Hollow shaft for the drive train of a ship

The invention relates to a hollow shaft for the shafting of ship propulsion with a shaft tube carrying laminate, in particular fiber-reinforced Epoxy resin.

For safety reasons there are for passenger ships, the requirement that the ship also at the outbreak of a fire in any space even on its own a port of refuge can achieve must, what is considered to be met if the propulsion system, especially the shafting of the drive system, at least 60 minutes Fire resists and ensures the required torque transfer at this time. Performs the shafting from the engine compartment also by other Machinery spaces, at least have the these spaces belonging shaft sections be fire protected accordingly so that the requirement can be met. At the Use of steel shafts, this is achieved relatively easily, but arise in the Use of hollow shafts of reinforced plastic, such as for reasons of weight are increasingly being used, considerable difficulties, since these Waves because of the required strength properties of fiber-reinforced epoxy resin or other supporting laminates are produced, which in their plastics unmodified chemical structure sufficient fire or heat resistance exhibit. The plastics used are well-combustible or develop under Heat effect good combustible gases, so that they in after a short time the event of fire lose their structural integrity and not the required fire resistance with it bring. There must therefore so far for encapsulation or tunnel guide the vulnerable Shafting sections are provided, but this costly, space-consuming and last but not least is weight burden and therefore can not satisfy.

The invention is therefore based on the object to overcome these shortcomings and a creating hollow shaft of the kind that in a rational way compliance the security conditions for the fire ensured.

The invention solves this problem in that the wave tube has a direct effect on the having laminate applied protective shell made of fire and the material Shafting at least in the wavelength range of this wave tube, a cooling device, is preferably a water sprinkler system assigned. This lets Cases be applied with little extra effort in the wake of the wave tube manufacturing and shields the fire hazard supporting laminate of the shaft tube for a fire, heat so long, until the envisaged cooling device is activated and of itself accepts from the additional heat and fire protection of the hollow shaft. The Cases must not provide for a minimum 60 minute fire resistance, therefore, but serves as a kind of temporary assistance for the required fire protection offered cooling device, which preferably has a or as Wasserberieselungsanlge other fire-fighting system is designed. Since the epoxy resin of the supporting Laminate by prolonged exposure to heat without flames development through Strukturaufweichung loses the ability of the torque transmission and the Cases Although the action of fire, but not the effect of heat over a longer period can stop, a corresponding cooling device is necessary, but alone because existing response and activation time would be insufficient and therefore only in combination with the protective sheath provides the required fire resistance. Thereby can be a rational and low-maintenance, the required safety conditions comply with what the condition has, plastic shafts with all its advantages to make well as for ship propulsion practicable.

As the protective cover has to accept no supporting object, but only the must show sufficient insulating and fire resistant properties, are different Materials for producing the protective sheath usable. Expediently is the protective sheath but from a Phenolharzprepreg with fiberglass fabric, from a Epoxidharzprepreg that of a fire-resistant modified epoxy resin impregnated glass or ceramic fibers or of an impregnated spacer fabric made with a closed outer surface. These prepregs or Spacer fabrics can immediately following the manufacturing process on the Shaft tube are applied, so that with a simple coating of the shaft tube simultaneously also a good liability of the protective covering on the laminate of the shaft tube is ensured and the shaft can then be further processed in the usual manner. Phenolic resin is a per se known incombustible plastic high brittleness, the ideal suitable as fire protection sleeve for hollow shafts. epoxy resins have be modified accordingly to achieve the required fire resistance, wherein a chemical or physical modification is possible. In the chemical Modification are usually installed halogens in the epoxy resin or blends with other resins and carried out in the physical modification occurs an admixture of incombustible aggregates, but in addition to improving fire resistance but also in mechanical properties entail. Spacer fabrics are again three-dimensional fabric or crocheted fabrics of a sandwich structure, consisting of two layers, the are sutured with transverse threads. After curing of the impregnating resin Voilà, a lightweight sandwich structure, the core layer is substantially an air cushion forms, which these spacer fabrics offer good thermal insulation.

with The inventive measure, the shaft tube of a plastic shaft to provide a brand-resistant protective sheath and the risk shafting section additionally assigned a cooling device, can be relatively simple and at low cost even when using waves of combustible material, a high achieve fire resistance especially in the use of these plastic shafts Passenger ship makes.