With automatic drive systems, ships use 40% less fuel

Profile

What was needed?
Alternatives to metallic solutions that are lightweight, low-maintenance and can perfectly withstand loads at low speeds

Requirements:
Wing sails can be rotated by 360°, high environmental requirements, such as a wide temperature range, high humidity, seawater, water waves and high wind speeds

Industries:
Shipbuilding/Maritime technology

Success for the customer:
Despite green technology at open sea, the application was very specialised and igus provided comprehensive project support in the selecting the bearing components. The ball and plain bearings have been operating at maximum performance without any failures since installation.

bound4blue supplies automatic wind-assisted drive systems ('wingsails') that use renewable energy for all ship owners and operators who want to reduce their fuel costs and pollutant emissions and save up to 40% of fuel consumption. The shipping industry is a massive cause of environmental pollution and faces costly emission reduction regulations that present it with a double challenge: fuel consumption accounts for between 30 and 60% of a ship's operating costs, depending on fuel costs and ship type and size. In addition, shipping is a major contributor to global CO₂ emissions as well as nitrogen oxide (NOx), sulphur oxide (SOx) and particulate (PM10) emissions, which are really harmful to ecosystems and human life (acid rain, greenhouse effect, cardiovascular diseases, etc.).

Two complementary drive systems have been developed that are completely automatic and adjustable to adapt to any wind situation. They allow for fuel savings of up to 40%. One of them can be folded down onto the ship's deck. These systems are designed as additional drive for maritime transport and generate effective thrust from the available wind, an affordable and clean source of energy.

Problem

Use at open sea requires components that can withstand severe weather conditions. Conventional plain and ball bearings made of metal are absolutely unsuitable as they run the risk of corroding. For the first application of the Pitot sensor system, the main requirements are corrosion resistance in marine environments, low weight and inertia. For the second application, the main requirements are resistance to the loads caused by the gearbox and the system loads as well as suitability for extreme weather conditions at sea.

Solution

The plastic ball bearings BB-6004-B180-30-ES were used as the solution for the first application due to their high corrosion resistance and low weight. They were incorporated as the main bearings of the Pitot system (instrument for measuring atmospheric pressure), which is an important sensor of the wing sail system. The solution for the second application were the flanged bearings XFM-4044-40 due to their corrosion resistance. They were used in all gear shafts and support rods of the camber flap subsystem, which is crucial for the activating and moving the wing's flap system.