The ropes and cables that have imperfectly fastened ships to the quayside for centuries are no longer needed, thanks to a TU Delft researcher’s invention: ‘Harbor magnets’, huge electro-magnets measuring 1 x 1 meter.
Like many of the seemingly simple yet revolutionary inventions (the paper-clip comes immediately to mind), this is one that will have left many fellow researchers scratching their collective heads and muttering, ‘Why didn’t I think of that!?’ Professor Martin Verwiej, a senior lecturer from the Electromagnetic research department (EWI), says his invention should be considered as one of the TU’s best inventions of the year: ,,A number of these magnets will be attached to the harbor quayside and magnetically hold a steel ship in place, making the ropes that are used for this today unnecessary. This new magnetic system will also save time, manpower and improve safety in the harbor. This invention is a great example of how you cannot plan research. Civil engineering student Erik Fiktorie was searching for someone with knowledge of electromagnets. I found the subject interesting, so I scribbled some calculations on a piece of paper. The result: a design that a patent has since been applied for and in which there is great interest. In designing the harbor magnet, two difficult design problems had to be overcome; namely, that the inside of the ship should not become magnetized, and, secondly, that the strength per surface area of the magnet should be as great as possible. Both problems were easily solved by constructing the magnet out of small alternating north and south poles. In this way, the magnetic field remains in the ship’s shell and is powerfully concentrated at the poles. Apparently no one ever came up with the idea of constructing a magnet in this way, for this purpose. And I might add that I came up with the idea of using small poles by dismantling and studying a small cupboard magnet, like the ones you can buy at the Gamma.”
The ropes and cables that have imperfectly fastened ships to the quayside for centuries are no longer needed, thanks to a TU Delft researcher’s invention: ‘Harbor magnets’, huge electro-magnets measuring 1 x 1 meter. Like many of the seemingly simple yet revolutionary inventions (the paper-clip comes immediately to mind), this is one that will have left many fellow researchers scratching their collective heads and muttering, ‘Why didn’t I think of that!?’ Professor Martin Verwiej, a senior lecturer from the Electromagnetic research department (EWI), says his invention should be considered as one of the TU’s best inventions of the year: ,,A number of these magnets will be attached to the harbor quayside and magnetically hold a steel ship in place, making the ropes that are used for this today unnecessary. This new magnetic system will also save time, manpower and improve safety in the harbor. This invention is a great example of how you cannot plan research. Civil engineering student Erik Fiktorie was searching for someone with knowledge of electromagnets. I found the subject interesting, so I scribbled some calculations on a piece of paper. The result: a design that a patent has since been applied for and in which there is great interest. In designing the harbor magnet, two difficult design problems had to be overcome; namely, that the inside of the ship should not become magnetized, and, secondly, that the strength per surface area of the magnet should be as great as possible. Both problems were easily solved by constructing the magnet out of small alternating north and south poles. In this way, the magnetic field remains in the ship’s shell and is powerfully concentrated at the poles. Apparently no one ever came up with the idea of constructing a magnet in this way, for this purpose. And I might add that I came up with the idea of using small poles by dismantling and studying a small cupboard magnet, like the ones you can buy at the Gamma.”
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