The fuselage construction progressed well. However, at some point the rudder system also had to be targeted. The Mein Schiff 3 has two rudders. There is one behind each propeller. The rudders are not simple rudders, but flap rudders or "Becker rudders". The Becker rudder is a rudder that has an additional rudder flap at the end of the actual rudder blade. If the rudder turns, the flap turns with it. The flap is overturned via an additional axis via the rudder rotation and ensures that the water flows even more "around the corner" and thus more rudder effect is achieved. The additional axis does not have to be controlled separately. This happens all by itself due to the offset axis of rotation of the rudder flap and suspension.
The construction required several test prints until the linkage was in the right place and everything went well. The rudder suspension had to be integrated into the hull design. A passage for the rudder axis leads to the inside of the hull - as you know it. The opening for the linkage for the rudder flap is embedded in the piece of rudder fin that is attached to the hull. The linkage itself will later be made from a simple bent wire. When the rudder is seated in the hanger, no special fasteners will be required.
The rudder are not sanded yet, but the rudder axis is already firmly in the rudder blade. The rudder flaps are attached with a loose copper wire and can be turned easily. Unfortunately, I have already thrown away the prototype, otherwise I would have shown you the function with a video. The rest is unfortunately still in the production stage and cannot be attached correctly.
After the rudder I made the shaft blocks, which can already be seen in the picture above. The first plan was to print the shaft blocks with the appropriate section assembly. But with a probability bordering on certainty, I would have torn it off when removing the support structure. So I printed them out separately. It took me two attempts here. Since plain bearings are glued into the shaft brackets to ensure the shaft fits well and runs smoothly, the shaft brackets had to be printed as 100% infill parts. Normally, with 3D printing, parts with a larger volume are printed hollow on the inside. To keep the parts from collapsing, they are printed with an "infill". A honeycomb or lattice structure of very thin printed material that ensures the printed top layer does not collapse.
In any case, I printed the wave blocks in such a way that they are made of 100% plastic. I only printed the holes that are supposed to guide the shaft with 80% of the actual sizes in order to drill out the rest later to fit the plain bearings that I bought in the model building trade. The two attempts at printing came about in such a way that I must not press the shaft blocks together too tightly when drilling, otherwise an oval drill hole will result in which the plain bearings will not sit properly. As a result, the shaft would run out of true and unwanted vibrations would occur. When I tried to drill for the first time, the first shaft bracket slipped out of the bracket and the filigree connecting struts broke off. This also happened with a second one, so I had to print a second set. Here I finally managed to drill the bucks clean. The plain bearings fit perfectly into the brackets and gave the shaft a perfect fit.
I hope that I was able to entertain you a little with the design and configuration of the shaft system. Soon we will continue with a post about the stern of the ship's hull. I hope you continue to enjoy PrintShip3D.
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