Subject: This AEB is for the following applications:

Engine Angularity Limits Automotive Industrial G-Drive Marine

File Name : 0.16.00 MAB No.

Date Created: 01/18/2007
Revision Date: 08/31/2007
Mounting Adaptations &
0.16.00-01/18/2007
Expiry Date: 05/29/2009 PTOs

Engine Family : High Horsepower

Engine Model : K19, Q19, K38, QSK38, QSK50, QSK60
Document Owner : Olmedo Farfan Page 1 of 9

Purpose

The purpose of this bulletin is to explain how to derive the maximum acceptable
angles of installation and operation for a marine engine.

Introduction

The information presented in this bulletin provides a different method for

specifying angularity limits compared to the traditional method of publishing
installation angles on data sheets. This method allows for more flexibility
compared to the single data sheet value because the maximum operating limit
varies by engine options. Some options allow more angularity than others.

Discussion
Typically in a marine installation the limiting factors in operating angularity are as
follows:

• Crankshaft/connecting rod dipping - if these moving parts dip below the

surface of the oil, the oil will be slung and aerated, which will result in reduced
lubrication protection in critical engine bearings.
• Front gear train dipping - same as above – in front down angles of operation.
• Crankcase breather submersion - if the breather hole becomes covered by
the oil level, positive pressure in the crankcase will quickly pump oil out
through the breather. Breather submersion can be an issue during extreme
roll angles to port or starboard.
• Oil sump pickup not submerged - if the oil pickup is not constantly submerged
in the oil, the pump will lose prime and oil pressure will quickly drop to zero.

Cummins Confidential
• Cooling system venting & expansion tank location - extreme operating angles
may not allow air to purge from the cooling system if the vents are not located
at the high points on the engine. This can eventually lead to inadequate
cooling and localized hot spots near the cylinder liners.

Definitions

The following concepts must be understood in order to derive the engine

installation angle:

• Vessel’s Pitch. – This is the angle defined by the keel and the horizontal line
when the boat is in operation. This angle is also known as pitch angle or
planing angle. The vessel’s pitch is usually positive when operating with the
bow up as shown on Figure 1.

Figure 1 – Vessel’s Pitch Angle

1 Angle of Installation
2 Main Propulsion Engine
3 Reference Baseline - parallel to the keel
4 Propeller

2 3

4 1

• Vessel’s Roll. - This angle indicates how much the vessel can rotate
transversely from port to starboard (or vice versa) relative to the center line of
the boat.

• Engine Installation Angle. – This refers to the static measurement of

inclination of an engine (relative to horizontal) with the boat in still water. This
angle is usually defined as “front up” or “front down” angle. Figure 2 shows
an example of a “front up” installation.

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 Figure 2 - Engine Installation Angle

2
4 3
1
1 Engine Installation Angle
2 Main Propulsion Engine
3 Reference Baseline - parallel to the keel
4 Propeller

• Maximum Engine Operating Limit. – This angle limits the maximum inclination
at which the engine can operate without performance problems. This
limitation is defined by various engine options such as expansion tanks, oil
pans, crankcase breathers, etc. Figure 3 shows the difference between the
engine installation angle and its maximum operating limit.

Figure 3 – Difference between operating and installed angle

e keel
l to th
Paralle

Wa
6
2
5
1
3 1 Engine Installation Angle
2 Main Propulsion Engine
3 Vessel's Pitch or Planing Angle
4 4 Propeller
5 Max. Operating Limit

Angularity Convention

In order to maintain uniformity between this bulletin and the published data
sheets, the angularity convention shown in Figure 4 must be used:

• Roll angle will be defined as “Right” or “Left” when measured from vertical
centerline viewed from the flywheel end of engine.

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 • Pitch Angle will be defined as “Front Up” or “Front Down” when measured
from horizontal crankshaft centerline viewed from starboard side.
Figure 4 - Angularity Convention

Derivation of the Engine Installation Angle

The engine installation angle is the difference between the maximum engine
operating limit and the vessel’s operating angle as shown in Figure 5. This
relationship can be stated by the following formula:

Engine Installation Angle = Max. Operating Limit* – Vessel’s Planing Angle (1)

Figure 5 - Difference between operating and installation angles

Engine Installation Angle

Max. Operating Limit

Vessel's Operating Angle

* Angle defined by engine limiting options listed in Table 1

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Selection of Maximum Operating Limit

The purpose of this section is to explain how to select the maximum operating
limit of a marine engine. The selection process of this angle is done based on a
combination of engine options rather than a single value of installation.
Depending on the application and/or the engine spec, some options may offer
more capability than others; therefore, giving more room for greater angles of
installation. In general, the following options limit the proper performance of a
marine engine:

• Breather options limit roll angularity - single breathers are less capable
than dual breathers on vee engines.
• Oil pan options limit roll and pitch angles.
• Heat exchanger will limit pitch angles. This is usually due to vent line
routing. If this is an issue, this can be resolved by remote mounting the
expansion tank.

The values shown in Table 1 should be used when the operating angles
specified on the data sheets are less than desired. Table 1 shows these
enabling options classified by engine configuration and model. This table
specifies continuous values of pitch and roll only. The intermittent pitch and roll
values are 35 deg and 45 deg respectively for all engines. Continuous pitch and
roll values refer to the maximum angle at which an engine can operate during
steady-state condition. Intermittent pitch and roll values refer to the maximum
angle at which an engine can operate for conditions of one minute or less.

Rows highlighted in gray (see table 1) represent the most constraining angles of
operation; in other words, the options with the least angularity capability. These
values will correspond to those specified on the general engine data.

The maximum operating limit of a marine engine is selected as follow:

1. Obtain engine shop order.

2. Determine limiting options such as oil pan (OP), heat exchanger (HX), and
breathers (BR).
3. Establish marine classification angularity requirements.
4. Determine the most constraining option by selecting the option with the least
angularity capability, then, that is the maximum operating limit.
5. If step 5 does not comply with the marine classification requirements, then
use values from Table 1 and select a new option(s) that suits the vessel’s
requirements.

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Example:

Consider a vessel with two KTA50-M2 engines as main propulsion units. These
engines include options OP6014 and HX6113 within their spec. The customer
has asked to have a nose down installation; then:

1) What is the maximum nose down operation for these engines? Ans./ 5
degrees.

Explanation: According to values shown in Table 1 option OP6014

enables 17 deg front up and 10 deg front down. Option HX6113 offers a
capability of 17 degrees front up and 5 degrees front down. In this case,
the most constraining option is HX 6113; therefore, this engine will be able
to operate up to 5 deg front down.

2) If the vessel is to plane at 8 degrees (positive pitch), what should the

installation angle be for these engines? Ans./ 3 degrees.

Explanation: Formula (1) can be used to find the installation angle as

shown below:

Engine Installation Angle = Max. Operating Limit* – Vessel’s Planing Angle

Engine Installation Angle = 5 – 8 = -3 degrees (negative sign indicates
front down installation)

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Table 1 - Engine Operating Angularity Limits

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Procedure to Define the Vessel’s Operating Angle

The last piece of information needed to calculate the maximum operating limit of
a marine engine is the vessel’s pitch. In order to estimate this angle, one of the
following procedures could be used:

• New Construction – Consult with the naval architect in charge of the

project or check vessel drawings (from shipyard).
• Repower – Run the boat at wide open throttle at full load and measure the
maximum pitch angle by using an inclinometer.
• If none of the above alternative is feasible, use typical values shown
below.

Hull Type Typical Pitch Angle

Planing Hulls 7 - 8 deg
Semi-Displacement Hulls 2 - 5 deg
Displacements 1 - 2 deg

Once the vessel’s planing angle has been determined, the engine installation
angle can be easily calculated using formula (1).

General Engine Data Sheet Specification

In order to maintain some published values on the general data sheet, the most
limiting option from Table 1 (highlighted in gray) will be specified. The new data
sheet specification has been changed to the following:

• Data sheets changed from specified installation angle to operating angle

such that installers must derive the installation angle.
• Reference this bulletin when the most limiting data sheet value does not
meet the vessel’s requirement.
• Cummins Mercruiser Diesel (CMD) will not use this specification method.
Datasheets for CMD engines will continue to specify conservative values
for installation angles.

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References
This bulletin stems largely from the need to comply with angularity requirements
from classification societies such as American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), LR
(Lloyds Register), GL (Germanischer Lloyds), etc. A typical example of
angularity requirements from ABS is presented below as a reference.

Change Log
Revising Author’s
Date Change Page
Name
08/30/2007 MAB ready for publication All OF
05/28/2009 No content changes/Extended expiration date ddc

Distribution of this document is intended for Cummins personnel and distributors. The information contained in this
document is only considered valid while published on the Marine Website. Copies and archived documents are not
considered current.

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