Ship's stern tube with water lubricated bearings - has metal load-carrying sleeve, non-metallic liner harmonised for expansion, bonded radially

摘要

The stern tube assembly conventionally comprises the tube and a shaft supported by one or more water-lubricated bearings with a metal load-carrying sleeve housing a non-metallic liner. In each bearing (1,2), the metallic sleeve (5) and non-metallic liner (6), harmonised for thermal deformation, are radially bonded together and the ratio of clearance between shaft and liner to shaft dia. is between 0.002 and 0.006. Each bearing's length is 0.75 to 1.5 times the dia. The liner is subdivided into individual, contiguous, longitudinal strips.