Scherbaum
In shipbuilding, a shear tree or shear stick is a part of the frame structure of cargo ships on which the upper, removable covers of the cargo hatches, the cargo hatch covers, rest. The term Scherbaum is used for inland vessels, the term Scherstock is common for seagoing vessels.
The Scherbaum is a beam lying in the longitudinal direction of the ship, which spans a cargo hatch in the middle and forms the highest edge of the hold. The length (10 to 20 m) corresponds to the length of the loading hatch. From the Scherbaum to the outer loading edge, the so-called Merklinge, which form the lateral supports of the likewise 60 cm wide loading hatch cover, run transversely (at right angles ) to the longitudinal direction of the ship at regular intervals of approx. 60 cm . In the case of large cargo holds with a width of around 6 m or more, there are additional auxiliary shear trees on both sides of the shear beam. Overall, the construction is very stable, so that even heavy loads can be placed on the hatch covers.
To load and unload the ship, the hatch covers and the memorabilia are removed, the shear beam lifted from its mounts and pushed to the outer edge of the hold, where it is anchored. It can be folded out of the loading hatch with the hand spoke . However, the construction is technically outdated and it is foreseeable that this type of ship will no longer be in use in the next 10 to 20 years (as of 2006).
