LAUSR

The propulsion shafting is one of the main excitation sources of ship vibration and noise. Thus, shafting vibration and alignment are very important issues in the design of a propulsion system. In the present paper, the effects of shafting alignment on shafting whirling and bearing vibrations will be discussed. This study has been carried out experimentally on a test rig designed by the Wuhan University of Technology (WHUT). The results indicated that in design conditions, the effects of shafting alignment on both vibrations are mainly in the horizontal direction. It was found that both shafting whirling and bearing vibrations can be effectively reduced by adjusting the shafting alignment. However, compared to the vertical direction, the vibration in the horizontal direction can be more effectively reduced. Also, the minimum values of whirling vibration and bearing vibration are not in the same shafting alignment state. In addition, the effect of shafting whirling vibration on bearing vibration was little. Also, the bearing vibration changes little when the shafting rotation speed is between 90 and 300 r/min. Finally, it was found that at high rotation speeds, the bearing supporting performance is significantly affected by the shaft whirling effect.