CA1040227A - Stern seals for ships - Google Patents

Stern seals for ships

Info

Publication number
CA1040227A
CA1040227A CA254,690A CA254690A CA1040227A CA 1040227 A CA1040227 A CA 1040227A CA 254690 A CA254690 A CA 254690A CA 1040227 A CA1040227 A CA 1040227A
Authority
CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
seal
bearing
stern
bearing assembly
oil
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired
Application number
CA254,690A
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Thomas W. Bunyan
Ronald S. Sweett
Samuel C.W. Wilkinson
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Crane Packing Ltd
Original Assignee
Crane Packing Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from GB28590/75A external-priority patent/GB1553669A/en
Application filed by Crane Packing Ltd filed Critical Crane Packing Ltd
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of CA1040227A publication Critical patent/CA1040227A/en
Expired legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B63SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
    • B63HMARINE PROPULSION OR STEERING
    • B63H23/00Transmitting power from propulsion power plant to propulsive elements
    • B63H23/32Other parts
    • B63H23/321Bearings or seals specially adapted for propeller shafts
    • FMECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F16ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
    • F16JPISTONS; CYLINDERS; SEALINGS
    • F16J15/00Sealings
    • F16J15/002Sealings comprising at least two sealings in succession
    • F16J15/004Sealings comprising at least two sealings in succession forming of recuperation chamber for the leaking fluid
    • FMECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F16ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
    • F16JPISTONS; CYLINDERS; SEALINGS
    • F16J15/00Sealings
    • F16J15/16Sealings between relatively-moving surfaces
    • F16J15/34Sealings between relatively-moving surfaces with slip-ring pressed against a more or less radial face on one member
    • F16J15/36Sealings between relatively-moving surfaces with slip-ring pressed against a more or less radial face on one member connected by a diaphragm or bellow to the other member
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B63SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
    • B63HMARINE PROPULSION OR STEERING
    • B63H23/00Transmitting power from propulsion power plant to propulsive elements
    • B63H23/32Other parts
    • B63H23/321Bearings or seals specially adapted for propeller shafts
    • B63H2023/327Sealings specially adapted for propeller shafts or stern tubes

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Ocean & Marine Engineering (AREA)
  • Sealing Of Bearings (AREA)

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE INVENTION

In a stern seal and bearing assembly for the stern shaft of a ship there is an oil seal assembly at the outboard end of the bearing and a sea water seal (preferably a face seal) axially spaced from it, with a drain from the space between the two, and the oil seal assembly comprises a pair of lip seals directed towards each other with a drain from the space between them. The oil supply to the bearing can be at low pressure, for example simply the static head from a tank slightly above the level of the bearing, and the last-mentioned drain may have a swan neck above the oil level.

Description

lV~ '7 Thl~ lnvention relates to ~tern ~eals for the propeller shafts of ships. Not only ls it nece~sary to prevent sea-water leaking into the hull of the ship but it is also necessary, and indeed becoming a legal requirement, to prevent oil from the stern bearing of the shaft from escaping into the sea and causing pollution.
It has been proposed to provide an annular air space between, on the one hand, a stern seal that keeps out the sea-water and, axially spaced from it, an oil seal at the outboard end of the bearing, so that any oil leaking past the oil seal and any sea-water leaking past the oil seal both only reach tbis air space and can be conducted away to a tank for separation.
This is fine as far as it goes, but in the event of gradual wear or failure, leading to severe or even catastrophic leakage there is nothing to warn of the dsnger, apart from periodic checks; moreover there is little that can - be done to remedy the situation without dry-docking.
Moreover the presence of a substantial air space between the sea-water seal and the stern bearing is in conflict ~lth the need to keep the stern bear$ng as close to the propeller as possible, 80 as to keep the overhang to a minimum.
The aim of the present invention is to provide a compact stern seal and bearing assembly that not only avoids pollution of the surrounding sea but moreover responds to fallure and allows costlnued use ln an emergency while action 18 taken to remedy the fault, all thls being without the complicatlons involvet in having to provide external hi8h pressure supplles of oil and/or water.
According to the invention there is now proposed a stern ~eal and bearing assembly for ships comprising an oll-lubrlcated shaft bearing having a~ least at its outboard end two llp seals directed towards one another, a sea-water '.

' - . , : : : ' ' ':
., ' ,' - ' : -' : ' , 1()'~(1;~;~'7 8eal po~tloned outboard from these llp ~eal~, a flrst vold space deflned between the llp seals and the outboard seal, and a pa~sage allowing llqu~d to escape from the flrst void space, a 6econd vold space defined between the two lip seals, and a 8econd passage allowing liquid to e~cape from the second vold space.
In the event of failure of the lip seals, oil will flow into the air space and the presence of oil in the drain from that space can be observed. As the oil is at low pressure, generally lower than the hydrostatic head of water in the surrounding sea at the level of the stern shaft, there is no possibility of this oil leaking past the sea-water seal to pollute the surrounding sea.
In the event of failure of the sea~water seal, the draln from the air space will normally cope with thi~ but if, for any reason, the drain is blocked or cannot cope, or is deliberately shut off, and if therefore the sea-~ater gets pa8t the outboard lip seal, the pressure in the region between the lip seals will rise and the sea-water wlll be able to escape through the second drain. Flow through this drain can be caused to signal an alarm.
There may be flow-restricting means in ehe second draln, formed simply by a goose neck ri8ing to a higher level than the level of oil in a 8tatic reservoir supplying the bearing.
The invention will now be further described by way of sample with reference to the accompanying drawing which i- an axlal section through a bearlng ant seal a-8embly ;i~
according to the lnvention.
~ propeller bo88 1 18 carrled by a 8tern 8haft 2 pa88lng through the 8tern frame 3 of a 8hip. The 8ea-wa~er i8 escluded by a radial face seal compri81ng a rotatlng wearlng element 4 8ecuret to the ~ opeller bo8s 2 and runnlng agalnst r~ 3 ~
~ - ' ,,. . . ~ .. ~ . . ~ .....
'- : - . " '.' . ", . , '.
.

t ~'7 a statlonary but flexlbly mounted se~l face member 5. A f~ce seal 1B the preferred . . .
." .

A - 3a -. . . . . .

:~ .:- - :- : :

1(~4(~ 7 type to use at this point as it seals well against water without the need for any other lubricant. The flexibility can be imparted by mounting the member 5 on a single convolution bellows structure 6 which, in the example shown is built up in the manner that forms the subject of our sritish Patent No. 986 217 and its Patent of Addition No. 1 099 688. The bellows structure is secured to the stern frame 3 by a mounting ring 7 within which are secured two lip seals 8 and 9, the seal 8 facing inboard and the seal 9 facing outboard.
The lips run not in direct contact with the shaft 2 but on a sleeve 10 which can be replaced in the event of wear and which is sealed to the propeller boss 1 by a sealing ring 11.

The shaft 2 runs in a journal bearing 12 mounted in the stern frame 3 and at the inboard end of the bearing is a lip seal 13 facing outboard and running on a wearing sleeve 14 secured to the shaft. In view of the low pressure under which the bearing operates, it would be possible to use a labyrinth seal at this point instead of a lip seal.

Within the stern frame 3 are two drain passages, namely a first passage lS at the 'six o'clock' or lowest position, draining to the bilge of the ship the air space between the sea-water seal 4,5 and the first lip seal 8, and a second passage 16 a' the 'twelve o'clock' or highest position, leading from the annular space between the two lip seals 8 and 9. Both passages carry control cocks, as indicated at 15' and l6' res-pectively.

The assembly is completed by the provision of a low level header tank 17 at a level slightly above the bearing 12, carrying oil and connected to the inboard end of the bearing through a pipe 18. The tank is not under pressure and so the pressure at the bearing 12 is simply that due to the static head of oil in the tank 17, which is small in comparison, for example, with the draught of the ship, and bears no relation to the depth of the shaft 2 below the sea-water surface.

.4.
- : .

.

1~)4~ '7 It will be understood that, if desired, the pipe 18 may be connected to the midpoint of the bearing 12 through a passage in the stern frame 2, or there could be connections from the tank 17 to both ends of the bearing.

The passage 16 from the space between the seals 8 and 9 contains a swan-neck 19 that is above the normal level of the surface of the oil in the tank 17 so that liquid can only flow from the space in question when the pressure in that space is higher than the static oil pressure.

Under normal operating conditions the sea-water is excluded by the face seal 4,5 and any slight leakage across its face is collected in the free air space between this seal and the lip seal 8. The cock lS' is normally open so this leakage passes to the bilge through the pipe 15.

In the event of failure of the face seal 4,5 there will be an excessive flow through the pipe 15. A
sight glass (not shown) may be provided, if desired, to make this apparent. The controlling personnel will then close off the cock 15', the space between the seals 4,5 and 8 will fill up and the sea-water will penetrate past the inboard-facing lip seal 8. The resulting pressure on the outwardly facing lip seal 9 will help to make that seal water-tight and so no sea water will reach the bearing 12. Instead the pressure in the space between the seals 8 and 9 wlll rise and there will be a controlled flow of sea-water to the bilge through the pipe 16 and the swan-neck 19. By partly closing the cock 16' the personnel can keep up the pressure in the space between the seals to ensure a good sealing action by the seal 9. Under these emergency conditions the shaft 2 can be kept running under power and the ship is able to reach dock for repair, relying simply on the outboard-facing seal 9 to keep the oil and the sea-water apar~. Even under these conditions there can be no danger of pollution of the sea by oil as the oil is at a much lower static head than the sea.

. .

. - .
., -: . .
.

'7 In the event, on the other hand, of the main oil-retaining lip seal failing there will be no problem at all as the oil pressure will simply be applied then to the inboard-facing lip seal 8 and will act to urge that seal into contact with the sleeve 10. If both the lip seals 8 and 9 were to fail, the only result would be a loss of oil to the bilge through the drain passage 15 and this could be observed either by seeing the flow to the bilge or observing the fall in the level of the tank 17. At all events, the oil would still be fully lubricating the bearing 12.

It will thus be seen that the assembly described allows continued operation without danger of pollution even in the event of seal failures; this is largely attributable to the fact the oil is only at a low static head, lower than the sea-water outside. Moreover, as the lip seals 8 and 9 can be mounted, as shown, within the mounting ring of the face seal member 5 the overall seal assembly takes up little axial space and so the propeller boss 1 has only a small overhang beyond the bearing 12.

.6.

',

Claims (8)

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. A stern seal and bearing assembly for ships comprising an oil-lubricated shaft bearing having at least at its outboard end two lip seals directed towards one another, a sea-water seal positioned outboard from these lip seals, a first void space defined between the lip seals and the outboard seal, and a passage allowing liquid to escape from the first void space, a second void space defined between the two lip seals, and a second passage allowing liquid to escape from the second void space.
2. A stern seal and bearing assembly according to Claim 1 including an oil tank for supplying the bearing with oil at a pressure which is simply that of the static head in the tank.
3. A stern seal and bearing assembly according to Claim 2 in which the sea-water seal is a face seal.
4. A stern seal and bearing assembly according to Claim 3 in which a stationary member of the face seal is flexibly connected to a stationary mounting ring and in which both the lip seals are mounted within this mounting ring.
5. A stern seal and bearing assembly according to any one of Claims 1-3 in which either or each passage incorporates manually controllable shut-off cocks.
6. A stern seal and bearing assembly according to Claim 1 in which the second passage from the space between the lip seals includes flow-restricting means that prevent flow through that passage except when the pressure in that space exceeds the pressure in the bearing. 7
7. A stern seal and bearing assembly according to Claim 6 in which the flow-restricting means comprise a goose neck in the passage at such a height as to require, for flow, a static head at the space higher than the pressure in the bearing.
8. A stern seal and bearing assembly according to Claim 1 including means enabling flow of liquid along either or each passage to be noted.
CA254,690A 1975-07-07 1976-06-11 Stern seals for ships Expired CA1040227A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB28590/75A GB1553669A (en) 1975-07-07 1975-07-07 Stern seals for ships
GB2871575 1975-07-08

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA1040227A true CA1040227A (en) 1978-10-10

Family

ID=26259470

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA254,690A Expired CA1040227A (en) 1975-07-07 1976-06-11 Stern seals for ships

Country Status (8)

Country Link
JP (2) JPS529295A (en)
AU (1) AU503985B2 (en)
BR (1) BR7604280A (en)
CA (1) CA1040227A (en)
DE (2) DE2626048A1 (en)
GR (1) GR60324B (en)
NL (1) NL7607286A (en)
SE (1) SE423217B (en)

Families Citing this family (13)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPS5084758U (en) * 1973-12-06 1975-07-19
SE404414B (en) * 1977-02-25 1978-10-02 Alfa Laval Ab DEVICE FOR DISHING A FIRST SEAL RING AND A SPACE NEARLY NEXT THE SEAL RING
US4182518A (en) * 1978-02-03 1980-01-08 Pilgrim Engineering Developments Limited Sealing arrangements
DE2925244C2 (en) * 1979-06-22 1982-09-30 Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft Ag Hamburg Und Kiel, 2300 Kiel Sealing arrangement for stern tube systems
DE2926660C2 (en) * 1979-07-02 1984-12-06 Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft Ag Hamburg Und Kiel, 2300 Kiel Oil-lubricated stern tube bearing and seal assembly
DE3122407A1 (en) * 1981-06-05 1982-12-23 Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft Ag Hamburg Und Kiel, 2300 Kiel Lubricating system, in particular for a rear stern tube seal
DE3122406A1 (en) * 1981-06-05 1982-12-23 Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft Ag Hamburg Und Kiel, 2300 Kiel Sealing arrangement, in particular for rear stern tube seals
JPS61160144U (en) * 1985-03-27 1986-10-03
GB2333331A (en) * 1997-12-31 1999-07-21 Lewis Patrick A marine propeller shaft seal
DE10040211C2 (en) * 2000-08-17 2002-10-17 B & V Industrietechnik Gmbh Device for sealing drive shafts
US7189126B2 (en) 2001-06-14 2007-03-13 Abb Oy Ship's propulsion arrangement and method
DE102014217223B4 (en) * 2014-08-28 2016-09-15 Skf Blohm + Voss Industries Gmbh Sealing system, procedure and watercraft
DE102015000918B4 (en) * 2015-01-26 2016-12-08 Peter Pflüger Outflow arrangement for leakage liquids from zero leakage seals

Family Cites Families (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB597002A (en) * 1944-08-10 1948-01-15 Ettore Bugatti Propeller shaft bearing assembly for ships
GB1262271A (en) * 1968-02-05 1972-02-02 Turnbull Marine Design Ship tail-shaft bearing assembly
JPS4724880U (en) * 1971-03-27 1972-11-20
JPS4724879U (en) * 1971-03-27 1972-11-20
DD108496A1 (en) * 1972-12-21 1974-09-20
JPS5078A (en) * 1973-04-30 1975-01-06

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
SE7607255L (en) 1977-01-08
BR7604280A (en) 1977-04-05
GR60324B (en) 1978-05-08
NL7607286A (en) 1977-01-11
DE7618442U1 (en) 1981-11-19
AU1492576A (en) 1977-12-22
DE2626048A1 (en) 1977-01-27
JPS618000Y2 (en) 1986-03-11
JPS58129295U (en) 1983-09-01
DE2626048C2 (en) 1989-12-21
JPS529295A (en) 1977-01-24
SE423217B (en) 1982-04-26
AU503985B2 (en) 1979-09-27

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