ALL ABOUT RUDDER DROP/ TRAMMEL GUAGE

"Rudder drop" - is actually the wear down of the rudder carrier bearing. It is
measured by a 'trammel gauge'.

Trammel gauge is an L shaped instrument. Basically a point marked on the rudder stock
and another point is marked on the hull inside the steering gear room(Here it is on the Deck
head girder). The distance between these points is measured and recorded at the time of
construction.
The difference between original and measured is called rudder drop or rudder wear down as
shown in fig.

Rudder Clearance

Pads are welded to the hull and rudder. A clearance is given ( sometimes referred to as the
jumping clearance). As the carrier wears this clearance will increase.
The jumping clearance is required to prevent damage to the steering gear, regardless of rudder
type. Therefore the maximum jumping clearance should always be less than the clearance
between tiller and steering gear. An increasing jumping clearance can indicate that the bearing
wear is excessive.

Steering gear Clearance

Direct measurement can be taken from the steering gear assembly. Shown below is one
example, here the clearance will be seen to reduce as the carrier wears and impact his has on the
system can be directly judged.
Rudder clearances

Rudder and steering gear arrangements may have different wear criteria depending on the
manufacturer. These calibration and running clearance limits should be checked (normally
indicated on drawings).

Some points to consider:

Dimension (1) must be substantially greater than jump clearance (4) to protect steering gear
from damage in the event of grounding of skeg or rudder.

Dimension (2) should be sufficient to cater for wear in carrier bearing and substantially greater
than riding washer clearance (5).

Usually (1) and (2) are of the order 20 mm/25 mm on a small/medium size vessel.

If the riding washer clearance has reduced then the carrier bearing is wearing or the skeg
is set up. Check for reduction in steering gear crosshead dimension (2) to verify downward
displacement.

Ensure no drydock keel blocks in way of skeg. Always apply the wear limits given by the
manufacturer. The following table gives recommended maximum limits of clearances.
These limits do not only take into consideration the functioning of the bearing but also
the effects of “hammering” and damage to the rudder itself as clearances increase. See
manufacturer’s recommendations for special rudder designs or the use of synthetic bearing
materials. To avoid jamming and premature failure renewed bearings should have adequate
clearance. Special care is required with those synthetic materials which swell. Rudder should
always be swung in drydock when possible after repair to check free movement.

Here you have the ABS criteria for rudder pintle clearence:

In general initial clearances should be around 0.050” for a 6” pintle to around 0.70” for a 14”
pintle. Far in service acceptable clearance we feel about 1/64" clearance per 1" of diameter of
pintle up to 1% of diameter would be acceptable for another two years of service.

1/64" = 0.015625" = 0.397 m/m

The above applies to semi-balanced or balanced rudder with lignum-vitae or
laminated-phenolic-resin gudgeon bushings

Last modified: 20 Oct 2019