Airfloat Moves 400 Ton Rudder In Shipyard
This huge 400-ton rudder and a 100-ton propeller were positioned for installation in this shipyard using a grease-powered version of Airfloat air bearings.
The use of grease instead of air permitted the movement and precise positioning of this huge, heavy steel part using a load frame supported on four load bearings.
A close-up view of one of the grease bearings is pictured at right.
Moving Loads with Grease
Four of these 24-inch diameter grease bearings were placed one at each corner of the load frame. In the photo to the left, you can see a worker standing at the corner of the load frame, to give you an idea of the scale.
The black object on the load frame is the rudder. The stern of the ship is in the upper left corner. A 40-gallon drum of grease and a grease pump supplied a flow of grease to the bearings, about one-half-pound per minute at 600 psi under the 400-ton load.
For this one-time movement, the trailing film of grease was no problem; it was easily cleaned up after the move. The use of grease rather than air increased the carrying capacity about 20 times. The hydraulic cylinders mounted on the grease bearings lifted the rudder, once it was positioned for mounting on the rudder post.
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