High power density ship steering gear with built-in driving mechanism

To overcome problems with traditional ship's steering gears which occupy excessive space and have weak concealment, a high-power-density ship's steering gear with a driving mechanism that includes a built-in rudder tiller was proposed. Principal forces acting on the steering gear were analyzed, based on structural analysis, working principles, assembly requirements, and restrictions on layout caused by ship design. The influence of design parameters on the performance of the steering gear was then theoretically studied. By using Hertz theory, a model describing the influence of multiple parameters on the steering gear's rolling ball transmission performance was established. This provided a theoretical foundation for optimizing its structural design, resulting in significant performance improvements for the steering gear. After comparing this design with other torque amplifying transmission devices as well as prototypes that have been tested, the authors generalized that the high-power-density ship steering gear meets the high performance requirements of modern ship steering control systems with the following advantages: more compact structure, higher power density, more effective material utilization, faster response, and better dynamic performance.