THAKUR INSTITUTE OF AVIATION TECHNOLOGY

Module 17.6: Propeller Maintenance

CAR 66 Level
Objective
Reference A B1
Propeller Maintenance 17.6 1 3
Static and dynamic balancing;
Blade tracking;
Assessment of blade damage, erosion, corrosion, impact damage, delamination;
Propeller treatment/repair schemes;
Propeller engine running

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17.6: Propeller Maintenance
PROPELLER INSPECTION AND MAINTENANCE
The propeller inspection requirements and maintenance
procedures discussed in this section are representative of those in
widespread use on most of the propellers described in this chapter.
No attempt has been made to include detailed maintenance
procedures for a particular propeller, and all pressures, figures
and sizes are solely for the purpose of illustration and do not
have specific application. For maintenance information on a
specific propeller, always refer to applicable manufacturer's
instructions.
Propellers must be inspected regularly. The exact time interval for
particular propeller inspections is usually specified by the
propeller manufacturer. The regular daily inspection of propellers
varies little from one type to another. Typically, it is a visual
inspection of propeller blades, hubs, controls, and accessories for
security, safety, and general condition. Visual inspection of the
blades does not mean a careless or casual observation. The
inspection should be meticulous enough to detect any flaw or
defect that may exist.
Inspections performed at greater intervals o f time, e.g., 25,
50, or 100 hours, usually include a visual check of:
1. Blades, spinners, and other external surfaces for excessive oil
or grease deposits.
2. Weld and braze sections of blades and hubs for evidence of
failure.
3. Blade, spinner, and hubs for nicks, scratches or other flaws.
Use a magnifying glass if necessary.
4. Spinner or dome shell attaching screws for tightness.
5. The lubricating oil levels when applicable.
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If a propeller is involved in an accident, and a possibility exists
that internal damage may have occurred. The propeller should be
disassembled and inspected. Whenever a propeller is removed
from a shaft, the hub cone seats, cones, and other contact parts
should be examined to detect undue wear, galling, or corrosion:
During major overhaul, the propeller is disassembled, and all parts
are inspected and checked for size, tolerances, and wear. A
magnetic inspection or another type of nondestructive test is
usually made at this time to determine whether any fatigue cracks
have developed on the steel components and assemblies.
PROPELLER VIBRATION
When power plant vibration is encountered, it is sometimes
difficult to determine whether it is the result of engine vibration or
propeller vibration. In most cases the cause of the vibration can be
determined by observing the propeller hub, dome, or spinner
while the engine is running within a1,200- to 1500 r.p.m. range,
and determining whether or not the propeller hub rotates on an
absolutely horizontal plane. If the propeller hub appears to swing
in a slight orbit, the vibration will normally be caused by the
propeller. If the propeller hub does not appear to rotate in an orbit,
the difficulty will probably be caused by engine vibration. When
propeller vibration is the reason for excessive powerplant
vibration, the difficulty will usually be caused by propeller blade
unbalance, propeller blades not tracking, or variation in propeller
blade angle settings. Check the propeller blade tracking and then
the low-pitch blade-angle setting to determine if they are the
cause of the vibration.
If both propeller tracking and low blade-angle settings are correct,
the propeller is statically or dynamically unbalanced and should
he replace. Or rebalanced if permitted by the manufacturer.
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BLADE TRACKING
Blade tracking is the process of determining the positions of the
tips of the propeller blades relative to each other. Tracking shows
only the relative position of the blades, not their actual path. The
blades should all track one another as closely as possible. The
difference in track at like points must not exceed the tolerance
specified by the propeller manufacturer.
The design and manufacture of propellers is such that the tips of
the blades will give a good indication of tracking. The following
method for checking tracking is normally used.
Install a heavy wire or small rod on the leading edge of the
aircraft wing or other suitable area of the aircraft until it
lightly touches the propeller blade face near the tip (figure7-
27).
Rotate the propeller until the next blade is in the same position
as the first blade, and mea• sure the distance between the rod
and blade. Continue this process until all blades have been
checked.
Propeller balance
There are two types of balance of importance when working with
propellers: static and dynamic.
Static balance
Static balance is checked and corrected at a propeller repair shop.
The propeller is mounted on a mandrel and placed across perfectly
leveled knife edges. For a two bladed propeller, the balance is
checked in two planes, one with the blades horizontal and one
with them vertical.
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A propeller with three or more blades is only checked for
horizontal balance. Horizontal balance is attained when one or
two blades will rest horizontally with no tendency for the
propeller to rotate.
Vertical balance is the balance between the two sections of the
propeller when it is divided along a straight line running
longitudinally through each blade and the hub. A two bladed
propeller is in vertical balance when it rests with the blades
vertical on the balance stand and there is no tendency for it to
rotate.
When a two bladed propeller is placed on a balance stand and it
rotates so one blade always comes to rest downward, the propeller
is out of horizontal balance. If it always comes to rest
horizontally, it is out of balance vertically.
Horizontal imbalance of a wood propeller is corrected by adding
solder to the metal tipping of the light blade. Vertical imbalance is
corrected by attaching a brass weight with countersunk screw to
the lightweight side of the hub.
Fixed pitch metal propellers are balanced in a propeller repair
station by removing some of the metal from the heavy side and
then refinishing the propeller.
Some constant – speed propellers are balanced by placing a lead
washer on a balancing stud inside the hollow blade shank. Small
amounts of unbalance are corrected by packing lead wool in the
hollow shanks of the bolts that fasten the halves of the propeller
barrels together. This type of balancing can only be done by a
certificated propeller repair station. Some of the other propellers
use plates attached to the exterior of the hub with fillister- head
machine screws for both vertical and horizontal balance.
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Dynamic balance
Dynamic balance is the most effective type of balancing as it takes
the entire factor into consideration. It is done with the propeller
installed on the engine in the airplane.
There are several aircraft balancers/analyzers in the market that
are essential for helicopter maintenance and extremely valuable
for propeller balancing. The actual equipment and the procedure
to be referred as per manufactures’ instruction.
Propeller inspections
Wooden Fixed-pitch Propellers
Because of the nature of the material from which they are made,
wooden propellers are relatively easily damaged by stones and
other hard objects, and they may also be affected by climatic
conditions. These propellers should frequently he inspected for
breaks in the surface finish, scores, nicks, cracks, delamination,
and security of the leading edge sheath. Minor defects in the
surface finish may be repaired by touching-up with varnish or
paint as appropriate, but any damage to the wood, other than
very minor damage, must be assessed in accordance with the
approved repair schemes, and the propeller repaired or returned to
the manufacturer as appropriate
Periodic Maintenance.
The intervals at which the propeller must be removed for
inspection are specified in the approved Maintenance Schedule.
With the propeller removed from the aircraft, the blades and boss
should be inspected for the sort of damage, paying particular
attention to those areas which are not visible when the propeller is
installed. In addition, the following inspections should be carried
out:-
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a. Bolt holes should be examined for ovality, rough edges, and
cracks radiating into the boss.
b. Boss faces should be examined for damage where they have
been in contact with the hub flanges, particularly at the
circumference of the flanges.
c. The centre bore should be examined for cracks and
delamination of the plies.
d. The mounting hub should be examined for corrosion, cracks,
correct fit on the crankshaft, and for condition of the
attachment bolts and nuts.
e. Where mounting cones are fitted, these should be checked for
corrosion, and for picking-up of the surface. Correct fit
between the hub and cones may be checked using engineers'
blue, an 80% contact normally being required.
Repairs
The limits of repairable damage are normally laid down in the
appropriate aircraft manual, and are related to a maximum depth
and area, expressed as a percentage of the thickness or chord of
the blade at that point.
a. Minor indentations and small longitudinal cracks may usually
be repaired by plugging with a mixture of glue and sawdust,
then sanding smooth.
b. Deep cuts or damage must be removed, and an insertion repair
carried out. Identical timber must be used, and particular
attention must be paid to matching the grain direction.
c. If slight tip or trailing edge damage is repaired by sanding to a
new profile, both blades must be similarly shaped.
d. If repairs to the metal sheath are permitted, extreme care is
necessary to prevent bruising of the wood when shaping the
new metal. The original screw and rivet holes must be used,
and the manufacturer’s recommended procedures carefully
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followed.
e. In all cases where repairs have been carried out, the propeller
must be balanced and re-protected in the original manner.
Metal Fixed-pitch Propellers
Aluminium alloy propeller blades are less prone to surface
damage than wooden propeller blades, but sharp indentations and
scores will cause stress concentrations which may lead to failure,
particularly if a number of damaged areas form a line across a
blade. Such propellers should be inspected frequently for
corrosion, dents, nicks, cuts, and other surface damage.
Periodic Maintenance.
Metal propellers are not normally overhauled at definite periods,
and are only removed for repair or reconditioning when the
condition of the blades makes this necessary. When the propeller
is removed, the mounting bolts should be examined for cracks,
using a suitable non-destructive testing method, and the propeller
mounting flange bolt holes should be examined for ovality and
cracks. In addition, the faces of the propeller boss should be
checked for fretting, corrosion, and cracks emanating from the
bolt holes.
Repairs.
Propellers which are bent or twisted, which have surface cracks in
a chordwise direction, or which have sustained damage in the
form of cuts, nicks, or gouges, beyond the limits of depth or area
specified by the manufacturer, must be returned to an approved
overhaul organization for repair. Minor repairs may be carried out
by removing metal from the. Damaged area, so that the final
depression is within the specified repair limits for the particular
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blade area. Metal should be removed with a smooth file and
emery cloth, and the repair should progressively be checked by
the penetrant dye process, until all damage has been removed and
a smooth shallow depression remains.
a. After repairs have been satisfactorily carried out, the propeller
should be carefully balanced, if repairs have been made to one
blade only, it may be necessary to remove material from the
other, heavier blade, at the position corresponding to that of
the repair on the damaged blade. Care must be taken not to
reduce blade chord or thickness below the minimum
dimensions specified for the particular propeller. If only a very
small amount of metal was removed during repair, balance
may often be restored by applying additional paint to the
lighter blade.
b. After balancing, the propeller should be partly or completely
reprotected, depending on the extent of the surface damage,
using the primer and paint or varnish specified by the
manufacturer.
Variable-pitch Propellers.
In some instances, variable-pitch propellers may be fitted with
steel blades, and particular care must be exercised during
inspection, because of the adverse effects of surface damage on
the fatigue life of these blades. Inspection and repair must be
carried out strictly in accordance with the manufacturer’s
instructions. Maintenance of variable-pitch propellers with
aluminium alloy blades is described below.
Periodic Inspection.
The following inspections should be carried out at the periods
specified in. the approved Maintenance Schedule.
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a. All visible parts of the propeller, its components, controls,
pipe connections and wiring, should frequently be inspected
for damage and security.
b. The blades should be inspected for damage in the form of
abrasions, cuts, nicks, or corrosion. Minor erosion or dents
may usually be left until the propeller is removed, but cuts or
gouges which may lead to cracks should be blended out
immediately, and the area should be repainted.
c. The spinner, hub and blade roots of hydraulically-operated
propellers should be examined for traces of oil leaking from
the pitch change mechanism. If the propeller is a 'dry hub'
type, oil leaking into the hub may, through centrifugal force,
flow through the blade bearings, remove the grease, and result
in premature failure of the bearings. Some traces of oil may be
found after initial installation, but, if the leakage persists, the
propeller must be stripped to the extent necessary to cure the
leak, and to clean and regrease the bearings. This particular
problem does not apply to propellers with 'wet' hubs, but any
leakage should, nevertheless, be investigated.
d. The CSU/PCU and connecting pipes should be inspected for
oil leaks. Leakage at the mounting face of the CSU/PCU may
be remedied by tightening the nuts or replacing the gasket, but
leakage from other parts of the unit will normally require a
replacement of the complete unit.
e. Whenever the propeller is removed, the slip rings and contact
brushes should be examined for damage and wear. Brush wear
over the operating period should be assessed, and the brushes
should be replaced if the rate of wear indicates that they will
not remain serviceable until the next overhaul.
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Damaged Blades.
Blades which are bent, twisted or cracked, or have severe surface
damage, must be considered unserviceable, and the propeller must
be returned to the manufacturer or an approved overhaul
organization. Minor surface damage may be blended out in the
same way as for fixed-pitch metal propellers, and within the
limitations imposed by the manufacturer.
If vibration is experienced, the blades should be inspected for
signs of cracks, dents, or bending. The track of each blade should
be checked, and the blade angles should be measured at the
specified station. It is usually possible to adjust the blade angle
of an individual blade by fitting shims to, or by adjusting the
length of, the operating rod from the pitch-change mechanism to
the blade. If all these checks are satisfactory, it is unlikely that the
propeller is the cause of the vibration.
Propeller operation (TPE3331 engine.)
To describe the operation of propeller, a Hartzell three – or four-
blade full feathering reversible steel – hub propeller is taken as an
example. (See fig-9-33).
Engine oil, boosted in pressure by the governor pump. Flows into
the propeller cylinder through the oil transfer, or beta tube and
moved the piston forward, rotating the blades to their low pitch
and reverse angles.
Note: in this propeller the piston is the movable component that
rides over the outside of the cylinder fixed into the propeller hub.
When the control system drains the oil from the propeller, the
combined force of the feather springs and the counterweights
move the blades into their high pitch and feather positions.
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A propeller driven by single-shaft turboprop engine beings
turnings as soon as the starter begins to rotated the compressor. To
minimize the starter load, the propeller blades are held in a flat
position (approximately 20 pitch angle) by a start lock pin on each
blade. The engine is shut down, when on the ground by the pilot
moving the power lever toward REVERSE to position a plate on
the blade roots behind the start-lock pins. When the engine speed
decreases to about 15 %, a spring pushes the start-lock pin out,
and it holds the blades in their flat or low pitch angle.
Power management
Two basic modes of engine operation are the beta mode and alpha
mode. Beta is the ground operations mode and includes start, taxi
and reverses operations, alpha is the flight mode and it includes all
operations from takeoff through landing. Typically, the beta
includes all operations from 65 % to 95 % and alpha from 95 % to
100 % of the engine rated RPM.
Figure 19-35 is simplified diagram of the power management
controls for a TPE3331 engine.
Beta mode: The range of operation of turboprop power plant that
is normally used for in-flight approach and ground handling of the
engine and aircraft
Alpha mode: The fight operating mode for a turbo prop engine
form take off through landing.
The propeller pitch control (PPC) is mounted on the reduction
gear assembly in line with the center of the propeller shaft. If
directs oil into and out of the propeller to change the blade angles
during ground operations. One end of the oil transfer or Beta tube
rides back and forth inside the PPC to act as a feedback device.
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The PPC is cam operated from the power lever, and during flight
operation it serves no function other than acting as an oil passages
between the propeller governor (PG) and the propeller.
The propeller governor is mounted on the reduction gear box, and
it operates in the same way as other flyweight governors,
controlling the engine speed from 97% to 100%RPM.
Below 97% RPM, the under speed governor (USG), which is
inside the fuel control and operated by the condition lever,
regulated the amount of fuel allowed to flow to the engine, to
maintain the selected RPM when the engine is below the speed
controlled by the PG.
The manual fuel valve (MFV), also inside the fuel control, meters
fuel in response to the power lever demands for high power.
A feathering valve (FV) is operated manually be moving the
condition lever to its extreme aft position or automatically by the
negative torque sensor (NTS). It shuts off the oil from the
propeller governor and the oil drains from the propeller allowing
the feathering spring to move the blades into their feathered
position.
When the engine is started, the power lever is in its GROUND
IDLE position and the condition lever in the LOW RPM position.
See figure 19-30 on page 694. When the engine starts the start-
lock pins in the propeller retract and the power lever positions the
PPC over the Beta tube, causing the propeller to move to a 0
degree blade angle. The Beta tube is attached to the propeller
piston as the and it moved forward with the piston as the propeller
blades move to their low pitch angle. The blade angle stops
changing when the Beta tube moves into the PPC’s neutral
position.
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The condition lever is used to set the desired RPM through the
USG during ground operations and the power lever varies the
blade to more the aircraft forward or reward.
When the power lever is moved forward, a cam in the PPC
uncovers an oil port on the end of the Beta tube, which allows oil
in the propeller to drain into the reduction gearbox. The feathering
spring and the force form the counterweights move the piston and
the beta tube reward increasing the propeller pitch until the Bata
tube , with its oil port covered reaches a new neural position
inside the PPC. The PPC and the Beta tube cause the propeller
pitch to respond proportionally to movement of the power lever.
When the blade angle increases, the engine begins to slow down,
but the USG, controlled by the position of the condition lever,
increases the fuel flow to the engine to maintain the selected
RPM.
When the power lever is moved rearward, a cam in the PPC opens
a passage in the Beta tube that directs governor boosted oil
pressure into the propeller piston. The piston and the Beta tube
move forward, and the blade angle decreases until the Beta tube
finds a new neutral position. This lower blade angle causes the
engine RPM to increase, but the USG reduces the fuel flow to
maintain the selected RPM.
When the power lever is moved to the FLIGHT IDLE position,
and the condition lever is moved to a higher RPM setting (97% to
100%), the USG is fully open and no longer affects the system
operation. RPM control is now accomplished by the PG. At this
time, the PPC covers the opening in the Beta tube so it no longer
moves oil into or out of the propeller and the pitch remains fixed.
The power lever then controls the fuel through the MFV.
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When the power lever is moved forward from its FLIGHT IDLE
position, it opens the MFV and at the same time the PPC cam
holds the propeller in a fixed pitch position allowing the RPM to
increase.
The condition lever controls lever controls both the PG and the
USG. When it is moved to the TAKE-OFF, or HIGH–RPM,
position its mechanical linkage adjusts the USG to 97 % RPM and
the PG to 100%. The USG meters additional fuel into the engine
to increase its speed to 97 %. This sets the engine up for take-off.
With the engine running at 97 %, the power lever is moved toward
its MAXIMUM position. As the RPM increases above 97 %, the
power lever is moved toward its MAXIMUM position. As the rpm
increases above 97% it approaches the setting of the PG. when the
PG senses 100% RPM, it takes control of the propeller and
increases the blade angle to absorb the increased engine power
and to maintain the set RPM.
When the power lever is moved aft, flow decreases, and the PG
decrease the blade angle to maintain the selected RPM.
On landing the pilot retards the power lever to reduce the fuel
flow and when there is no longer enough fuel to maintain the
speed set by the PG, the RPM drops to the range of the USG. At
this point, the power lever controls the propeller though the PPC
and the RPM is controlled by the USG metering enough fuel to
prevent the engine speed from dropping below that called for by
the condition lever position.
When the power lever is moved all the way to its aft stop, the
propeller blades move into a present negative angle to produce
revere thrust.
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When the engine is shut down in flight the propeller moves into
its feather position. The condition lever is moved to its full aft
position.

This shifts the feathering value and allows oil from the propeller
to drain into the gearbox.

The combined force from the feather springs and counterweights

on the blade shanks move the piston reward, forcing the oil out of
the propeller and moving the blades into their feather angle.

The feathering value may also be operated automatically by the

negative torque sensing (NTS) system. When the negative torque
sensor in the reduction gearing senses a loss of positive torque oil
pressure is directed into the feathering valve, shifting it to the
feather position.

An electric motor driven oil pump is used to unfeather this

propeller. Oil from the engine lubricating oil tank is boosted in
pressure by the unfettering pump and directed through the Beta
tube into the propeller. This moves the piston forward and the
blades into their low pitch position.

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