Sylomer bearings minimise vibrations on patrol boats

The high-tech material Sylomer helped to reduce the noise level to 79.2 dB in the wheelhouses of six patrol boats manufactured by the Singaporean shipbuilder Lita Ocean.

29.06.20

Buers (Austria), Singapore: Lita Ocean, a leading shipbuilding and marine services company in Singapore, recently built six patrol crafts ordered by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore. To efficiently minimise noise and vibrations in the wheelhouses of the 17 meters long vessels, the naval architects and engineers relied on the elastic polyurethane material Sylomer from Getzner Werkstoffe.

When the Singaporean shipbuilding and marine services company Lita Ocean received an order from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore for six patrol boats with a length of 17 meters in the summer of 2019, the involved naval architects quickly recommended the use of the Getzner Werkstoffe anti-vibration materials for the wheelhouse bearings. “The decoupling of the wheelhouse with our in-house developed polyurethane material Sylomer lowers noise levels significantly and ensures standard-compliant working conditions”, explains Keith Wong, Area Sales Manager Asia Pacific at Getzner Werkstoffe. “Sylomer bearings help to decouple sources of vibration disturbances such as drive motors, HVAC equipment or pumps and therefore protect sensitive electronic components in the wheelhouse. That leads to a longer service life of the vessel’s structure and infrastructure.”

Maximum noise level 79.2 dB

After completing the installation works, the Lita Ocean experts, among them naval architect Mr. Win Lu and Assistant General Manager Mr. Mohamed Tamiri, measured the noise level in different areas of the vessel. The maximum level recorded in the wheelhouse was 79.2 dB – a very satisfying result, below the target level of 80 dB at maximum load set by Lita Ocean.

To determine an ideal anti-vibration solution for the patrol boats, the naval architects calculated all important parameters and decided to use two different types of Sylomer in order to achieve the best optimisation level: the soft Sylomer SR11, and the stiffer SR42. Experts from Getzner Werkstoffe accompanied the process with technical consulting, for example regarding the type of adhesive used or the installation of elastic washers.

Proven long-term efficiency

The polyurethanes from Getzner convince with proven long-term behaviour even when exposed to salt water. Sylomer performs in many different applications since decades – its excellent long-term behaviour has not only been proved in numerous reference projects, but also approved by notified research and test institutes such as the Technical University in Munich.