Propeller performance analysis with analytical and numerical methods

Beginning with the 1900's, ever since the first propeller aircraft started flying, propellers still have important place for manned and unmanned aircraft. During aircraft design, it is especially important to obtain the performance curves of the propellers designed for certain aircraft cruising and propeller rotation speed. Tests are done for this purpose, but alternative methods are also used, because tests are quite costly and time consuming. These alternatives are generally analytical and numerical methods. In this thesis, numerical and analytical methods are used to obtain performance values of a Clark-Y section propeller configuration whose test data are given in NACA Report No. 640. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Lifting Line Theories are used as the numerical and analytical tools. The Autodesk Simulation CFD ™, a CFD solver, and the OpenProp, an open-source analytical solver, are used for analysis. Results of these two methods are compared with the NACA test data and the advantages and disadvantages are presented. In the last chapter, altitude effects on propeller performance are studied by using the CFD approach. The changing density due to altitude and its reflection on Reynolds and Mach numbers effects are presented.