Cases

TechnoFysicaBVisaDutchbasedengineeringcompany,highlyspecialisedinsolvingallkindsofproblemsrelatedtothe
dynamicloadingofmachineryandinstallations.Forthis,severalmeasuringandanalysistechniquesareused.Inaseriesof
articles,wewillgiveexamplesofwhatcangowrongintheengineeringandoperatingofvessels,andwhaterrorslieattherootof
thedamagesobserved.

Example:Faultyassemblyorinstallationofcomponents

Inaseriesof10generalcargoships,cracksdevelopedinthehullatthelocationwherethesterntubepenetratestheaftship.As
iscommonpracticenowadays,theengineroomisascompactaspossibletoobtainamaximumofcargospace.Thisresultsina

short,stiffshaftline,whichmakescertainengineeringaspects,suchasshaftalignmentandthermalexpansion,extracritical.

Aftshipofacompact,highpoweredgeneralcargoshipwithashort,stiffshaft
line.

Inthisparticulardesign,inordertoachieveanequaladditionalloadduetotheweightofthepropellershaftonbothgearbox
bearings,thegearboxwasplacedabovethecentrelineofthesterntube,i.e.1.27mmonthepropellersideand2.33mmonthe
engineside.
However,forthisinstallationitwasimpossiblewiththisalignmentconditiontoensureapositiveloadontheforwardsterntube
bearingundercoldandwarmoperatingconditionsandunderzeropitchaswellasunderfullpitchconditions.

Thepitchsettinghasabiginfluenceonthebendingmoment,andconsequentlythedeflection,oftheshaftduetotheeccentricity
ofthethrust.
Thismeansthatundercertainoperationalconditions,contactbetweentheforwardsterntubebearingandthepropellershaftwas
lostandbendingmomentswereexertedontheaftsterntubebearingandthehull.
Forthelastshipsofthisseriesof10,themanufacturerofthepropellershaftadvisedanalignmentconditionwherethegearboxis
placedbelowthecentrelineofthesterntube,i.e.1.46mmatthepropellersideand1.98mmattheengineside.Thiswas
determinedonthebasisofasagandgapalignmentcalculation.


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Originalalignmentcondition(top)andmodifiedalignmentcondition(bottom)

Inpractice,thismeansthatthegearboxisplacedapproximately4mmlowerthanintheoriginalconfiguration.
Theadditionalloadonthegearboxbearingsisnotthesameforbothbearings,howeveritisstillwellwithinallowablelimitsandthe

forwardsterntubebearingcarriesapositiveloadunderallpossibleoperatingconditions.
Afterthismodification,nomorecracksoccurredinthesterntubeconnectiontothehull.

Formoreinfo,pleasecontacttechnoFysicaBVintheNetherlandsat:

TechnoFysicaBV
p.o.box351
2990AJBarendrecht

TheNetherlands
Tel.+31180620211
Fax.+31180620705
info@technofysica.nl
www.technofysica.nl

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