Preliminary Determination of Propeller Aerodynamic Characteristics for Small Aeroplanes

Abstract

This paper deals with preliminary determination of propeller thrust and power coefficients depending on the advance ratio by means of some representative geometric parameters of the blade at a specific radius: propeller blade chord and blade angle setting at 70 % of the top radius, airfoil thickness at the radius near the tip and the position of the maximum blade width. A rough estimation of the non-linear influence of propeller blades number is included.The published method is based on Lock`s model of the characteristic section and the Bull-Bennett lift and drag propeller blade curves. Lock`s integral decomposition factors and the loss factor were modified by the evolution of the experimental propeller characteristics. The numerical-obtained factors were smoothed and expressed in the form of analytical functions depending on the geometric propeller blade parameters and the advance ratio.