A Study of Practical Supercavitating Propeller

Abstract

This paper describes the design and performance of practical supercavitating propellers (SCPs).
Prototypes of SCPs were designed using two design methods, in order to check both geometric forms. One was developed by SSPA, and the other was based on the theoretical research having been advanced in recent years. The differences were shown about the blade contours and the blade section distributions.
Moreover, prototypes of SCPs were designed using the theoretical design method on several design points corresponding to the practical use range. Then, the series of standard geometric form for practical SCP model was determined based on the geometric form acquired by these prototype designs.
Using the theoretical design method and this series, two models of SCPs were designed, manufactured, and tested in a large cavitation tunnel at the National Maritime Research Institute. As the result, the performance of the practical SCP model was shown to be equivalent or better than that of the theoretically designed SCP.