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Boat Propeller & Propulsion Terminology: Diameter
Boat Propeller & Propulsion Terminology: Diameter
Diameter
Defined as the maximum radius of one blade multiplied by 2.
The diameter of the circle scribed by the blade tips as the propeller rotates.
General rules:
Diameter usually increases as engine power increases and vice versa. (all other
variables remaining constant)
Diameter increases for slower boats and decreases for faster boats.
figure 1
Pitch
Theoretical definition:
The linear distance that the propeller would move in one complete revolution through a
solid medium not allowing for slip.
Under actual operating conditions, slip occurs as propellers rotate, so absolute forward
movement (actual pitch) is less than theoretical pitch.
Pitch Line
A line that passes through the Leading Edge and Trailing Edge of a blade used as a
reference for pitch angle.
Rake
Propeller blade will slant forward or aft from the Blade Centre Axis (BCA).
Positive rake - blade slants towards aft end of the hub.
Negative rake - blade slants towards forward end of the hub.
Can be specified in inches at the tip or in degrees.
Skew
Blade Centre Line is curvilinear sweeping back from the direction of rotation. Contour of
the blade is not radially symmetrical about blade centre axis.
Track
Measurement of axial position of all blades with respect to each other.
Rotation
Right hand propeller rotates clockwise when viewed from astern facing forward.
Left hand propeller rotates counter clockwise when viewed astern facing forward.
Twin screw applications utilize both LH (port side) and RH (starboard side) rotating
propellers.
Blade Numbering
By convention the blade located at the position of the keyway is identified as Blade 1,
the next blade in rotation is Blade2 and so on.
Blade Sections
Referred to as Cylindrical Sections.
Hub & fillet area account for about the first 20-30% of the sections.
Aerofoil
Crescent
Blade Thickness
A blade is thickest at the root for structural integrity.
Within each radial section, the point of maximum thickness may not necessarily
coincide with the midpoint of the chord length.
Disc Area
Area of the circle scribed by propeller blade tips (P r²) where P=Pi (3.14159) and r =
radius (1/2 diameter) of the propeller.
Camber
Defined as curvature in the mean thickness line of the blade section.
Blade Tip
Maximum reach of the blade from the centre of the hub.
Separates the leading and trailing edges.
Hub
Solid cylinder located at the centre of the propeller.
Bored to accommodate the engine shaft.
Hub shapes include cylindrical, conical, radius, & barrelled.
Keyway
Slender rectangular slot broached into the interior of the hub.
Helps to secure propeller to the shaft and prevent rotational slipping on the shaft.
Cup
Small radius or curvature located at the trailing edge of blade.
Cupping, helps to reduce or delay cavitation.
Helps to reduce slip, thus increasing actual pitch and usable thrust.
Cavitation
Cavitation
Cavitation is the phenomenon of water vaporizing or boiling due to the extreme
decrease in pressure on the forward, or, suction side of the propeller blade. Cavitation
can be caused by nicks in the leading edge, bent blades, too much cup, sharp corners
at the leading edge, incorrect matching of propeller style to the vessel and engine or,
simply high vessel speed.
Ventilation
Sometimes the term cavitation is used when in reality ventilation is actually occurring.
Ventilation is air from the water surface or exhaust gases being drawn into the propeller
blades which causes the propeller to over rev and lose thrust. This is the effect that you
sometimes feel when you are running in a following sea in rough weather.
Singing
Some propellers in service produce a high-pitched noise, often referred to as Singing.
This sound typically is a clear harmonic tone much like a humming or ringing wine
glass.
More of an annoyance than anything harmful, the causes of singing are not completely
understood. Many theories have been put forward to account for the phenomenon of
Singing, but it appears to be affected by critical factors for which the theories make no
allowance. For example a twin-screw vessel has one propeller that sings and the noise
is eliminated just by switching position of propellers. Or a singing propeller is replaced
by an identical spare Propellers which is found to be silent. Also the lower the number of
blades on a prop the less chances of "singing".
Anti-singing Edge
The singing is a result of propeller diameter and R .P.M. , Boat speed and Trailing-edge
thickness and shape or roundness. In most of the cases not much can be done on
Diameter, Rpm's or speed, but we can modify the Edge Geometry. This has been the
Strategy for all efforts to eliminate singing.
Most Propeller professionals (and others) are familiar with the Anti-singing Edge – a
Chamfering of the Trailing edge, typically on the Suction side. This shape avoids the
creation of curving flow eddies by cleanly separating the water flow off the blade.
The following graphic shows the Chamfering that goes from 0.5 or 0.4 Radius to the tip
of Suction Side.
However the adoption of unduly thin edges can result in erosion or fracture of the blade
near the edges. Anti-sing Edge may be considered as a last resort to minimize the
Singing of an existing Propeller.
Slip
The difference between the theoretical distance the propeller should travel in one
revolution and the actual distance the vessel travels.
For example if you cruise at 2000 rpm and your vessel has a 2:1 reduction gear, a
wheel with 24" pitch, your theoretical speed through the water should be 19.74 knots
(the distance a 24" wheel should move in one hour). In reality your vessel only does 14
knots at 2000 rpm on a calm day with no current, the difference is slip.