Propeller thrust analysis using Prandtl's lifting line theory, a comparison between the experimental thrust and the thrust predicted by Prandtl' lifting line theory

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Title Propeller thrust analysis using Prandtl's lifting line theory, a comparison between the experimental thrust and the thrust predicted by Prandtl' lifting line theory
Publication Type thesis
School or College College of Engineering
Department Mechanical Engineering
Author Kesler, Steven R.
Date 2014-08
Description The lifting line theory was first developed by Prandtl and was used primarily on analysis of airplane wings. Though the theory is about one hundred years old, it is still used in the initial calculations to find the lift of a wing. The question that guided this thesis was, "How close does Prandtl's lifting line theory predict the thrust of a propeller?" In order to answer this question, an experiment was designed that measured the thrust of a propeller for different speeds. The measured thrust was compared to what the theory predicted. In order to do this experiment and analysis, a propeller needed to be used. A walnut wood ultralight propeller was chosen that had a 1.30 meter (51 inches) length from tip to tip. In this thesis, Prandtl's lifting line theory was modified to account for the different incoming velocity depending on the radial position of the airfoil. A modified equation was used to reflect these differences. A working code was developed based on this modified equation. A testing rig was built that allowed the propeller to be rotated at high speeds while measuring the thrust. During testing, the rotational speed of the propeller ranged from 13-43 rotations per second. The thrust from the propeller was measured at different speeds and ranged from 16-33 Newton's. The test data were then compared to the theoretical results obtained from the lifting line code. A plot in Chapter 5 (the results section) shows the theoretical vs. actual thrust for different rotational speeds. The theory over predicted the actual thrust of the propeller. Depending on the rotational speed, the error was: at low speeds 36%, at low to moderate speeds 84%, and at high speeds the error increased to 195%. Different reasons for these errors are discussed.
Type Text
Publisher University of Utah
Subject Experiment; Lifting line; Prandtl; Propeller; Theory; Thrust
Dissertation Institution University of Utah
Dissertation Name Master of Science
Language eng
Rights Management Copyright © Steven R. Kesler 2014
Format application/pdf
Format Medium application/pdf
Format Extent 1,020,574 bytes
Identifier etd3/id/3100
ARK ark:/87278/s64x8h09
Setname ir_etd
ID 196668
Reference URL https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s64x8h09
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