Parts of the

magnetic compass
and their function
Compass bowl
Compass bowl is the part of the magnetic compass, in which the compass card is
fitted.
Then there is liquid filled inside the compass bowl (in wet compass card), which
reduces any friction effects while the ship is moving.
Thus the liquid helps to keep the compass card horizontal in any condition of trim or
list. 

The compass bowl is fitted on the gimbal arrangement.

The gimbal arrangement is fitted in order to make the compass stabilise in any
condition of rolling/pitching or any angle of heel.
Compass card is marked with degrees from zero(0) to 360 degrees.
Gimbal arrangement
Basically gimbal arrangement is the projection, which are fitted at the
same level as the compass card.
So if the ship rolls or pitches, the bowl would remain horizontal because
its centre of gravity is below the gimbals.
If we see the compass from the top, then we can see a ring around the
compass bowl. The ring is called the “gimbal ring”.
The gimbals are triangular in cross-section with their apex downwards.
 Binnacle
While the binnacle is a cylindrical arrangement, which is made of non magnetic
material.

The non magnetic material is aluminium, wood or brass. Which is used so that
material does not affect the magnetic heading.
While the upper part of the binnacle contains the compass bowl and the gimbal
arrangement.
On the other hand, the lower part of the binnacle has a few holes in it. The holes
are in both the directions, the fed and aft direction and the athwartship direction.
These holes are used to place the corrector magnets.
The lower binnacle also has one hollow tube and bucket arrangement inside it.
Then there are magnets placed inside the vertical tube. The tube and bucket
arrangement is made to correct the magnetic compass for the healing error.
Compass correctors
Compass correctors are installed and used in order to correct the
magnetic compass for its heading.
Now if you are wondering, why do we have to correct the compass for its
heading. I mean why it doesn’t show the right heading the first time.
So let’s get to the point. As you know that the magnetic compass is based
upon the magnetic properties of the earth.
If there are no other factors to affect the magnetic property of the
compass, then it will show the right desired heading.
But we know that the ship itself is made of iron and have too many parts
made of materials, which affect the compass heading.
That why in order to correct the compass heading for the all the external
sources, the correctors are applied. So that the compass shows the right
heading at all times in any part of the world.
Flinder bars
When you see the binnacle, you must have noticed a cylinder like
arrangement fwd or aft of the binnacle.
The cylinder contains the flinder bar magnets.
Flinder bar magnets are made of soft iron and are used to compensate
for the vertical component of ship’s magnetic field.
Quadrantal spheres
While the quadrantal spheres are fitted on both sides of the the binnacle.

Spheres are made of soft iron and as you can see in the picture, they are placed
on port and stbd side of the compass bowl and their distance can be adjusted
away or near to the compass binnacle as required.
Actually the spheres are used to correct the quadrantal deviation, that is
resulted due to induced magnetism in the horizontal soft iron of a ship by the
horizontal component of the earth’s magnetism.
The amount of deviation to be corrected determines the position of the spheres
and its distance from the binnacle.
 Heeling magnets
The heeling magnets are cased inside a bucket or tube, which is located vertically below the centre
of the compass.
Heeling magnets are used to correct the deviation caused by the ship’s heel.
The heel causes the deviation to change by a value called the heeling error.
As you must have noticed the magnetic heading changing when the vessel is rolling. That’s
because the heeling error varies with the angle of the heel.
So the amount of deviation correction can be changed by two ways.
It can either be changed by increasing or decreasing the number of magnets inside the bucket.
Or it can be changed by raising or lowering the bucket.
F & A and Athwartship
magnets
These are the basic and simplest correctors used in the compass.
These magnets are of cylindrical shape of 8” in length and a diameter of
3/8” and 3/16” and used to correct “Permanent B” and “permanent C”
coefficients.
For Permanent B to be corrected, magnets are placed in F&A direction in
such amount, so as to nullify or cancel the permanent B coefficient.
While the Permanent C is corrected by placing the magnets in
Athwartship direction nullifying its effects.
The requirements of SOLAS chapter
V Regulation 19, in regard to the
requirements for
the carriage of magnetic compasses
 The operating principle of
Transmitting Magnetic Compass
(TMC)
The performance standards for
magnetic compasses