Analysis of the Function and Machining Process of Ship Rudder Stocks

Rudder Stock: Connects the rudder blade and the steering gear, bearing huge hydrodynamic torque, requiring large-scale turning and keyway machining.
 

The ship rudder stock is the transmission shaft between the rudder blade and the steering gear. Its function is to transmit the torque of the steering gear to the rudder blade, and it needs to withstand huge hydrodynamic torque to control the ships sailing direction. Its performance is directly related to the maneuverability and safety of the ship, so it must have extremely high strength, toughness, and corrosion resistance.

The machining process requirements for ship rudder stocks are extremely strict. The blank is usually made of high-quality carbon steel or alloy steel forgings to obtain a dense streamlined fiber structure. The main processes include: rough turning, semi-finish turning, and finish turning to ensure the dimensional accuracy and geometric tolerances of each shaft diameter and step; milling and precision boring are performed on the flange end face and hole system connected to the rudder blade to ensure connection accuracy; the key journals that cooperate with the bearings need to be ground to achieve extremely high surface finish and dimensional consistency; finally, non-destructive testing (such as ultrasonic testing) and balancing tests are required to ensure that there are no internal defects and the operation is stable.