Greenforce ball joint diverts dredge flow
The two wear liners inside the Greenforce ball joint provide full internal protection of the ball joint against direct wear from the dredge flow.
Amsterdam based Vosta LMG launched a new, patented ball joint design at the recent Europort exhibition in Rotterdam.
Based on ‘Greenforce’ technology, it provides full wear liner protection and promises lower power and fuel consumption, lower CO2 emission, less wear and the possibility to apply a modern, self-lubricating bearing system which avoids the need for grease.
Over the past 40 years little has changed in the design of ball joints for the dredging industry but as an experienced supplier, Vosta LMG has identified several improvement points. One of these is the metal to metal bearing area. The grease required for these bearings normally ends up in the maritime environment but the Greenforce ball joints enable the use of a modern, self-lubricating bearing system.
The flow pattern inside the ball joint also provided Vosta LMG with an area for improvement. The company has managed to substantially reduce the flow resistance, turbulence and flow speed, which caused loss of energy and internal wear.
The Greenforce technology essentially consists of two balls, one larger one for the bearing and a smaller one for the sealing. Each ball has a wear liner, which works together to create an optimum flow area which is independent of the tilting angle. The two wear liners inside the Greenforce ball joint provide full internal protection of the ball joint against direct wear from the dredge flow.
Flow analysis shows that conventional ball joints restrict the flow when tilted, causing a jet force pointed toward the dredge pipe. This has been eliminated by the Greenforce design, resulting in significantly less wear of the liners and of the dredge pipes.
Because the bearing system is completely separated from the dredge flow, it becomes possible to equip the ball joint with an optional self-lubricating bearing system, eliminating the risk of environmental pollution.
The Greenforce ball joint is claimed to reduce frictional losses by an average of 30%, a figure which increases to 50% when tilted to 15°. Less pump power is required, thus less fuel is consumed and less CO2 is discharged.
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