Nov. 8, 2010 -
PRLog -- Airborne Composites has supplied the Royal Netherlands Navy with a composite main propeller for an Alkmaar-class minehunter. This is the first time in the world that composite materials have been used for a maritime main propeller of such power (about 1400 kW). The propellers were delivered to the Navy in September 2010. Test runs will start at the end of 2010 and will continue throughout 2011. The Royal Netherlands Navy has ten Alkmaar-class minehunters. These vessels were developed in the 1970s by the Navy in cooperation with its French and Belgian counterparts.
“Erosion is a big problem in bronze ships’ propellers,”
explained Wiard Leenders, Managing Director of Airborne Composites. “It interferes with the geometry of the blade surface, giving rise to turbulence and hence to vibration and noise. This effect on the acoustic signature of the vessels is particularly undesirable in minehunters, which have to operate very silently in order not to trigger the mines they are hunting. Frequent inspection and maintenance is the only way of ensuring a safe working environment in this case. The necessary maintenance is very expensive, and reduces the operational availability of these vessels. The use of composite materials for the ships’ propellers offers a way out of this impasse,” Wiard Leenders stated.
The composites used for this purpose are carbon-fibre-
reinforced epoxy resins. These materials are very strong and rigid, especially in relation to their density. Composite ships’ propellers increase operating safety in minehunters, due to their low magnetic, electrical and acoustic signatures. They require less maintenance, thus increasing the operational availability of the vessels. The maintenance costs are lower, and the propellers have a longer operating life. These composites are less subject to corrosion. As a result, the surface of the propeller remains smooth and there is less (noisy) cavitations. The production costs are lower, because the mould can be reused many times.
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