Rapid Response Delivery for Tugboat Pump Periflex® VN Couplings

Replacement coupling elements were required for a tugboat in dry dock for scheduled maintenance in Scotland. Stromag Periflex® VN couplings were originally installed on the vessel to connect the diesel engine output shaft to the gearbox drives for the boat’s hydraulic and firefighting pumps.

While work was being completed on the pump drivetrains, a visible gap was discovered between the driving hubs and the coupling’s flexible elastomer elements on both couplings. The couplings had run for approximately 22,500 hours with a maximum permissible wear of 10mm (maximum gap between teeth of 42 mm). However, excessive wear had caused several teeth on the elastomer elements to crack at their base creating a gap of as much as 11.95 mm. There were only very slight signs of wear on the coupling’s steel hubs.

Unfortunately, these two couplings were not part of the planned maintenance and having the tug out of service beyond it’s scheduled dry dock time would be costly.

Upon realizing the potential problem, Stromag’s local distribution partner, Acorn Industrial Services Ltd., quickly contacted Stromag to expedite the two replacement coupling elements required. The PVN elastomer disc coupling plug-in design allows for fast installation. With Stromag’s help, ACORN® was able to have the two elements delivered and installed within five days allowing the vessel to leave the dry dock and return to service within the planned seven day schedule.

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