prop shaft

[GarEi]

I will be replacing my prop shaft on my Pearson 303 at the end of the season. Any thoughts on bronze or stainless steel?

 

[kloudie1]

Bronze or "Aquamet", a special stainless made for prop shaft duty..

 

[SEMIJim]

Yard that replaced ours this spring, because her original equipment bronze prop shaft was mildly bent (and, it turned out, out of round and turned down by the shaft log bearing) said "Nobody uses bronze prop shafts any more. Too bendy."

Jim

 

[tkanzler]

Yard that replaced ours this spring, because her original equipment bronze prop shaft was mildly bent (and, it turned out, out of round and turned down by the shaft log bearing) said "Nobody uses bronze prop shafts any more. Too bendy."

That makes some sense. I believe the Young's modulus of typical bronzes is around half that of typical stainless steels (from memory - I could be wrong). The up-shoot being that two shafts of the same uniform diameter, same mounting (locations and type), and same external applied load will experience different deflections, with the bronze being the more flexy of the two.

That probably also applies to shaft whip, though high-speed rotating equipment is not my bailiwick.