4 ms·
You'd use chain pulleys. I work for a company making (among other things) rudder steering machines, and they are typically engineered to never fail. As a first
by lb1lf 7y ago
You'd use chain pulleys. I work for a company making (among other things) rudder steering machines, and they are typically engineered to never fail.
As a first-order approximation, that holds true. (In the event of a black-out, there are redundant power supplies and mechanical fallback controls (think big, geared control wheel) - or also hand-crank pumps and hydraulic valves.
It is far more common for the rudder to fall off than for the steering machine to fail catastrophically.
- jandrese 7y agoIn WWII it wasn't uncommon for rudder assemblies to jam when struck by shells or torpedoes, but that era is long since over.
- lb1lf 7y agoGiven sufficient force, anything fails - but the steering gear is typically fine even after the rudder has fallen off; replace bearings, new rudder stock, new rudder, off you go. (Or, as the C/E on a vessel I attended once put it - there are two machines on this vessel which CAN NOT FAIL. The steering gear and this one. (As he poured me a coffee from the engine control room Moccamaster...)