16 3, pp.

57-68, 2012 6

57

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.6108/KSPE.2012.16.3.057

* ** *** ****

Design on High Efficiency and Light Composite Propeller

Blade of High Speed Turboprop Aircraft
Changduk Kong* Kyungsun Lee** Hyunbum Park*** Won Choi****

ABSTRACT
In this study, designs of the high efficiency composite propeller blade for a high speed turboprop
aircraft, which will be used for a next generation regional commercial aircraft in Korea, are performed.
Both the vortex theory and the blade element theory are used for preliminary aerodynamic design and
performance analysis of the propeller. Then the aerodynamic design result is confirmed through
performance analysis using a commercial CFD code, ANSYS. The carbon/epoxy composite materials is
used, and the skin-spar-foam sandwich type structure is adopted for improvement of lightness and
structural stability. Finally, it is investigated that the proposed propeller blade has high efficiency and
structural safety through both aerodynamic and structural analysis and experimental test of a
prototype propeller blade.

.
ANSYS
. / ,
-- .
.
Key Words: Propeller Blade( ), Composite Materials(), Aerodynamic
Design( ), Structural Design( )
2012. 3. 28, 2012. 4. 27, 2012. 5. 3
* ,
** ,
*** ,
**** , ()
, E-mail: kscraft@paran.com

1.

58

/ ,

--

. ,

. HS 568F

[14]

, UDF(UnDucted Fan), Open Rotor

(ATP: Advanced Turboprop)

2.

5,200 m ,

. 1986 Roy H. Lange

Table 1 .

[1], 1987

F. Farassat

[2]. J. A. Liser

[3]. 2006

Quentin R. Wald

[6, 10], 75%

/ /

[4]. 1992 Takashi Yamane

[6-10].

[5].

,
.

(1)

: propeller diameter
: propeller rotation speed
: blade tip speed

16 3 2012. 6.

(2)

(6)

: advance ratio
: cruising speed

59

(7)

: propeller radius

: spinner or nacelle radius

: correction factor

HS1[11]
,
(distortion)

(8)

(9)

.

.

(3)

: corrected inflow velocity through propeller disc

: resultant velocity at propeller blade section

B (Tip loss factor) :

: blade section drag coefficient

: propeller efficiency

: blade section lift coefficient

B .

: power into propeller

: profile drag power

(Parameter) c
,

(4)

(11)

. 75%
/

.
(5)

a > 0
Newton-Ralphson method .

(10)

(Induced Velocity Factor) a

a3 + 2a2 + a - c = 0

/
[11].

(12)

tan

(13)

60

tan

: number of blade

: section blade radius

: pitch

(14)

: chord length
: propeller tip radius
: velocity at radius r

: blade angle

: air density

: section pitch angle

Fig. 1 Aerodynamic configuration of the proposed

propeller blade

Table 1. System specification

Rotation speed(RPM)
Flight Speed(m/s)

980
142

Thrust(kN)

10.36

Power(HP)
Efficiency

2229
0.89

Table 2. Aerodynamic design results

Diameter(m)

4.07

Number of Blades

Blade root chord(m)

0.347

Table 3. Blade angle and chord length distribution at

each blade section
Fig. 2 Aerodynamic design result of propeller assembly

Section

r/R

(blade angle)
[degree]

Cr
[mm]

A-A
B-B
C-C
D-D
E-E
F-F
G-G
H-H
I-I

0.20
0.30
0.40
0.50
0.60
0.70
0.80
0.90
1.00

65
63
59
55
50
46
41
39
35

347
347
348
352
348
338
318
248
53

3.

.

[9].

Table 2

4.07 m, 0.347 m, 8

, ,

, Table 3

. ,

Fig. 1 8

ANSYS

3 Fig. 2 .

16 3 2012. 6.

61

: speed ratio

: pitch angle at the tip

(15)

(Propeller force coefficients) .

tan

(24)

sin cos

(16)

tan

(25)

cos sin

(17)

: torque force coefficient

: trust force coefficient

( , , , ,
)

(Interference
Factor) .

(Axial)

.

sec

(26)

sec

(27)

(Rotational) .

(18)

(19)

Eq. 15 Eq. 27
Eq. 26 Eq.
27 ( ),
( ) .

Solidity .

, .

(20)

Goldstein
,

sin

(21)

(22)

(29)

(30)

exp
sin

. ANSYS

Prandtl .

(28)

Figure 3

cossin

(23)

.

, free-slip wall

62

4.

HS
568F [14] --
. Fig. 5
.


Fig. 3 Calculated Cp and Ct at each spanwise station

.


.
Table 5
.
Load case 3
Load case 3
. Load case 3

. Fig. 6 3

Fig. 4 Aerodynamic performance analysis results

using commercial CFD code, ANSYS

.

Carbon/epoxy UD Prepreg .

Table 4. Comparison between theoretical analysis results

and numerical analysis results using ANSYS

J
Efficiency(%)
Thrust(N)
Power(HP)

Theoretical
analysis
results
2.13
87.8
11028.97
2374.17
0.209
0.505

Analysis results
using commercial
CFD program
2.13
89.0
10378.41
2229.54
0.22
0.54

Table 6
.

,


(Netting rule) .

(Rule of mixture) .

. actuator

10%

disc MRF . Fig. 4

[15,

ANSYS . Table 4

16]. --

45

89%

[13].

16 3 2012. 6.

63

Table 6. Mechanical properties of materials

Carbon/epoxy Polyurethane
UD Prepreg
Foam

Material property

Fig. 5 Schematic blade sectional view with the skinspar-foam sandwich

Longitudinal
modulus (MPa)
Transverse modulus
(MPa)
Shear modulus
(MPa)

140,000

60.86

10,000

59.86

5,000

19.18

0.3

0.2

1,50

2.63

-1,200

1.41

-250

1.41

70

0.71

Density (g/cm )

1.5

0.1197

Ply thickness (mm)

0.125

12.5

Poisson ratio
Longitudinal tensile
strength (MPa)
Longitudinal
compressive
strength (MPa)
Transverse
compressive
strength (MPa)
In plane shear
strength (MPa)
3

Fig. 6 Bending moment diagram at design load case 1,

2, 3
Table 5. Load cases for structural design

Table 7. Thickness distribution of spar and skin along

blade radius station
Station

Spar flange

Plies

Station 1(Root)

[ (45,04,90)10 ]s

140

Station 2-1

[ (45,04,90)6,45,03 ]s

94

Load case 1

Load case 2

Load case 3

Station 2-2

[ (45,04,90)4,45 ]s

60

Cruise
condition

Loiter
condition

Take off
condition

Station 3-1

[ (45,04,90)3,45,0 ]s

48

Station 3-2

[ (45,04,90)2,45,02 ]s

36

Station 4-1

[ (45,04,90)2 ]s

28

Station 4-2

[ 45,04,90 ]s

14

Station

Skin

Plies

Station 1~5-1

[ 452,0,90,452 ]s

20

Station 5-2(Tip)

[ 452,0 ]s

10

.
[12] 5

5.

MSC.NASTRAN

[17].

, 9

84 MPa ,

64

90 MPa . 23
74 MPa,
69 MPa . Tsai-Wu
0.4
0.3
.
42 mm


.

Fig. 9 Structural safety of skin based on Tsai-Wu

failure criteria

1 4.8
.
Campbell

.
HS 568F
[14] 15% .
Fig. 7 Fig. 8 , , Fig.
9 Fig. 10 Tsai-Wu
Fig. 12 .

Fig. 10 Structural safety of spar based on Tsai-Wu

failure criteria

Fig. 7 Spanwise stress distribution of skin (1st ply)

Fig. 11 Campbell diagram of the designed blade

Fig. 8 Spanwise stress distribution of spar (23th ply)

Fig. 12 First buckling mode shape

16 3 2012. 6.

65

6.

Fig. 13 Design result of joint part

[16]. ,

128 MPa ,
85 MPa
.
Fig. 13 ,
Fig. 14 ,
Fig. 15 .

max

(31)
Fig. 14 Stress contour of joint part (steel bolt insert)
(32)

: diameter of joint

: area of joint
: moment
: centrifugal force
: section modulus of joint
: safety factor (=1.5)
: torque

7.

Fig. 15 Stress contour of joint part (composite part)

7.1

.
(mock-up)
,

.
,

,

Fig. 16 Complete manufactured prototype blade

66

[18-19]. Fig. 16
.
7.2

3

.
,

Fig. 17 Static strength test load

.
3
3 6

.
.

. Fig.
17

. Fig. 18 3

.
1.5

Fig. 18 View of the prototype blade under loading by

three-point loading fixture

1.5


.

1.5 . Table
8
.

10% .

Table 8. Comparison between predicted and measured

strains and tip deflections
Item

Analysis
results

Test
results

Error
(%)

Tip
displacement

42 mm

44 mm

4.8

Lower surface
strain at A
point

+221 S

+236 S

6.8

Lower surface
strain at B
point

+191 S

211 S

10.5

Lower surface
strain at C
point

+560 S

583 S

4.1

[18, 19].
NASTRAN .

FFT

16 3 2012. 6.

Table 9. Comparison between measured and predicted

natural frequencies

67

Mode shape

Analysis
results

Test
results

First flap mode

79 Hz

85 Hz

First lead lag mode

126 Hz

135 Hz

--

.
HS 568F 15%
.


.
.


.

Fig. 19 View of prototype propeller assembly with

8 blades

2011 R&D
85 Hz 79 Hz

. Table 9
. Fig. 19 8

1. Roy H. Lange, "A Review of Advanced

Turboprop transport aircraft," Progress in
Aerospace Sciences, Vol. 23, Issue 2, 1986,
8.

pp.151-166
2. F.

Farassat,

"Advanced

S.

L.

Padula,

M.H.Dunn,

noise

prediction

turboprop

based on recent theoretical results," Journal

, .

of Sound and Vibration, Vol. 119, No. 1,

, CFD

1987, pp.53-79
3. J. A. Liser, D, Lonhmann, C. H. Rohardt,

ANSYS

"Aeroacoustic

Propeller,

Design
Aerospace

of

a
Science

6-Blades
and

68

Technology,

Aerospace

and

13. , , Advanced

1997,

4. Quentin R. Wald, "The Aerodynamics of

14. HAMILTON SUDSTRAND CORPORATION,

Propellers," Progress in Aerospace Sciences,

TYPE CERTIFICATE DATA SHEET No

Vol. 42, Issue 2, 2006, pp.85-128

EH-2005T09,

Technology

Vol.

1,

Science

Issue

6,

pp.381-389

5. Takashi

, 2011, pp.67-71

Yamane,

"Aeroelastic

Tailoring

Analysis for Advanced Turbo Propellers

with

Composite

Blades,"

Computers

&

Fluids, Vol. 21, No. 2, 1992, pp.235-245

John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1948, pp.4-34
&

Repair,

Tab

Books, 1979, pp.113-118

8. Larrabee,

.E.,

"The

15. C. D. Kong, H. B. Park, G. S. Lee, W.

Choi, 2011. 4, "A Study on Conceptual
Blade of Turboprop," Proceeding of the
16. C. D. Kong, H. B. Park, K. J. Kang, "A
Study on Conceptual Structural Design of
Wing for a Small Scale WIG Craft Using

screw

Propeller,"

Scientific American, Vol. 243, No. 1, 1980,

pp.114-124
9. Adkins,

CT

2011 KSAS Spring Conference, pp.181-184

7. Welch, W.A., Light plane Propeller Design,

Maintenance,

Locks,

Structural Design for Composite Propeller

6. Nelson, W.C., Airplane Propeller Principles,

Selection,

Windsor

06096-1010, April 2005, USA

Carbon/Epoxy

and

Foam

Sandwich

Composite Structure," Advanced Composite

Materials, Vol. 17, No. 4, 2008, pp.343-358

C.N.,

"Design

of

Optimum

Propellers," J. of Propulsion and Power,

Vol. 10, No. 5, Sept-Oct, 1994, pp.676-682
10. McCormick,

B.W.,

Aerodynamic

17. MSC,

Software,

MSC.

NASTRAN

2005

Release Guide, 2005

18. C. Kong, T. Kim, D. Han, Y. Sugiyama,
Investigation of fatigue life for a medium

Aeronautics and Flight Mechanics, John

scale

Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1995, pp.291-319

International Journal of Fatigue, Vol. 28,

11. Harry S. Wainauski et al., "Airfoiled Blade

United

State

Patent,"

Patent

Number:

composite

wind

turbine

blade,

Issue 10, 2006, pp.1382-1388

19. C. Kong, J. Bang, Y. Sugiyama, "Structural

4,830,574, Date of Patent: May 16 1989

investigation of composite wind turbine

12. , , , ,

blade considering various load cases and

--

fatigue

pp.2101-2114

, 2011, pp.803-807

life,"

ENERGY,

Vol.

30,

2005,