Casualty Information

Information from DNV to the maritime industry No. 4 June 2006

Damage to stern tube bearing

and seals
Ship type: Tanker Ship size (grt): 80,000–90,000 Year built: 2001

Course of events If the vessel had continued without a thorough assessment of

The stern tube oil was found to contain a high percentage of the situation and if no appropriate corrective/preventive action
water during a routine inspection. During the next couple of were taken, there might have been a substantial risk of causing
months closer monitoring of the water content in the lubricating further damage, even pollution, or loss of vessel.
oil in the stern tube was carried out in order to allow the vessel to
remain in service. Finally, while the ship was afloat it was decided Probable cause
to replace the stern tube seals. The damage to the aft stern tube bearing and propeller shaft is
most probably caused by loss of hydrodynamic lubrication due to
Extent of damages excessive amount of water in the stern tube oil.
The aft seal was found with the springs broken. Two pieces of the Firstly, the increase in friction between the propeller shaft and
white metal bearing was found loose after the seal was removed, the white metal bearing had heated up and displaced the white
Fig. 1. Further survey of the damage in dry dock verified that the metal throughout the entire length of the bearing. Secondly, the
aft stern tube bearing was damaged. The condition of the aft increased friction had overheated the propeller shaft, and upon
stern tube bearing is seen in Fig. 2. Additionally, the propeller cooling of the shaft longitudinal heat cracks had formed. As a
shaft was found to be cracked and bent. result of the overheating the shaft had also become bent.

Fig. 1: Pieces of white metal found in the aft stern tube bearing after Fig. 2: Condition of white metal bearing found in the aft stern tube
removal of seal. bearing.
Casualty Information No. 4 June 2006

Lessons to be learned 3. Shaft alignment

In the following some hints are given on actions to prevent simi- n Maintaining optimal alignment of a shaft line throughout its
lar damages from occurring: service life is important to reduce the risk of premature failure,
expensive repairs, and unscheduled dry-dockings.
1. Bearing
n Check the report from last lubricating oil analysis and that con- Two common methods to verify the alignment are used:
tent of water is normal.
n Verify that the stern tube temperature sensor is working, if fit- Jack method.
ted. The advantage with the jack test is that it can be done with the
n Verify if any abnormal vibrations have been experienced. shaft-line connected. A hydraulic jack is placed under the shaft
n Seals to be removed if a stern tube bearing damage is suspect- close to the bearing to be checked. The jack load is plotted as a
ed. function of the displacement, while the shaft is being lifted and
n Check the packing for unusual wear. lowered. See Fig. 3.
n Check whether any white metal is coming out.
Gap and sag measurements.
2. Seals The gap is the horizontal distance and sag is the vertical dis-
n Check the report from last lubricating oil analysis and that con- tance between two disconnected flanges. See Fig. 4.
tent of water is normal.
n Check if a high temperature in the shaft has been noticed.
n Check if the oil consumption reported in the log book is nor- For more detailed information please refer to the enclosed
mal. Appendix A and B!

Fig. 3: Jack method. Fig. 4: Gap and sag.

We welcome your thoughts!

Casualty Information is published by DNV Maritime, Maritime Technology prevention of similar occurrences in the future. The information included is
and Production Centre (Dept. for Ships in Operation). not necessarily restricted to cover ships classed with DNV and is presented,
without obligation, for information purposes only.
Det Norske Veritas
NO-1322 Høvik, Norway Queries may be directed to Det Norske Veritas AS, Maritime Technology
Tel: +47 67 57 99 00 and Production Centre (Dept. for Development, Learning&Support),
Fax: +47 67 57 99 11 NO-1322 Høvik, Norway. Fax: +47 67 57 99 11. E-mail: [email protected]

The purpose of Casualty Information is to provide the maritime industry © Det Norske Veritas AS. This publication may be reproduced freely on
with ‘lessons to be learned’ from incidents of ship damage and more serious condition that Det Norske Veritas AS (DNV) is always stated as the source.
accidents. In this way, Det Norske Veritas AS hopes to contribute to the DNV accepts no responsibility for any errors or misinterpretations.

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 Casualty Information No. 4 June 2006

Appendix A:
What to check in order to prevent damages to the stern tube bearings and seals
1. Bearings 2. Seals
Check the report from last lubricating oil analysis and that con- Check the report from last lubricating oil analysis and that con-
tent of water is normal. tent of water is normal.
High water content (alarm point over 3 %) might have led to Water in the lubricating oil is a clear indicator that the aft seal
an insufficient oil film due to the reduced viscosity. A practical is leaking.
hint on how to check the content of water is to take a sample of See also above under “Bearings”.
oil and put in a container for half an hour. The oil will separate
from the water and it will be possible to see how much water is in Has a high temperature in the shaft been noticed?
the sample. Furthermore, some ships have the possibility to con- If the temperature has risen to above 110°C it is possible to have
nect the stern tube oil pipes to the purifier. This may be a good hardening of the seals, causing leakage. From the sealing point of
option for eliminating the water until repairs can be carried out. view it may not be critical, but the consequences of overheating
It is important to check the trend with respect to content of tin, can be significant, causing hard spots and fatigue cracks on the
copper and lead. High values may indicate contact between shaft shaft.
and bearing. Filtering the oil through a cloth can be useful: if
there has been contact, pieces of white metal might be found in Has any increased oil consumption been reported in the log
the cloth. book?
This is the first indication that the seals are leaking. Compensat-
Verify that the stern tube temperature sensor is working, if ing with a gravity tank may help to maintain the lubrication, but
fitted can lead to pollution if combined with a leakage of the seal in
Check if any measurement was showing excessive temperature, in contact with sea water. In some cases it may help to use oil with
general above 70°C. Compare the water temperature with the higher viscosity. This may slow the leak, and allow the ship to sail
reading from the sensor. With the shaft in cold condition the two to a repair yard, avoiding pollution issues. Have in mind that a
values should be comparable. Remember, records of too low tem- leakage might develop into a violation of MARPOL Annex I.
perature are also a possible indication that the sensor is not work-
ing properly. If the white metal around the sensor is not in con- Repair of seals
tact with the sensor anymore, a temperature increase will not be The most used seals today are the Simplex type. Typically a “lip
indicated. seal” assembly consists of a number of rubber rings of special
cross-section. Each rubber lip seal is held in contact with a renew-
Verify if any abnormal vibrations has been experienced able sleeve fitted on the shaft. The rubber rings are renewed by
Check bolt connections, couplings, and investigate if any damage vulcanizing the new ones in situ. In case the seals have created
has occurred to the propeller. An unbalanced propeller can cre- wear grooves, this can lead to leakages. One solution may be to
ate severe damage to the stern tube bearing due to hammering. add/remove a distance piece to move the seals and ring assembly
axially.
Seals to be removed if a stern tube bearing damage is suspected Have in mind that a leakage might develop into a violation of
This may give substantially more information and is often feasible MARPOL Annex I.
without dismantling the shaft. Generally, the aft bearing is more
subject to wear due to higher loads. It is sometimes possible to
trim the ship to get the propeller out of the water, the seal can
then be released and the bearing checked to a certain extent.
The forward bearing may also be damaged and this is easier to
access, although in both cases it is necessary to drain the oil.

Check the packing for unusual wear

The seals can create grooves in way of contact area. When replac-
ing the seal it is important to remember that the seal’s hardness
has to be compatible with the liner material. The manufacturer
recommendation should be followed.

Check whether any white metal is coming out

Particles or pieces of white metal may be found behind the seals,
indicating unusual wear of the bearing, contact with shaft and/or
Fig. A1: Reference line from stern tube to engine and from engine to
lost bonding. A feeler gauge should be used for checking clear- stern tube.
ances. It is difficult to give general values as it depends on the
shaft diameter. The maker’s recommendation should be checked
in this respect.
3. Shaft alignment
Repair of stern tube bearings
The bearing is normally re-metalled with similar type of white Verification of alignment
metal. Before re-installation, an examination should be carried Recommended practice is to obtain the reference condition of
out to verify bonding between the white metal and the base the alignment onboard the ship before any component in a shaft-
metal. This can be done by ultrasonic measurement or by a wood line is removed for survey or repair. This is extremely helpful if
hammering test. A correct bearing clearance should be verified, there is no alignment calculation available for the ship. The base-
and the alignment for correct line bore and slope should be line is useful for checking the alignment after installation of the
check by means of optical or laser measurements. shaft-line.
Casualty Information No. 4 June 2006

Jack Method shafts are removed. The procedure is as described above. A refer-
The preferred method is to measure bearing load using the jack ence through the centerline of the aft and forward stern tube
test method. The advantage with the jack test is that it can be bearing needs to be established. In addition, it is necessary to
done with the shaft-line connected. A hydraulic jack is placed measure the bearing position from a reference line normal to the
under the shaft close to the bearing to be checked. The jack load gear or the engine flange center towards the stern tube. This
is plotted as a function of the displacement, while the shaft is measurement will tell if the gear or engine is tilted with respect to
being lifted and lowered. the stern tube, see Fig. A1.
A jack load diagram is shown in Fig. 3. The change in slope of
the theoretical jacking curve means that the bearing has been lift- Gap and Sag method
ed free of its support. The jack load is found at the intersection of Gap and sag measurements can also be used to verify the alignment
the theoretical jacking curve and the horizontal axis. The bearing of a shaft-line. The gap is the horizontal distance and sag is the ver-
reaction is found by multiplying the jack load with the jack factor. tical distance between two disconnected flanges, as shown in Fig. 4.
Be aware that the jack test cannot be used to establish the Recorded gap and sag measurements can be compared to the
alignment if the shaft is bent. This is also true if the bearing loca- calculated gap and sag values when the measurements are taken
tions have been disturbed due to a grounding or collision. But, under the same conditions as calculated. This means that tempo-
the jack test can be used to verify if the shaft is bent. rary supports are in the same location, applied loads are identical
To verify that the shaft is bent four separate jack tests are then in magnitude and location and the vessel draft and loading condi-
performed at 90 degree intervals at the same axial shaft location. tion is as calculated.
A bent shaft will produce different jack loads for each measure- The tolerance on the gap and sag value should not be less
ment. In this case the alignment needs to be checked after the than 0.05 mm.

Appendix B:
Shaft alignment – Theoretical calculations
A shaft alignment program is used to analyze the loading of the Bearing reaction force
components in the shaft-line based on geometry and bearing Gear manufacturers specify limits to force and difference in force
location. The applied loads are as follows: on bearings supporting the output gear. Engine manufacturers
also give limits to the force which the shaft-line can exert onto the
n Point load due to the weight of propeller and flywheel crankshaft. Specific bearing load on intermediate bearings and
n Distributed load due to the weight of the shaft sections stern tube bearings is calculated from the reaction force.
n Bending moment caused by the hydrodynamic load from the
propeller Shaft deflection and slope
n Forces from hull deflections The results of the given offsets used in cold and hot condition.
The critical factor is the deflection in the aft stern tube bearing,
Shaft alignment calculations are evaluated for cold and hot condi- which is used to determine if the bearing needs to be slope-bored.
tion. The shaft-line is installed based on the calculations for the
cold condition. This is a static condition with zero engine power Moments and shear force
and zero bending moment from the propeller. The hot condition Engine manufacturers give limit to permissible values in the
simulates the ship under full power. Thermal expansion of the crankshaft.
gear and the engine is also accounted for due to the temperature
rise at the operating condition. Both cold and hot condition is Bearing reaction influence number (RIN)
modeled by offsetting the bearings vertically from a straight line The RIN numbers describe how the bearing reactions will change
through all bearings. Additionally, local temperature variations due to an offset of any bearing in the system.
need to be accounted for if a service tank with a hot fluid is locat-
ed close to the bearing supports, gear, or engine. Gap and sag value
The gap and sag value is calculated at mating flanges with discon-
The results from the shaft alignment calculation are as follows: nected shafts. This calculation condition requires that each shaft
Print: GAN Grafisk

section is supported on at least two bearing supports. Temporary

supports can be added as needed. A force can be applied to the
shaft at any location to keep the shaft in contact with the bearing
during assembly.
Design: Coor Graphic Communications 0607-004

Jack factors
The jack factor takes into account the difference in bearing reac-
tion between the point where the load test is applied and the
actual bearing location.
The common practice during new-building is to start the align-
ment procedure from the aft and working its way forward. In the-
ory a reference line through the center of the aft stern-tube bear-
ing and the forward stern-tube bearing is used to set the location
of intermediate shaft bearings, reduction gear, and engine, see
Fig. B1. In practice the offsets from this reference line is used to
7,500/ 6-2006

obtain gap and sag values, which are used in the field to carry out
Fig. B1: Reference line from stern tube to engine. the alignment. Bearing load measurements are used to verify final
alignment.