Seating the Propeller

PREPARING FOR SEATING THE PROPELLER

Before installing and seating the propeller on the shaft, the condition of
the propeller shall be checked, the gland seal fit shall be checked, and
the shaft shall be protected from damage.
Gland Seal.
Check the fit of the gland seal onto the forward face of the propeller
hub. Install the gland seal, gland seal O-ring, studs, and nuts on the
forward face of the propeller hub while the propeller is still at the surface
to check their fit. Bench mark and then remove the gland seal with the
gland seal O-ring. Slide the gland seal and O-ring up the shaft to the
after face of the strut bearing.
Kes and Kewas. !uring propeller removal care should be taken to
monitor the kes. "he kes ma be loose in the shaft kewa and
remain in the propeller kewa or fall off. "o ensure a proper fit of kes
into kewas, measure and compare the width and depth of propeller
kewas to the width and height of the shaft kes. If necessar, shaft
kes ma be removed and machined down. #refer to figure $-%&
Immediatel prior to installing the replacement propeller, thoroughl
clean the entire shaft taper area to eliminate residual oils or
preservatives.
Occasionall new or refurbished read for issue propellers have gaps in
the gland seal O-ring seating surface where the kewas have been cut
into the propeller. If these gaps e'ist, the must be filled with weld
material and ground smooth to ensure a good seal around the entire
circumference of the propeller in accordance with the applicable
propeller drawing. ( )ualified welder trained to weld this material shall
perform this repair.
*(+,I,-
.ropeller blade edges are knifelike and ver sharp. "o prevent in/ur,
divers must wear gloves while inspecting propeller blades
Shaft Protection.
(fter protecting the threaded portion of the shaft from impact damage
#wrap with 0% thread&, place the propeller as far onto the shaft as the
rigging e)uipment will allow.
Pilgrim Nut Method.
"he .ilgrim nut is the preferred device for seating the propeller on the
shaft taper. "he original e)uipment manufacturer #O12& technical
manuals detail the installation and operation of .ilgrim nuts.
,O"1
"he water and air temperature shall be taken at the work site to ensure
the accurac of entries on the installation data form.
"o properl seat the propeller on the shaft taper, a specific advance
must be achieved. (dvance of the propeller is measured using a dial
indicator mounted. "he primar method #mounted to the shaft& is more
accurate and alwas preferred. "he secondar method #mounted to the
strut barrel& is onl to be used if the dial indicator will not fit between the
strut barrel and the propeller hub. "he re)uired advance is taken from
the ship3s propeller drawing.
*ith the .ilgrim nut properl in place, slowl pressuri4e it. +ecord and
plot .ilgrim nut pressure and dial indicator readings at 566 psi
increments. 1arl on in the plotting, the data points will tend to form a
straight line #slope&. *ith a loose seated propeller, the plot ma run off
the paper with considerable advance before an pressure is built up. If
this occurs, reset the dial indicator, tighten the pilgrim nut, and start over
with a fresh plot.
(fter about three data points have been obtained from this straight
portion of the plot, pro/ect a line back to the 4ero pressure a'is to
determine the initial seated position. "he actual propeller advance is
determined from the difference between the advance at the initial
seated position and the final advance achieved. #refer to figure $-7 8 $-
5&
Seating of the propeller and plotting of its advance shall continue until
the actual advance e)uals the re)uired advance determined earlier, to
within 9.665: -.666:. !esign slope #in psi versus advance& shall be
shown on the plot for comparison to actual measured data. !esign
slope curves are preplotted for selected ship classes. Because of the
lubrication effect of water, waterborne propeller advance curves ma be
slightl shallower then the design slopes which are based on drdock
installation. #refer to figure $-7 8 $-5&
If the plot does not continue in a smooth, straight line until the re)uired
advance is achieved, the propeller has caught on the shaft, shaft kes,
or propeller hub kewas, or there is insufficient contact between the
propeller hub and shaft taper. "he propeller shall be removed and the
specific problem corrected before the seating process can continue.
O12 .ilgrim nut technical manuals provide push-on pressure charts
that suppl estimates of the pressure which must be applied to the
.ilgrim nut in order to achieve the re)uired advance. "he pressure
estimates are based on the friction associated with drdock installation.
1'perience shows that waterborne installations will normall need less
pressure to achieve the re)uired advance because of the lubrication
effect of the water. ,ever seat a propeller using applied .ilgrim nut
pressure as the onl indicator of final seating achieved. +e)uired
advance must alwas be achieved.
CAUTION
"he propeller shaft shall be securel locked. Otherwise, the tor)ue
provided b the propeller nut wrench could be transmitted to the
reduction gears and cause considerable damage.
Propeller Nut Wrench Method.
If a .ilgrim nut cannot be located or provided in time for an emergent
/ob, the propeller nut wrench ma be used to seat the propeller on the
shaft taper. !etails on the propeller nut wrench method of installation
are provided. 1'perience has shown that the thrust bearing specified
should not be used because the propeller nut ma not catch sufficient
threads if the thrust bearing is installed. .ropeller advance tor)ue
values for selected ship classes are available. 1nsure that the shaft
locking device is engaged before attempting this seating method. "he
dial indicator must be mounted to the shaft. If the shaft moves based on
the high tor)ues re)uired, the advance measurement will not be
affected.
INSTALLING THE PRPELLER N!T
(fter the propeller is properl seated onto the shaft, install the propeller
nut flush with the after face of the propeller hub. If the locking ke will
not align with one of the holes in the hub, loosen the propeller nut /ust
enough to achieve alignment. !o not tighten the propeller nut. "he
friction between the propeller bore surface and the shaft taper is the
primar propeller holding force. ( balancing ke or kes must be
installed opposite the locking ke to balance weight on the shaft. "he
gland seal and gland seal O-ring must also be mounted to the forward
face of the propeller hub on the gland seal studs installed on the
surface. #refer to figure $-7&