Engine Construction: Bed Plate

ENGINE CONSTRUCTION
BED PLATE
Two
stroke
engine
Four
stroke
engine
The Two Stroke Crosshead Engine
The Bedplate
The Bedplate is the foundation on which the 2 stroke engine is
built. It must be rigid enough to support the weight of the rest
of the engine, and maintain the crankshaft, which sits in the
bearing housings in the transverse girders, in alignment. At the
same time it must be flexible enough to hog and sag with the
foundation plate to which it is attached and which forms part of
the ships structure.
If the bedplate was too rigid, then as the hull flexed, the
holding down bolts, which secure the engine into the ship
would be likely to break, and there would be a danger of the
bedplate cracking.
Basically the bedplate consists of two longitudinal girders
which run the length of the engine. Connecting these
longitudinal girders are the transverse girders which are
positioned between each crankshaft throw, and either side of
the thrust collar. Built into the transverse girders are the main
bearing pockets for the crankshaft to run in.
The main functions of the engine bedplate are as follows:
The bedplate must be strong enough for providing rigid
support for the main bearings and crankshaft.
It is the main platform for accurately mounting other parts
such as columns, frames and guides which support
engine cylinders, entablature and all working parts.
In large engines, must withstand heavy fluctuating stresses
from operation of the engine and also transmit the load
over an area to the ships hull.
Collect crankcase lubricating oil and return to drain tank for
further use.
The two types of bedplate in general use is:

The Trestle Type- Require elevated seating.
The Box Form or Flat Bottom Type- More popular with
most engine manufacturers since the engine can directly
be bolted to tank- top.
Forces applied to the bedplates:
Firing load from cylinders.
Side thrust from guide faces.
Unbalanced inertia forces in the running gear.
Weight of engine structure & running gear.
Torque reaction from propeller.
Hull deflections due to hogging, sagging, racking.
Vibration due to torque variations, shock loading.
Thermal stresses due to atmospheric and
lubricating oil temperature changes.
Inertia & gyroscopic forces due to ship's movement
in heavy seas.
In addition to withstanding forces due to the above
causes,, the bedplate should provide.
An oil tight chamber to contain the oil splash &
spray of the forced lubricating oil system.
A drainage grid to filter out large particles before
they enter the oil sump or drain tank.
A housing for the thrust bearing.
Having provided for all the above the bedplate
should also be small & light to keep the overall
size and mass of the engine to a minimum.
Basic Structure:
The bedplate consists of longitudinal and
transverse girders as shown below:
Box girders-A box girder is stronger and more rigid then I or H section girder of the
same c.s.a.
Bed Plate Material
Fabricated Mild Steel:
All mild steel welded type will be the lightest
form of bed plate about 25% less weight
compared to Cast iron type. It has greatest
strength against shock loads and highest
guarantee of manufacture. It is easy to repair
as it of welded construction.
But it has very low vibration damping
characteristics hence liable to crack on
welds.
Hence the welding procedure should be
correct and stress relieving should be done
correctly. The size of manufacture depends
on the stress relieving furnace size and lifting
equipment size.
For these reasons it is manufactured in two
parts for bigger size. Any pockets will be of
cast steel.
Cast iron type :
It is never used in large engines and
generally used in auxiliary engines as it is
difficult to manufacture defect free casting
in large size. The main advantage is that
cast iron can absorb vibration (Not Shock)
Cracks are difficult to repair on ship as
metal locking has to be done. The
material has also has low tensile strength.
Composite type :
It has got mild steel for Longitudinal and
cast steel for transverse girders. Cast
steel welds are more stronger than mild
steel. Any size can be manufactured.
Usual Defects in bed plates :
1.Cracks in welds, Oil leaks, loose
chocks, loose a frames.
No painting allowed in Bed plates.
• On the small bore engines, the
bedplate can be made from cast iron
as a single casting. Larger engines
have a fabricated bedplate. This
means it is welded together from
steel sections, steel castings and
plate. The steel is to Classification
Society specifications and is a low
carbon steel with a maximum carbon
content of 0.23%.
• Earlier fabricated bedplates had box
section longitudinal girders and box
section fabricated transverse girders.
Problems were encountered with
cracking of the transverse girders,
which increased as engine powers
and crankshaft throws got larger.
Faults found in Bedplates:
Cracks.
Oil leaks.
Loose chocks.
Loose ‘A’ frames.
1. Cracks usually occur:
– Under bearing pockets on fabricated mild
steel bedplates.
– Radially around tie bolt & frame boltholes.
– Between longitudinal and transverse
girders.
– Around ‘lightening’ holes.
– At the base of serrated seating for main
bearing keeps.
Causes may be:
Bearing wear & therefore overloading.
Slack tie bolts.
Vibration.
Poor welding or stress relieving.
Stress risers on welds -(Coarse welds should be
ground).

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ENGINE CONSTRUCTION

The two types of bedplate in general use is:

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