DNV Type Approval Schoenrock Sliding Bulkhead Door
Schoenrock Hydraulik Marine Systems has just received type approval from the classification company Det Norske Veritas (DNV) for its new hydraulically operated Shiptight sliding bulkhead door, as well as for the older variant of the same product. Both models passed the tests, including the practical inspection approvals, with flying colours. They will be principally used for commercial ships and yachts.
‘Our tried and tested Hydraulic Watertight Sliding Door has been further optimised in various ways,’ says Schoenrock Managing Director Dr Volker Behrens. The use of a more rigid frame profile along with the Y sealing ensures a significantly improved balance of the installation tolerances when welding, and so in the last resort means significantly lower commissioning costs. ‘The guide rail and guide rollers are made of brass and stainless steel, and so are not subject to rust,’ Dr Behrens adds. The sealing surface has also been treated to make it rustproof.
The sliding bulkhead door can withstand a water column pressure of 0 to 62 m. The power needed to close the door has been significantly reduced through the optimisation of the door panel guide system. Installation of the door has also been simplified, as it proved possible to dispense with the fixed position of the cylinder and guide rail on the bulkhead.
Shiptight
In the Shiptight variant – tested with a water column pressure of 0 to 15 m – both components are connected to the door frame and so form a totality. ‘Another innovation is the external electrical motor for the oil pump, which now no longer runs into the oil bath,’ the Managing Director explains. This means there is no difficulty about variable or even very short opening times, and the door can be activated at very frequent intervals without any problem.
Specialist Supplier
With its head office in Schenefeld near Hamburg, Schoenrock Hydraulik Marine Systems GmbH is one of the world’s leading shipbuilding suppliers, specialising in the field of watertight bulkhead doors and ventilation flaps. For around 50 years the company has been supplying equipment to commercial and passenger ships, ferries, cruisers and yachts, as well as special-purpose ships and offshore facilities. The company’s core expertise lie in the design and manufacture of ambitious turnkey projects which are exactly geared to meet the requirements of the customer.