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. The requirements are following: high maximal horizontal and cruise speeds, short take-off, high rate of climb and fixed propeller. These requirements are contradictory and so Pareto sets were used in order to find the optimal propeller. The method is applied for 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 472.5 kg. The propellers have from two to eight blades, blade angle settings from 15° to 40° and diameter from 1.1m to 2.65m. Pareto frontier is designed for each couple of parameters 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. Using of Pareto sets leads to considerable performance increase for the set of contradictory requirements. So, high performance power system with low price (fixed pitch propeller) for STOL category aircraft can be designed. The described method can be used for the propeller optimization in similar cases.
Highlights
An optimal propeller for a designed aeroplane with a specified engine represents in the general case its optimal design that means assessment of such propeller blade geometry and number of blades that ensure fulfilment of required flight performance of the aeroplane according to a design aeroplane strategy
Multi-objective optimization using Pareto sets of flight performance of 473kg small short take-off and landing (STOL) sport aeroplane powered by 73.5kw (100hp) engine to select a fixed propeller from a family of geometrical similar propellers was performed
The optimal Pareto fronts were investigated for four pairs of opposing flight performance: 1.Maximum horizontal flight speed – Take-off distance 2.Maximum horizontal flight speed, – Maximum rate of climb 3.Take-off distance – Maximum rate of climb. 4.Maximum horizontal flight speed – maximum horizontal flight speed
Summary
An optimal propeller for a designed aeroplane with a specified engine represents in the general case its optimal design that means assessment of such propeller blade geometry and number of blades that ensure fulfilment of required flight performance of the aeroplane according to a design aeroplane strategy. Such access to the optimal power unit belongs to propeller producers. The classic optimal selection of the optimal propellers uses is based on the speed power coefficient This procedure pick out such propeller geometry from the propellers family that insures the maximum propeller efficiency for chosen engine working point (power and speed) at a design flight speed. The selection of one optimal propeller depends on preference (weights) of the individual flight performance extremes or other (non-performance) economic and operating criteria as price, availability, reliability and others
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