Align Boring Strut Barrels For Thordon Rivertough Bearing Conversion

[jackieschmidt]

Several years ago, one our largest customers bought out another company and acquired approx 72 2000 Horse Power push boats. The boats all were fairly new in push boat years, but all proved to be very lacking in the shaft bearing load capacity.

The solution is to bore out the Struts to accept a Thordon Rivertough Bearing, and to install Nickel Chrome Boron coated lines on the propeller shafts.

https://thordonbearings.com/marine/merchant-marine/propeller-shaft-bearing-systems?utm_term=thordon&utm_campaign=**LP+Branded&utm_source=adwords&utm_medium=ppc&hsa_acc=2071787221&hsa_cam=12656603029&hsa_grp=120631817416&hsa_ad=511308159787&hsa_src=g&hsa_tgt=kwd-1212227280719&hsa_kw=thordon&hsa_mt=p&hsa_net=adwords&hsa_ver=3&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI9Kvh_t2K-gIVq3xvBB0AygGOEAAYASABEgJMzfD_BwE

We did a test case 2 years ago, and it is working out fine,

So they will now be converting every one of these vessels as they come in for their major period drydocking.

We are doing one at this time. Here are some pictures of our 3.5 inch bar boring one of the Struts.

 

[RegionRat]

Wow! Those are some chips!

 

[pintopete]

Very impressive! Amazing precision machining on pretty massive parts, difficult attachment, and awkward location. Very neat to see how it’s done. How deep is that machined bearing surface?

 

[jackieschmidt]

Very impressive! Amazing precision machining on pretty massive parts, difficult attachment, and awkward location. Very neat to see how it’s done. How deep is that machined bearing surface?

The bore depth is 24 inches.
here are the two rebuilt shafts that are going in the boat. You can see the NCB liner on the prop end That runs in the RiverTough bearing. The liners are shrunk on .003 inch tight.

 

[RegionRat]

Jackie, so those new bearing sections run just submerged, or is there filtered water pressure pumped into their gap somehow?

 

[jackieschmidt]

Jackie, so those new bearing sections run just submerged, or is there filtered water pressure pumped into their gap somehow?

They are lubricated by whatever water the vessel is running in. There are scoops just forward of the bearing in the stern tube that funnel it to the bearing.

Many vessels have an open strut, being as there is no continuous stern tube. They will usually have another Bering in the hull.

here is a picture of us boring the strut and stern tube in a 3600 HP push boat.

 

[pintopete]

Very cool stuff. I wonder if a push boat is akin to a tug boat.

Added this pic that I ran across on a South Bend lathe page on F Book.

 

[jackieschmidt]

Very cool stuff. I wonder if a push boat is akin to a tug boat.

Added this pic that I ran across on a South Bend lathe page on F Book.

View attachment 1369966

A tug boat generally refers to vessels that are designed to help guide larger vessels such as ships into the tight confines of harbors and other docking facilities.

A Push Boat typically refers to vessels that attach to the rear of Barges and push them from point A to point B.

A Tow Boat is usually a vessel that pulls a unpowered vessel, (a large barge), in the open Sea from one port to another. However, since a line of barges being pushed is referred to as a “Tow”, the term Tow Boat and Push Boat become synonymous.

We work on all three.

 

[Carl S]

Great work Jackie.thank you for sharing.really interesting.

 

[pintopete]

A tug boat generally refers to vessels that are designed to help guide larger vessels such as ships into the tight confines of harbors and other docking facilities.

A Push Boat typically refers to vessels that attach to the rear of Barges and push them from point A to point B.

A Tow Boat is usually a vessel that pulls a unpowered vessel, (a large barge), in the open Sea from one port to another. However, since a line of barges being pushed is referred to as a “Tow”, the term Tow Boat and Push Boat become synonymous.

We work on all three.

Thank you. Great information, very interesting.

On the Hudson River there are petroleum barges pushed to Albany or there about. I think they run daily. It’s amazing that the push boat can steer and control that long barge. God knows what it weighs.

 

[V35]

Great stuff, thanks for sharing. I used to do similar jobs on mining equipment, I kind of miss it at times.

 

[Machinist John]

Super work. I like the set up of the boring bars.

 

[jackieschmidt]

Here is what it all looks like finished. The shipyard I’d preparing to sink the drydock today.

 

[pintopete]

Looks outstanding. I’m sure you’re glad it’s done. On to the next one I suppose. Very interesting and impressive stuff to those like me that don’t have that exposure. Thanks for sharing Jackie.

Best regards, Peter.

 

[55fairlane]

Your work is most impressive. How do you slide the shaft/bearing into the housings? What kind of coupler is used to connect the shaft to the power source?

 

[Machinist John]

Great work Jackie. Are the couplings geared such as the Dodge Waldron? I bored a lot of those in my job shop days.

Would love to see photos of the pusher sitting in the water, fitted out and ready to go. And some shop photos of the big machinery.

What shipyard are you in?

Thanks

 

[jackieschmidt]

Your work is most impressive. How do you slide the shaft/bearing into the housings? What kind of coupler is used to connect the shaft to the power source?

The shipyards use a crane and chain falls to install the shafts.
The propeller shaft is hard coupled to the reduction gear. The coupling is installed on the shaft on a taper fit with a key way, key seat and key.
here is a picture of a shaft Inside the hull coupled up

 

[jackieschmidt]

Great work Jackie. Are the couplings geared such as the Dodge Waldron? I bored a lot of those in my job shop days.

Would love to see photos of the pusher sitting in the water, fitted out and ready to go. And some shop photos of the big machinery.

What shipyard are you in?

Thanks

we go into various shipyards up and down the Gulf Coast.

Here is a new boat built by Bludworth Shipyard in Corpus Christi that we did all of the machine work on last year.

Also pictures of one of the engines and reduction gear.

This is just some of our machinery. The lathe is our longest. It is an American Pacemaker twin carriage that will work 38 feet beteween centers.

 

[jackieschmidt]

The equipment under the orange gantry our two submerged arc weldeing machines that are used to weld the stainless on the shafts.

 

[Machinist John]

Many thanks. Keep the photos coming,more interesting than building rifles!