PROJECT SYNOPSIS ON

AIRCRAFT PROPELLERS






Submitted by
MOHAMMAD ASAD ANSARI
MOHAMMAD ISHRAT JAVED SIDDIQUI
DANYAL SAGIER SIDDIQUI
HEMANT KUMAR CHANDRA
B.TECH 4th year (2013-2014)
(MECHANICAL ENGINEERING)
UNITED COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND RESERCH
ALLAHABAD









Introduction

Propellers

Internal Combustion Engines

Gas Turbine Engines

Chemical Rockets

Non-Chemical Space Propulsion Systems
AER 710 Aerospace Propulsion
OBJECTIVE
The main objective of the project is to understand the functioning and
constructional details of the aircraft propeller. This project is an
attempt to throw some light on the use of mechanical engineering
designing of blade, analysis of operating force, analysis of material use
and stress distribution in an aircraft propeller.
The project also intend to understand the wide application and
history in the development of aircraft propeller. Aircraft propeller is
widely used in most of the aircraft carrier. It is also used in many of the
military operations in World War 2
nd
in most of the fighter planes as
well as bomber planes.
C-130
Nieuport N.28C-1
Introduction to the Propeller
The rotating blade of a propeller shares
similar characteristics to a wing passing
through the air
A propeller blade generates thrust F through
an aerodynamic lift force component,
demands an engine torque Q to overcome
aerodynamic drag, and will stall if the local
resultant angle of attack of the blade
exceeds max
Additional factors: trailing vortex generation,
tip losses, compressibility

Martin MB-2
Small Pressure Increase here
Greater Pressure Decrease
here
The result is
MORE LIFT
How lift is increased
PROPELLER SYSTEM
Small Pressure Increase here
Greater Pressure Decrease
here
The result is
MORE LIFT
How lift is increased
PROPELLER SYSTEM
Direction of travel
The difference in direction of travel and aerofoil incline is called:-
The ANGLE of ATTACK
How lift is increased
PROPELLER SYSTEM
PROPELLER SYSTEM
How the blade tip travel produces the HELIX ANGLE
Forward Speed
RPM RPM
Faster Forward Speed
Changes in FORWARD SPEED and RPM will change
the Helix Angle
How an increase in FORWARD SPEED changes the HELIX ANGLE
PROPELLER SYSTEM
All propeller blades are actuated by the same mechanical linkage
PROPELLER SYSTEM
Sliding Piston
Hard Stops
Fine
Pitch
Coarse
Pitch
Direction
of
Rotation
Direction
of Flight
Propeller
Blade
Actuating
Lever
Actuating
Link
DH-98 Mosquito
Forces acting on wing airfoil section (above) and propeller blade section (below)
Momentum-Blade Element
Theory

Logically, the next level of analysis would
look at a given propeller blades
aerodynamic performance from hub to
blade tip
one can discretize the blade into a finite
number of elements, while applying
momentum conservation principles
Momentum-Blade Element
Theory (Summary)
The above equations for C
T
and C
P
can
be integrated from the hub station (x = x
h
)
to the blade tip (x = 1) using a numerical
approach as one moves along the blade of
varying and c, calculating the various
pertinent parameters (C

, C
d
,
i
, etc.) in
conjunction
Thrust
Power
Propeller Propulsive Efficiency
Define as useful thrust power over overall
shaft power:
S
pr
P
FV

= q
J
C
C
d n C
V d n C
P
T
P
T
pr
= =

5 3
4 2

q
Also, via substitution:
A variable pitch propeller will have better efficiency over the
course of the flight mission, relative to a fixed pitch prop.
Chart illustrating propeller propulsive efficiency for an example propeller
Compressibility Tip Loss
Depending on the blade airfoil section
design, drag divergence (compressibility)
effects will become evident when the
propeller blades resultant tip speed V
R,tip

exceeds a local flow Mach number Ma
tip
of
around 0.85 (critical value, Ma
cr
)
As a result, one would not typically be
cruising at much greater than a flight Mach
number Ma

of around 0.6
2 2
) (

+ = Ma
a
nd
Ma
tip
t
)
1 . 0
(
100
15
cr tip
al min pr,no pr
Ma Ma
=q q
Dommasch correlation:
Blade tip Mach number:
Modern high-speed blades may be thinner, and swept
or curved along the blade length, to mitigate the
issues with compressibility and compression wave
development at higher local flow Mach numbers
Activity Factor
Activity factor (AF) is a design parameter
associated with the propeller blades
geometry. The more slender the blade
(larger radius, smaller chord), the lower
the AF value:
x x
d
c
AF
h
x
p
d
16
100000
3
1
=
}
p
d
c
AF 1563 ~
Typically see higher AF props on turboprop engines.
Blade Number
One has the option of setting the number
of blades, B, for a given application. While
one has a minimum of 2 blades to choose
from, one can presently go as high as
around 8 blades on the high-performance
end for an unducted propeller
On occasion, one also sees the use of two
contra-rotating rows of blades, to get more
thrust delivery from one engine