ENGINE

BEDPLATE
• The bedplate acts as the main strength
member, maintains correct alignment
and supports the weight of the
components. it must be capable of
withstanding the fluctuating forces
created during operation and transmit
them to the ships structure.
• In addition it may also collect
lubricating oil.
• It must be rigid enough to support the weight
of the rest of the engine, and maintain the
crankshaft, which sits in the bearing housings
in the transverse girders, in alignment.
• At the same time it must be flexible enough to
hog and sag with the foundation plate to
which it is attached and which forms part of
the ships structure.
(If the bedplate was too rigid, then as the hull flexed, the holding down bolts, which secure the engine into the ship would be likely to break, and
there would be a danger of the bedplate cracking.)
 CONSTRUCTION
• Basically the bedplate consists of two
longitudinal girders which run the length of
the engine. Connecting these longitudinal
girders are the transverse girders which are
positioned between each crankshaft throw,
and either side of the thrust collar. Built into
the transverse girders are the main bearing
pockets for the crankshaft to run in.
Consists of the following;-
• Longitudinal Girder (Fabricated) – the
longitudinal strength is obtained by making
each side of the bedplate in a form of a
girder
• Transverse (Cross) Girder – in which the
main bearing are housed gives the bedplates
its transverse strength
 Longitudinal Girder
• Longitudinal girder apart from giving
longitudinal strength, maintains alignment
by giving sufficient rigidity (inflexible) to
withstand the hogging and sagging of the
ship’s hull.(single and double)
• It provides a stiff support for the attachment
of transverse girders (double)
• Longitudinal girders may be of single or
double plate construction
• The double plate form is more stiff but
would not be simple as single plate
construction
• The access to the holding down bolts will
more difficult.
• The use of single plate form is more
popular with modern engines employed box
bedplates and similar construction columns
Single longitudinal girder

Double longitudinal girder

 Transverse Or Cross Girder
• Consists of deep plate between the
longitudinal girders, connected to the same
on both sides.
• Transverse girder carries main bearing
pocket.
• Deep plate is necessary for sufficient
stiffness and to withstand the firing load
without bending
• Inadequate stiffness will distort (bend) the
bearing pocket which will ‘nip’ the main
bearing.This would ultimately grip the
crankshaft journal and cause white metal to
‘wipe’.
• These girders also may be of single or
double plate form
• The double plate arrangement gives high
strength and stiffness.
• Hole have to be cut in the plate to allow
access for welding and inspection. These
hole can seriously weaken a double plate
arrangement in a small engine
• A tube may be welded through the girder
hole to restore strength and stiffness
• The attachment of transverse girders to the
longitudinal girders may differ (depending
upon the material used).In most cases, it is
welded
• Some cases it may be bolted if the girder is
cast, this reduces repair difficulties, allows
stress relieving of the transverse girder only
(classification society requirement). This
also reduces risk of distortions
Longitudinal girder Single transverse girder
Bearing pocket

Top plate
Double transverse girders

Stiffening tube Bolted / welding

joint - material
 Materials
• Prefabricated Steel
• Hybrid arrangement of cast steel and
prefabricated steel (Composite)
• Cast iron
 Prefabricated steel (welded)
• Lightness in construction
• Good strength against shock loads
• Easiest to manufacture and repair
• Poor vibration damping characteristic
• Liable to crack due to numerous weld
• Care should be taken during welding
process to avoid distortion
• After welding, requires stress relieving and
thus size of bedplate controlled by lifting
equipment and annealing furnace.
 Cast iron
• Never used in large bedplate because of
flawless casting difficult. Frequently for
small, medium/high speed engine
• Excellent internal vibration damping
characteristic – reduces cracking
• Repairs difficult (casted)
• Low tensile strength and usually support by
tie bolt (large engine)
 Hybrid or composite
• Fabricated mild steel for longitudinal
girders and cast steel for transverse girders
• Transverse girders continuous with integral
bearing pocket
• Strengthening ribs obtain and completes
unit stress relieved before bolting or
welding to longitudinal girders
• High resistance to cracking due to lack of
welds and irregular grain flow
• Steel used have good weldability properties
• On the small bore engines, the bedplate can
be made from cast iron as a single casting.
Larger engines have a fabricated bedplate.
This means it is welded together from steel
sections, steel castings and plate. The steel
is to Classification Society specifications
and is a low carbon steel with a maximum
carbon content of 0.23%.
CAST IRON TIE BOLTS or
STAY BOLTS CAST STEEL
SADDLE SADDLE

Bolt Weld

TRANSVERSE GIRDER WHICH CARRIES MAIN BEARING

POCKET (HYBRID OR COMPOSITE ARRANGEMENTS)
• Earlier fabricated bedplates had box section
longitudinal girders and box section
fabricated transverse girders. Problems
were encountered with cracking of the
transverse girders, which increased as
engine powers and crankshaft throws got
larger.
• The modern bedplate is constructed from
fabricated longitudinal girders with cast
steel transverse sections containing the
bearing pockets and tie bolt holes welded
into place. After manufacture, the bedplate
is stress relieved, the bearing pockets are
line bored and landing surfaces machined.
 Types of bedplate
• Trestle Type

• Box form of flat-bottom Type

 Trestle Type
• It requires an elevated seating which must be very
robust (strong)and soundly constructed if the desired
degree of rigidity is to be obtained.
• Its provides a deep and therefore a stiff transverse
member and the arrangement mentioned above is to
accommodate this deep section
• The alternative arrangement could be to leave a
special well in the double bottom structure.
• The arrangement would reduce the height of the
engine
• Both arrangement complicate double bottom
structure
 Box form of flat bottom type
• Box form enables the engine to be bolted
directly to the double bottom tank top
• Most of the leading engine builders use this
types.
• The present practice for large marine
engines are to have welded construction
which reduces weight and financial loss if
cast bedplates turn out to be defective
• Box type construction is more suitable for
fabrication
 Force on bedplates
• Fluctuating gas pressure from the cylinder
(combustion and compression)
• Inertia forces (moving masses such as
balancing weight) from the reciprocating
masses
• Side thrust from guide faces normally for
crosshead engine when piston rod and
connecting rod in angle position
• Static weight of all engine parts – weight above
bedplates
• Torque or thrust reaction from propeller while thrust
block joined together with it or cast together
• Hull deflection due to loading, grounding ,fire etc
• Vibration forces due to torque fluctuations, shock
loading
• Thermal stress due to different temperature between
above and below bedplates
• Forces due to ship’s movement in heavy seas
Guide force moment, H transverse Z Stay bolt force
cycle/rev Z = 1 or 2 times number of
cylinder
Guide force moment, X transverse Z
cycle/rev Z = 1, 2 …..12
Combustion
pressure

Guide
force

Order moment, horizontal 1

cycle/rev

Main bearing
force
Order moment, vertical 2
cycle/rev

Order moment, vertical 1

cycle/rev
 From the simple beam
bending equation
We have;
M /I = s /y = E/R
M=Bending moment
I=2nd moment of area of the cross section
s =Stress
y=distance from the axis of bending to the outer
face
E= modulus of elasticity
R-radius of curvature of the bending.
This can be arranged into
s = (M/I) . y
• It can be seen that for the same bending
moment on a symmetrical shape of same
size, the stress is reduced on the increasing
2nd moment of area. The second moment
of area increase with moving of material
away from the axis of bending towards the
extremes of the section.
• Because of this the commonest way of
construction a fabricated bedplate is by
creating two box section girders and tie
them using transverse girders.
• The advent of the small bore slow speed
has seen the use of single side
bedplates.
• A box section is then created by using
a box section crankcase structure rather
than the more traditional A-frame.
• This has the advantages of reducing
width as well as weight and increasing
the amount of fabrication so reducing
assembly times.
• Due to the weight penalty, the use of
cast iron is generally limited to smaller
units where fabrication becomes
impractical. However, cast iron has
internal resilience allowing it to dampen
down vibrations, this has led to its
usage on some medium speed
installations, especially passenger
carriers, where noise and vibration
suppression is important.
• The most highly loaded pat of a bedplate
is the transverse girder. Classification
societies require that residual stress is
removed after construction.
• The transverse girder acts as a simple
beam with the forces of combustion
acting on the piston passing down
through the bearing. The forces acting on
the head are passed through the Tie
rods.
• It can be seen that to reduce the bending
moment the tie rods have to be brought
closer to the crankshaft. The limit to this
is the securing arrangement required for
the main bearing keep.
• One method is to use two instead of one
bolts which can be made of smaller
diameter. Sulzer use an alternative and
very successful method in the form of
jacking bolts. These jack against the
bottom of the A-frame.
 Fundamental requirement

Bedplate should provide an oil tight chamber,

housing for the thrust bearing. Apart from that
bedplate should fulfill the following:-
 1 Strength
• Necessary since considerable forces can be
exerted.
• In other word, withstand forces without
failure.
• These may be due to out of balance effects,
vibrations, gas force transmission and
gravitational forces
 2 Rigidity
• Required to give correct alignment to
running gear.
• However, a certain degree of flexibility will
prevent high stress that could be caused by
slight misalignment (crack)
 3 Lightness
• Important, it may enable the power weight
ratio to be increased.
• In other word, to increase power weight
ratio or power/weight (power more bigger
than the weight)
• Less material would be used bringing about
saving cost
 4 Toughness

• In a material is a measure of its resilience

and strength.
• This property is required to enable the
material to withstand the fatigue (weak)
conditions (more longer)
 5 Simple design

• In manufacture and installation are

simplified to safe in cost
• Cast and welded joint
 6 Access
• Ease of access to the engine transmission
system for inspection and maintenance on
running gears purposes
• Inspection for crack at bearing pocket and
welded joint also for tie bolts and holding
down bolts etc
 7 Dimension

• Ideally these should be as small as possible

to keep engine containment to a minimum
in order to give more engine room space.
• However must can be fix with frame
 8 Seal
• Must seal off effectively the oil and vapour
by providing oil tight chamber and housing
for thrust block
• Any vapour or oil flowing out from it mean
crack have been occur
 Faults in bed plates
• The bedplate should be inspected regularly for
evidence of cracking. This can occur in the welds
joining the transverse girders to the longitudinals,
and under the bearing pockets, where the cracks
can be radial or follow the line of the pocket. As
well as faulty manufacturing techniques, causes
can be uneven loading/ overloading of engine
units, loose tie bolts and loose holding down bolts.
 Type of Faults
• Cracks
• Oil leaks
• Loose choks
• Loose frames
 Crack areas

1
2

Longitudinal girder
 Crack places
• Fabricated transverse girders often show
cracks in welds around the bearing pockets
• Radially around tie bolt and frame bolt
holes
• At the junction welds between fabricated
cross girder and side girder
• Around lighting holes
• At the base of main bearing keeps
 Reason for failures or cracks
• Excessive vibration
• Slack tie bolts
• Overloading due to excessive bearing wear
• Poor welding or stress relieving
• Stress riser (concentration) on weld
 Repairs
• Mild steel or cast steel materials – crack
should be chipped out and welded. Care
should be taken not to distort the welded
part – repair to be done by ductile
electrodes which will give deposit close to
parent metal
• Cast iron – Can be arrested by drilling (if
small) and metallocked (if serious) and
support by doubler-plate bolted on it
 Oil leaks
• Sump pan
• Door and casings
• Crankcase relief valve
• Bedplate cracks
 Loose chocks
• Chocks fret (on metal chock) when holding
down bolts slack
• Bolts hardened with ship as temporary
repair. As soon as possible, chock removed,
tank top face-up by grinding and a new
thicker chock prepared and rehodded
(thinner chocks – effect the alignment)
 Bedplates inspection
• Cracks
• Corrosion – moisture or acidic compounds
• Cleanliness – sludge and carbon
• Loosen connections
• Oil leaks
• Faulty welding (On new engine)
• Faulty casting