PREDICTION OF STEADY AND UNSTEADY MARINE PROPELLER PERFORMANCE BY NUMERICAL LIFTING-SURFACE THEORY

The ability to predict steady and fluctuating distributions of forces acting on a marine propeller blade is of practical importance in the assessment of propulsive performance, the determination of propeller blade strength, the dynamic analysis of the hull and propulsion system, and the prediction of cavitation. This paper presents the results of a long-term effort carried out at Massachusetts Institute of Technology for the purpose of developing a numerical lifting-surface theory for marine propellers to be used as a practical tool in the solution of both steady and unsteady flow problems. The paper presents a review of the theory and a description of the numerical methods employed, followed by systematic tests establishing the numerical convergence of the procedure and a number of specific comparisons with published experimental and theoretical data.