INTRODUCTION TO

PROPELLERS
 PROPELLERS

• Consist of two or more

blades and a central hub
to which the blades are
attached.
• Propeller blades produce
force that create thrust to
pull or push the airplane
through the air.
 PROPELLERS
• The propeller blades are made in the
shape of a wing of an aircraft.
• When the engine rotates the propeller
blades, the blades produce lift. The lift is
called thrust and moves the aircraft
forward.
• Most aircraft have propellers that pull
the aircraft through the air. These are
called tractor propellers. Some aircraft
have propellers that push the aircraft.
These are called pusher propellers.
CROSS –SECTION OF A PROPELLER
 CROSS –SECTION OF A PROPELLER
• Leading edge – The edge where the airflow
first meets the propeller
blade.
• Trailing edge – The edge behind the leading
edge.
• Chord line – The imaginary straight line
connecting the leading edge and the
trailing edge.
• Blade Face – The half of the blade below the
chord line.
• Blade Back - The curved half of the blade
above the chord line.
• Angle of Attack – Angle between the chord
line and the relative airflow.
Propeller Blade Design

• The blade shank is the thick,

rounded portion of the
propeller blade near the hub
and is designed to give
strength to the blade.

• The blade butt, also called the

blade base or root, is the end
of the blade that fits in the
propeller hub.
Propeller Blade Design
• The blade tip is the part of the propeller blade farthest from the
hub, generally defined as the last 6 inches of the blade.

• The typical propeller blade is the twisted from the blade root to
the blade tip. The cross-sectional area of the blade when moving
from root to tip decrease as depicts in the figure below.
Forces acting on a Propeller
Types of Propeller according to the location on the
aircraft
• Tractor Propeller – They are mounted on the front side of the
aircraft and provide thrust in the forward direction pulling the
aircraft forward.
Push Propeller

• They are mounted on

the back(rear) side of
the aircraft and
provide thrust in the
forward direction
pushing the aircraft
forward.
 Types of Propellers according to the Blade Angles

• Fixed-pitch Propeller – A fixed-pitch

propeller has the blade pitch, or
blade angle, built into the propeller.
The blade angle cannot be changed
after the propeller is built. This type of
propeller is one piece and is
constructed of wood or aluminum
alloy.
 Ground-adjustable Propeller
• This type is also a fixed-pitch
propeller. The pitch, or blade angle,
can only be changed when the
aircrafts is on ground and when the
propeller is not running.
• The pitch of the blades cannot be
changed in flight. The ground-
adjustable propeller is often used
on present aircraft.