Ship Hydrodynamics2

Propeller Geometry

Dr. Adel Banawan

 Ship Hydrodynamics2
Alexandria University
Propeller Geometry

Outline
• Propeller diameter, boss, and area
• Other propeller geometrical parameters
• Blade rake and skew
• Blade transverse and radial sections
• Blade surface
• Propeller pitch
• Example

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Propeller Geometry

RT

Vs

Ship

Propeller

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Propeller Geometry RT

Let us look more closely to the propeller Vs

Ship

Propeller
NOT TO SCALE

T
Ship-Propeller Arrangement

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Propeller Geometry

Propeller
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Propeller Geometry

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Propeller Geometry

Left Hand Right Hand

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Propeller Geometry
Number of Blades

From 2 to 7
Identical

Spaced uniformly
around the hub

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Number of BladesPropeller Geometry

Spaced uniformly at angular Distances 360/Z degrees, where

Z is the number of blades.

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Propeller Geometry

Propeller
Diameter

Boss
Diameter

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Propeller Geometry

Propeller Diameter
Is the diameter of a circle with its center on the shaft axis and
tangential to the tips of the blades.

Boss Diameter
The blades at their lower ends or roots are attached to a boss,
which is in turn attached to the propeller shaft. The maximum
diameter of this boss is called the boss diameter.

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Propeller Disk Area

Disk Area D 2

4

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Blade area
Blade area is the area enclosed by the developed blade
outline

Blade Area Ratio (BAR)

Total blade area clear of boss

BAR 
Disk Area
AD: Developed Blade Area
AP: Projected Blade Area
AE: Expanded Blade Area

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Blade Area Ratio (BAR)

AD
Developed area ratio DAR 
A0

AP
Projected area ratio PAR 
A0

AE
Expanded area ratio EAR 
A0

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Propeller Geometry

Tip

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Propeller Blade Details

Trailing Edge Leading Edge

One Blade showing Leading and Trailing Edges

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Propeller Blade Section

Chord

Trailingchord
Edge Leading Edge

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Propeller Blade Section

Chord

Circular Back Section

Chord

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Aerofoil Section

Upper Camber
Maximum Thickness
Mean Camber

Chord Line

Aerofoil Section Lower Camber

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Blade Skew Skew

Blade Skew
Skew is the shifted distance of the tip in
opposite direction to propeller rotation.
Skew back evens out to some extent
the influence of a highly non-uniform
wake field and reduces peak values of
propeller-induced vibrations. Rotation

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Rake
Blade Rake

Rake is the longitudinal distance of the tip

from the vertical plane
The purpose of the rake is to increase
clearance of the tip from
the hull, the rake always being aft.

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Propeller Geometry
Tip
Blade Thickness Distribution

Thickness t( r )

Thickness at CL (t0)

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Blade Surface

Planar surface ?

Cylindrical surface ?

Conical surface ?

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Propeller Geometry

Propeller Blades are made of a helicoidal surface

What is a helicoidal surface?

Examples of helicoidal surfaces

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What is a helicoidal surface?

A
Generator Line
Helicoidal Surface
Translation
B
z
Cylinder

y
Rotation
x

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Propeller Geometry
Coordinates of a point on the surface:
z
x
P
x
2
y  r sin 
s
z  r cos


 P 
2

s    r 
2
y
 2 

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Cut along the upper slant and expand the cylinder surface
Blade tip helix

Pitch (P)
P
Blade root helix

 P 
f  tan 1  
 2r 

2r 2r

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At the hub: Ph  2rh tan fh 

At any blade radius r Pr   2r tan f r 

If P is constant along the blade then

f decreases as we go towards the tip

Pitch ratio:
The ratio of the pitch of a propeller to its diameter is
called the pitch ratio P/D.

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Example
A 0.30 m diameter model f
propeller has a constant
pitch-diameter ratio of 1. r
What is the pitch angle
distribution along the blade? fh
Hub radius is 0.2 Propeller radius
rh

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Solution

rh  0.2 R  0.2 * 0.15  0.03 m

 P   0.3  f  38.50
f h  tan 1    tan 1    57.86
0

 2rh   2 * 0.03 
r  0.4R

fh  57.80
rh  0.4 R  0.4 * 0.15  0.06 m
 P   0.3 
f0.4 R  tan 1    tan 1    38.51
0
rh  0.2 R
 2r0.4 R   2 * 0.06 

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The table below shows the pitch angle variation

along the blade

Pitch Angle f  38.50

r/R r(m) f (deg)
0.2 0.03 57.83 r  0.4R
0.3 0.045 46.67
0.4 0.06 38.49 fh  57.80
0.5 0.075 32.46
0.6 0.09 27.93
rh  0.2 R
0.7 0.105 24.44
0.8 0.12 21.68
0.9 0.135 19.46
1 0.15 17.64

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Propeller Blade surface is a part of a helicoidal surface

Why a helicoidal surface ?

And ….

Why a part?

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Early History of Marine Propeller

Time 0

950 BC 287-212 BC
Egypt Archimedes

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 ... screws in SeaWorld Archimedes Two
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What is in Archemeds Screw?

Draws water from one We need to do this for marine

side to the other propulsion
Reaction force is generated
We need this force
Provisions are made to stop
to move the ship
it from moving

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ARCHIMEDES

One of the Three greatest

mathematicians of all time along with
Newton and Gauss.
Known as "the wise one," "the master"
and "the great geometer"
Born in 287 B.C., in Syracuse, Sicily,
Discovered Buoyancy principal
Invented the Archimedes' watering screw
and a miniature planetarium.

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Adaptation of Archimedes Screw to Marine Propellers

Reaction force
Reaction force
Water flow Thrust

Water flow

Archimedes Screw Marine Propellers

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First Application (Francis Petit Smith ) 1835

Vs
Pitch Pitch Pitch

Thrust

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Suddenly !!!
Vs
With nothing changed ….

The boat moved faster

What happened ?!!!!

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Let us examine our archimedes screw

BROKEN

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Conclusion

The shorter the screw the higher the efficiency

Increasing the number of helical surfaces increases

the efficiency

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Sir Francis Pettit Smith 1808 -1874

a British inventor
one of at least three people disputably viewed as
inventor of the screw propeller .

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Propeller Drawing

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Propeller Drawing

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