The choice of propeller design parameters with respect to cavitation control¹

Article type: Research Article

Authors: van Oossanen, P.

Affiliations: Netherlands Ship Model Basin, Wageningen, The Netherlands

Note: [1] The main part of this paper was presented at the Symposium on “Hydrodynamics of ship and off-shore propulsion systems”, by Det norske Veritas, Oslo, March 20–25, 1977.

Abstract: In this paper results are given of a study of how the type and extent of cavitation on screw propellers, working in wake flows, are influenced by different values of propeller geometry and propeller-operation parameters. The method developed by the author for the theoretical prediction of cavitation is employed to calculate the extent of cavitation on face and back of the blades of a systematic series of propellers. This propeller series is derived by varying the main geometry parameters around a centre – or reference – propeller. To determine the dependence of the extent of cavitation on different types of non-uniform velocity fields, the cavitation characteristics of the reference propeller are also calculated for a systematic series of wake field parameters. The results of these calculations indicate that the cavitation performance of a propeller can be significantly affected by changing values of geometry and operational parameters for a given wake field.

DOI: 10.3233/ISP-1977-2427801

Journal: International Shipbuilding Progress, vol. 24, no. 278, pp. 265-283, 1977