Abstract: A fin stabilizer for stabilizing a watercraft against rolling movements includes a main fin configured to be pivoted by a watercraft-side fin drive, a tail fin, and an elastically deformable connection between the main fin and the tail fin, the elastically deformable connection being configured to flex whenever a water force acting on the tail fin is greater than a predetermined amount.

Abstract: A seal for sealing around a shaft includes a radially outer clamp-in element to be clamped into a housing, an intermediate membrane part extending radially inwardly (toward the shaft) at an angle from the clamp-in element, and an angled base part at a radially inner end of the intermediate membrane part. A spring is received in a receiving groove that forms a spring pocket in the base part, and the spring exerts a contact pressure of a seal lip of the base part against the shaft. In a pressureless state without a pressure differential across the seal, the spring pocket has a width larger than the sectional diameter of the spring and thus forms a free play space for the spring in the pocket.

Abstract: A seal arrangement for sealing a propeller shaft where it penetrates through the hull of a watercraft includes a shaft bushing around this portion of the shaft, one or more seal rings forming a seal around the shaft bushing, and a stationary support holding the seal ring or rings. The shaft bushing includes an outer bushing part made of a wear-resistant material, arranged coaxially around an inner bushing part made of a material having a high thermal conductivity. The thickness of the outer part relative to the thickness of the inner part is a ratio in a range from 1:10 to 1:3. The two-part shaft bushing can provide optimized thermal conductivity and heat dissipation away from the seal rings to the cool exterior water environment, as well as optimized wear-resistance, corrosion resistance and reduced friction for the seal rings.

Abstract: A seal arrangement for a ship's propeller shaft includes at least one oil-filled seal chamber bounded by seal rings around the shaft, as well as an oil reservoir tank, an oil supply line connecting the tank to the bottom portion of the seal chamber, an oil circulation pump interposed in the supply line between the tank and the seal chamber, and an oil return line communicating from the upper portion of the seal chamber back to the tank. Thereby, oil is continuously circulated through the seal chamber, and thereby flushes out any contaminant particles, air or water that might enter the seal chamber.

Abstract: A fin stabilizer for stabilizing a watercraft against rolling movements includes a main fin configured to be pivoted by a watercraft-side fin drive, a tail fin, and an elastically deformable connection between the main fin and the tail fin, the elastically deformable connection being configured to flex whenever a water force acting on the tail fin is greater than a predetermined amount.

Abstract: A seal apparatus, for sealing around a rotating shaft such as a propeller shaft of a watercraft between the exterior water and an interior lubricant space, includes a multiple seal arrangement with plural seal rings forming seal chambers therebetween, and plural fluid medium lines supplying and/or returning a respective fluid medium to a respective seal chamber. A section of a first medium line is formed as an axial passage through a housing of the apparatus, and a section of a second medium line is formed by a pipe arranged within the axial passage in the housing. A method of making such an apparatus especially by retrofitting an existing seal arrangement involves inserting a pipe into an axial passage in the housing in order to establish two medium lines through the housing where there was previously only one medium line.

Abstract: A seal arrangement for sealing around a rotating shaft that passes through a ship bulkhead includes an expandible and contractible seal ring made of several seal ring segments, and radial actuators that engage the seal ring segments and can be power-activated, e.g. with a pressure medium, to pull the seal ring segments radially outwardly, thereby expanding the seal ring to a larger diameter spaced away from the shaft. When the radial actuators are not activated, the biasing force of springs contracts the seal ring segments to a smaller diameter, to establish sealing contact of the seal ring on the shaft. In normal operation a control unit activates the actuators, but if sensors detect a power failure or water in the ship, or a manual switching is triggered, then the seal arrangement contracts under spring force into the sealing condition with the seal rings sealing against the shaft.

Abstract: A seal arrangement for a ship's propeller shaft includes at least one oil-filled seal chamber bounded by seal rings around the shaft, as well as an oil reservoir tank, an oil supply line connecting the tank to the bottom portion of the seal chamber, an oil circulation pump interposed in the supply line between the tank and the seal chamber, and an oil return line communicating from the upper portion of the seal chamber back to the tank. Thereby, oil is continuously circulated through the seal chamber, and thereby flushes out any contaminant particles, air or water that might enter the seal chamber.

Abstract: In seal rings for the sealing of shafts for propeller shafts, impeller shafts, rudder shafts of ships, an arrangement is provided, wherein a clamp-in element in allocated housing-fixed support rings as an installation space is provided with an adjoining intermediate part as a membrane and an angled element facing toward the shaft with formation of a seal lip for contact on the shaft. Thereby the contact region of the seal lip on the shaft is formed by a circle-shaped seal region with a constant radius over the entire adjustment range. Alternatively, the contact region of the seal lip on the shaft is formed by a circle-shaped seal region, whereby in the unloaded condition the seal region in the region facing toward the medium to be sealed comprises a smaller radius relative to a radius in the rearward region of the seal lip.

Abstract: In a seal (1) of shafts (7) relative to a medium, being received in housing-fixed support rings (4, 5), it is provided that in an embodiment of the seal with a clamp-in element (3) and an angled element with a seal lip (2) arranged via an intermediate part (6) whereby a contact pressure is applied via a spring (10). For this it is provided that the spring (10) is embodied in a receiving groove (11) as a spring pocket with a free space (12) for the spring in the pressureless state. A nose (13) as a retaining element for the inserted spring is arranged on the membrane as an intermediate part (6) above the spring pocket (11). The membrane is adjustable upon changing a tilt angle (?) by pressure loading up to reaching a limit pressure for contacting on an allocated housing wall (16) such as an extended support ring (5). Thereby an enlarged bottom side contact angle (?) is established in the angled region with the seal lip (2).

Abstract: A seal arrangement for sealing a propeller shaft where it penetrates through the hull of a watercraft includes a shaft bushing around this portion of the shaft, one or more seal rings forming a seal around the shaft bushing, and a stationary support holding the seal ring or rings. The shaft bushing includes an outer bushing part made of a wear-resistant material, arranged coaxially around an inner bushing part made of a material having a high thermal conductivity. The thickness of the outer part relative to the thickness of the inner part is a ratio in a range from 1:10 to 1:3. The two-part shaft bushing can provide optimized thermal conductivity and heat dissipation away from the seal rings to the cool exterior water environment, as well as optimized wear-resistance, corrosion resistance and reduced friction for the seal rings.

Abstract: A seal arrangement for sealing around a rotating shaft that passes through a ship bulkhead includes an expandible and contractible seal ring made of several seal ring segments, and radial actuators that engage the seal ring segments and can be power-activated, e.g. with a pressure medium, to pull the seal ring segments radially outwardly, thereby expanding the seal ring to a larger diameter spaced away from the shaft. When the radial actuators are not activated, the biasing force of springs contracts the seal ring segments to a smaller diameter, to establish sealing contact of the seal ring on the shaft. In normal operation a control unit activates the actuators, but if sensors detect a power failure or water in the ship, or a manual switching is triggered, then the seal arrangement contracts under spring force into the sealing condition with the seal rings sealing against the shaft.