catgate Posted January 14, 2009 Report Share Posted January 14, 2009 I know there are a few engineers who are members, or visitors, and so I have just posted a few photographs in the gallery that might be of interest to you. They may be of interest to non-engineers too. The pictures are of what was, at the time ( two or three years ago), the worlds largest ship engine under construction. They have languished on my HDD for quite some time and deserve a little more admiration in my humble opinion. I have quite forgotten their source.http://forums.windowsforum.org/index.php?a...=si&img=396 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gandalph Posted January 14, 2009 Report Share Posted January 14, 2009 That sort of thing was my life's love. I used to turn shafts and the like when I worked for David Brown. My last job was to turn the replacement shafts for the V800 speed reducers for the Aswan Dam in Egypt. Twenty Months to turn twelve of them as they were so intricate. I was turning to .0001" on the bearing surfaces. Then I had to turn the bearings. Cases, rollers and shells. The shafts were twenty-four feet long.God knows how I miss that work. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catgate Posted January 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2009 There is a tremendous amount of skill in much of that sort of work. One of my grandfathers was an engineer with a firm in Shipley, and my dad used to tell of him working on a lathe that was so long that the turner used have a seat on a platform hung from the saddle, so that he could ride along with the work. What always puzzled me was how they transported some of these things in the days of horses and carts and steam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gandalph Posted January 15, 2009 Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 There is a tremendous amount of skill in much of that sort of work. One of my grandfathers was an engineer with a firm in Shipley, and my dad used to tell of him working on a lathe that was so long that the turner used have a seat on a platform hung from the saddle, so that he could ride along with the work. What always puzzled me was how they transported some of these things in the days of horses and carts and steam.The machine I turned the Aswan shafts on was a German built Scharman. Thirty-eight feet long, and it would take work up to thirty-three feet in length and a diameter of five feet. (Maximum chuck diameter). It had a saddle attachment that went onto the top of the cross-slide, though I didn't use it much. Not for finish turning anyway. It was OK for rough turning, it gave my legs a rest. For finish turning I always removed it as I liked to be close to the work piece to watch the cut. The material was Chrome-nickel steel EN16 coded and rock hard. I used special tips coated with Titanium Nitride to cut the stuff. Ordinary tungsten would just burn out.When I left David Browns I went to Rolls Royce but didn't stay there long, about eighteen months, the work wasn't as challenging. Those were the day's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andsome Posted January 15, 2009 Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 I never worked on anything that big. My last job in the tool room was as an optical profile grinder, making form cutting tools, mainly in tungsten carbide, and mainly for the motor trade.This is a more modern version of the machine that I used. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catgate Posted January 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 The machine I turned the Aswan shafts on was a German built Scharman. Thirty-eight feet long, and it would take work up to thirty-three feet in length and a diameter of five feet. (Maximum chuck diameter).It must have taken all day just to take one finishing cut, when it was being used to its maximum capacity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gandalph Posted January 15, 2009 Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 The machine I turned the Aswan shafts on was a German built Scharman. Thirty-eight feet long, and it would take work up to thirty-three feet in length and a diameter of five feet. (Maximum chuck diameter).It must have taken all day just to take one finishing cut, when it was being used to its maximum capacity.If I was doing a rough cut I always used a .004" feed, the peripheral speed varied depending on the diameter of the work piece of course. For finish cuts I always used a .002" feed. On the largest diameter on those particular shafts I could set a roughing cut off at 11:50 go for my lunch 12:00 till 13:00 and when I got back it had only moves about 20" with another 24" to go to the end of the cut. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catgate Posted January 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 Presumably you would get some interesting reading done? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lester1 Posted January 15, 2009 Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 Now those pictures take me back a few years I used to work at Swan Hunter on both repair and new builds. The biggest Sulzer powered ship that I worked on was in the ESSo Northumbria, the biggest tanker built on the tyne at the time. That particular main engine was built at Sulzer in Germany the pics seem to be from an engine works in Japan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gandalph Posted January 15, 2009 Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 Presumably you would get some interesting reading done?No such luck. I had to be vigilant at all times. Watching the tool tip for wear, keeping an eye on the revs counter, making sure the cross-slide lock stayed on and all that sort of thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gandalph Posted January 15, 2009 Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 Now those pictures take me back a few years I used to work at Swan Hunter on both repair and new builds. The biggest Sulzer powered ship that I worked on was in the ESSo Northumbria, the biggest tanker built on the tyne at the time. That particular main engine was built at Sulzer in Germany the pics seem to be from an engine works in Japan.How ya de'in marra!I remember the Northumbria going out on her trials, South Shields was chocka block that day with sight seers. I also remember the Hibernia going out as well. A nice pair of fine Ship's made by Geordies. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lester1 Posted January 15, 2009 Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 Now those pictures take me back a few years I used to work at Swan Hunter on both repair and new builds. The biggest Sulzer powered ship that I worked on was in the ESSo Northumbria, the biggest tanker built on the tyne at the time. That particular main engine was built at Sulzer in Germany the pics seem to be from an engine works in Japan.How ya de'in marra!I remember the Northumbria going out on her trials, South Shields was chocka block that day with sight seers. I also remember the Hibernia going out as well. A nice pair of fine Ship's made by Geordies. :DHellow kiddaHappy days! cardbord models available from ESSO garages, launched by Princess Ann, plans to build 250,000 tonners. I saw some pics of a breakers yard in Bangladesh "That fine ship built by geordies" was being scrapped. :(Keep ahowld marra Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catgate Posted January 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2009 That particular main engine was built at Sulzer in Germany the pics seem to be from an engine works in Japan.As far as I can recollect the source from which I got those pictures said that the engine was so big that the keel was laid, the engine room deck put in, and then the engine was built up in situ. Just how some of those casting were transported by rickshaw is another matter altogether. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gandalph Posted January 17, 2009 Report Share Posted January 17, 2009 That particular main engine was built at Sulzer in Germany the pics seem to be from an engine works in Japan.As far as I can recollect the source from which I got those pictures said that the engine was so big that the keel was laid, the engine room deck put in, and then the engine was built up in situ. Just how some of those casting were transported by rickshaw is another matter altogether.I think they must have used a Low loader Rickshaw with solid rubber tyres. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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