USACE Nashville District is currently seeking to repair the gearbox for the KY Lock Gate located in Grand Rivers, KY. The information provided below will assist in providing a response to this RFI. Please reach out if there are any questions.
• The bearings for the low-speed shaft allow movement that is outside of their recommended tolerance by the manufacturers. This makes wear and life very unpredictable, and the speed at which failure could occur due to fatigue increases greatly.
• This gearbox has had bolts that hold it together completely shear off. Lock staff has had to stitch weld the gearbox to hold it together. Rehabbing this gearbox would help address this issue.
• This gearbox has had a lot of water intrusion issues, meaning it has had a lot of water get inside of it. The oil inside the gearbox has been replaced, but the gearbox could not undergo a full flushing, so there is residual moisture within the bearing rollers corrosion on the shafts and gear teeth. This further makes the life of the gearbox unpredictable.
• This rehab would put the lock on air tuggers for about 3-6 weeks. If we have a failure of the bearings, it could put the lock on air tuggers for over a year.
