New Vessel: Testing Catches Design Flaw Before Commissioning

Diehl Engineering, Kingston, Washington - A new construction oil supply ship was completed, but before commissioning the shipyard wanted the propulsion system tested to see if axial thrust forces transmitted to the engine exceeded design estimates. Diehl Engineering used axial strain gages wired to Binsfeld TorqueTrak telemetry to measure the axial forces during run up of the drive system.

The testing revealed that the force on the port intermediate shaft was 2.75 times the design load, which would cause engine thrust washer failures under normal operating conditions. Diehl recommended a redesign to the shafting system to prevent the failures from occurring. The vessel was commissioned after the redesign and is now operating without problems.