RUBBER RELINING FOR PROPELLER SHAFT BEARINGS FOR MILITARY SHIPS

1. INTRODUCTION

The propeller shaft bearing (Stern-tube bearing) is a means of supporting the propeller shaft in the propeller shaft system. The propeller shaft bearing has an outer structure made from a variety of different materials (usually brass, fiberglass reinforced composite material, ...) and an inner rubber layer designed with water grooves running along the length of the silver closely linked with the outer shell of the propeller shaft bearing.

Stern-tube bearings are manufactured according to the standard MI1-DTL-1790 (SH) 10/05/2005 of the US Army and have been assessed and approved by the Department of Industry - Vietnam Register (VR) in compliance with the QCVN 65:2015/BGTVT "National Technical Regulation on the assessment of sea-going ship's manufactures and service suppliers:

Certificate of Approval for Manufactures

Certificate of Works Approval

Anh Tri Tue Co., Ltd is certified by the Vietnam Register (VR) to produce propeller shaft bearings with an inner diameter (ID) of 476.5 mm and an outer diameter (OD) up to 562.95 mm.

2. APPLICATION

The propeller shaft bearing is used to support the propeller shaft in the ship's propeller shaft system. In addition, we also reline rubber for propeller shaft bearings from the old brass/composite tube.

We are honored to be one of the leading companies in Vietnam assigned to rubber reline for propeller shaft bearing for one of the most modern Vietnamese military ships. We repair and remediate loose rubber from other suppliers' propeller shaft bearings and also rubber reline for stern-tube bearings.

Before machining

(The rubber layer is peeling off the brass tube)

After machining

(The rubber layer is tightly bonded to the brass tube)

As a company with more than 20 years of experience in the production of propeller shaft bearings, all stern-tube bearings of Anh Tri Tue Co., Ltd are manufactured on modern lines with materials imported from Germany and Japan with quality controlled according to ISO 9001-2005, providing consumers with many benefits thanks to the following characteristics:

The rubber component has internal lubricant, so the coefficient of friction on the rubber surface is very small (<0.01), does not hinder the rotation of the crankshaft, helping the engine work with very high efficiency and saving fuel.

There are no inorganic fillers in the rubber component but only carbon-graphite reinforced fillers that are wear-resistant and do not wear down the shaft working surface.

High heat resistance.

The design of the stern-tube bearing has grooves along the length to reduce endogenous heat from friction and increase the life of the bearings.
High elastic properties, good impact resistance help the ship operate smoothly.

To make a good rubber material for propeller shaft bearings, we have done in-depth research on the features of this product. The selection of good quality bearing along with the reasonable calculation and alignment of the shaft system, always ensuring the appropriate flow of lubricating and cooling water will help the stern-tube bearing to have a lifespan of up to nearly ten years.

In contrast, the use of bearings of unknown origin, unsatisfactory raw materials or uncertified bearings by the registry will contain many risks that can lead to the damage of many other parts, especially in the ship's propulsion system.

The propeller shaft bearings are used for a pair of Vietnamese military ships with a shaft diameter of up to 220 mm with a speed of 32.48 nautical miles (60 Km/h).

Mr. Nguyen Tri Tue - Technical Director of Anh Tri Tue Co., Ltd (a man wearing blue striped shirt, fourth from left) and a team of Customer’s Technical Department are checking and taking over propeller shaft bearings for military ships.