ABSTRACT

1
 ABSTRACT

The contra-rotating propeller is a propeller system that obtains high

propeller efficiency by collecting rotational energy flowing out from the front
propeller with a propeller that rotates in the opposite direction to the front
propeller and converting it into propulsion. Hereinafter, a marine propulsion
device equipped with a counter-rotating propeller is referred to as a “counter-
rotating propeller marine propulsion device”.

Conventionally, installation of a propulsion device on a ship is generally

performed at a building shipyard. However, the contra-rotating propeller has a
complicated structure in various respects such as a bearing structure, a lubrication
structure, and a seal structure as compared with the single-shaft propeller in order
to enable the counter-rotating operation. For this reason, when installing a
counter-rotating propeller type propulsion device on a ship, it is necessary to be
familiar with assembly know-how about counter-rotating propellers at the
building shipyard, and building shipyards with poor assembly know-how about
counter-rotating propellers. Then, installation was difficult.

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INTRODUCTION

3
 INTRODUCTION

Aircraft equipped with contra-rotating propellers, also referred to

as CRP coaxial contra-rotating propellers, or high-speed propellers, apply the
maximum power of usually a single piston or turboprop engine to drive
two coaxial propellers in contra-rotation (rotation about the same axis in opposite
directions). Two propellers are arranged one behind the other, and power is
transferred from the engine via a planetary gear or spur gear transmission.
Contra-rotating propellers are also known as counter-rotating
propellers,[2][3] although counter-rotating propellers is much more widely used
when referring to airscrews on separate shafts turning in opposite directions.

When airspeed is low, the mass of the air flowing through the propeller
disk (thrust) causes a significant amount of tangential or rotational air flow to be
created by the spinning blades. The energy of this tangential air flow is wasted in
a single-propeller design, and causes handling problems at low speed as the air
strikes the vertical stabilizer, causing the aircraft to yaw left or right, depending
on the direction of propeller rotation. To use this wasted effort, the placement of
a second propeller behind the first takes advantage of the disturbed airflow.

A well designed contra-rotating propeller will have no rotational air flow,

pushing a maximum amount of air uniformly through the propeller disk, resulting
in high performance and low induced energy loss. It also serves to counter
the asymmetrical torque effect of a conventional propeller (see P-factor). Some
contra-rotating systems were designed to be used at take off for maximum power
and efficiency under such conditions, and allowing one of the propellers to be
disabled during cruise to extend flight time.

A propeller is a rotating fan-like structure which is used to propel the ship

by using the power generated and transmitted by the main engine of the ship. The
transmitted power is converted from rotational motion to generate a thrust which

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imparts momentum to the water, resulting in a force that acts on the ship and
pushes it forward.

A ship propels on the basis of Bernoulli’s principle and Newton’s third

law. A pressure difference is created on the forward and aft side of the blade and
water is accelerated behind the blades.

The thrust from the propeller is transmitted to move the ship through a
transmission system which consists of a rotational motion generated by the main
engine crankshaft, intermediate shaft and its bearings, stern tube shaft and it’s
bearing and finally by the propeller itself.

A ship can be fitted with one, two and rarely three propellers depending
upon the speed and manoeuvring requirements of the vessel.

Material and Construction of Propeller

Marine propellers are made from corrosion-resistant materials as they are

made operational directly in seawater which is a corrosion accelerator. The
materials used for making marine propeller are alloy of aluminum and stainless
steel. Other popular materials used are alloys of nickel, aluminium and bronze
which are 10~15 % lighter than other materials and have higher strength.

The construction process of the propeller includes attaching a number of

blades to the hub or boss by welding or forging in one piece. Forged blades are
highly reliable and have greater strength but are expensive as compared to welded
ones. A marine propeller is constructed by sections of helicoidal surfaces acting
together to rotate through the water with a screw effect.

Types of Propeller

Propellers are be classified on the basis of several factors. The

classification of different types of propellers is shown below:

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A) Classification by Number of Blades Attached:

Propeller blades may vary from 3 blade propeller to 4 blade propeller and
sometimes even 5 blade propeller. However, the most commonly used are 3
blades and 4 blade propellers.

However, the most commonly used are 4 blades and 5 blade propellers.

The propeller efficiency will be highest for propeller with a minimum

number of blades i.e. 2 blade propeller. But to achieve strength factor and
considering the heavy loads subjected by the ship, sea and weather two-blade
propellers are not used for merchant ships.

3 blade propeller

A 3 blade propeller has the following characteristics:

 The manufacturing cost is lower than other types.

 Are normally made up of aluminium alloy.

 Gives a good high-speed performance.

 The acceleration is better than other types.

 Low-speed handling is not much efficient.

4 blade propeller

A 4 blade propeller has the following characteristics:

 The manufacturing cost is higher than 3 blade propellers.

 4 blade propellers are normally made up of stainless steel alloys.

 Have better strength and durability.

 Gives good low-speed handling and performance.

 Has a better holding power in rough seas.

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  4 blade propeller provides a better fuel economy than all the other types.

5 blade propeller

A 5 blade propeller has the following characteristics:

 Manufacturing cost is higher of all.

 Vibration is minimal from all the other types.

 5 blade propellers have better holding power in rough seas.

6 blade propeller

 Manufacturing cost is high

 Vibration is minimal from all the other types.

 6 blade propellers have better holding power in rough seas.

 With six blade propeller, the induced pressure field over the propeller
decreases

Large container ships are mainly fitted with 5 or 6-bladed propellers.

B) Classification By pitch of the blade:

Pitch of a propeller can be defined as the displacement that a propeller

makes for every full revolution of 360 ̊. The classification of the propellers on the
basis of pitch is as follows.

Fixed Pitch Propeller

The blades in fixed pitch propeller are permanently attached to the hub.
The fixed pitch type propellers are casted and the position of the blades and hence
the position of the pitch is permanently fixed and cannot be changed during the
operation. They are normally made from copper alloy.

Fixed pitch propellers are robust and reliable as the system doesn’t
incorporate any mechanical and hydraulic connection as in Controlled Pitch
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Propeller (CPP). The manufacturing, installation and operational costs are lower
than controlled pitch propeller (CPP) type. The manoeuvrability of fixed-pitch
propeller is also not as good as CPP.

These type of propellers are fitted in a ship which does not have good
manoeuvrability requirements.

Controllable Pitch Propeller

In Controlled Pitch type propeller, it is possible to alter the pitch by rotating

the blade about its vertical axis by means of mechanical and hydraulic
arrangement. This helps in driving the propulsion machinery at constant load with
no reversing mechanism required as the pitch can be altered to match the required
operating condition. Thus the manoeuvrability improves and the engine
efficiency also increases.

This drawback includes the possibility of oil pollution as the hydraulic oil
in the boss which is used for controlling the pitch may leak out. It is a complex
and expensive system from both installation and operational point. Moreover, the
pitch can get stuck in one position, making it difficult to manoeuvre the engine.

However, the propeller efficiency for the CP propeller is slightly lower than the
same size FP propeller due to the larger hub to accommodate the blade pitch
mechanism and pipings.

Propeller Dimension: As a general rule, a larger diameter propeller will be

more efficient. But the real dimension of the propeller will depend on the type of
ship it will be used for and the following factors:

1. Aft body construction and design of the ship

2. Clearance requirement between the tip and hull of the ship

3. General ballast condition of the ship. For tankers and bulkers, the propeller
size will be small as compared to containers

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 4. The design draught of the ship

Propeller dimension approximate value

 For Container ship d/D = 0.74

 For Bulk carrier and Tanker d/D = 0.65

Where d- diameter of propeller, D- design draught

How does a ship propeller work?

For vehicles running on land, the propelling system which drives them is
different. In those systems, the engine powers the shaft which is attached to the
vehicle tyre to move ahead of the body of the vehicle. However, for ships which
are displaced in water, there are no such tyres or surfaces where they can ride.

The ship is displaced in the water and the propeller is used to drive the ship
ahead or backwards, depending upon the direction of rotation or pitch of the
propeller. The engine of the ship is connected to the propeller of the vessel via
shaft arrangement.

As the engine rotates the propeller, the radiating blades which are set at a
particular pitch form a helical spiral, similar to a screw. While doing this, it
transforms the power of rotation into thrust which is linear in nature. This linear
thrust will act upon water such that as the propeller blades rotate it creates the
pressure between the surface in front and back of it. Hence, a mass of fluid is
accelerated in one direction creating a reactive force which helps the body
attached to the propeller (which is the ship) moves ahead.

For the ship to move in the reverse direction, the engine and hence the
propeller is rotated in an anti-clockwise direction. This will reverse the thrust and
the ship will move astern. However, the engine of the FP-propeller is always
designed for clockwise rotation when sailing ahead, hence, prolong operation in
astern direction is not efficient.

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For ships fitted with CP propeller, the engine direction is not affected hence astern
efficiency of the ship is better than that of a fixed-pitch propeller.

Types of Propeller Shaft

The ship engine is connected to the propeller via different shafts connected
together, which can be named as:

1. Thrust Shaft

2. Intermediate Shaft

3. Tail Shaft

Thrust shaft:

The crankshaft of the engine is first connected to the thrust shaft which
passes through the thrust bearing whose main function is to transfer the thrust to
the ship’s structure. The casing of the thrust bearing is similar in construction to
that of main engine bedplate and the bearing is lubricated by main engine
lubrication system oil. The material of the thrust shaft is usually solid forged ingot
steel.

Intermediate Shaft:

The thrust shaft is then connected to a long intermediate shaft which comes
in parts and joined together using solid forged couplings. The length and number
of intermediate shaft joined together depends on the location of the main engine
as a larger ship will have more distance between the main engine and the
propeller. The material of the intermediate shaft is usually solid forged ingot
steel.

Tail Shaft:

The Tail shaft, as the name suggests, is the end part of the shafting
arrangement and carries the propeller. The tail shaft itself is carried on a

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lubricated stern tube bearing with seals as it connects and protrudes out of the
ship’s engine room into the open sea, carrying the propeller.

The lubrication system can be of oil-based or water type. The tail shaft
transmits the engine power and motion drive to the propeller. The material of the
tail shaft is usually high strength duplex stainless steel alloy.

Reason for Heavy Running of Propeller

A propeller is supplied with engine power to rotate and propel the ship in the
desired direction. If the amount of power provided to the propeller is not
generating the same rate of revolution, the propeller is considered to be in a heavy
running state which may be due to the following reason:

 Damage to propeller blades

 Increase in hull resistance due to hull fouling resulting in a change in

wakefield

 During rough / heavy seas

 Ship sailing against the current

 Ship sailing in light ballast condition

 Ship Sailing In Shallow Water

 Ship with a flat stern

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 SELECTION
OF MATERIALS

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 FACTORS DETERMINING THE CHOICE OF MATERIALS

1.Properties:

The material selected must possess the necessary properties for the proposed
application. The various requirements to be satisfied can be weight, surface
finish, rigidity, ability to withstand environmental attack from chemicals, service
life, reliability etc. The following four types of principle properties of materials
decisively affect their selection

 Physical

 Mechanical

 From manufacturing point of view

 Chemical

The various physical properties concerned are melting point, thermal

Conductivity, specific heat, coefficient of thermal expansion, specific gravity,
electrical conductivity, magnetic purposes etc. The various Mechanical
Properties Concerned are strength in tensile, Compressive shear, bending,
torsional and buckling load, fatigue resistance, impact resistance, elastic limit,
endurance limit, and modulus of elasticity, hardness, wear resistance and sliding
properties. The various properties concerned from the manufacturing point of
view are,

 Castability

 Weldability

 Surface properties

 Shrinkage

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2. Manufacturing Case

Sometimes the demand for lowest possible manufacturing cost or surface

qualities obtainable by the application of suitable coating substances may demand
the use of special materials.

3. Quality Required

This generally affects the manufacturing process and ultimately the

material. For example, it would never be desirable to go casting of a less number
of components which can be fabricated much more economically by welding or
hand forging the steel.

4. Availability of Material

Some materials may be scarce or in short supply, it then becomes

obligatory for the designer to use some other material which though may not be
a perfect substitute for the material designed. The delivery of materials and the
delivery date of product should also be kept in mind.

5. Space Consideration

Sometimes high strength materials have to be selected because the forces

involved are high and space limitations are there.

6. Cost

As in any other problem, in selection of material the cost of material plays

an important part and should not be ignored. Sometimes factors like scrap
utilization, appearance, and non-maintenance of the designed part are involved in
the selection of proper materials.

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 LIST OF
COMPONENT

15
 LIST OF COMPONENT WITH DETAILS

Following are the important parts of co axial propeller machine prototype model

Sr. No. Component Material details

1 Frame Base Mild Steel
2 Bevel gear Hardened steel
3 Electric Motor Wiper motor

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WORKING
PRINCIPLE

17
 WORKING PRINCIPLE

A marine propulsion unit has two contra-rotating propellers driven by a

single shaft through gearing which includes a set of static planetary gears, an
external gear , and an internal gear . The gearing is mounted in an oil-filled gear
box having three, co-axial cylindrical sections. The outer two sections rotate in
opposite directions and provide respective propeller hubs. The intermediate
section is stationary and serves as a carrier for the planetary gears and a mount
for flow-straightening vanes which support a cylindrical shroud . An angular
passage may be provided in the intermediate section to exhaust combustion gases
through openings in the outside of the shroud when the unit forms part of an
outboard motor.

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BLOCK DIAGRAM

19
BLOCK DIAGRAM

20
 COST
ESTIMATION

21
 COST ESTIMATION

S.No Part Description Quantity Price

1
Bevel gear 3 Rs.1750

2 1 Rs.1200
Wiper motor

3 Frame - Rs.400

Total Rs.3350

10.1. LABOUR COST:

 Welding,
 Grinding,
 Power hacksaw,
10.2. OVERHEAD CHARGES:

The overhead charges are arrived by ”manufacturing cost”

Manufacturing Cost =Material Cost +Labour Cost

= 3350 + 1500

= RS.4850

Overhead Charges = 20%of the manufacturing cost

= Rs.970

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TOTAL COST:

Total cost = Material Cost +Labour Cost +Overhead Charges

Total cost = 3350 + 1500 + 970

= 5820/-

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FEATURES

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 FEATURES

ADVANTAGES

 The torque on the aircraft from a pair of contra-rotating

propellerseffectively cancels out.

 Contra-rotating propellers have been found to be between 6% and

16%more efficient than normal propellers.[4]

 However they can be very noisy, with increases in noise in the axial

(forward and aft) direction of up to 30 dB, and tangentially 10 dB.[4] Most

of this extra noise can be found in the higher frequencies. These substantial
noise problems limit commercial applications. One possibility is to enclose
the contra-rotating propellers in a shroud.[5] It is also helpful if the tip speed
or the loading of the blades is reduced, if the aft propeller has fewer blades
or a smaller diameter than the fore propeller, or if the spacing between the
aft and fore propellers is increased.[6]

 The efficiency of a contra-rotating prop is somewhat offset by

itsmechanical complexity and the added weight of this gearing that makes
the aircraft heavier, thus some performance is sacrificed to carry it.
Nonetheless, coaxial contra-rotating propellers and rotors have been used
in several military aircraft, such as the Tupolev Tu-95 "Bear".

 They are also being examined for use in airliners.

APPLICATIONS

 Marine Field, Aircraft

 Heavy Vehicles

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CONCLUSION

26
 CONCLUSION

First, the superiority of contra-rotating propellers over conventional single

propulsors in terms of open-water efficiency is confirmed. Reduction of rotational
losses, even though these are small compared to the axial losses, results in
significant improvement in efficiency, particularly for high thrust loadings.
Second, it is expected that CRP will be less prone to the inception of cavitation,
something that further fosters their use in highly loaded propeller applications.
Furthermore, reduction in pressure pulses can be achieved by adapting CRP sets
which inherently feature smaller blade diameters (larger hull-tip clearances) and
lower rotational speeds.

In spite of the forementioned attractive hydrodynamic characteristics of

CRP, these propulsor configurations have not been widely adopted to date, the
main reason being the increased mechanical complexity of the supporting drive
train and the associated high installation and maintenance costs. The advent of
electric propulsion and the improvement in the power density of propulsion
motors will most certainly increase the application of CRP by removing the need
for complex gear boxes, bearing and sealing systems. Therefore, propeller design
codes capable of handling CRP pairs, as the one presented in this thesis, will
receive increased attention during the ship design process.

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REFERENCES

28
 REFERENCES

[1] Prof. Kshirsagar Prashant R en all, “Theoretical Analysis of Multi-Way Power

Hacksaw Machine,” International Journal of Research in Advent Technology,
Vol.3, No.4, April 2015 E-ISSN: 2321-9637

[2] Rishi Anand,Khomesh,Shrawan Kumar,Prof. Alok Verma,” Theoretical

Analysis Of Four Way Hacksaw Blade Machine”, International Journal of
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[3] Prof. Nitinchandra R. Patel, Mohammad A. Vasanwala, Balkrushna B.Jani,

Miteshkumar D. Rathwa, Ravi A. Thakkar,” Material Selection and Testing of
Hacksaw Blade Based on Mechanical properties”, International Journal of
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[4] D.V.Sabarinanda, V.Siddhartha, B. Sushil Krishnana, T.Mohanraj , “Design

and Fabrication of Automated Hacksaw Machine”, International Journal of
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[5] Rakesh Ambade,Amit Sartabe,Meghraj Arekar,Vaibhav Khachane,Prajakta

Gawali ,” Design & Fabrication of Human Powered Multi-Purpose Machine”,
International Journal of Advanced Technology in Engine ering and
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[6] Kshirsagar Prashant R, Rathod Nayan,Rahate Prashant P,Halaye Prashant P

,”Theoretical Analysis of Multi-way Power Hacksaw Machine”,International
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9637,Vol.3,No.4,April2015.
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[7] Muhammad Ali Mazidi, Janice Gillispie Mazidi, and Rolin D. McKinlay
‘The 8051 Micro Controller and Embedded Systems’, 2nd Edition, Pearson
Education Inc. 2008

[8]http://www.ssiproject.com/mechanical_project.php?cool=160/
mechanical/production projects

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PHOTOGRAPHS

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