TIE BOLTS/RODS

To understand the importance of the role played by the tie bolts or

tie rods, it is necessary to appreciate what is happening inside the
cylinder of the engine.
When the piston is just after top dead centre the pressure inside the
cylinder can rise as high as 140 bar (14000kN/m2). This acts
downwards through the piston rod and con-rod, pushing the
crankshaft down into the bearing pockets. At the same time, the
pressure acts upwards, trying to lift the cylinder cover.
The cylinder head studs screwed into the entablature prevent this
happening and so this upward acting force tries to lift the
entablature from the frames and the frames from the bedplate,
putting the fitted location bolts into tension.
As the piston moves down the cylinder the pressure in the cylinder
falls, and then rises again as the piston changes direction and moves
upwards on the compression stroke.
ARRANGEMENT
This means that the fitted bolts are under are cyclic stress. Because
they are not designed to withstand such stresses they would soon
fail with disastrous consequences.
To hold the bedplate, frames and entablature firmly together in
compression, and to transmit the firing forces back to the bedplate,
long tie bolts are fitted through these three components and then
tightened hydraulically.

To prevent excessive bending moments in the transverse girders, the

tie bolts are positioned as close to the canter of the crankshaft as
possible. Because the tie bolts are so close to the crankshaft, some
engines employ jack bolts to hold the crankshaft main bearing cap in
position instead of conventional studs and nuts.
Marine engines are manufactured with different components, which
are held and tied together to complete the engine structure with the
help of tie rods. Tie rod is a long well built rod with bolts at both the
end. This rod hold on the three major engine components i.e.
Cylinder block, “A” frame, and crankcase in compression and
transmits the firing load to the bed plate.
The tie rods are hydraulically tightened so that the whole engine can
be held in compression.
On the MAN B&W MC-C engine the tie bolts do not pass through the
bedplate transverse girder in the traditional way. Instead there are
two pairs of tie bolts fitted either side of the single plate A frame and
screwed into the bedplate transverse girder. This, it is claimed,
reduces the distortion of the bedplate during engine operation.

FUNCTION OF TIE RODS

Fatigue
Alignment and
Bending stresses
Fretting
Operating the engine with loose tie bolts will cause the fitted bolts
holding the bedplate, frame and entablature in alignment to stretch
and break. The machined mating surfaces will rub together, corrode
and wear away (this is known as fretting). Once this has happened
the alignment of the engine running gear will be destroyed.
Loose tie bolts will also cause the transverse girders to bend which
could lead to cracking, and main bearing misalignment.
Once fretting between the mating surfaces has occurred, then
tightening of the tie bolts will pull the engine out of alignment.
The crosshead guides, the cylinder liner, and the stuffing box will no
longer be in line and excessive wear will occur.
Because the tie bolts will no longer be pulled down squarely they will
be subject to forces which may lead to them breaking. If fretting has
occurred, then the only solution is to remove the entablature or/and
frame and machine the fretted mating surfaces (a very costly
exercise).
TIE RODS
PINCH SCREW
Pinch screws are normally provided at the foot of the cylinder jacket
to stop the tie rod from vibrating during the normal service of the
engine.
The pinch screw is fitted at the antinodal point of the tie rod to limit
its transverse vibration amplitude, thereby preventing its fracture
due to vibrations.
These can be arranged as a group of three screws positioned
equilaterally at the antinodal point. Each screw consists of a stud,
which is hand tightened by screwing the outer sleeve and held in
place by a locknut which is tightened to a torque specified by the
manufacturer.
EFFECT ON ME IF TIE ROD SLACK
If an engine is run with a slack tie bolt the cylinder beam flexes and
lifts at the location of slack bolt
In time the landing faces of the tie bolt upper & lower nuts and the
landing faces of cylinder block on “A” frame.
The machined surfaces are eventually destroyed.
If fretting has occurred in an uneven pattern where cylinder beam
lands and tie bolts are tightened, the alignment of cylinder to the line
of piston stroke is destroyed.
Uneven loading on transverse girder causing crankshaft
misalignment and hence damage to main bearings.
Fretting due to relative movement between structure.
Vibration leading to fatigue in components cracking and failure.
Bending deformation of transverse girders.
Wear down of crosshead guides, cylinder liner, and stuffing box
gland.
This in turn causes an uneven stress pattern in the tie bolt, which
could lead to early fatigue failure.
The fitted bracing bolts between cylinder heads will slacken.
Foundation bolts may slacken and chocks may get damaged.
Rigidity of structure gets destroyed.
Damage to bed plate cross girder (Bending &Cracking).
Alignment of Crankshaft misalignment and running gear destroyed.
Turbocharger of the engine will be affected as it’s a high speed
machine. A little vibration in the machine can damage or misalign the
rotor or damage the bearing.
IDENTIFYING SLACKNESS
If tie bolts are not taking their proper load due to slackened nuts the
cylinder jackets adjacent to slack tie-bolts can be seen lifting when
the piston is nearing end of compression or on firing.
Small movements too small to be visible, can be felt with thumb nail.
If washers are lifted between tie bolts nuts and cylinder block the
washer may rotate or twist at the end of firing stroke.
Although checking the tension of the bolt will indicate any slack
bolts, visual inspection of joints between cylinder block A frame and
bedplate will show some movements if the bolts are incorrectly
tightened.
If fretting wear is seen, fine rust particles like coca powder then the
bolt tension should be checked, as well as the joint sealing bolts at
the first opportunity.
Dial indicator gauges can also be used to detect relative movement
between the tie bolt and cylinder block.
Note: Natural movement and vibrations to be taken into account
before interpreting dial gauge readings.
In standstill condition, check whether the nuts are rotating freely, if
so then slacken the corresponding nut of the same unit and tighten
together.
SLACKEN TIE ROD IDETECTION
Tie rod when slackened they don’t take proper load. Slackened tie
rod can be detected by following methods:-
The cylinder jackets adjacent to the slack tie rods can be seen lifting
when the piston is nearing the end of compression, or on firing.
If no movement is visible the thumb can be pressed on the cylinder
jacket, with the thumb nail in contact with the tie rod nut.small
movement can be detected by the thumb.
If washer is fitted between the tie rod nuts and cylinder jackets, a
washer may sometimes be twisted at the end of the end of the firing
strokes in each cylinder adjacent to the slack tie bolt.
Dial gauge can also be used to detect relative movement between
the tie rod and cylinder jacket.
Fretting at the landing of the cylinder beam on the a-frames and at
the top tie rod nut landing also indicate slacken tie rod.
Hammer test can be carried out to find the slacken tie rod.
Cylinder block and a-frame gap is substantial when piston is at tdc
which lead to water seepage.
MATERIAL
High UTS (Ultimate Tensile Strength) alloy steel with following
properties.
1. Plasticity
2. High fatigue strength
3. Ductility
4. Toughness to sustain variable load.
5. Generally forged material gives good tensile strength.
6. UTS alloy steel permits hardening & tempering, and a wide range
of properties are available thereby.
TIGHTENING PROCEDURE
TIE ROD TENSIONING PROCEDURE
By tensioning the Tie rods, a pre-determined tensile load is induced
in the Tie rod, and a pre-determined compressive load is induced in
the Entablature, ‘A’ Frame and Bedplate. During the firing stroke, the
tensile load on the Tie rod increases.
The compressive stresses on the entablature, ‘A’ frame and bedplate
are reduced, thereby keeping the components at very low fatigue
levels.
In other words, if the Tie rods were not pre-tensioned properly, the
fluctuation of the stresses in the components between the firing and
non-firing periods could be higher, leading to fatigue failure of
components.
To minimize bending, Tie rods are placed as close to the crankshaft
axis as possible. This reduces the bending stress on girders and
prevents unbalanced loads from being transmitted to the welds.
CHECKING PRE-TENSIONING OF TIE RODS
This is done to check if the tension is correct for already tightened tie
rods. If tensioning incorrect, then there will be fretting which may
permanently misalign the affected components. If fretting is already
present, then even correct tensioning over fretted tie rods will cause
mis-alignment. The only remedy is corrective machining.
CORRECT PROCEDURE FOR PRE-TENSIONING RTA SULZER
1. Remove the threaded protection caps and clean contact face of
the intermediate ring.
2. Screw both pre-tensioning jacks on to the two tie rods lying
opposite each other, until the hydraulic jack cylinder rests on the
intermediate ring of the nut.
3. Slightly slacken vent screws of the hydraulic jack.
4. Connect operate, and vent the high pressure oil pump.
5. Operate the oil pump till 100 Mpa pressure is obtained and
maintain this pressure.
6. Use a feeler gauge inserted into the slot, to check that there is
no clearance between tie rod nut and intermediate ring of the nut.
TIE ROD TENSIONING PROCEDURE
Tie rod tensioning is done by the following procedure:
Connect two pre-tensioning jacks to two adjacent tie bolts.
Obtain the required hydraulic pressure and maintain this.
Check the clearance between the nut and the intermediate ring and
adjust if required.
Release the pressure and remove jacks.
When checking the tightness of tie bolts, refer to manufacturers
instructions for tightening pressures for the jacks and the order in
which to carry out the check. The normal order is to start at the
centre and work outwards checking the bolts in pairs. The MC -C
engine with its twin tie bolts is an exception, starting at the fwd end
and working aft. If the engine is fitted with bearing jacking bolts, then
these must be slackened before tightening the tie bolts. Any pinch
bolts fitted must also be slackened off.

TIGHTENING PROCEDURE OF SULZER RTA ENGINE

If tightening the bolts from a new condition; slacken off main bearing
jack bolts.
Ensure clamping or pinching screws are slack.
Mount hydraulic jacks, starting mid-engine.
Pressurize to 350bar, tighten nut with tommy bar.
Work away from starting point on alternate sides as shown in the
figure below.
Tighten all bolts 350 bar, then using same procedure/Sequence as
before tighten all bolts up to 600 bar.
The elongation of the bolt may be checked and compared with
reference value in the manual.
If only tightness is to be checked, clamp hydraulic jacks, increase
pressure to 600bar, tighten with tommy bar, check for gap between
nut & landing face with the help of feeler gauge. Tighten arthward
ship bolts together.

When checking the tightness of tie bolts, refer to manufacturers

instructions for tightening pressures for the jacks and the order in
which to carry out the check. The normal order is to start at the
centre and work outwards checking the bolts in pairs.
The MC -C engine with its twin tie bolts is an exception, starting at
the fwd end and working aft. If the engine is fitted with bearing
jacking bolts, then these must be slackened before tightening the tie
bolts. Any pinch bolts fitted must also be slackened off.

CAUSES OF TIE-ROD BREAKING

What are the Causes of Tie-Rod Breaking?
Tie rods are not properly tightened. Manufacturer’s procedure not
followed then non-uniform tightening may result.
The material and threading of tie rod are under rated and not
properly machined.
Aging of tie rod leading to failure or breakage.
Tie rods bolts are over tightened by hydraulic pressure crossing its
elasticity limit.
Engine is over loaded or peak pressures of the cylinders are very
high. Overloading of engine will result in increased tensile stress
acting on the tie rod and cause slackening as gas load from cylinder
cover is transmitted to tie rods.
Tie rods are subjected to tensile stress which are cyclic in nature
leading to fatigue cracking and failure.
Previous fretting of engine mating surface.
Foundation bolts have become loose or chocks are damaged leading
to transmission of vibration in to tie rods.
Scavenge fire loosen the rods as they pass from the scavenge space
and the heat leads to the expansion of the rods.
Tie rods consist of pinching screws, if they are loose it will lead to
heavy vibration leading to loose or crack in the rod.
If the ship face very heavy weather, the fluctuation in the marine
engine load may cause loosening or breakage of the rods.
BROKEN BOLT
Tie bolts can break in service. To reduce the risk of this happening
they must be checked for tightness; not over tightened; and the
engine not overloaded. If a breakage does occur, this is not
disastrous, as the engine can be operated with care for a limited
period (the load on the engine may have to be reduced). The
position of the fracture will dictate how the broken pieces are
removed.
REMOVING A BROKEN TIE ROD
The tie bolts (tie rods) on a 2 stroke marine diesel engine hold the
components of the engine together in compression and transmit the
firing loads to the bedplate. Breakage, usually due to a fatigue
fracture, can be caused by incorrect tightening, misalignment
between the mating surfaces, overloading of the engine etc. Sods
law dictates that often the bolt will fail at mid length. The top half
can be removed by lifting it out, however the removing the bottom
half will present a challenge, due to the restriction in headroom in
the crankpit.
The most obvious method of removal may seem to be to cut the tie
rod out in small pieces using a grinding wheel/ burning gear. This is
not recommended. Two alternatives are available: The first involves
passing a wire loop down the tie rod tube to the bottom of the tie
bolt and lifting the bolt out. The second method outlined below
involves jacking the bolt out from below.
REMOVAL PROCEDURE OF BROKEN TIE ROD
In the first stage a clamp is secured to the tie bolt as shown. Two pull
blocks are fixed as shown and the bottom nut removed.
A hydraulic jack is placed under the tie rod with a plank underneath
it to distribute the load. After lifting and securing, a spacer is fitted
between the jack and the bottom of the tie rod.
A series of spacers are progressively fixed under the tie rod until the
tie rod emerges at the top of the entablature.
The clamp is fixed around the top of the tie rod as shown right with a
welded bead to prevent slipping. The engine room crane is used to
lift the broken piece clear.
The photo shows a broken section of the tie rod alongside the new
tie bolt which is to be fitted. In the case of restricted head height, the
tie rod can be supplied in screwed sections.
However in the worst possible scenario where the bolt is broken at
mid length, then one solution is to lift out the top half, remove the
bottom nut, and then feed a loop of braided wire cable (about 7mm
diameter) down the tie bolt tube, down the side of the broken tie
bolt and once it emerges at the bottom a supporting piece can be
fitted to the wire enabling the broken tie bolt to be withdrawn.
HOW TO RUN ENGINE WITH BROKEN STAY BOLT
Stay bolts hold the engine together and keep them in compression. A
loose/crack stay bolt will lead to serious vibration in the engine.
but in case the stay bolts get cracked and we have to run the engine
then following steps are taken to run the engine safely :-
If the engine end stay bolts i.e the one located ahead of 1st cylinder
or the one located aft of last cylinder) is cracked, the cylinder
pressure is reduced to 75% of pmax.
If the stay bolts in between 1st and last gets crack, then reduce the
pressure at both of the adjacent cylinders to 80% pmax.
Cracked stay bolts should be renewed at first opportunity. In case of
1st and last stay bolts both the stay bolts (exhaust and maneuvering
side) are changed.
MINIMIZE THE INCIDENT OF TIE BOLT BREAKING
Ensure tie rod tightness is checked as per the interval specified by
the maker.
Ensure all the bolts are tightened as per the sequence given in the
manual. Regarding the amount of hydraulic pressure required for
initial tightening and sequence of tightening.
Q. (a) Sketch a cross section of a main engine structure comprising
bed plate frames and entablature showing the bolt in position.
(b) Explain, why tie bolt need to be used in some large slow speed
engine. The purpose of tie bolt on large engine.
(c) Explain in detail how the bolts are tensioned. Procedure of
checking and tightening the bolt.
(d) Which precaution you have to done before tie bolt tightening.
Precaution to be taken before and after tightening.
(e) Effect of tie bolt slack.
(f) What are important during tie bolts maintenance.
(g) Explain why tightening of tie bolts to within prescribed limit
important.
Cross section of main engine bed plates, frame, entablature

Purpose of tie bolt

To secure bed plate, column and the cylinder block firmly, to
assembly engine structure.
To transfer firing load down to main bearing girders
To minimize bending stress in bed plate
To achieve mechanical stability of the whole engine assembly under
running condition.
Fit two tie bolts, on each transverse girders as close as possible to
the shaft centreline.
To prevent vibration, tie bolt fitted with anti-vibration bush and
pinching screws.
Procedure for checking and tightening
Before tightening, take and record crankshaft deflection.
Slack pinching screws on the bolts and loosen main bearings thrust
bolts.
Remove protecting cap and clean contact surface and thread of
bolts.
Use a dial gauge to detect relative movement between tie bolt and
entablature.
Record the movement throughout the operation, before and after
checking and tightening of each tie bolts.
Fit the hydraulic tensioning device correctly and apply pressure as
per maker’s instructions.
Tightening done in pairs at a time starting from the middle of the
engine and working outwards alternately.
Raise Hydraulic pressure in two stages. 350bar in first stage, 520bar
in second stage.
Insert feeler gauge through inspection slot to check clearance
between tie bolt nut and landing surface, turn nut again for possible
movement.
If no clearance exist or no movement, tie bolts are in properly
tightened condition.
Precaution
Before tightening
Shut off starting air supply
Engage turning gear
Take and record crankshaft deflection
Slack pinching screws
Slack main bearing Jack bolts as per maker instruction (if fitted)
After tightening
Apply anti-corrosive coating, fit back protective caps.
Retighten pinching screw.
Retighten the main bearing thrust bolt (jack bolt) correctly.
Take crankshaft deflection again and compare with recorded value.
Effect of tie bolt slack
Misalignment of cylinder liner and piston.
Bending movement in bolts.
Uneven stress in the bolts cause nearly fatigue failure.
Tie bolts cannot take the proper load.
Crosshead guide faces and bars will be slackened.
Fretting the landing surfaces of cylinder block and tie bolt nut.
Whole structure will be destroyed.
Important points during tie bolts maintenance
Before doing any job on tie bolts
Take crankshaft deflection
Slack main bearing jack bolts
Slack pinching Screws
Always tighten correct sequence as per maker instruction
Bolts must not tightened and slacked in one stage
Tightened back main bearing jack bolts and pinching screws.
Take crankshaft deflection again and compare with record value.
Tie bolts tightening within limits
Overtightening the bolt
Increase tensile stress
Increase bending moment between centre line of transverse girder
and tie bolts
Increase cracking of transverse girders
Slack the bolt
Q – What is a tie rod bolt pinch screw? And what is its purpose.
PINCH SCREW
Pinch screw is generally provided at the foot of the engine cylinder
jacket to stop the tie rod from vibrating during the normal service of
the engine.
The pinch screw is fixed at the antinodal point of the tie rod to
restrict its transverse vibration amplitude, thereby preventing its
fracture due to the vibrations. These can be arranged as a group of
three screws positioned equilaterally at the antinodal point.
Each screw comprise of a stud, which is hand tightened by the
screwing the outer sleeve & held in place by a lock nut which is
tightened to a torque specified by the manufacturer.