Page 5: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (January 1985)

Shaft Coupling Saves Time

And Money For Northwest Boatbuilder

The marine industry is now suc- cessfully using an "unconventional" shaft coupling combining a high torque-carrying capability with ease-of-mounting and dismounting.

Classified by Lloyd's, ABS, and

DNV, among others, SKF OK cou- plings prove to be a simple, safe and fast way of connecting two shafts.

OK couplings are manufactured by the Coupling Division of SKF

Steel, Inc., whose U.S. headquarters are in Avon, Conn. The coupling's range includes more than 100 stan- dard sizes for shaft dimensions from 25 mm to 1,000 mm; torque trans- mission capacities range from 350

Nm to 26,000,000 Nm.

Located on the Guemes Channel,

Port of Anacortes, Wash., Dakota

Creek Industries, Inc. uses ASK

OK170HB couplings in the manu- facturing of their commercial ma- rine vessels. According to Dakota

Creek president Dick Nelson: "We presently save 50 percent of our machinist's time during installa- tion because the couplings have no flanges, don't need bolts, nuts, or keyways, and eliminate the need for thrust rings." Because split bearings are unnecessary and the coupling uses less space than a flange, ma- chinery room layout is simpler.

Dakota Creek was founded in 1977 by a group of boatbuilding veterans. Coached by their fathers and grandfathers, they learned their crafts in Northwest shipyards.

Their boats fish the waters from the

Puget Sound north to the Bering

Sea; their tugs work on the North

Slope and berth tankers.

The Dakota Creek Industries' production yard comprises facilities for new construction and repair. It is equipped with platens, 250-foot building grids, mobile cranes, back- up outfitting, repair piers, and ma- rine railways. The yard has built 21 hulls, among them, the 123-foot crabber/trawler Morning Star, the 100-foot bowpicker Alliance, and the 95-foot harbor tug Philip W. "We accommodate the owner's de- sign wishes when laying out the ves- sel," says Mr. Nelson. "We take pride in our work, and that pride shows up in out boats."

Built for Alyeska Ocean, Inc. and launched recently for its maiden voyage to Alaska, was the 131-foot trawler Aldebaran, which is the brightest star in the constellation

Taurus. Aldebaran's diesel engine propeller shaft is low in the hull to leave more cargo room topside.

Used in constructing the Aldebaran were three SKF OK170HB cou- plings, interconnecting the line and tail shafts and one OKF170HB cou- pling at the reduction gear box and

C.P. unit. The whole shaft-line was installed through the stern-tube.

Elimination of keyways meant a re- duced shaft diameter and as much as 25 percent savings in machining costs.

The ASK OK170HB coupling has a thin inner sleeve with an external taper; the tough outer casing has a correspondingly tapered bore. The bore diameter of the inner sleeve is larger than the diameter of the shafts, allowing the coupling to slide easily over the shaft joint. Actual connection is made when the outer sleeve is pressed up over the tapered sleeve with the aid of oil under pres- sure; oil injected between the ta- pered surfaces eliminates friction when mounting. The oil is drained away when the outer sleeve reaches its correct position, and a powerful interference fit grips the shafts.

Torque transmission capacity is

Boat Builder's Bender makes hundreds of bends easy.

Manual or hydraulic powered benders.

Economical Hossfeld benders make bends

COLD in pipe, bar stock, angle iron, round or square tubing, conduit. Change set-ups in minutes without tools. Produce smooth bends on sharp angles or radii. More than 400 low cost

HOSSFELD

Universal®

Bender standard dies available. Ideal for repairs, single custom bends or short production runs.

Capacity to 2" pipe; x 41/2" flat; VW bar; 2"x 2" x 3/ie" angle. Sold through leading

Industrial Distributors. Write for brochure and die list. id ^BEHDER^. HOSSFELD MFG. CO.

Dept. MR, P.O. Box 557, Winona, MN 55987

PHONE 507-452-2182

Circle 188 on Reader Service Card

The trawler Aldebaran, built by Dakota Creek Industries. 128,000 Nm.

The yard stated they first used the SKF coupling in 1981, and it is low maintenance, dependable, effec- tive and trouble free. In spite of the fact that the OK coupling is more expensive to purchase than some conventional couplings, Mr. Nel- son stated he looked forward to saving 25 percent in the long run and to continue increased produc- tion because of decreased installa- tion time.

A free color brochure is available describing the SKF170HB coupling in full detail. For a copy,

Circle 24 on Reader Service Card '' 3

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Circle 313 on Reader Service Card