Importance

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Abstract

A heavy-duty slowly pivoting shaft and bearing system for an offshore mooring terminal, of a type which includes a heavy-duty shaft with opposite ends that are each rotatably mounted on a radial bearing assembly, wherein bearings at each of the assemblies can be removed while the shaft continues to be rotatably supported to permit its uninterrupted use. Each bearing assembly includes a housing arm with a hole that receives an end of the shaft, a main bearing lying near the outer end of the hole to permit its replacement by sliding it off an extreme end of the shaft, and an auxiliary bearing lying at the inner end of the hole near the middle of the shaft. The auxiliary bearing is formed in a plurality of segments that each extend by less than a half circle around the shaft, to permit the segments to be individually placed about the shaft and forced between the housing arm and shaft.

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First Claim