Page 45: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (March 1997)

Figure 2 — The orientation of gearing in the Falk 3000 MRH marine drive system is shown. engine speed. The proportional slip-control valve allows the clutch to slip while at engine idle speed, and fully pressurizes the clutch prior to acceleration of the engine.

Figure 3 (on page 51) is an unfolded or 'roll-out' view of the drive. Pinions A and B both mesh directly with the low-speed (pro- peller-shaft) gear at all times.

Engine input is at the shaft at the upper right in Figure 2. At the right in Figure 2 are two clutches: one on the input shaft; the other on the secondary shaft of the pair of transfer (1:1 ratio) gears. Only one clutch can be engaged at any one time. Thus, power flow can be from the input shaft through

Pinion A to the low-speed gear, with Pinion B idling; or from the input shaft through the transfer gears, through Pinion B, to the low-speed gear, with Pinion A idling. In the second case, the low- speed gear turns in the direction opposite that of the first case.

Control System Options

The control of the slip system is through a conventional marine- type control handle, which can be either pneumatic or electronic.

The handle is mounted in the pilot- house, and has optional port and starboard bridge wing control.

The system can consist of a single control handle which incorporates both the slip control and the locked-clutch control, or it can be comprised of two control handles, one handle for ahead and astern slip, and the second handle to con- trol normal locked-clutch opera- tion.

When using the single handle control system, ahead or astern slip is encountered as soon as the handle is shifted forward or aft, out of the neutral position. As the stroke of the handle is increased, the propeller speed is increased.

At approximately 30-degree han- dle stroke, a second detent is encountered at which point the clutch is fully pressurized ending the clutch slip. As the handle is stroked further, the engine then accelerates to produce the selected propeller shaft speed. If low-speed maneuvering is not desired, the handle is simply shifted out of neu-

March, 1997 tral and immediately to the 30- degree detent position, at which point the clutch is fully pressur- ized with the engine at idle speed.

In the two-handle system, the first handle is a neutral-center position handle that controls ahead and astern slip while the engine remains at idle speed. The second control handle is also a neutral center position control handle which fully pressurizes either the ahead or astern clutch when shifted from the neutral position to the first detent. As the operator increases the handle stroke, engine speed increases.

Reversals: Enhanced

Maneuverability

To greatly enhance maneuver- ability during vessel reversals,

Falk marine drives can incorpo- rate the patented engine torque-up system. This feature loads the engine over a controlled rate which greatly reduces the shock to the propulsion system. During a ves- sel reversal, the control system continues to apply the shaft brake during the initial engagement of (Continued on page 97)

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