ZUP SPOJ / ZUP CONNECTOR

Fotografije / Photos: Petar Fabijan, Davor Žunić

ZUP SPOJ, MALI IZUM ZA VELIKE PROMJENE ZUP CONNECTOR, A SMALL INVENTION FOR GREAT CHANGES

Izumi mijenjaju svijet na bolje, a život čine jednostavnijim i kvalitetnijim. Ljudski je um čudo.Od prvog izuma otkrića vatre , preko kotača, tiskarskog stroja, penicilina, interneta do tehnološkog napretka 21. stoljeća, čovječanstvo je stvaralo izume kako bi pojednostavilo život, a svi ti izumi pridonijeli su evoluciji ljudske vrste. Hrvatska je mala zemlja, velikih umova i izuma.Bez obzira u kojoj sferi življenja rade i istražuju, sve izumitelje vodi ista misao,unaprijediti područje svojeg djelovanja.

Inventions change the world for the better, and make life simpler and happier. The human mind is a miracle. Since the first invention – the discovery of fire – to the ones of the wheel, the printing press, penicillin, the Internet, to the technological advances of the 21st century, humanity has come up with different innovations to simplify life, and all those creations contributed to the evolution of the human species. Croatia is a small country, but a land of great minds and inventions. No matter in which sphere of life they work and explore, all inventors are guided by the same thought: to improve the field of their activity.

Na tom je tragu nastao i novi izum, spojni element sidrenog lanca i plutajućeg pontona, kojeg je autor Gordan Župa nazvao zup spoj.Tvrtka Dubina inženjering d.o.o , vlasnika Gordana Župe, desetljećima radi na izgradnji sidrenih sustava duž Jadranske obale, ali i u inozemstvu, na Malti su postavljali veliki valobran.Iza njih godine su iskustava i rada na terenu, brojni projekti, a samim time i suočavanje s problemima.Jedno od njih vječno je pitanje kako kontrolirati koroziju na sidrenom lancu unutar pontona. With this in mind, a new invention was designed, an element connecting the anchor chain and the floating dock, named by its inventor, Gordan Župa, the Zup Connector. The company Dubina Inženjering, owned by Župa, has been installing anchoring systems for decades, not only along the Adriatic coast, but also abroad, e.g., they have installed a large breakwater in Malta. They have years of experience and field work. They have completed many projects, and, of course, faced many problems, one of which is the eternal question of how to control corrosion on the anchor chain inside the floating dock.

IZAZOVI SIDRENJA PLUTAJUĆIH PONTONA

Sidrenje plutajućih pontona izvodi se pomoću sidrenih lanaca ili alternativnih sredstava povezanih na betonske blokove na dnu mora, tzv. „ colpomorto”.Sidreni lanci spojeni su s plutajućim pontonom unutar samog pontona, tako da su postavljeni u otvoru kroz ponton s osloncem u čahuri pontona.Dio lanca u otvoru pontona, u zoni je vodene linije i posebno izložen korodiranju.Kako se pontoni smatraju plovnim objektima bez pogona, podliježu godišnjim periodičkim pregledima, a svakih pet godina i podvodnim pregledima od strane ovlaštenih tvrtki. - Korozija je kao nevidljiva pirana, grize dok ne izgrize lanac.Problem je što je korozija na sidrenom lancu unutar pontona oku nevidljiva, odnosno vidljiva je tek kada kada je kasno, točnije kad lanac pukne, a onda nastaju veliki problemi i golema materijalna šteta- kaže Gordan Župa. Naime kod podvodnog pregleda sidrenog sustava plutajućeg pontona ronilac utvrđuje debljinu lanca, istrošenost, stanje škopca itd.. No da bi pregledao dio sidrenog lanca unutar otvora u pontonu, potrebno je lanac izvući iz pontona na suho , a to je organizacijski, tehnički i financijski zahtjevno, ne samo zbog težine lanca već i zbog slabljenja sidrenog sustava, jer su uglavnom za ponton privezana plovila za vrijeme pregleda. ZUP SPOJ -BAJPAS PLUTAČE PONTONA I SIDRENOG LANCA

Da su pucanja sidrenog lanca uslijed korodiranja i još dodatno potpomognuta vremenskim nepogodama česta nezgoda u našim marinama, znaju dobro investitori.Dvije su mogućnosti imali ili ići na težu i financijskih zahtjevniju opciju demontaže sidrenog sustava kod podvodnih pregleda ili promišljati o nekom novom proizvodu. I tu se Gordanu Župi „upalila lampica”.- Zup spoj bajpasira spoj plutače pontona i sidrenog lanaca .I to izvan samog pontona, tako da sidreni lanac ronilac pregleda bez demontaže spoja i izvlačenja na suho.Spojni element postavljen je u otvoru kroz ponton, s CHALLENGES OF ANCHORING FLOATING DOCKS

Floating docks are anchored using anchor chains or alternative means connected to concrete blocks placed at the bottom of the sea, the so-called deadmen. The anchor chains are connected to the floating dock inside the dock itself: they extend throughout the dock’s hollow part and are held in place in the floating dock’s shell. The chain in the dock’s hollow part is at the waterline and is especially prone to corrosion. As floating docks are categorised as motorless watercraft, they are subject to annual periodic inspections, and, every five years, to underwater surveys done by authorised companies. - Corrosion is like an invisible piranha, biting until it bites through the chain. The problem is that corrosion on the anchor chain inside the floating dock is invisible to the eye, that is, it becomes visible only when it’s too late, when the chain breaks, leading to big problems and enormous material damage, says Gordan Župa. Namely, when performing an underwater survey of a floating dock’s anchoring system, the diver inspects the thickness of the chain, its wear and tear, the condition of the shackle, etc. But in order to inspect the anchor chain that is inside the floating dock’s hollow part, it is necessary to take the chain out of it and out of the sea, and this is logistically, technically and financially demanding, not only because of the chain’s weight but also because this leads to the weakening of the anchoring system since, generally, boats are moored to the floating dock during the inspection. ZUP CONNECTOR BYPASSES THE SPOT WHERE THE FLOAT AND THE ANCHOR CHAIN CONNECT

That anchor chains in our marinas often break due to corrosion and, additionally, harsh weather is a fact investors are only too aware of. There was a choice: either go for the more difficult and financially more demanding option, i.e., disassembling the an-

Fotografija / Photo: Miho Bakalić Dubina inženjering d.o.o desetljećima radi na izgradnji sidrenih sustava duž Jadranske obale i u inozemstvu. Iza njih godine su iskustava i rada na terenu, brojni projekti, a samim time i suočavanje s problemima.Jedan od njih je kako kontrolirati koroziju na sidrenom lancu unutar pontona.

Dubina Inženjering has been installing anchoring systems along the Adriatic coast and abroad for decades. They have years of experience and field work. They have completed many projects, and, of course, faced many problems, one of which is how to control corrosion on the anchor chain inside the floating dock.

osloncem u čahuri pontona.Donji dio viri izvan pontona i na njega se spaja sidreni lanac.Na ovaj način mjesto spoja sidrenog lanaca i pontona nije unutar, već izvan pontona te je lako dostupno za pregled, lanac je sav u moru, te je smanjeno korodiranje, a samim spojem bitno se smanjuje i oštećenje betonske stijenke pontonske konstrukcije- kaže Gordan Župa, inovator zup spoja.Njegovu zamisao prvo su pohvalili u Hrvatskom registru brodova, a onda je ideju s inženjerom Baldom Bakalićem, pretočio na papir. S papira u djelo,zup spoj zaživio je u pogonima renomirane, domaće tvrtke Salona var d.o.o. koja je u dvadeset i pet godina isporučila više od 300 uspješnih velikih radova domaćim i stranim naručiteljima.Prvi zup spojevi već su postavljeni u našim marinama,investicija zanemariva u odnosu na dobrobit koju nosi, kažu investitori. Do sadašnji sidreni sustavi trajali su pet do deset godina.Uz položaj pontona, izloženost vjetru, korištenost, upravo je korodiranje sidrenog lanca unutar pontona, znatno utjecalo na vijek trajanja.Sa zup spojem, koji se radi od čelika najvećeg stupnja kvalitete, vruće cinčan, promjera 80 milimetar, tvrd, masivan, jak otporan na koroziju, sidrenom sustavu produljen je vijek trajanja, te bi trebao biti u funkciji deset do petnaest godina, a to nije malo.Uz to umnogome je olakšana podvodna kontrola. U zadnjih desetak godina Dubina inženjering d.o.o. postavila je sedamdeset posto pontona u našem moru.Njihov je cilj ne samo raditi, već unaprijediti i poboljšati, zato Gordana Župu posebno raduje što je njegov izum zup spoj ili spojni element sidrenog lanca i plutajućeg pontona dobio nagradu Društva inovatora Dalmacije za tehničko i tehnološko unapređenje.Inovativni zup spoj u fazi je patentiranja te bi lako mogao postati i zanimljiv izvozni proizvod, rezultat domaće pameti iskustva i inovativnosti.  Do sadašnji sidreni sustavi trajali su pet do deset godina.Uz položaj pontona, izloženost vjetru, korištenost, upravo je korodiranje sidrenog lanca unutar pontona, znatno utjecalo na vijek trajanja.Sa zup spojem, sidrenom sustavu produljen je vijek trajanja od deset do petnaest godina.

Until now, anchoring systems had a life of five to ten years. In addition to the position of the floating dock, wind exposure, and use, their service life was also significantly affected by the corrosion of the anchor chain inside the dock. The Zup Connector will extend the service life of the anchoring system to ten to fifteen years.

choring system during underwater inspections, or consider a new product. And this is where Gordan Župa hit on an idea – to move, using his Zup Connector, the spot where the float and the anchor chain connect outside the dock. In this way, the diver can inspect the anchor chain without disassembling the connector and pulling the chain out of the water. The connecting element is placed in the hollow, extending its entire length, and is held in place in the floating’s dock shell. The lower part sticks out of the dock and the anchor chain is connected to it. In this way, the place where the anchor chain and the floating dock are connected is not inside but outside the dock and is easily accessible for inspection. The entire length of the chain is underwater, reducing corrosion, and the connector itself significantly reduces the damage to the concrete wall of the floating dock structure, says Gordan Župa, the inventor of the Zup Connector. Having had his idea praised by the people from the Croatian Register of Shipping, he put it to paper with the help of engineer Baldo Bakalić. From there, the Zup Connector came to life in the facilities of the renowned Croatian company Salona Var, which, in its twenty-five years’ history, has done more than 300 successful large-scale jobs for Croatian and international clients. The first Zup Connectors have already been installed in our marinas, the investment negligible in relation to the benefits it brings, the investors say. Until now, an anchoring system had a life of five to ten years; in addition to the position of the floating dock, wind exposure, and use, its service life was also significantly affected by the corrosion of the anchor chain placed inside the dock. Using the Zup Connector –made of the highest-quality steel, hot-dip galvanised, with an 80-millimetre diameter, hard, massive, strong and corrosion-resistant – will extend the service life of the anchoring system to ten to fifteen years, which is quite a lot. In addition, underwater control has been made much easier. In the last ten years, Dubina Inženjering has installed seventy percent of the floating docks in our sea. But work is not their only goal; they want to improve and advance things, and that is why Gordan Župa is especially pleased that his invention of the Zup Connector, i.e., the element connecting the anchor chain and the floating dock, has received an award by the Association of Innovators of Dalmatia for technical and technological advancement. The patent for the innovative Zup Connector has been applied for and this could easily become an interesting export product, the result of Croatian intellect, experience and innovation. 