What makes a marine engineer?

Trundlebug said:
Sorry to be a pedant, but Consultants are referred to as Dr.

Only surgeons are Mr.

There are some strange historical reasons for this which were explained to me many years ago but I've forgotten.
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Fair enough - my only experience of 'em being at the wrong (but welcome) attentions of a Consultant Surgeon on rather too many occasions in my youth
 
odd discussion for Friday noon, would be much better in the lounge and after a few drinks...

you forget another (not large) category of Dr. though... the PhD holders :p

following this thread I'm slightly confused on what exactly am I :rolleyes:
Dr. Prof. Architect Chartered Engineer, nice, pompous enough to justify a larger invoice, petty I don't issue any :(

cheers

V.

PS the "All I know is that I know nothing" (Ἓν οἶδα ὅτι οὐδὲν οἶδα) by Socrates together with the power of deduction are IMHO two vital tools for anyone dealing with complex systems...
 
vas said:
PS the "All I know is that I know nothing" (Ἓν οἶδα ὅτι οὐδὲν οἶδα) by Socrates together with the power of deduction are IMHO two vital tools for anyone dealing with complex systems...
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Damn, I thought "I know nothing" was Manuel from Fawlty Towers. I shoulda got me a classical eddication :D
 
Don't know if it is true but I have heard it said that in Germany if you aren't good enough to do an engineering degree you might consider one of the lesser professions such as medicine.
 
Elecglitch said:
Indeed he did and those of use who were forced to endure such do tend to recognise the background to this

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:D

Brings back memories, had to do Latin for two years at Grammar School. The dropping of Latin from the curriculum was about the one thing that improved when the school was turned comprehensive at the start of my third year!
 
milltech said:
This may sound ridiculous but anyone can say they fix stuff and come and offer their services, are there formal qualifications that say, "You can go forth and fix this in a garage", or for marine engineers, "You can go forth and start removing sea cocks etc".

Do people mostly qualify themselves, and if not what would they normally have done to service the epithet "Marine Engineer".
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Well, the last one I met was a conceited arrogant ignorant numpty that only wanted to separate boat owners from their $.

Asked yard owner if a part could be machined, owner says yes, then engineer says no, then ok I guess.
Next thing yard owner says engineer says you have wrecked it. "How?" I say.
Later still owner and deputation from workshop say "Its ruined, you cut it, it wont be long enough"

Hey muppets do you really think I didnt work out that it would now need a spacer (which by peculiar chance is sitting right there)

Now, I dint expect a grovelling apology, but a little more than "humph" was certainly in order.

So, instead of assuming* I havent a clue, and "Youve buggered that then" try "are you sure, what about......" That way you wont get your yard slated as a rip off, and you as a numpty fwit.


assume: makes an ass out of you and shows I'm not so damned stupid after all.
 
Dougal Tolan said:
Well, the last one I met was a conceited arrogant ignorant numpty that only wanted to separate boat owners from their $.

Asked yard owner if a part could be machined, owner says yes, then engineer says no, then ok I guess.
Next thing yard owner says engineer says you have wrecked it. "How?" I say.
Later still owner and deputation from workshop say "Its ruined, you cut it, it wont be long enough"

Hey muppets do you really think I didnt work out that it would now need a spacer (which by peculiar chance is sitting right there)

Now, I dint expect a grovelling apology, but a little more than "humph" was certainly in order.

So, instead of assuming* I havent a clue, and "Youve buggered that then" try "are you sure, what about......" That way you wont get your yard slated as a rip off, and you as a numpty fwit.


assume: makes an ass out of you and shows I'm not so damned stupid after all.
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what the fec u on
 
After serving an apprenticeship in a shipyard as an Engine Fitter, I am somewhat aggrieved at being a fitter and associated with " spare part changers". We were tasked with making or modifying the parts to fit rather than drawing from the stores and assembling to the extent for the first 2 years our hands were sore and bleeding from filing, scraping and chiselling.

We are suffering in this area from a dubious person who arrives in a white van label Marine Engineer and a phone number.
This engineer insists he has seen bigger engines than I have ever dreamed of, ( I have steamed and maintained Doxfords, B&W Sulzer), Insists diesel engines fire on the downstroke and has worked on a 27 cylinder Paxman! ( work out a timing diagram for that one) However the clientel of the local sailing club are queing up to get at him
 
Re surgeons, I thought "Mr" harked back to days of butchery?

Re marine engineers: no-one's said it yet: the ability to look into a hole, scratch head and murmur, "there's an engine 'ere".

That was a joke btw. I have nothing but respect for engineers not being one myself.
 
Just scratching my head, trying to remembering the cycle for a diesel.:)
Not an engineer, fitter or parts changer. I hire a guy to change the oil.
Significant difference between 2 and 4 stroke.
For 4 stroke
Starting at top dead center. Intake valve open exhaust valve closed, Intake stroke as piston goes down the cylinder, draws in air. At Bottom Center Intake and exhaust valve closed.
Compression Stroke piston rises up in bore with valves closed compression required at least 14 to 1. Compression causes heat. Just a few degrees before top dead center. atomised diesel fuel is injected. Combustion starts fuel is ignited by the heat from compression. combustion causes increase in pressure forcing the piston down the cylinder producing power. For the power stroke.
Ideally for maximum power combustion should continue past top dead center and well into the power stroke, theoretically the maximum possible power would be achieved if
combustion continued throughout the entire power stroke. Ending Just as the exhaust valve opens.
The exhaust stroke the piston rises up the cylinder pushing the exhaust gasses out the exhaust valve. which closes as the intake opens.
The cylinder now clear of exhaust fills with air again.

So thinking about it although combustion begins before TDC on the upstroke it continues well into the down stroke.
 
Uricanejack said:
Just scratching my head, trying to remembering the cycle for a diesel.:)
Not an engineer, fitter or parts changer. I hire a guy to change the oil.
Significant difference between 2 and 4 stroke.
For 4 stroke
Starting at top dead center. Intake valve open exhaust valve closed, Intake stroke as piston goes down the cylinder, draws in air. At Bottom Center Intake and exhaust valve closed.
Compression Stroke piston rises up in bore with valves closed compression required at least 14 to 1. Compression causes heat. Just a few degrees before top dead center. atomised diesel fuel is injected. Combustion starts fuel is ignited by the heat from compression. combustion causes increase in pressure forcing the piston down the cylinder producing power. For the power stroke.
Ideally for maximum power combustion should continue past top dead center and well into the power stroke, theoretically the maximum possible power would be achieved if
combustion continued throughout the entire power stroke. Ending Just as the exhaust valve opens.
The exhaust stroke the piston rises up the cylinder pushing the exhaust gasses out the exhaust valve. which closes as the intake opens.
The cylinder now clear of exhaust fills with air again.

So thinking about it although combustion begins before TDC on the upstroke it continues well into the down stroke.
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The significant difference is that a 2 stroke achieves the four processes in one revolution. For four strokes the simple reminder is Suck Squeeze Bang Blow. There are very few large 2 strokes - notably Detroits and the older but excellent feats of engineering the Napier 'Deltics'.
 
So thinking about it although combustion begins before TDC on the upstroke it continues well into the down stroke.[/QUOTE]

If you apply some logic, it is not the burn that produces the power to force the piston down on the power stroke it is a result of expansion of gases resultant from the burn. Nothing explodes, the burn is propagated from the point of ignition and spreads much the same as a room full of combustible dust say. The point of commencing the burn prior to TDC is to allow sufficient time for the combustion to take place prior to TDC but in reality it normally extends to just past TDC. This allows for the combustion time to lag the piston position, do not forget that on the modern engine managed diesel and the petrol engine the point of injection or point of ignition is brought forward or advanced to compensate for piston speed against rate of combustion. To allow the burn to continue to the exhaust valve opening would be counterproductive as the fuel would not have sufficient time to combust thus producing a very polluted exhaust and wasting fuel.
 
superheat6k said:
There are very few large 2 strokes - notably Detroits and the older but excellent feats of engineering the Napier 'Deltics'.
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How about this for one of the few

The “Vessel” is propelled by a single, Sulzer type 8RTA62UB, eight cylinder, two stroke, single acting diesel oil engine, geared to a screw shaft producing 24,860 brake horse power, driving a single, controllable pitch propeller for a designed service speed of about 20.0 knots. To assist manoeuvring the vessel is fitted with athwartship mounted bow and stern thrusters, each of 2,176 brake horse power.

That is the information for one of the many container ro-ro vessels in use today.

Not quite 'daddy's yacht'
 
I had some work done on the boat in France last year, the "engineer," who was overworked by his employer, eventually said to me "I'm an engineer not a marine engineer." The work is now being redone by a Dutchman obtained by personal recommendation.

John G
 
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