Effect of an upstream wake on a pusher propeller

An analytical/computational study has been conducted to predict the effect of an upstream wake on an operating propeller. The upstream wing/pylon was modeled by a constant chord wing of NACA 0012 sections and was placed at a variable distance (0.1 - 0.3 chord) upstream of a scaled model propeller (SR-2). The wake model was a similarity formulation. The periodic behavior ofthe flow during the passage through the wake was formulated in terms of time-dependent variation of each blade section's angle of attack. It was found that the final expressions for the unsteady pressure distribution on each blade section are periodic and that the unsteady circulation and lift coefficieents exhibit a hysteresis loop.