Marine drive with break-away mount
First Claim
1. A marine drive for propelling a marine vessel, including a marine propulsion device extending from said vessel and having a water-engaging propulsor for propelling said vessel through a body of water, said marine drive comprising a first section mounted to said vessel, a second section supporting said water-engaging propulsor for rotation, and a break-away mount mounting said second section to and supporting said second section from said first section and breaking-away in response to a given underwater impact against said second section to protect said first section and said vessel, wherein said first section comprises a mounting plate mounted to said vessel and supporting a steering assembly supporting a steering kingpin and a rotary driveshaft, and said second section comprises a driveshaft housing receiving said driveshaft and having a gearcase rotationally supporting said propulsor and translating rotation of said driveshaft to rotation of said propulsor, and an adapter plate mounting said driveshaft housing to said steering kingpin, and wherein said driveshaft housing is mounted to said adapter plate at said break-away mount.
9 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A marine drive has a break-away mount mounting first and second sections of the drive and breaking-away in response to a given underwater impact against the second section to protect the first section and the vessel.
90 Citations
21 Claims
- 1. A marine drive for propelling a marine vessel, including a marine propulsion device extending from said vessel and having a water-engaging propulsor for propelling said vessel through a body of water, said marine drive comprising a first section mounted to said vessel, a second section supporting said water-engaging propulsor for rotation, and a break-away mount mounting said second section to and supporting said second section from said first section and breaking-away in response to a given underwater impact against said second section to protect said first section and said vessel, wherein said first section comprises a mounting plate mounted to said vessel and supporting a steering assembly supporting a steering kingpin and a rotary driveshaft, and said second section comprises a driveshaft housing receiving said driveshaft and having a gearcase rotationally supporting said propulsor and translating rotation of said driveshaft to rotation of said propulsor, and an adapter plate mounting said driveshaft housing to said steering kingpin, and wherein said driveshaft housing is mounted to said adapter plate at said break-away mount.
-
7. A marine drive for propelling a marine vessel, including a marine propulsion device extending from said vessel and having a water-engaging propulsor for propelling said vessel through a body of water, said marine drive comprising a first section mounted to said vessel, a second section supporting said water-engaging propulsor for rotation, and a break-away mount mounting said second section to and supporting said second section from said first section and breaking-away in response to a given underwater impact against said second section to protect said first section and said vessel, wherein said break-away mount comprises a set of a plurality of necked-down threaded fasteners each having first and second distally opposite ends and an intermediate necked-down reduced outer diameter portion between said first and second ends and fracturing in response to said given underwater impact.
- 8. A marine drive for propelling a marine vessel, including a marine propulsion device extending from said vessel and having a water-engaging propulsor for propelling said vessel through a body of water, said marine drive comprising a first section mounted to said vessel, a second section supporting said water-engaging propulsor for rotation, and a break-away mount mounting said second section to and supporting said second section from said first section and breaking-away in response to a given underwater impact against said second section to protect said first section and said vessel, wherein said first section is mounted to said second section at a fastened joint to provide mounted sections thereat and to prevent fatigue failure from operating loads, including propulsor thrust and steering loads, said break-away mount being at said fastened joint and comprising a set of one or more threaded fasteners pre-tensioned to a load which prevents separation of said mounted sections in response to said operating loads, whereby alternating loads due to application and release of said operating loads are carried by said mounted sections and not by said threaded fasteners, to enable reduced underwater impact strength of said threaded fasteners and increased protection of said first section and said vessel.
- 10. A marine drive for propelling a marine vessel, including a marine propulsion device extending from said vessel and having a water-engaging propulsor for propelling said vessel through a body of water, said marine drive comprising a first section mounted to said vessel, a second section supporting said water-engaging propulsor for rotation, and first and second break-away mounts mounting said second section to and supporting said second section from said first section and breaking-away in stages in response to underwater impact against said second section to protect said first section and said vessel, wherein said first break-away mount breaks-away at a first underwater impact strength, and said second break-away mount breaks-away at a second underwater impact strength, said first underwater impact strength being less than said second underwater impact strength.
-
16. A marine drive for propelling a marine vessel, including a marine propulsion device extending from said vessel and having a water-engaging propulsor for propelling said vessel through a body of water, said marine drive comprising a first section mounted to said vessel and comprising a mounting plate mounted to said vessel and supporting a steering assembly supporting a steering kingpin and a rotary driveshaft, a second section supporting said water-engaging propulsor for rotation and comprising a driveshaft housing receiving said driveshaft and having a gearcase rotationally supporting said propulsor and translating rotation of said driveshaft to rotation of said propulsor, and an adapter plate mounting said driveshaft housing to said steering kingpin, a break-away mount mounting said driveshaft housing to said adapter plate and breaking-away in response to a given underwater impact against said second section to protect said first section and said vessel, said break-away mount comprising a set of a plurality of necked-down threaded fasteners having a first end engaging said adapter plate, a distally opposite second end engaging said driveshaft housing, and an intermediate necked-down reduced outer diameter portion between said first and second ends and fracturing in response to said given underwater impact.
- 17. A method for assembling a marine drive and protecting a marine drive for propelling a marine vessel, including a marine propulsion device extending from said vessel and having a water-engaging propulsor for propelling said vessel through a body of water, said marine drive comprising a first section mounted to said vessel, and a second section supporting said water-engaging propulsor for rotation, said method comprising mounting said second section to and supporting said second section from said first section with a break-away mount breaking-away in response to a given underwater impact against said second section to protect said first section and said vessel, and comprising mounting said first section to said second section at a fastened joint to provide mounted sections thereat, to prevent fatigue failure from operating loads, including propulsor thrust and steering loads, providing said break-away mount at said fastened joint by a set of one or more threaded fasteners, and pre-tensioning said threaded fasteners to a load which prevents separation of said mounted sections in response to said operating loads, whereby alternating loads due to application and release of said operating loads are carried by said mounted sections and not by said threaded fasteners, to enable reduced underwater impact strength of said threaded fasteners and increased protection of said first section and said vessel.
- 19. A method for assembling a marine drive and protecting a marine drive for propelling a marine vessel, including a marine propulsion device extending from said vessel and having a water-engaging propulsor for propelling said vessel through a body of water, said marine drive comprising a first section mounted to said vessel, and a second section supporting said water-engaging propulsor for rotation, said method comprising mounting said second section to and supporting said second section from said first section with a break-away mount breaking-away in response to a given underwater impact against said second section to protect said first section and said vessel, and comprising mounting said first section to said second section with a set of a plurality of necked-down threaded fasteners having a first end engaging said first section, a distally opposite second end engaging said second section, and an intermediate necked-down reduced outer diameter portion between said first and second ends and fracturing in response to said given underwater impact.
-
21. A method for assembling a marine drive and protecting a marine drive for propelling a marine vessel, including a marine propulsion device extending from said vessel and having a water-engaging propulsor for propelling said vessel through a body of water, said marine drive comprising a first section mounted to said vessel, and a second section supporting said water-engaging propulsor for rotation, said method comprising mounting said second section to and supporting said second section from said first section with a break-away mount breaking-away in response to a given underwater impact against said second section to protect said first section and said vessel, and comprising mounting an adapter plate between said first and second sections, providing said first break-away mount with a first set of one or more threaded fasteners of a first underwater impact strength, providing said second break-away mount with a second set of one or more threaded fasteners of a second underwater impact strength, mounting said adapter plate to said first section with said second set of threaded fasteners, mounting said second section to said adapter plate with said first set of threaded fasteners, selecting said first and second sets of threaded fasteners such that said first underwater impact strength is less than said second underwater impact strength.
Specification