Abstract:
The use of composite materials in the construction of marine propellers has been a topic of interest for re searchers worldwide. These materials have several advantages over traditional metallic ones, including being lighter in weight, requiring less complex machining and finishing processes, and offering noise reduction capabilities suitable for military submarine vehicles. This paper presents the results of a study on the development of a scale-size carbon fiber marine propeller, which was compared to an aluminum propeller with the same geometry. The aluminum propeller was fabricated using a conventional procedure for an autonomous underwater vehicle. Both models used in the study were a DARPA MOD5, a seven-blade propeller designed to operate in moderately and lightly loaded conditions near the maxi mum efficiency point of operation. Tests were conducted at the IPT’s Cavitation Tunnel to measure the torque and thrust coefficients for both propellers. The study also utilized Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) techniques to measure deforma tion at the blade tip and determine if the carbon fiber model could achieve similar stiffness compared to the aluminum one. The results of the study showed that the composite model performed comparably to the aluminum model, demonstrating the viability of composite materials for marine propeller construction. Deflections were similar, with a difference varying at the same level of uncertainty. Efficiency results for the carbon fiber model were slightly lower than the aluminum one, probably due to the leading edge finishing and minor deflections, but in acceptable range. This research has significant implications for the marine industry, as the use of composite materials in marine propeller construction could lead to re duced manufacturing costs, improved performance, and reduced noise levels. Future research in this area could explore the development of composite.
Referência:
CASTRO, Felipe Santos de; KOGISHI, André Mutsuo; CORREA, Helio; DANTAS, João Lucas Dozzi; STEFFEN, Luís Augusto; TEIXEIRA, Daniel. Development of a marine composite propeller. In: INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, 27., 2023, Florianópolis. Lecture… 16 slides.
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