The Application Of The Photo Optic Torque Meter To Estimation Of Torque And Rotational Speed Fluctuations On The Propeller Shaft Of A Ship

The paper presents the method of measuring instantaneous torque and rotational speed fluctuations on the propeller shaft of a ship. The measured data are significantly deformed, therefore spectral analysis and filtering are used for estimating the real signals. The microprocessor torque meter ETNP-8 described in the paper was designed to measure not only mean values of the torque and rotational speed on the ship’s propeller shaft, but also instantaneous fluctuations of the torque and engine rotational speed as a function of the shaft rotation angle. Displaying timehistories of those parameters on the monitor screen of an external PC computer gives the operator an opportunity to make a preliminary performance assessment for each individual cylinder in the engine, and for the drive system as a whole. As an example, the analysis and processing of the measured torque and rotational speed fluctuations are presented. The measurements were done on the training ship m/s Horyzont II, owned by the Gdynia Maritime University.