gether with the m a n y studies which h a v e b e e n
Fig. 20 shows the sectional area curves of the
e n t r a n c e a n d r u n of these barges. T h e abscissae
are scaled to show p r o p o r t i o n a l rake e n d lengths.
Fig. 21 is a plot of the relative residual resistances
of these barges. T h e o r d i n a t e used is similar to t> 0.(0 f
f
I
the familiar residual resistance coefficient C,, with == H
the s u b s t i t u t i o n of a v o l u m e factor i n the de-
0.08
fionfinator in place of the w e t t e d surface. T h i s
coefficient is. a d e r i v a t i o n i n dimensionless form of g
the u s u a l " p o u n d s resistance p e r t o n displace- 0
"0.06
ment." F
-2
A c o m p a r i s o n of the resistance curves with the s

c o r r e s p o n d i n g sectional area c u r v e s i n d i c a t e s ec 0.04 J

7 .

f
d e a r l y the a d v a n t a g e s o f good area d i s t r i b u t i o n
"0 E
c o m b i n e d w i t h good rake end length.
.~ 0.0? . . . . . _ . =~: ~ . . . ~ 1 /
' I n a d d i t i o n to these tests, three sets of b o w - a n d -
s t e r n rake e n d s were c o n s t r u c t e d for model E to B I
d e t e r m i n e the effect of rake e n d profile shape a n d A ~ ~ ""-
bilge k n u c k l e radius. T h e s e ends h a d lateral area ~ o
Q08 (~I0 0.14 0.18 O.tt O.Z6 030
coefficients of 0.67, 0.75, a n d 0.83 with parabolic Fr0ude Number- v / g ~ .
rake profiles. T h e sections were distorted to give FIG. 21.--COMPARATIVECURVES OF BARGE RESIDUALRE-
identical sectional area curves to all three sets of SISTANCE
rake ends. W h e n tested with a n y c o m b i n a t i o n of
ends, the .resistance results were identical. T h i s
i n d i c a t e d q u i t e clearly t h a t v a r i a t i o n of rake slope, c o n d u c t e d on the v a r i a t i o n of rake e n d length,
rake radius, a n d k n u c k l e radius h a d no effect on would give t h e basic r e q u i r e m e n t s for successful
resistance p r o v i d i n g the shape of the sectional barge hull design.
area c u r v e r e m a i n e d u n c h a n g e d . T h e "author has done a n excellent job of s u m -
If the i n d i c a t i o n s of tests on this one model can m a r i z i n g the m a n y conflicting p r o b l e m s c o n f r o n t -
b e verified b y similar tests, it would a p p e a r t h a t ing t h e . b a r g e designer. C e r t a i n l y no p a n a c e a c a n
the p r o b l e m of p r o d u c i n g satisfactory barge de- be prescribed which will g u a r a n t e e perfection in
signs could be simplified to a great extent. A n each design produced. However, t h e t r e m e n d o u s
 DESIGN OF INLANDWATERWAYS BARGES 27

volume of model and full-scale experimental work hour the 2,500-horsepower towboat push horse-
done in this field has reduced the production of power value drops to about 35 per cent of its
poor barge designs to a minimum. maximum, the 2,000 horsepower to a b o u t 20 per
cent of its maxirriiinf, and the 1,500 horsepower to
MR. DAWSON: T h e lines and resistance curves about 15 per cent of its maximum.
submitted b y Mr. WiUiamson offer an excellent To adjust a towboat properly to restricted
example of the modern approach to the fast barge service with a high-speed barge unit designed to
form. The resistance shows up well in comparison accept say 12 miles per hour towing speed would
with Professor Sadler's Model No. 9, b u t I would dictate substantial reduction in dock push and
point out t h a t Professor Sadler's Model 9 is more substantial increase in the free speed of the tow-
an example of large radius bilge than spoon bow. boat. The result would be to shift the high point
A study of the lines incorporated in Professor of the plish-power curve to higher speeds and al-
Sadler's 1916 paper, read before this Society, low it to coincide more nearly with the towing
shows t h a t the principal difference between Model speed. Such a towboat would not deliver, satis-
1 and Model 9 is the inclusion of well-rounded factory performance under h e a v y towing.
bilges which approach b u t do not equal a fully There a r e a few boats offering the crown of the
molded spoon bow. push hc;rsepower curve above the 71/6 mile power
T h e central parts of the rake form used on point, b u t I a m not aware of any t h a t offer the
Model 1 and Model 9 are very close. A true m a x i m u m value at or near 12 miles per hour.
spoon bow form, incorporating double curvature, Incidentally, most present-day high-speed
when used in association with dee p transom barges will accept speeds up to 12 miles per hour,
stern of similar character, should give better re- some to 14 miles per hour.
sults than those developed from Professor Sadler's I trust this analysis will verify m y s t a t e m e n t
model. On the other hand, the cost of construc- t h a t the present-day high-speed barge forms have
tion of such a barge would be substantially been refined to a point somewhat beyond the
greater than the cost involved in using the design ability of the existing power unit.
prepared b y Mr. Williamson, and i t is doubtful In response to Mr. MacMillan's comment on
t h a t the extreme of barge refinement is commer- m a x i m u m horsepower- per shaft, it appears' t h a t
cially advisable. several operators are givingkserious consideration
I a m in agreement .with Mr. Williamson's com- .to higher horsepower, some in t h e order of 2,000
ments on economic balance of speed and power. to 2,400 horsepower per shaft. As the towing
Mr. Williamson's reference to Professor Sadler's speeds increase, the permissible propeller loading
1916 p a p e r p r o m p t s me to c o m m e n t on the lapse also increases. The Columbia Ri;cer towboats are
of time between Professor Sadler's disclosure of outstanding examples of successful application:of
low resistance barge form and the acceptance b y high loadings and high towing speeds.
the industry of the values offered. Referring to Mr. MacMillan's question relative
Responding to Mr. MacMillan's question, first, to the non-adoption of vertical shaft or vertical
in regard, to the relationship between t o d a y ' s axis propellers, I m a y advise t h a t this interesting
high-speed barges and the present standard river device has not escaped attention. An early at-
boats designed from h e a v y fleets, if you will refer t e m p t to install experimental units failed on
to C h a r t 10, found on page 8 of m y paper entitled account of high cost; t h a t is, after including full
" T h e D e v e l o p m e n t and Economic Potential of credit for omission of rudders, steering gear, etc.
Inland W a t e r w a y s T r a n s p o r t a t i o n , " you will find A second and indeterminate factor adversely
a series of curves shown b y dash lines t h a t plot the affecting its further development on our western
net towing horsepower delivered against the fleet rivers is lack of experience demonstrating, its rug-
by the towboat. You will observe t h a t the horse- gedness or its ability to withstand ice, drift, etc.,
power shows as zero at bollard push, where there and the ever-present problem of excluding sand
is no motion, and again at zero as at the free run- from bearings.
ning speed of the vessel where there is zero p u s h . A s u m m a r y of the position held t o d a y b y verti-
Between these two points the curves rise to a cal axis propellers is roughly as follows:
maximum, the crown of the curve showing at 6 First, it is second to.the .Kort nozzles for h e a v y
miles per hour for 500 horsepower, and about 7!/~ towing.
miles per hour for 2,500 horsepower. Second, it is second to open screws for free
These values have been developed over' the speed.
years and reflect the demands of heavy, low-speed- T h i r d , it i s outstanding in maneuverability and
tows. Most river fleets are not designed for high- backing power.
speed towing. You will note t h a t at 12 miles per Its ability to withstand the hazards of naviga-
28 DESIGN:"OF INLAND .WATERWAYS BARGES

~Jp

- - _

PLAN VIEW - SKEG Q

I
T f T

- I = T ~
I NI-u~

:4
f I

I r-
I -%' ' "" S~eg ~PriIiminary toco~rion --~- II " "

c-
' I
4 I I TXpIcal Secf. Skec3 (~)
_ Borge~ ~ I I
-6
I
1 Shell P,?
.,~ I r
I I =I
I o I
Ske~ 0 Priliminary Locofion ',;
J -"- I
3 j
' I
l '_t_~ , . _ _ ; . . ~ ---.---.--" _ _ _ ~________--; . . . .
I ]= ,I,-r

, L__~_-~__. .... /-2

I I------ Ske(:J (.~ Final Location Typkol Sec'r. Ske9 (~
,m.
~--- l-
63'6'-' 168'0" Mid Body. . . . . -/,--~
I.~ ZSS'O"Molded LencJ%h
PLAN VIEW- STERN
I
I
I
I
I
T--x
I =1 /
/
f
~J I
I
=i

I% -~- -el
I "oo I l g
I I ---,~ - - I I "
I l %
I

,-4-s'7"--4.,---7'~0"----4 ske9 I
f J
-~II'8"I~ 31'10" Ske9 ( ~
ELEVATION- STERN
FIG. 22
 DESIGN OF INLAND
tion on our western rivers has not been demon-
strated. Consequently, the owners are hesitant
to venture the investment in the cost to develop
the triple-screw as a means of keeping propeller
loadings within normal limits.
M r . . M a c M i l l a n suggests the use of turbine
drive. These have been excluded from river
boats for two reasons: first, lack of 100 per cent
stern power; and, second, excessive bunker fuel
weight. T h e first problem is now eliminated, as a
single-direction turbine driving through a reverse
reduction gear unit would be entirely satisfactory.
The second, fuel weight, is still with us. You m u s t
r e m e m b e r t h a t a Diesel towboat for long distance
river service carries nearly one-third of its total
displacement in fuel, and to increase the fuel
weight factor imposes additional burden in hull
size and cost.
With reference to Professor Baler's interesting
comments, I wish to report t h a t his work in de-
veloping the Harry Truman unit represents a
milestone in river history. I regret t h a t our model
basin research in " f o r m " studies for high-speed
K o r t nozzles unearthed some side issue problems
as y e t unsolved. Briefly, it appears t h a t thd
nozzle will return equitable benefits up to and in-
cluding a b o u t 12 miles per hour.
I a m indeed pleased with Professor Baler's
study of current speed and its influence on stern
rake design. This is, I believe, the first practical
analysis of this i m p o r t a n t factor.
Mr. Lewis brings up the question of proceeding
beyond integrated barge fleets to a complete or
partial integration of the towboat with the inte-
grated fleet. This question is currently under
study a t the David Taylor Model Basin and we
feel confident t h a t partial integration between the
towboat and the barges will show favorably.
We expect the stern lines currently incorporated
on our deep transom stern unit of the high-speed
integrated fleet tb accept ~such partial integration
without radical change. F u l l integration, as
adopted on the Harry Truman, will give lower
total resistance b u t commercial requirements of
the trade m a y dictate the semi-integration.
Mr. Barber raises the question of shortening
rakes, particularly the after rake, to gain parallel
middle body tonnage--all in an endeavor to increase
the cargo ton-miles delivered. The adoption of the
so-called "deep transom" aft was the result of the
same reasoning as put forward b y Mr. Barber.
For further data along these lines I would refer to
Professor Baier's discussion on this paper where
he presents a table of ratios of stern rake to bow
rake. We have been moving slowly along these
same lines b u t without the benefit of model basin
testing on this i m p o r t a n t point. T h e professor's
WATERWAYS BARGES 29
timely disclosures are indeed welcome. I believe
t h e professor's findings plus our own deep tran-
som studies will answer Mr. Barber's query.
Responding to Captain Saunders' welcome dis-
cussion, I find as follows:
With reference to the bow wave profiles shown
on Figs. 1 and 2, the profiles shown on Fig. 1 were
laid out b y two dimension measurements t a k e n
during trials, one being the height on headlog and
the other being the distance of the wave forward
of the headlog both measured at eenterline. The
profile shown on Fig. 2 is taken from a photograph
of a model under test, the photograph selected
being one particularly well positioned for study of
bow wave profile. In both easesthe profile includes
the spray or broken water rolling forward as we had
no accurate means of determining the profile of
the solid water.
In response to the request for additional details
on the form of the barges tested under Fig. 3, I
have added the headlog and transom heights, the
rake radius, and the rake bilge radius. Comply-
ing with Captain Saunders' request you will now
find the missing details have been added to the
sketches on Fig. 3 and Fig. 7.
Referring to the question of toe-in of deck at
rake ends of barges, you will find this practice is
incorporated frequently on harbor barges and
those used in lake and coastwise service. In the
ease of harbor barges where the barges lie against
wharfs which are not flush on the outside stringers
and where it m a y be necessary to shift the barge
along a wharf having piling outside of the string-
ers, we find the "toe-in" adapted to avoid catch-
ing against these outside pilings when moving the
barge along the wharf. In the ease of barges used
in the rough waters of lakes and coastwise service,
the "toe-in" reduces resistance and towline shock.
In the case of earfloats illustrated in Fig. 12, the
toe-in is a m a t t e r of reduction in resistance. T h e
a m o u n t of toe-in is a function of the landing
bridge and the track arrangement. In general,
the gain in resistance increases as the toe-in in-
creases up to a b o u t one depth, beyond t h a t the
resistance decrease is not so pronounced.
Fig. 22 shows the three skeg arrangements
tested in developing the curve shown on Fig. 9.
T h e first arrangement of skegs marked "Skeg A
Preliminary Location" did not control the y a w
and was thrown out. Progressive relocation and
angling of these skegs developed arrangement
" A " final location as the minimum resistance
single-plane skegs having satisfactory yaw correc-
tion. After this was established, the D r a v o
double-plane type of skeg indicated as skegs " B "
were developed to equal the y a w correction value
of skegs " A , " b u t at the lowered resistance as
30 DESIGN OF INLAND WATERWAYS BARGES

shown on the curves. I t is reasonable to assume

that a well-designed curved faced skeg would
offer less resistance than the Dravo double-plane
type b u t at the penalty of increased costs. In
making skeg resistance tests it is well to start by
developing single-plane skegs t h a t will control
yaw satisfactorily at lowest resistance. This then
m a y be taken as 100 per cent for t h a t barge, and
any other arrangement of skegs m u s t offer lower
resistance than the " s t a n d a r d " to be of interest.
M a y I again state I know of no satisfactory way
of predicting minimum resistance anti-yaw skegs
other than model basin experiments for each barge.
PloCe
Typicol 5ecf. Showing Nozzle Tip
T h e amount of rounding off of the square corn-
ers of integrated barges is another element of de-
sign which has not been established firmly, the
curve used by Dravo Corporation was developed

"[rorlsomPI..~ '~I
.e. I o
o- I

, ? ;
~-9_0'!~I Boiom or Side PI.
~-'v~ ~-----1'1"-----~
FIG. 2 3 . - - C u R v I N G OF PLATES CONNECTING TRANSOM TO
BOTTOM AND SIDE PLATING ON "SQUARE ENDED" BARGES G"-Self-SfrippincjSucfionNozzle
()F THE INTEGRATED FLEETS
FIG. 24

b y judgment only and is as shown on Fig. 23. I t
is proving quite satisfactory as it accepts moder-
ate misalinement without noticeable increase in
towing resistance and does not damage lock walls.
Captain Saunders' question relative to opti-
m u m length and o p t i m u m parallel mid-section is
a rather difficult one to answer. The entire pro-
gram .of integrated high-speed units is new and
has not been fully developed.
The adoption of high-speed integrated barge
tows has followed more closely the commercial
demands, of the trade rather t h a n the resistance
optimum. For instance, the over-all length of the
fleet is influenced b y lock sizes, the limitations of
the intracoastal canal, and the radius of the bends
in the river. I t appears presently t h a t the prob-
lem is that of developing the o p t i m u m leading and
trailing end rakes for the particular ratio of beam
to depth t h a t has been adopted for a specific fleet.
In the ease of barges towed single width, the draft
of the barge is the most i m p o r t a n t single item, as
it is the factor which controls the o p t i m u m toe-in
of the deck for minimum resistance. F u r t h e r ,
there is a difference in the o p t i m u m molding-for a
deep water barge and a shoal water barge. A
series of model basin tests could be scheduled to
determine o p t i m u m beam-to-depth ratio for each
channel depth. Such a series would prove valu-
able to the industry. The wave interference
problem of these high-speed barges appears to be
principally t h a t of b o t t o m interference rather
than between the two ends, as normally the fleets
are of sufficient length t h a t the bow wave length
does not reach sufficiently to influence the stern
wave. I would expect on a single barge unit t h a t
such wave interference could develop; again the
length of the barge would be influenced b y the
depth of the channel.
Referring to Captain S a u n d e r s ' questions on
the ridge-type deck and flat b o t t o m , these are de-
sign features normally incorporated on river
barges as a m a t t e r of economy although it m u s t
be remembered t h a t for high-speed units a rise of
b o t t o m is recommended. Rise of b o t t o m is ad-
visable on a n y barge; it does not feel " b o t t o m
drag" in shoal water as badly as a flat-bottomed
barge and, further, if grounded~ is not so difficult
to free.
 ~- D E S I G N O F I N L A N D W A T E R W A Y S
Fig. 24 shows a 6-inch self-stripping suction
nozzle. The principle of these nozzles is to flatten
the nozzle to such a point t h a t the two stream
flows join up and form one. T h e area of the
nozzle at a n y section is equal to the pipe area but
the peripheral area between the nozzle and the
shell is usually made somewhat less than the pipe
area. For ordinary liquids such as gasoline,
Diesel oil, etc., this nozzle will not break suction
until the liquid level has dropped to approxi-
matelY one-half the clearance between the nozzle
and the b o t t o m plating.
The currently used simple and inexpensive de-
sign functions so well t h a t further studies into
more efficient hydraulic nozzle forms do not ap-
pear commercially needed.
Mr. T a g g a r t ' s data emphasizing the value of
properly shaping sectional area curves are a wel-
come addition. This method of checking is of
particular value where the barge has molded
rakes to the extent t h a t the profile of the b a r g e
BARGES 31
_does not determine the rake forms. Unfortu-
nately, the information presented by Mr. T a g g a r t
is not sufficiently complete to permit full analysis
of the influence of the s~ctional area. curves. I
note particularly the instance of the models F and
G. I t would not be unreasonable to anticipate
model G to show to better advantage when com-
pared with model F at all speeds. I t is possible
t h a t examination of details such as rake bilge
radius or the absence thereof m a y offer the solu-
tion. Mr. T a g g a r t ' s Fig. 21 is an extremely inter-
esting chart as it shows clearly the resistance ad-
vantage of proper end molding.
In closing m a y I express m y thanks and appre-
ciation to all the discussers for their interest and
their generous contribution of valuable data.
PRESIDENT WOODWARD: Mr. Dawson has pre-
sented a very practical and a very useful paper,
and he well deserves the thanks of the Society for
his fine contribution.