1.

0 PROPULSION CONCEPT

Propulsion is the term used to describe mechanical

means of enabling a floating vessel such as a ship
or boat to propel itself through the water.
Practically all craft are propelled by marine screws;
some are still propelled by paddle wheels for their
novelty value; others use water jets because of
restricted water depth or high speed requirements;
and other concepts such as using an electro-
magnetic force to induce thrust are being studied.

MARINE TECNOLOGY REFERNCE BOOK

 For any self propelled vessel the following
functions are essential:

1. A propulsion system which provides the necessary

thrust to give the vessel in a specified speed and in
some cases the static thrust is of importance. The
normal solution is a conventional marine propeller
with shaft line, stern tube with seals, line shafting
bearings, reduction gear in the case of medium
speed engines and the propulsion engine itself.
Remote control of the machinery from the bridge is
nowadays normally provided.

MARINE TECNOLOGY REFERNCE BOOK

2. A steering system which provides control
of the ship's direction and course keeping
at speeds at which a rudder is effective.
The standard solution is a rudder to
deflect the water stream aft of the
propeller, with rudder post and bearings
and a steering machine with auxiliaries.
Rudder control from the wheelhouse is by
remote control of the steering gear from a
wheel or lever. An interface to an autopilot
system is normally provided.
Rudder:
The flow of water
deflects on the rudder
making the ship turn.

Thrust
Flow
3. A maneuvering system for safe and rapid
ship control in confined waters where
speed and direction control of the
propellers in combination with rudder
movement is still inadequate. To achieve
better results it is normal to fit transverse
thrusters at the bow and in same cases
also at the stern. Such a side thruster is
normally in a tunnel, with a suitable drive
system, and remote controls from the
wheel­house.
 Not all vessels are identically equipped,
for among the above three main functions,
many options exist, particularly with regard
to marine propellers, with merits for each
particular application.
 Controllable Forces
Screw Propeller
•Left hand screw :
- Rotates CCW when viewed from astern.
• Right hand screw :
- Rotates CW when viewed from astern.
• Pressure face : High pressure side of blade. The
astern side when going ahead
• Suction side : Low pressure side. Surface opposite
the face Suction side

Trailing edge. Leading edge

Pressure side
Propellers:
Thrust - The low pressure on the
forward face and high pressure on
the trailing face produce a force,
called thrust, which drives the ship
through the water.
Side force - As the lower blades pass
through water with greater pressure,
they produce a side force at low
speeds.
Side Force

Side
Force
Bow Thruster Azimuth Thruster

Voith Schneider
cycloidal propellers
1.1 PROPELLER APPLICATION

For reasons of simplicity, efficiency and the

need to minimize initial costs, the preferred choice
for ships is to fit a single fixed pitch propeller of
optimum diameter, pitch, etc, in open water
arrangement with a balanced type spade rudder aft
of the propeller. For some vessels, however, there
are advantages from using more than the one
propeller, with two being the most common.
Propellers may also be ducted to improve thrust
performance or CP propeller types may also be
selected for vessels required to manoeuvre
frequently.

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1.2 MULTIPLE SCREWS

The use of twin or triple screw propulsion is an

adaptation of the concept of utilizing the
largest possible propeller diameter but, in cases
where the diameter is limited by the hull or
draught, multiple propellers allow a greater
mass of water to be utilized than the single
screw alternative. In twin screw installations the
benefit from the energy in the wake is lost due
to the off centre position of the propellers but
this can be obtained with triple screws where
the centre screw absorbs most of the power. Twin Screw
Through multiple propellers may not provide
the most efficient form of propulsion, there are,
nevertheless, other benefits. Some advantages
are: the power required is distributed over a
number of smaller engines; enhanced safety in
case of failure of one propeller or prime mover;
enhanced maneuverability as each propeller can
be operated ahead and astern independently.
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1.3 OVERLAPPING PROPELLERS

Interlocking or overlapping propellers are in effect twin

screws arranged in such a way that the blade discs overlap
each other, with a view to utilizing some of the wake energy.
This system is rarely used in practice because if the units are
fitted in the same longitudinal position some form of gear
arrangement is necessary to prevent the blades from
interfering with each other.

Counter-rotating propellers

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1.4 DUCTED PROPELLERS

A ducted propeller is one which is encircled by a duct

of special shape such as the Kort nozzle. The propeller
operates with a small clearance between the blade tips and
the internal wall of the nozzle, while the nozzle itself extends
forward of the propeller and has a hydrofoil cross section.
Ducted propellers are now very well established for
tugs and trawlers where a high thrust is required at a low
ship speed.

Ducted Propeller

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1.5 SCREW PROPELLER FEATURES

The most common form of propulsor for ships is the

fixed pitch or conventional screw propeller. It is a simple
device, as it is mostly cast in one piece from metals such as
aluminium, cast iron, stainless steel and bronze alloys. For
merchant ships most propellers are made from bronze alloys
containing copper, aluminium and nickel, combining strength
with resistance to corrosion.

Single Screw

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2.0 PROPELLER EFFICIENCY

The performance and efficiency of a propeller

is greatly affected by the main dimensional
parameters, some of which are discussed below.

a) Propeller diameter

The most important factor affecting propeller

efficiency is the propeller diameter and associated
pitch ratio. Normally for a given propeller diameter,
the pitch is fixed from power absorption
requirements. Pitch ratios outside the norm for a
given power absorption can lead to heavy and light
propellers.
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 Skew

Boss size Diameter

Blade surface area

b) Number of blades

The number of blades fitted to a particular

propeller is mainly chosen with consideration to
vibrations but for given revolutions the lower the
number of blades the greater the propeller
efficiency. Over the normal range of blade numbers
from four to six, a four bladed propeller will be
about 2% more efficient while with three and even
two bladed propellers, the greater efficiency can be
more significant. However, the vibration
characteristics of low blade numbers represent a
high risk and more blades of smaller diameter may
be the optimum choice for a passenger ship, for
example where vibrations are unacceptable.
c) Blade surface areas

The surface area of the blades has a direct effect

upon efficiency as it is associated with friction
caused by the propeller in operation. However, the
surface area is greatly affected by the need to
control cavitations under all conditions. Cavitations
is the production of bubbles or cavities in the water
from pressure reduction at the blade edges,
causing a reduction in thrust and efficiency and
erosion of the propeller material.
d) Blade thickness

The thickness of the blades has little effect on

efficiency but has a direct effect on the strength of
the propeller blades needed to resist bending and
fracture.

e) Boss size

The size of the propeller boss effects efficiency as

it is known that the larger boss needed for CP
propeller to house the actuating gear leads to a
reduction in propeller efficiency.
f) Skew

The sweep back shape or skew of propeller

blades reduces the pressure impulses on
the hull adjacent to the propeller. This
results in reduced vibrations so it may be
possible to use a larger diameter and more
efficient propeller than one without skew
back.
g) Blade clearance

Propeller blade clearances are important as

they affect the propeller hull interaction and,
as clearances reduce, the thrust deduction
increases, therefore blade clearances should
be as large as possible.
h) Propeller roughness

The frictional drag of a propeller in

operation is dependent on the surface
condition of the blades and the absorbed
torque is a function of the drag. There­fore,
a propeller will become less efficient with
increas­ing blade roughness associated with
fouling, damage or erosion.

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