Evaluation of Propeller Unsteady Force Codes for Noncavitating Conditions

Abstract

The objective of this investigation is to identify the best code for calculating the unsteady forces and moments on surface ship propellers during noncavitating operating conditions. The codes being evaluated are MPUF-3A and PROPCAV from the University of Texas at Austin, and PUF-2 and PUF-14 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The theoretical and numerical methods used by the codes are examined, and calculations of blade forces and moments are compared to measurements for several test cases. There were few consistent trends in the comparisons of calculations to measurements, and no one code stood out as being significantly better than the others for most test cases. PUF-2 and PROPCAV were a little better on average than the other codes for predicting blade frequency thrust and torque. The codes that used an inclined shaft wake model (PUF-2IS and MPUF-3A) were not consistently better at predicting blade loads than codes that did not use an inclined shaft wake model (PUF-14 and PROPCAV), for Propellers 4661 and 5168 on inclined shafts. MPUF-3A and PROPCAV were better overall than the other codes for predicting the first harmonic amplitudes, for propellers on an inclined shaft.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 01, 2005
Accession Number
ADA438908

Entities

People

  • Donald Fuhs

Organizations

  • Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Division

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Ground and Sea Platforms

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Accuracy
  • Amplitude
  • Boundary Value Problems
  • Coordinate Systems
  • Diameters
  • Engineers
  • Frequency
  • Grids
  • Marine Propellers
  • Measurement
  • Open Water
  • Propeller Blades
  • Propellers
  • Reynolds Number
  • Surface Warfare
  • Test And Evaluation
  • Water Tunnels

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Aerodynamics.