THRUST BLOCK

The purpose of a thrust block on a large marine engine is to transmit the torque produced by
the rotating propeller through the housing hold-down bolts into the ship’s structure.

The structure under the thrust block is reinforced with steel plates and I-beams above and
inside the double bottom tanks or cofferdams.

The thrust block itself consists of a housing which contains a number of wedge-shaped white
metaled pads with generous helical oil grooves cut into them. The pads are arranged and
fixed around a steel support, holding them against a machined collar on the drive shaft.

The pads are prevented from overheating and premature wear by a fluid film of oil between
them and the collar, with the oil supply being hydrodynamic (self-pressurized) due to the
rotation of the drive shaft.

There is an oil reservoir in the bottom of the housing which may contain an oil-cooling coil
through which seawater is circulated.