Aerodynamics of Propellers in Interaction Dominated Flowfields
An Application to Novel Aerospace Vehicles
Tom Stokkermans (TU Delft - Flight Performance and Propulsion)
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Abstract
This research is on the aerodynamics of propellers in interaction. As a propeller is dependent on the flowfield it encounters, any disturbance in that inflow results in changes in loading on the propeller. This can result in propulsive efficiency changes and affect stability through generation of in-plane forces and out-of-plane moments. The loading changes can also impact noise through loading fluctuations and cause vibrations in the structure leading to fatigue. The objective of the research in this dissertation is to get a fundamental understanding of the role of aerodynamic interaction on the loading and performance of primarily the propeller and secondarily the interacting object(s) in typical configurations where interaction dominates the flowfield. For the propeller this refers to situations where the inflow is disturbed by such an amount that the disturbance is a dominating factor in the propeller loading.