Dellner Brakes

The mighty HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier, which arrived at her home port of Portsmouth last week, is fitted with two Dellner Brakes ‘stopping, turning, locking’ (STL) systems that, weighing in at 11,000kg each, are the biggest STL systems that Dellner Brakes has ever built.

Each of the carrier’s two propeller shafts is fitted with a custom-designed Dellner Brakes STL system that allows operators to stop, hold and securely lock each shaft independently, and to individually turn the shafts and giant 33t propellers for maintenance and blade assembly. The STL system is operated from a push button control panel that integrates fully with other on-board systems.

Dellner Brakes CEO Marcus Aberg said: "Dellner Brakes has been working with Rolls-Royce to supply braking systems to the UK Royal Navy for over a decade. We are extremely proud to see our STL systems fitted on HMS Queen Elizabeth, and also on her sister ship HMS Prince of Wales.

"At 280m long and weighing 65,000t, the new Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers are not only the biggest and most powerful surface warships ever built for the Royal Navy, they are also the most technologically advanced. At Dellner Brakes, we pride ourselves on continued technical innovation and we are delighted to be associated with this prestigious project."

Each Dellner STL system comprises a ø 2.3m brake disc, three SKD 4×125 hydraulic disc brakes delivering a total braking torque of 800kNm and three LM70 hydraulic locking mechanisms delivering a total locking torque of 1,660kNm. The systems have been custom designed and approved according to Lloyds Register Rules & Regulations for Naval Ships.