The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Aug. 11, 1992
Filed:
May. 30, 1991
Ernst-Peter Von Bergen, Ahlefeld, DE;
Gunter Pietsch, Hamburg, DE;
Blohm + Voss AG, Hamburg, DE;
Abstract
A lubrication system for a rotatable propeller shaft of a ship. The system includes a seal for sealing lubricant adjacent the shaft and at least one annular chamber defining a hose-shaped inflatable body. A ring line supplies a fluid heat transfer medium, such as air, to the at least one annular chamber. The heat transfer medium is heated by a heat source. The heat transfer medium may also act as a pressure medium to inflate the inflatable body. The heat transfer medium can be circulated so that when the propeller shaft is stationary in an extremely cold liquid medium, such as icy sea water, the inflatable body is inflated by the heat transfer medium so that the inflatable body expands to within a major portion of the at least one annular chamber while, simultaneously, heating lubricant in the remaining portion of the annular chamber. Such heating causes the lubricant viscosity to approximately equal the viscosity of the lubricant when the propeller shaft rotates and the lubricant is not heated. During rotation of the propeller shaft, the inflatable body is deflated out of the annular chamber.