Voith-Schneider Propeller

Very interesting - I just ran across this site and saw a means of propulsion that I've never seen before - the Voith-Schneider Propeller: http://www.voith-schiffstechnik.com/

On this page there's a video which shows how it works:
http://www.voith-schiffstechnik.com/products/set_products1.htm

Does anyone else make anything like this? I wonder how many ships are propelled by these?

 

It's often called a cycloidal drive and is used on some ferries here in NC. The vertical blades are capable of changing the angle of incidence so that lift can be directed in any direction without changing power input. It gives complete freedom of motion when docking and maneuvering. The actual mechanism is much more complicated and a bit similar to the control of helicopter blades.

 

actually, lots of tugs have this kind of propulsion, since it allows thrust in any direction.
more and more though are driven by pods

 

"Does anyone else make anything like this?"

Yes, there is a company now making very small ones for yachts.

I only wish i could remember where I had seen it, and what they are called....
Should the pathway get reconnected, I'll let you know.
Anyone?

 

:idea: http://boatdesign.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1884&highlight=heli

 

Thanks, yipster - that's the beast ;-)

 

I worked a few years ago on a minehunter that used these propellers. Apparantly there are mines out there that are accoustically triggered. They look for the right propeller rhythm, and then detonate.

Obviously the 'blade rate' of the cycloidial propeller is something different entirely, and the mines had no idea what to look for.

 

voith schneider

Hello
I WORK AS AN OUTSIDE MACHINEST IN INGLESIDE TX. THE NAVY HAS SOME SHIPS DOWN HERE THAT ARE PROPELLED BY THIS SYSTEM. i HAVE WORKED ON ABOUT 20 units. Very simple system.

 

It is surprising where these drives pop up. The passenger ferry that crosses between Halifax and Dartmouth Nova Scotia has this drive. This equipment was used in German wooden hull minesweepers before and during WWII because it didn't have a large steel shaft to trigger magnetic mines. Accoustically these drives are very noisy and they are not used on minesweepers as the current mines are very smart.
Gerry Jette

 

The main down side of this system is that it protrudes below the hull and a keels or skegs have to be built arround it to protect it.
In south africa they are mainly on harbour tugs, which are slow displacement mode boats. ie not highspeed or planing.
For a small boat , there is just too much complexity. A water jet might be better, but even that is expensive and heavy.

 

Franz,
At the height of the cold war a Russian warship stopped in England. When it docked, it just went sideways. The Brits, intrigued, went to look. It cost them very dearly... Apparently the Russians had a retractable copy of a V-S drive.
There is also a "get home" version that converts the rudders on a ship tp a V-S. I don't believe that has been tried yet.
Gerry

 

Franz,
I had a 120 HP Mercruiser years ago (Glastron 17 ft.) that I tried a plastic prop on. It flexed and gave a slightly better hole shot for skiing. It was also nearly half price to aluminium. The down side was its fragility. I hit a rope at idle and sheared off a blade. they are not repairable. The carbon composites are more promising. The dutch have them on minesweepers and the Germans have had one for 4 years on a sub. They are very quiet and smooth. They cost 10% more than bronze but are 35% lighter. Some have replaceable blades. Just when you think that there is nothing new for propulsion, sombody dreams up an idea.

 

the first production vsp was put to work in 1928, the navy has them installed in there MHC clas ships.[mine hunter counter measure]

 

Jimbo,
We have 5 VSP driven tugs in the Canadian Navy and as Life Cycle Materiel Manager for shafting, props and transmissions I gotta tell you that the drives are near bulletproof. I knew Mr. Eli Shaprut (former VSP American rep) very well and he admitted that there wasn't much repair work performed on any of their units. In fact their MTBF record is do good thst the company does not have a repair parts inventory. They choose instead to make parts as required. They do however have routine maintenance parts like blade seals available.

 

vsp work

They are tuff. One has broken a blade, one broke an arm. The rest of the vsp's we work on are on a routine rotation for mait. This rotation drives Voith schneider crazy becaus this unit does not normally brake down. The water in the oil gets a little high at times, but mostly it's just a miliatery stat.
Call it, job security Every thing in these ships is on a mait. program, keeps us busy. Yes, blade seals and blades, change them out. cool stuff.