Vibration Features of the Aft Shafting Subjected to Semi-Submerged Propeller Hydrodynamic Excitation

Yin, Xiaoqing; Zhang, Junhong; Lin, Jiewei; Dai, Huwei; Wu, Guopeng

doi:10.3390/jmse14020192

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Vibration Features of the Aft Shafting Subjected to Semi-Submerged Propeller Hydrodynamic Excitation

by

Xiaoqing Yin

^1,2,3,

Junhong Zhang

¹,

Jiewei Lin

¹

,

Huwei Dai

¹ and

Guopeng Wu

^1,*

¹

State Key Laboratory of Engines, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300354, China

²

Weichai Heavy Machinery Co., Ltd., Weifang 261108, China

³

State Key Laboratory of Engine and Powertrain System, Weifang 261001, China

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2026, 14(2), 192; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse14020192

Submission received: 10 December 2025 / Revised: 12 January 2026 / Accepted: 14 January 2026 / Published: 16 January 2026

(This article belongs to the Section Ocean Engineering)

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Abstract

To reduce the adverse effects of stern-shaft system vibration on ship performance, this work combined hydrodynamic excitations calculated for a semi-submerged propeller and established a multibody dynamics (MBDs) model of the stern shaft system that included a flexible shaft, propeller, and elastically damped support bearings. The MBDs model's accuracy was verified through comparison between experimentally identified modal parameters and those computed by the model. It was found that the bearing stiffness and the hydrodynamic excitation frequency collectively determine the vibration amplitude and modal shape of the shaft system, based on an analysis of varied bearing stiffness and damping. Bearing displacement had a significant impact on shafting vibration. And the tie rod with a stiffness of 2.5 × 10⁷ N/m provided a noticeable vibration damping effect. The findings offered theoretical support for mitigating stern-shaft vibration in high-speed vessels subjected to hydrodynamic excitation from semi-submerged propellers.

Keywords: stern-shaft system; semi-submerged propeller; hydrodynamic excitations

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MDPI and ACS Style

Yin, X.; Zhang, J.; Lin, J.; Dai, H.; Wu, G. Vibration Features of the Aft Shafting Subjected to Semi-Submerged Propeller Hydrodynamic Excitation. J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2026, 14, 192. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse14020192

AMA Style

Yin X, Zhang J, Lin J, Dai H, Wu G. Vibration Features of the Aft Shafting Subjected to Semi-Submerged Propeller Hydrodynamic Excitation. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering. 2026; 14(2):192. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse14020192

Chicago/Turabian Style

Yin, Xiaoqing, Junhong Zhang, Jiewei Lin, Huwei Dai, and Guopeng Wu. 2026. "Vibration Features of the Aft Shafting Subjected to Semi-Submerged Propeller Hydrodynamic Excitation" Journal of Marine Science and Engineering 14, no. 2: 192. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse14020192

APA Style

Yin, X., Zhang, J., Lin, J., Dai, H., & Wu, G. (2026). Vibration Features of the Aft Shafting Subjected to Semi-Submerged Propeller Hydrodynamic Excitation. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, 14(2), 192. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse14020192

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Vibration Features of the Aft Shafting Subjected to Semi-Submerged Propeller Hydrodynamic Excitation

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