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SCREW PROPELLERS
• A screw propeller consists of a number of
blades attached to a hub or boss
• A turning moment or torque Q is applied
making the propeller revolve about its axis
• Thus producing an axial force or thrust T
causing the propeller to move forward with
respect to the surrounding medium
• The units of these quantities in the SI system
are :
Q : Newton-metres
n : revolutions per second
T : Newtons
VA : metres per second
D : propeller diameter
Z : number of propeller blades
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• The face of the propeller blade either forms a
part of a helicoidal or screw surface
• A point on the line generates a three-dimensional
curve called a helix
• A helicoidal surface is generated when a line
revolves about an axis while simultaneously
advancing along it
• The distance that the line (or a point on it)
advances along the axis in one revolution is called
the pitch of the helicoidal surface (or the helix)
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Propeller Geometry
• The shape of the blades of a propeller is
usually defined by specifying the shapes of
sections
• convenient to use cylindrical polar coordinates
(r, , z) to define any point on the propeller
r : radius measured from the propeller axis
: angle measured from a reference plane passing
through the axis
z : distance from another reference plane normal to
the axis
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Propeller Blade Sections
• expanded blade sections used in propeller blades
may generally be divided into two types
– segmental sections
– aerofoil sections
• Segmental sections are characterised by a flat
face and a circular or parabolic back, the
maximum thickness being at the midpoint
between the leading and trailing edges, the edges
being quite sharp
• aerofoil sections, the face may or may not be
flat, the maximum thickness is usually nearer
the leading edge, which is often more
rounded than the trailing edge
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Pitch
• propeller blade is defined with respect to a
helicoidal surface
• The helicoidal surface is composed of helices
of different radii r from the root to the tip of
the propeller blade
• same pitch, the propeller is said to have a
constant pitch
• pitch of the helicoidal surface varies with the radius the
propeller has a radially varying or variable pitch
• the mean pitch of the propeller is usually
determined by taking the “moment mean”
R
P
rb
P(r ) r dr
R
rb r dr
Where
– P(r) is the pitch at the radius r
– rb being the radius at the root section where the blade
joins the boss
– R the propeller radius
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• Consider a propeller of diameter D and pitch P
operating at a revolution rate n and advancing at
a speed VA
• The slip ratio is defined as
n P VA
s
nP
• If VA = 0, s = 1 and the propeller operates in the
100 per cent slip condition.
• If VA = nP, s = 0, and the propeller operates at
zero slip
• At zero slip the thrust T of a propeller should
be zero, and the effective pitch Pe may be
determined in this way, i.e. by putting Pe VA n
for T = 0. If
Non-dimensional Geometrical Parameters
• The major non-dimensional geometrical
parameters used to describe a propeller are
– Pitch ratio P/D
– Expanded blade area ratio AE/Ao
– developed blade area ratio AD/Ao
– projected blade area ratio AP/Ao
– Blade thickness fraction to/D
– Boss diameter ratio d/D
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• Aerofoil sections are also described in terms
of non-dimensional parameters :
– the camber ratio f/c and
– the thickness-chord ratio t/c, where c, f and t are
defined in Fig. 2.6.
– centre line camber distribution yc(x)/t
– thickness distribution yc(x)/t
– as functions of x/c.
Mass and Inertia
• to be calculated to estimate its cost
• vibration characteristics of the propeller
shafting system
• mass and polar moment of inertia of the
propeller blades can be easily determined by
integrating the areas of the blade sections
over the radius
• mass and inertia of the boss must be added
.
R
M m Z a dr M boss
rb
R
I P m Z a r 2 dr I boss
Where
rb
– M and IP are the mass and polar moment of inertia of
the propeller,
– m is the density of the propeller material,
– a the area of the blade section at radius r,
– Mboss and Iboss the mass and polar moment of inertia
of the propeller boss
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• area of a blade section depends upon its
chord c and thickness t
a = constant x c x t
• chords or blade widths at the different
propeller radii are proportional to the
expanded blade area ratio per blade
• section thicknesses depend upon the blade
thickness fraction
AE t 0
M km m D 3 M boss
AO D
AE t 0
I P ki m D 5 I boss
AO D
• where km and ki are constants which depend
upon the shape of the propeller blade
sections
In a propeller of 5.0 m diameter and 4.0 m pitch,
radial lines from the leading and trailing edges
of the section at 0.6R make angles of 42.2 and
28.1 degrees with the reference plane through
the propeller axis. Determine the width of the
expanded blade outline at 0.6R.
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