Ship lock

A box shaped navigation structure that uses gates at both ends to control the inflow and outflow of water into the channel, in order to raise and lower the water level and enable ships to overcome the concentrated water level drop on the channel.

Also known as the 'box lock'. It consists of a gate chamber, gate head, gate, approach channel, and corresponding equipment. When the ship is going up, first release the water from the lock chamber. When the indoor water level is level with the downstream water level, open the downstream gate to allow the ship to enter the lock chamber. Then close the downstream gate and fill the lock chamber with water. When the water level in the lock chamber is level with the upstream water level, open the upstream gate and the ship will exit the lock chamber and enter the upstream channel. When going down, it's the opposite.

Category:

Ship locks can be divided into sea locks, river locks, and canal locks according to their location. Ship locks can be divided into single-stage locks, two-stage locks, and multi-stage locks (also known as single chamber locks, double chamber locks, and multi chamber locks) based on the number of lock chambers along the lock axis direction, with single-stage locks being the most widely used. The largest single level ship lock with a water head of 42 meters is the Ust Kamenogorsk ship lock on the Irtysh River in the Soviet Union. The multi-stage lock with the highest number of levels is the sixth level lock on the Kama River in the Soviet Union. Ship locks can be divided into single line locks, double line locks, and multi line locks based on the number of locks arranged in the same hub. Usually, a hub is only equipped with one ship lock, which is a single track ship lock. When there is a large volume of traffic passing through the lock, double line locks or multi line locks can be arranged, usually to be added gradually after the traffic volume increases. The lock with the highest number of lines currently is the Foucault four line lock in the Netherlands on the Rhine River.

In addition to ordinary ship locks, there is also a type of water-saving ship lock. The Shengshui Ship Lock has a water storage tank built on one or both sides of the lock chamber to temporarily store a portion of the water released during the chamber's discharge. When the chamber needs to be filled with water, the stored water is then poured into the chamber to save water used for passing through the lock. Provincial water locks are generally built in areas with insufficient water sources, and are currently built less frequently, mainly adopted by the Federal Republic of Germany.

Purpose:

Water conservancy engineering structures used to ensure navigation in the event of concentrated water level drops, such as at the construction of gates and dams. When irrigating farmland with river water or using hydraulic power to drive hydroelectric generators, it is necessary to build dams on the river to raise the water level. In this way, the river water is blocked by the dam, and the water level difference between upstream and downstream is large, making it impossible for ships to pass through. So people used the principle of connectors to build ship locks next to dams on rivers with frequent transportation. It mainly consists of a gate chamber and upstream and downstream gate heads, with gates set at both ends of the gate chamber to separate it from the upstream and downstream. When the ship descends, first fill the lock chamber with water. When the indoor water level is level with the upstream, open the upstream gate to allow the ship to enter the lock chamber. Immediately close the upstream gate, release water from the gate chamber, and wait for it to reach the same level as the downstream water level. Then open the downstream gate and the ship can exit the gate. The upward process is opposite to the above process. The ship lock must be equipped with specialized water filling and discharging systems, as well as equipment for operating the gates. According to the terrain and the size of the water level difference, the ship lock can be made into single or multiple levels.