Abstract
Selection process of the propeller for short take-off and landing (STOL) category aircraft is described. The aim is to achieve the highest possible performance with fixed propeller, i.e., high maximal horizontal and cruise speed, short take-off and high rate of climb. These requirements are contradictory and so Pareto sets were used in order to find the optimal propeller. The method is applied to a family of geometrically similar propellers that are suitable for 73.5 kW (100 hp) piston engine designed for ultralight category aircraft with maximal take-off weight of 472.5 kg. The propellers have from two to eight blades, blade angle settings from 15° to 40° and diameter from 1.1 m to 2.65 m. Pareto frontier is designed for each pair of flight conditions, and the optimal propeller is selected according to these results. For comparison, the optimal propeller selection from the propeller family by means of a standard single-optimal process based on the speed power coefficient cs is also used. Use of Pareto sets leads to considerable performance increase for the set of contradictory requirements. Therefore, high performance for a low price for the given aircraft can be achieved. The described method can be used for propeller optimization in similar cases.
Highlights
Optimal propeller performance has been investigated from the beginning of aviation
Pareto frontier is designed for each pair of flight conditions, and the optimal propeller is selected according to these results
E.g., by Adkins and Liebeck [4] or Hepperle [5]. All these methods can be used for the aerodynamic design of optimal propeller for given flight condition
Summary
Optimal propeller performance has been investigated from the beginning of aviation. The first scientific work on propeller aerodynamic optimization was performed by Betz and Prandtl [1]. The theory of Betz and Prandtl was used by Larrabee for the aerodynamic design of the propellers with low loading [3]. This method is quite popular until today due to its simplicity and good results. It was later developed, e.g., by Adkins and Liebeck [4] or Hepperle [5]. E.g., by Adkins and Liebeck [4] or Hepperle [5] All these methods can be used for the aerodynamic design of optimal propeller for given flight condition
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