SHAFTDESIGNER - THE INNOVATIVE SOFTWARE FOR PROPULSION TRAIN CALCULATIONS


Welcome to ShaftDesigner, the innovative Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) software which is a great help for anyone involved in the design, installation, maintenance and repair of propulsion shafts. A practical user interface with easy modelling features helps create a realistic 3D representation of the shaft line, while detailed but orderly data reports provide all the information needed by the user, creating optimally functioning shafts.

Background
ShaftDesigner is being developed by Intellectual Maritime Technologies (IMT) headed by Dr. Yuriy Batrak for SKF Solution Factory - Marine Services in the Netherlands as part of their service division in shaft alignment. It was created as a bridge between IMT's theoretical expertise and the practical experience in the field of shaft alignment and mounting of SKF Solution Factory - Marine Services. The theory and practical findings are continuously cross-validated, guaranteeing accurate and realistic results. In the development of ShaftDesigner there is also a close cooperation with classification societies and leading OEMs of various components of the propulsion train, in order to meet their needs and wishes.

ShaftDesigner's innovations
The rationale of ShaftDesigner was that further development was needed in the field of alignment software. Three main problems in current software were identified. The first is the lack of a single shaft model to perform all types of shaft related calculations. Up to now separate software with different data models for alignment and for each type of vibration has been used. The second problem is the inability to analyse different operating conditions from ballast to laden, cold and warm engine and different states from uncoupled shaft, to fully assembled propulsion trains. The user has always been forced to manage and maintain many files to achieve solutions in different states. Finally there was a substantial disparity between modern knowledge in the propulsion train domain and the capabilities of software in use.

Design phase
An accurate representation of all components of the propulsion train, including engines, gearboxes, bearings and propellers, is created using details about each element. Because of the easy drag and drop function of ShaftDesigner, all the propulsion train components are relatively fast to place, to speed up shaft line modelling. From an engineering point of view ShaftDesigner provides a useful tool to explore offsets to optimize the position of all propulsion train components based on acceptance criteria set by the user. This is done in order to, at an early stage, guarantee a good bearing load distribution and thus safe operation of the shaft line. Because ShaftDesigner can identify this issue in the ship's design phase, possible time-consuming and costly (re-)alignment problems can be avoided. Also, at this early stage, with the various vibration modules, it is possible to calculate if a certain lay-out has the potential to create harmful vibrations and estimate possible alterations which could be necessary.