An experimental investigation into cavitation behaviour and pressure characteristics of alternative blade sections for propellers

During the final quarter of the last century considerable efforts have been spent to reduce the hull pressure fluctuations caused by unsteady propeller cavitation. This has resulted in further changes in propeller design characteristics including increased skew, tip unloading and introduction of "New Blade Sections" (NBS) designed on the basis of the so-called Eppler code. An experimental study was carried out to investigate flow characteristics of alternative two-dimensional (2-D) blade sections of rectangular planform, one of which was the New Blade Section (NBS) developed in Newcastle University and other was based on the well-known National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) section. The experiments comprised the cavitation observations and the measurements of the local velocity distribution around the blade sections by using a 2-D Laser Doppler Anemometry (LDA) system. Analysis of the cavitation tests demonstrated that the two blade sections presented very similar bucket shapes with virtually no width at the bottom but relatively favourable buckets arms at the suction and pressure sides for the NAGA section. Similarly, pressure analysis of the sections displayed a slightly larger value for the NBS pressure peak. The comparative overall pressure distributions around the sections suggested that the NBS might be more susceptible to cavitation than the NACA section. This can be closely related to the fundamental shape of the NBS with very fine leading edge. Therefore a further investigation into the modification of the leading edge should be considered to improve the cavitation behaviour of the NBS.