360° engine rotation installation developed

The two year project has seen MIT apprentice, Lee Maunsall, working towards his HNC, whilst looking at stress analysis and angles of rotation using his CAD skills.

The project itself has been innovative and unusual. The client required a Scania DI 13M engine and Twin Disc MGX 5086SC gearbox to be able to swing through 360°. This means that if the vessel was to become inverted the engine would remain running in idle and the gearbox would transfer to neutral.

Once restored to its original position, the engine does then not need to be restarted, saving valuable time, and preventing the engine from being damaged. Several modifications and adaptions had to be designed and manufactured by MIT for the engine, marine gear and auxiliary equipment. This then enabled the exercise to be carried out in order to meet the customer’s exacting standards and requirements at the same time as being mindful of the space restrictions in the engine room.

MIT and Scania have a long established close working relationship and the engineering teams at both MIT and Scania worked in unison to ensure correct technical and commercial demands were met and to ensure the successful project concluded in all parties being satisfied.

Both the customer and Scania attended MIT’s facility in Queenborough, Kent to witness the engine being inverted in a specialist frame that had been designed specifically for this testing. All parties involved were very impressed with the initial results and further testing will now take place.

Lee Maunsall has worked as an apprentice for MIT for two years and was chosen for his suitability for MIT by IPS International Ltd, whom MIT have worked with in their apprenticeship schemes.

Anne Ball, MIT training manager said: “IPS has worked with MIT for a number of years and has a good understanding of our requirements and how we work. Not only did they manage to match an ideal candidate for us, but they also understood Lee’s needs in his training. It’s been a good match.”