4/1/2016

Principlesofshiphandling:BasicPropellerTypes
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Principlesofshiphandling
DefinesShiphandlingandManeuvering.AlsodescribestheBasicmovementofashipandtalksabout
thefactorsandforcesaffectingshiphandling.
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BasicPropellerTypes

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BasicPropellerTypes

2011(1)
November(1)
PrinciplesofshipHandling

ControllablePitchPropellers
These propellers now have a relatively good track record for
reliabilityandarebecomingincreasinglycommononawiderangeof
tonnage. Unlike the fixed pitch propeller, the blades of these
propellerscanbealtered,tosetwhateverpitchisrequired,acrossthe
whole power band from full ahead to full astern. This is usually
achieved with hydraulic pumps or pistons, the older mechanical
systems being less able to cope with the size and speeds of the
modernvessel.Thehydraulicpumpsthemselvesareactivatedbyan
electric motor, which is in turn operated by remote bridge control.
This may be either pneumatic or electronic. In small craft and in
some older systems the bridge control may be mechanical, using
cables linked direct to hydraulic rams, but these are becoming
increasinglyrare.

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Touseacontrollablepitch(CP)propellerthemainenginehastobe
clutched in, so that the propeller is continuously turning, usually at
quitehighrevolutions.Asitisneitherpracticable,noreconomical,to
runanenginecontinuouslyatexcessivelyhighrpm,itisimportantto
havesomesortofcombinedcontroloverbothrpmandpitch,sothat
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thepitchforslowspeedsisbalancedwithareductioninrevolutions.
On most ships this is achieved by installing a 'combinator' which
automatically balances engine revolutions against propeller pitch,
thusproducingasavinginfuelandbetterpropellerperformance.
FixedorconventionalPropellers
Thesepropellersaremountedonapropellershaftthatturnson
demand.Speakingforitstype,thebladesonthistypeofpropeller
donotmoveandthepitchisfixed.Theshaftchangesthedirectionof
itsrotationtoeffectamotioneitheraheadorasterndependingonthe
typeoftheblade.
Movements
Aheadmovement
Touseaheadpower,ashipwithaCPpropellerisnotrestrictedtothe
steppedprogression,throughdeadslowaheadtofullahead,thathas
for some, been long associated with fixed pitch propellers. Any
speedcanbeselected,simplybyadjustingthecombinatorcontrolto
the required setting. It is also possible to set the propeller pitch for
extremelylowspeeds,sothatontheseoccasionswhenitisessential
to proceed at very slow speeds, the propeller and rudder are still
active and steerage way can be maintained for a lot longer than is
usual. This is particularly advantageous if compared to the many
ships with fixed pitched propellers, where the speed for dead slow
aheadcansometimesbeashighasfiveorsixknots,duetoexcessive
enginerevolutionsand/orstallingspeedoftheengine.

SlowingDown
When 'low speed' or 'stop' are demanded, the blades of the CP
propelleraresetwithaveryfineangleandpitch,totheextentthat
whentheyareviewedfromastern,theywillappeartoopenlikeafan
andthepropellerwilllookratherlikeacloseddiscorwheel.Ifthe
ship's speed is too high and does not already match the propeller
speed,theflowofwaterthroughitwillberestrictedandagreatdeal
ofturbulencewilldevelopbehindthepropeller,whichwillalsohave
anadverseeffectupontherudder(seeillustrationbelow).

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Theruddershieldedwiththepropellersfinepitchsetting.
Iftherefore,theship'sspeedisnotreducedslowlyandprogressively,
in much the same way as a large directionally unstable ship, the
rudderwillbeshieldedandthesteeringmaybecomeerraticorpoor.
Whilstitisirritatingifthesteeringispoor,itshouldnotbeforgotten
thatCPpropellersareinstantlyavailableforcorrective'kicksahead',
in a virtually unlimited supply, and are not liable to the restrictions
that can be experienced with fixed pitch propellers, such as limited
airsuppliesforstartingtheengineordelayswhilsttheengineisput
astern.
TransverseThrustOneofthemostcommonconcernsmentionedby
many officers, and quite rightly so, is the uncertainty as to which
way the bow will cant, if at all, when a controllable pitch (CP)
propellerisputastern.Thisisalsosomethingthepilotneedstoknow
when he comes on board. To answer this question, it is first
necessary to know which way the propeller is turning when it is
viewed from astern. With the majority of CP propellers it is in an
anticlockwise direction and they are called lefthanded. It is
importanthowever,wheninformedthataCPshipislefthanded,that
itisnotconfusedwithafixedpitchlefthandedship,becausetheCP
propeller, it should be remembered, rotates the same way all the
time.Whenthepitchissetforsternpower,itisonlytheangleofthe
blades that has changed and the propeller is still rotating
anticlockwise or lefthanded. The effect is now similar to a fixed
pitch right handed propeller working astern. The flow of water
through the propeller is directed up onto the starboard quarter and
maybestrongenoughtothrustthesterntoport,sothatthebowis
seentocantor'kick'tostarboard.
Itisimportanttonotethatthetransversethrustonsomeshipswitha
CP propeller may be weak and unreliable, due to vortices or
turbulence around the propeller blades. This is usually the result of
specificdesignlimitationsandmight,forexample,occurwhenaCP
propeller is designed to operate at slow speeds, with fine pitch
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settings,buthighshaftrevolutions.Inanotherexample,ifthepitchis
alteredfromaheadtoastern,someoftheinnerorlowersectionsof
thebladesmaybesetatrathercrudeanglesandthis,too,cancreate
vortices around the propeller. These characteristics can also have a
detrimental effect on the maximum stern power available when
comparedtoasimilarshipwithafixedpitchpropeller.Itistherefore
advisabletoexercisesomecaution,whenanticipatingtheeffectsof
stempoweronsomeCPships.
Stoppedandalongside
On some ships, due to inferior design, age or poor maintenance,
whenthecontrolstickonthebridgeispositionedforstopwithzero
pitch, the propeller might not be accurately aligned to the same
setting and some residual thrust may still exist. Although, with
experience, a ship's master can compensate for this error, it is still
imperativetoremember,thateventhough'stop'hasbeenrequested,a
ship with a CP propeller can unexpectedly creep ahead or astern.
This is very important during the period prior to slipping from a
berth, when the engine is started and the shaft is clutched in. If the
ropes are not kept tight, particularly while singling up, the vessel
may start to move along the dockside with serious consequences if
othershipsaretiedupcloseaheadorastern.Itisalsonoticeableon
some ships that the CP propeller, which is constantly running with
high revolutions, can pump quite a lot of water up onto the quarter
andalongtheship'sside,evenwithzeropitchset.Inthecaseofaleft
handed CP propeller this water will be flowing along the starboard
side.
Ifthen,theshipislayingalongsideasoliddocksidestarboardsideto
andtheropesareslackenedoff,thiscanactlikeatideflowingfrom
asternandpushthesternawayfromthedockside(seebelow).Itcan
alsomakeitverydifficulttogetthesternalongsidewhenberthing,
particularlywhencomingintoaberthsternfirstandtherehasbeena
need to use stern power as well. This might not be resolved, until
eitherasternlineisashoreandtight,ortherevolutionsarereduced.

Creatingeddiesandcurrentsonzeropitch.

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