24x7 service helpline
24x7 service helpline
Most drivetrain failures don't announce themselves. Vibration does its work quietly by fatiguing engine beds, wearing shaft seals, stressing gearbox housings and loosening fasteners across hundreds of operating hours.
By the time it becomes visible, the damage is already done. Turbomot is an authorised Polyflex dealer based in Sharjah, supplying and installing engine mountings, flexible couplings, and anti-vibration systems for commercial vessels operating across UAE waters.
Every boat engine shakes, but this isn’t a cause for concern at lower levels. When there is no attempt to isolate these engines at the beginning, it will have a direct effect on the structure of the boat and the drive train parts.
This type of issue occurs over time, but is very damaging. For example, the engine beds will begin to have cracks from fatigue, shaft couplings will begin to wear, and the flanges or rims on the gearbox will take on the unplanned effects of the shock. Hull noise will increase as the crew fatigue builds over longer trips. None of these will result in an immediate breakdown of the entire system.
However, the overall system will be significantly impacted and will start to need major repairs and replacement of parts. The proper way to avoid this is to change the direction that these forces/shocks take. This can be achieved with engine mounting, placing the engine on some type of shock absorbers between the engine and the hull, and flexible couplings the combine together to absorb the additional shock that may be created by the engine shaft drives and the gearbox system.
The type of flexible couplings and the engine mounts will also make the biggest difference in the overall system. In the long run, the system may be affected by the unplanned type of shock, not the mounts or the coupling system.
As an authorised Polyflex dealer, Turbomot supplies the full range of Polyflex marine vibration control products for commercial and high-speed vessels across the UAE.
Typically, there is an increase in the amount of vibration that is felt through the hull or helm, or excessive engine movement or noise that can be observed or heard in the engine bay. In addition to stress cracking or other deformation of the mount, all of these signs are of great concern and indicate the possibility of engine mount replacement being required. For industrial or large commercial vessels, mounts are usually inspected at the major service port call, regardless of the visible state of wear.
The primary purpose of engine mountings is to cushion the engine block from the structure of the vessel to minimize the upward or downward displacement and horizontal motion of the vibrations that are experienced at the site of installation. Flexible couplings absorb slight surface misalignments and unintentional rotation along the drive shaft caused by the engine, just in front of the gearbox, and therefore are placed at the interface of the engine and the gearbox. Each is essential to the other. Omitting either leaves the path of the transmission partially uncontrolled.
Typically, aged mounts are the most common cause of excessive lateral stress that causes gearbox failure. Mounts, too, are ultimately failing due to the loss of compliance. Typically, mounts impair the lateral plane of the gearbox, which is in the direction of engine movement and typically in the opposite plane of gearbox input shaft.
Polyflex is a manufacturer and supplier of (primarily) industrial products and services for the marine and industrial sectors. Turbomot is a Polyflex dealer in the United Arab Emirates and as such, offers all of Polyflex’s mounting and coupling products custom designed for use in marine propulsion. For all of Turbomot’s products, there is no disparity in the level of service that is provided. Rather, Rest assured Turbomot products will be as genuine as the high level of customer care provided through the service.
We can do both. Our main workshop is located in Sharjah at Industrial Area 13. For vessels that cannot be brought in, we can service them at UAE ports and anchorages. Please contact us to book a service visit.
Lifespan is associated with many different factors, namely, the environment, engine load cycles, and mount specs. With regards to the commercial marine industry in the UAE, mounts generally should be inspected after 3000 – 5000 hrs, after which replacements are scheduled depending on the specific vessels and applications. Mounts of workboats and patrol crafts that are used at higher frequencies tend to need replacements sooner than leisure crafts.
Whether you need a mount replacement identified during an overhaul, a coupling assessment after a gearbox issue or a full anti-vibration specification for a new installation, our Sharjah workshop handles it from assessment through to sea trial.
