Examination of wake adapted submarine propeller design using computational and experimental methods

The use of DARPA Suboff model and INSEAN E1619 propellers in submarine studies is a very common scenario. However, studies in this area are generally conducted with forward motion only. The working conditions of the propellers are actually in four directions rather than one direction. These are; clockwise and counter clockwise rotation of the the propeller during both the forward motion and the backward motion. This four-quadrant study is of great importance for maneuvering simulations and has not previously been performed on a submarine with a wake adapted propeller. It has been decided to create this thesis in order to make up for the lack of interest in this subject that has not been studied before. In order to use four quadrants to be used in submarine maneuver simulations, speed and rpm values are needed first. The hydrodynamic step angle (β) calculated in accordance with the speed and the rpm will be examined in four quadrants in the range of 0-360o. However, in this range (β) values do not always remain at the speed and cycle magnitudes at which experiments can be performed. No studies have been found in the literature regarding the calculation of the values within the submarine and propeller operating conditions. By creating a new method at this point, appropriate speed and rpm values are obtained. This method can also be considered as an innovative aspect of the thesis. Because in order to calculate the hydrodynamic step angle, the maximum forward and backwards speeds of the submarine have been added to the calculations. This will ensure all the operational conditions that may occur on the vessel. When forwards and backwards speeds were examined, the transition was made between each other, and during this transition, crash ahead and crash back maneuvers were examined in the course of the turn. In order to analyze these four different quadrants, fine, medium and coarse meshes were created on the model and the propeller. Flow analysis was then carried out according to the speeds and rpm values of the model and the propeller. Key Words: Propeller, Submarine, Adapted Propeller, Four Quadrant, Model Propeller, Propulsion Tests