Dual-action brake takes on marine applications

The novel dual-action Kopper-Kool water-cooled brake was developed by the Wichita engineering team in Bedford, England.

The novel dual-action Kopper-Kool water-cooled brake was developed by the Wichita engineering team in Bedford, England.

A derivative of the single-action Kopper-Kool brake already used to fulfil heavy-duty tensioning applications in many industries, its introduction ends the requirement for a separate fail-safe brake on marine deck equipment.

Example offshore applications for Kopper-Kool dual-action include anchor-handling and mooring winches and cable-laying winches, where the brake provides dynamic tensioning payout control, for instance when repositioning a barge.

In the event of a runaway or overspeed on payout, normally a second brake is applied to provide fail-safe stopping and holding torque.

Instead, Kopper-Kool dual-action combines both functions in a single brake housing, which incorporates a piston assembly for positive brake tensioning and a fail-safe, spring-set brake that provides a holding torque of between 2 and 2.5 times the tensioning torque.

This arrangement allows the selection of a single brake to provide both the positive tensioning torque and the fail-safe operated holding torque required.

The Kopper-Kool brake gets its name from the use of hard-wearing copper alloy on the friction surfaces of the cooling water jackets.

This maximises heat transfer, which is crucial in a brake used for constant slipping duties, enabling it to maintain constant torque at peak loads and minimising distortion throughout the life of the brake.

Its high heat capacity, combined with the robustness of the design and the infinitely variable torque control offered by airtube or piston operation, makes Kopper-Kool the ideal choice for working in harsh marine environments.

Fitting a Kopper-Kool dual action brake saves the purchase of a separate conventional holding brake, reduces mounting and spares costs and conserves space.

It has already been ordered by Bodewes Winches in Holland, winning favour for its sensitive cable handling capabilities and simple control system.

It will be used on the traction and storage winches forming part of the conversion of Hereema's vessel "Balder" into a pipelaying barge, at the Verolme Botlek shipyards in Rotterdam.

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