Low and high speed propellers for general aviation - Performance potential and recent wind tunnel test resultsA survey is presented of current research efforts in general aviation, low-speed propeller design and high-speed propfan design, with attention on such features as (1) advanced blade shapes, with novel airfoils and sweep, (2) tip devices, (3) integrated propeller/nacelle designs, (4) area-ruled spinners, (5) lightweight, all-composite blade construction, and (6) contra-rotating propfan systems. The potential overall improvements associated with these design modifications are calculated to lie at 10-15% for low-speed rotors and 15-30% for high-speed ones. Emphasis is placed on noise reduction, blade drag, performance prediction methods and wind tunnel testing of alternative rotor configurations. Extensive use of graphs is made in performance comparisons between alternative blade and rotor designs.
Document ID
19810058354
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Jeracki, R. J. (NASA Lewis Research Center Cleveland, OH, United States)
Mitchell, G. A. (NASA Lewis Research Center Cleveland, OH, United States)