Propeller for ship, and assembling method and disassembling method therefor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9862460-B2
Application number	US-201314648906-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 16, 2013
Priority date	Dec 3, 2012
Publication date	Jan 9, 2018
Grant date	Jan 9, 2018

Abstract

Disclosed are a propulsion system for a ship, a method of assembling the same, and a method of disassembling the same. The propulsion system for the ship includes: a rear propeller fixed to a rotary shaft; a front propeller that is rotatably supported on the rotary shaft in front of the rear propeller; a contra-rotating device that is mounted in an installation space at a rear end of a hull so as to reverse the rotation of the rotary shaft and transmit the reversed rotation to the front propeller; a propeller connecting member that connects the contra-rotating device and the front propeller to transmit a rotational force; and a thrust supporting device that is provided between the contra-rotating device and the propeller connection member to support thrust of the front propeller.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A propulsion system for a ship comprising:
a rear propeller fixed to a rotary shaft;
a front propeller rotatably supported on the rotary shaft in front of the rear propeller;
a contra-rotating device mounted in an installation space at a rear end of a hull so as to reverse rotation of the rotary shaft and transmit the reversed rotation to the front propeller;
a propeller connecting member configured to connect the contra-rotating device and the front propeller to transmit a rotational force; and
a thrust supporting device provided between the contra-rotating device and the propeller connecting member to support thrust of the front propeller,
wherein the contra-rotating device includes a gearbox that has an outer surface corresponding to a shape of an inner surface of the installation space and is installed to be slidable from a rear of the hull into the installation space, and a contra-rotating gear unit that is installed in the gearbox and implements reverse rotation of the front propeller, and
wherein the gearbox includes an outer frame having open opposite ends, an inner frame that is disposed at an inner central portion of the outer frame and supports an outer surface of the rotary shaft, a front cover that closes a front opening of the outer frame, a rear cover that closes a rear opening of the outer frame, and a support plate that connects the outer and inner frames to support the inner frame and partitions an internal space of the gearbox into front and rear spaces.

2. The propulsion system according to claim 1 , wherein:
the propeller connecting member extends from the front propeller into the gearbox and is connected to the contra-rotating gear unit; and
the thrust supporting device includes a thrust pad provided to an outer surface of the propeller connecting member, and first and second thrust bearings that are installed in the gearbox and respectively support opposite surfaces of the thrust pad.

3. The propulsion system according to claim 1 , wherein the contra-rotating gear unit includes a sun gear that is rotatably supported on an outer surface of the inner frame in the front space and is connected to the rotary shaft by a shaft connecting member, a plurality of first planetary gears that are disposed outside the sun gear in the front space and are rotated in mesh with the sun gear, a plurality of planetary gear shafts that are connected to the first planetary gears and pass through the support plate to extend toward the rear space, a plurality of second planetary gears that are coupled to the planetary gear shafts in the rear space and are rotated along with the first planetary gears, and a ring gear which is installed in the rear space, in which the second planetary gears is mashed with a toothed portion formed on an inner surface thereof, and which has a connector connected to the propeller connecting member.

4. The propulsion system according to claim 3 , wherein the thrust supporting device includes a thrust pad provided to an outer surface of the propeller connecting member, and first and second thrust bearings that are installed in the rear cover and respectively support opposite surfaces of the thrust pad.

5. The propulsion system according to claim 4 , wherein the rear cover includes a cage that houses the thrust pad and the first and second thrust bearings, and a cap member that opens and closes one side of the cage.

6. The propulsion system according to claim 3 , wherein the gearbox further includes a planetary gear shaft support that extends from the inner frame to an outer side of the rear space and supports the plurality of planetary gear shafts.

7. The propulsion system according to claim 1 , wherein the propeller connecting member includes a connecting flange connected to a hub of the front propeller.

8. The propulsion system according to claim 7 , further comprising:
a cylindrical first lining that includes a flange fixed to the connecting flange and is installed on the connecting flange in order to seal between the hub of the front propeller and the rear end of the hull; and
a cylindrical first sealing member that is installed on the rear cover so as to be in contact with an outer surface of the first lining.

9. The propulsion system according to claim 8 , further comprising a corrosion-resistant unit that is interposed at least one of between the hub of the front propeller and the rear end of the hull and between the hub of the front propeller and a hub of the rear propeller.

10. The propulsion system according to claim 9 , wherein the corrosion-resistant unit includes a plurality of anodes that are attached to the flange so as to protrude from the flange and prevent corrosion of the first lining and the first sealing member.

11. The propulsion system according to claim 9 , wherein the corrosion-resistant unit includes a corrosion-resistant cover that is interposed between the flange and the connecting flange and covers an outer surface of the connecting flange which is exposed outward from a coupled region of the flange and the connecting flange.

12. The propulsion system according to claim 11 , wherein the corrosion-resistant cover includes a sealing groove to which a sealing member is attached at a position corresponding to an outer coupled region of the connecting flange and the hub of the front propeller.

13. A method of assembling a propulsion system for a ship, in which the propulsion system includes: a rear propeller fixed to a rotary shaft; a front propeller rotatably supported on the rotary shaft in front of the rear propeller; a contra-rotating device having a gearbox mounted in an installation space at a rear end of a hull so as to reverse rotation of the rotary shaft and transmit the reversed rotation to the front propeller; and a propeller connecting member configured to connect the contra-rotating device and the front propeller to transmit a rotational force, the method comprising:
(a) putting the gearbox into the installation space to install the contra-rotating device in the installation space;
(b) installing the front propeller on the rotary shaft; and
(c) installing the rear propeller on the rotary shaft,
wherein the step (a) includes a process of assembling the gearbox on an outer surface of the rotary shaft and putting the gearbox into the installation space from a rear of the hull along with the rotary shaft, or a process of connecting the rotary shaft and a driving shaft connected to a drive source installed in the hull and installing the gearbox on the rotary shaft, and
wherein the step (a) includes fixing a rear of the gearbox to the installation space, and fixing a front of the gearbox to the installation space.

14. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the step (b) includes coupling a hub of the front propeller and the propeller connecting member.

15. A method of disassembling the propulsion system for the ship assembled by the assembling method according to claim 13 , the method comprising:
(a) separating the rear propeller from the rotary shaft;
(b) separating the front propeller from the rotary shaft;
(c) displacing the rotary shaft a given distance toward a stem of the ship; and
(d) separating the contra-rotating device from the installation space.

16. The method according to claim 15 , wherein the step (c) includes separating an intermediate driving shaft interposed between the rotary shaft and a main driving shaft connected to the drive source installed in the hull, and displacing the rotary shaft a given distance into an empty space from which the intermediate driving shaft is separa

Assignees

• Samsung Heavy Ind

Inventors

• Paik Kwang-Jun
• Park Hyun-Sang
• Lee Jin-Suk
• Lee Tae-Goo
• Kim Ji-Nam
• Kim Jin-Ho
• Roh Jae-Ouk
• Choi Tae-Sam
• Park Kwang-Kun
• Park Hyoung-Gil
• Song Chi-Su
• Oh Se-Myun
• Lee Dong-Hyun
• Lee Jeung-Hoon
• Jung Jae-Kwon
• Lee Tae-Sik

Classifications

• B63B85/00

  Dismantling or scrapping vessels · CPC title

• B63B71/00 Primary

  Designing vessels; Predicting their performance · CPC title

• B63H5/10 Primary

  of coaxial type, e.g. of counter-rotative type · CPC title

• B63H2023/327

  Sealings specially adapted for propeller shafts or stern tubes · CPC title

• B63H2023/325

  Thrust bearings, i.e. axial bearings for propeller shafts · CPC title