The Design of Rolling Bearing Mountings

56–60 Rudder shaftsThe rudders of ships make slow intermittent slewingmotions. The maximum slewing angle is about 35° toboth sides. The rudder shaft bearings accommodatethe radial and axial loads arising from the rudder andthe steering engine. The bearings are also subjected tothe vibrations created by the propeller jet. There arenumerous types of rudders the most common of whichare illustrated in figs. a to c.Rolling bearings are only used for the bearing positionsof the rudders inside ships. They are not suitable forthe bearing positions located outside the ship due tomounting difficulties and problems with sealing andlubricating. For such locations, plain bearings made ofstainless steel, bronze, plastic etc. are used and water ora mixture of grease and water is used for lubrication.a) Semi-spade rudder b) Spade-type rudder c) Steering nozzle79 FAG