D : Diameter

Z : Number of Blade
Left Prop: Anti Clockwise
turns
Right Prop: Clockwise Turns
Helix:
Pitch:
Sides:
Back/Suction/Low Pressure
Face/Pressure/ High Pressure

DD
 Skew: Joining the midpoints
Clearance between leading and trailing
edges at different radii.

0 Degrees <90 Degrees

0-30 Degrees
Example SSkew: Joining the midpoints
between leading and trailing
edges at different radii.
Propeller Geometry SCylindrical Coordinate
System: (r, q, z) is used.
Axial Velocity: VA
Tangential Velocity: 2pnr (wr)

Pitch Angle:

𝑃
𝜙 = tan!"
2𝜋𝑡

x=rcosq, y=rsinq, z=z

Example
Example
Blade Area
 Blade Shape
The blade shape can be varied to even out the cavitation along radius and in the case
of a nozzle propeller, it is advantageous to have wide-chord length at the tip (Kaplan
shape).
 National Advisory Committee for
Aeronautics (NACA). Old name of
Propeller Blade Sections today’s NASA (The National
Aeronautics and Space Administration)

Airfoil geometry can be characterized

by the coordinates of the upper and
lower surface. It is often summarized
by a few parameters such as:
maximum thickness, maximum
camber, position of max thickness,
position of max camber, and nose
radius.

One can generate a reasonable airfoil

section given these parameters. This
was done by Eastman Jacobs in the
early 1930's to create a family of
airfoils known as the NACA Sections.

Public Domain Aeronautical Software - http://www.pdas.com/

http://airfoiltools.com/
The NACA 4 digit and 5 digit airfoils were created by superimposing a simple meanline shape with
a thickness distribution that was obtained by fitting a couple of popular airfoils of the time:

+- y = (t/0.2) * (.2969*x0.5 - .126*x - .3537*x2 + .2843*x3 - .1015*x4)

The camberline of 4-digit sections was defined as a parabola from the leading edge to the position
of maximum camber, then another parabola back to the trailing edge.

NACA 4-Digit Series: NACA 4412

4 4 1 2
max camber position max thickness
in % chord of max camber in % of chord
in 1/10 of c
After the 4-digit sections came the 5-digit sections such as the famous NACA 23012. These
sections had the same thickness distribution, but used a camberline with more curvature near the
nose. A cubic was faired into a straight line for the 5-digit sections.

The 6-series of NACA airfoils departed from this simply-defined family. These sections were
generated from a more or less prescribed pressure distribution and were meant to achieve some
laminar flow.

After the six-series sections, airfoil design became much more specialized for the particular
application. Airfoils with good transonic performance, good maximum lift capability, very thick
sections, very low drag sections are now designed for each use.

Often a wing design begins with the definition of several airfoil sections and then the entire
geometry is modified based on its 3-dimensional characteristics.
Profile Sections

NACA16 NACAa0.8
i X/C T/C F/C
NACA16 AND NACA66
1 0.00000 0.25000 0.00000 Thickness and NACA a0.8
2 0.05000 0.39767 0.18408
Meanline distributions are
3 0.10000 0.52893 0.30426
4 0.20000 0.75848 0.47480 commonly used in
5 0.30000 0.90483 0.58631 commercial design
6 0.40000 0.98212 0.65283
7 0.50000 1.00476 0.67896 propellers
8 0.55000 1.00000 0.67696
9 0.60000 0.97580 0.66442
T/C&F/C GRAPHS
10 0.70000 0.90280 0.60370
11 0.80000 0.77740 0.47713 1,50000

12 0.85000 0.68900 0.36826 1,00000

13 0.90000 0.57620 0.24349
0,50000
14 0.92500 0.50540 0.17941
0,00000
15 0.95000 0.41820 0.11626
0,000000,200000,400000,600000,800001,00000
16 0.97500 0.30080 0.05586
17 0.98750 0.21540 0.02725 T/C F/C

18 1.00000 0.00000 0.00000

 Frame 001 ½ 26 Sep 2005 ½

0.12
0.11
0.1
0.09
r/R=1.000
0.08 r/R= .950
r/R= .900
r/R= .850
0.07 r/R= .800
0.06 r/R= .700

y(m.)
0.05 r/R= .600
r/R= .500
0.04
r/R= .400
0.03
r/R= .300
0.02 r/R=
r/R= .250
.230

0.01
0
-0.01
-0.02
-0.075 -0.05 -0.025 0 0.025 0.05 0.075
x(m.)

Frame 001 ½ 25 Sep 2005 ½ 3D PROPELLER GEOMETRY DEFINITION

Z

X
Y

0.08

PITCH AND CHORD DISTRIBUTIONS

0.06

1.40
0.04

1.20 0.02

1.00
P/D, c/D

0.80 P/D

Z
0.60 c/D
-0.02

0.40 -0.04

0.20 -0.06

0.00 0.05

0.00 0.20 0.40 0.60 0.80 1.00 1.20

-0.08

0
Y

r/R -0.05 0
X

-0.025
Then, the following geometrical parameters
of the profile are to be determined;
c(r ) f
Profile chord distribution M
(r )
Mean line or camber distributionc

Profile max. thickness distribution

t
(r )
c
Pitch ratio distribution P (r )
D
P
Pitch angle distribution F(r ) = arc tan
2p r