17.1 Fundamentals Flashcards
what is the design and function of a propellor?
it takes a large quantity of air and pushes it backwards slowly rather than a small amount quickly like that of a turbojet
what speeds are propellors most efficient at?
lower speeds
what was the initial design of propellors?
originally they were designed as small aerofoils wish merely pushed air back
what improvements have been made to modern propellors?
they are now made of aluminium with thinner aerofoil sections and greater strength
what did the introduction of gas turbine engines allow for?
efficient operation at medium altitudes and speed
what is Propeller?
A device, consisting of a rotating hub with two or more radiating blades; used to propel an aircraft.
what is the Hub?
The central portion of a propeller which carries the blades.
what is the blade?
Aerofoil section that is attached to the hub.
what is the blade butt?
The base of the propeller blade where the root ends.
what is the Blade root/shank?
The thickened portion of the blade nearest to the hub.
what is the Blade station?
A distance measured from the centre of rotation, normally measured in inches or centimetres.
what is a master reference station?
A distance is measured from the centre of rotation where all measurements are taken from.
where is a master reference system usually?
Normally 75% from the centre of rotation on a fixed-pitch propeller and can be 50–75% on a variable pitch propeller.
what is the blade face?
The flat thrust producing side of a propeller blade.
what is the blade back?
The curved side of the propeller blade facing the direction of flight.
what is the blade chord line?
A line through the blade profile at the points between the face and back surfaces.
what is the plane of rotation?
The plane in which the propeller rotates. This is 90° to the engine centreline.
what is blade angle?
The angle between the blade chord line and the plane of rotation.
what is pitch?
Distance advanced in one complete revolution.
what is the function of the pitch change mechanism?
a device to alter blade angle
what does fine pitch mean?
Vertical blade angles. Also referred to as “Low pitch”.
what does coarse pitch mean?
Horizontal blade angles. Also referred to as “High pitch”.
what does reverse pitch mean?
Turning the propeller blades to a negative angle to produce braking or reversing thrust.
what is the dome assembly?
Encases the pitch change mechanism.
what is the spinner?
An aerodynamic fairing that covers the centre of the propeller.
what is ab tractor propellor?
A propeller mounted in front of the leading edge of the wing or on the nose of the aircraft.
what is a pusher propellor?
A propeller mounted behind the trailing edge of the wing, or at the rear of the fuselage.
what is the backward moving air from a propellor called?
slipstream
what is the hubs function?
to attach the blades to a piston engine, reduction gearbox or more recently an electric motor drive shaft
what principle does a propellor function on?
newtons third law
why do we feather propellor blades?
to prevent windmilling
what is the feather angle?
90 degrees
what are the losses associated with a propellor?
-slipstream
-friction between air and propellor blades
what do the losses associated with propellors cause?
the ratio of the power developed by the power plant and the what propellors ability to convert that energy to thrust is lessened
what is the name for propellors ability to take power from the powerplant and convert it into thrust called?
propellor efficiency
what is momentum theory?
the propeller disc decreases the diameter of the air after the disc
who came up with momentum theory?
R.E. Froude and W.J.M Rankine
what does element theory deal with?
aerodynamic forces acting on the propellor blades
how does element theory function?
breaking down the blade into sections and determining how torque and thrust act on these independent sections
how is blade angle expressed?
θ (Theta)
what is pitch likened to?
gearing in a car low pitch for low speed and higher pitch for higher speeds
what does fine pitch allow for in terms of RPM?
high RPM as it does not take a large bite out of the air and can spin easily
what will the finer pitch cause?
a smaller distance traveled in one revolution
what is Blade Angle α (Alpha) Range
varying pitch in flight between fine and coarse
what is α (Alpha)?
angle of attack
what is angle of attack?
the angle between the profile chord line and the relative airflow towards it
what is Angle of Advance or Helix Angle φ (phi)?
the angle between the rotational plane of the propeller and the relative airflow.
what is the path of a propellor described as?
a helix
what changes the angle of advance?
The angle of advance increases with increasing airspeed.
what is caused by reverse angle?
thrust being directed in the opposite direction
what range is reverse angle a part of?
beta
what is another name for reverse pitch angle?
negative pitch angles
what does reverse pitch result in?
braking action
what can reverse angle be used for?
reversing and braking
what is brake moment in reverse thrust?
the air is turning the propellor which is required to be overcome so a torque force is being applied
(also known as a windmilling propellor)
what are the other names for beta range?
flight fine or flat pitch
what does lift depend on in propellors?
-aerofoil shape
-RPM
-angle of attack
how do we ensure an almost constant angle of pitch?
create geometric twist on the propellor
what is the design of the pitch across the propellor?
the pitch reduces as you move away from the centre axis
why does pitch vary across the blade?
to avoid tip stall at cruise speed
what are the other reasons for shape change across the blade?
static and aerodynamic reasons
what are root losses?
the thicker root has higher aerodynamic losses
what are tip losses?
tip vortices and induced drag cause losses at the tip
what is blade washout?
to maintain a constant angle of attack the blade is twisted downward from root to tip