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US 5,292,270 AGranted
Composite and fairwater structures for marine vessels
AssigneeThe B. F. Goodrich Company
InventorsW. Randall Tucker, Gary M. Rafferty, Dean T. Dutton
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AssigneeThe B. F. Goodrich Company
InventorsW. Randall Tucker, Gary M. Rafferty, Dean T. Dutton
Estimating the term…
In a marine vessel having a drive shaft that extend rearwardly from its hull, wherein the drive shaft has a coupling and a bearing assembly along its length that are supported by struts, which struts are also secured to the hull of the vessel. A coupling cover encompasses the coupling and is mounted adjacent to a bearing assembly. A fairwater encompasses the coupling cover and is attached to the bearing assembly or the strut associated therewith to define a chamber and a clearance space between the fairwater and the coupling cover for directing fluids therethrough and through the bearing assembly to lubricate such bearing assembly. Vanes are located on the coupling cover or on a separate support located within such chamber to enhance the fluid flow through the bearing assembly. A laminate for use in the structures of such coupling cover; the fairwater, struts, vanes and supports wherein the laminate includes a fiber-reinforced toughened epoxy resin layer sandwiched between a vibration-damping elastomer layer and a biocidal elastomer layer. The marine laminate material can be shaped and sized into a marine structure such as described above, and exhibits desirable marine properties including cavitation-resistance, anti-fouling and vibration damping.
In a marine vessel having a boat hull, an engine within said hull, a propeller at the stern of said marine vessel, a shaft for drivingly connecting said engine to said propeller, a first cover encompassing and secured to said shaft for rotation therewith, a support member secured to said hull and extending downward to adjacent said first cover, bearing means encompassing said shaft for supporting said shaft for rotation, and an outer cover encompassing said first cover and secured to said support member, said first cover having a clearance space between said first cover and said outer cover to facilitate the flow of water therebetween and through said bearing means to lubricate said shaft and bearing means.
A fluid lubricated bearing comprising a support for connection to the hull of a ship, a shaft rotatably mounted in said support, a bearing assembly secured to said support and encompassing said shaft, said bearing assembly having a plurality of circumferentially spaced lands separated by grooves wherein said lands contact portions of said rotating shaft for support thereof, an outer shell secured to said support and encompassing a portion of said shaft, one end of said outer shell having a clearance space between its outer end and said shaft to facilitate the flow of water through said grooves of said bearing, an oval shaped cover mounted between said outer shell and said shaft providing a clearance space therebetween, said oval cover secured to said shaft for rotation therewith and a plurality of vanes mounted on said cover for rotation with said cover for forcing water through said clearance space between said cover and said shell to lubricate said lands on said bearing assembly.
A housing structure for use with a drive shaft, a strut, a coupling secured to said shaft for rotation therewith, a first elongated oval shaped housing, said oval housing having a pair of spaced end portions with bores therethrough to facilitate the passage of said shaft therethrough and for securing said oval housing to said shaft, said oval housing having an exterior surface, a second housing encompassing a major portion of said first housing and spaced therefrom to define a clearance space therebetween, said second housing secured to said strut for attachment to the hull of a ship, vanes mounted on said exterior surface of said first oval housing and rotated therewith to pump fluid through said clearance space upon rotation of said shaft.
In combination with a boat hull including a stern tube bearing;
In combination with a boat hull including a stern tube bearing;
In combination with a boat hull including a stern tube bearing;
In combination with a boat hull including a stern tube bearing;
In a marine vessel having a boat hull, an engine within said hull, a propeller at the stern of said marine vessel, means drivingly connecting said engine to said propeller including at least two separate shafts in axial alignment, one of said shafts connected to said engine and the other one of said shaft connected to said propeller, coupling means interconnecting said two shafts to secure said shafts together for simultaneous rotation, a coupling cover encompassing said coupling means and secured to said shafts for rotation therewith, a support member secured to said hull and extending downward to adjacent said coupling cover, bearing means connected to said support member, said bearing means encompassing said other one of said shafts for supporting said other one of said shafts for rotation, an outer cover encompassing said coupling cover and secured to said support member, said coupling cover having a clearance space between said coupling cover and said outer cover to facilitate the flow of water therebetween and through said bearing means to lubricate said shaft and bearing means, a plurality of vanes mounted on said coupling cover for pumping water through said clearance space and through said bearing means upon rotation of said shafts, said outer cover is a composite structure having at least three layers, one of said layers is an epoxy resin rigid layer, said resin layer being sandwiched between a pair of outwardly disposed elastomeric layers, and wherein one of said elastomeric layers is a biocidal elastomeric composition layer and the other one of said elastomeric layers is a vibration-dampening layer.
In combination with a boat hull including a stern tube bearing;
In a marine vessel having a boat hull, an engine within said hull, a propeller at the stern of said marine vessel, means drivingly connecting said engine to said propeller including at least two separate shafts in axial alignment, one of said shafts connected to said engine and the other one of said shafts connected to said propeller, coupling means interconnecting said two shafts to secure said shafts together for simultaneous rotation, a coupling cover encompassing said coupling means and secured to said shafts for rotation therewith, a support member secured to said hull and extending downward to adjacent said coupling cover, bearing means connected to said support member, said bearing means encompassing said other one of said shafts for supporting said other one of said shafts for rotation and, an outer cover encompassing said coupling cover and secured to said support member, said coupling cover having a clearance space between said coupling cover and said outer cover to facilitate the flow of water therebetween and through said bearing means to lubricate said shaft and bearing means.
In a marine vessel having a boat hull, an engine within said hull, a propeller at the stern of said marine vessel, shaft means drivingly connecting said engine to said propeller, a support member secured to said hull and extending downward for supporting said shaft means, said support member having bearing means encompassing said shaft means for facilitating rotation thereof, and an outer cover encompassing said shaft means and secured to said support member, said outer cover being comprised of a composite moldable structure having a polymer matrix composite rigid layer sandwiched between a pair of elastomeric layers.
In a marine vessel having a boat hull, an engine within said hull, a propeller at the stern of said marine vessel, means drivingly connecting said engine to said propeller including at least two separate shafts in axial alignment, one of said shafts connected to said engine and the other one of said shaft connected to said propeller, coupling means interconnecting said two shafts to secure said shafts together for simultaneous rotation, a coupling cover encompassing said coupling means and secured to said shafts for rotation therewith, a support member secured to said hull and extending downward to adjacent said coupling cover, bearing means connected to said support member, said bearing means encompassing said other one of said shafts for supporting said other one of said shafts for rotation, an outer cover encompassing said coupling cover and secured to said support member, said coupling cover having clearance space between said coupling cover and said outer cover to facilitate the flow of water therebetween and through said bearing means to lubricate said shaft and bearing means, said outer cover is a composite structure having at least three layers, one of said layers is an epoxy resin rigid layer, said resin layer being sandwiched between a pair of outwardly disposed elastomeric layers, ad wherein one of said elastomeric layers is a biocidal elastomeric composition layer and the other one of said elastomeric layers is a vibration-dampening layer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.