• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.25 no.7
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• pp.927-935
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• 2019

Screw-failure accidents in small ships frequently occur in coastal waters. In particular, vessels' propulsion systems are frequently coiled due to objects such as fish-nets and ropes that float on the sea. The failure of the ship's propulsion system can cause primary accidents such as ship operation delays and drifting due to loss of power; furthermore, the possibility of secondary accidents such as those involving operators in the underwater removal of rope stuck in a propeller. Ships that do not have the proper tools to solve these problems must be either lifted onto land to be repaired or divers must dive directly under the ship to solve the problem. Accordingly, some small vessels have been equipped with rope-cutter devices on the propeller shaft to prevent ship propeller system accidents in recent years; however, they are not being applied efficiently due to the cost and time of installation. To solve these problems, this study develops an underwater rope-cutter device and controller for the removal of propeller and shaft foreign material in small vessels. This device has simple structures that use the principle of a saw. Meteor gears and crank pins were used for the straight-line rotation of saw blades of the underwater rope-cutters to allow for long strokes. Furthermore, the underwater rope-cutting machines can be operated by being connected to the ship battery. The user, a non-professional, can ensure convenience and stability by applying reverse current prevention and a speed control circuit so that it can be used more conveniently and safely.