Abstract
Boat propellers are damaged frequently and are replaced by new propellers once in every six months. The reasons for the damage in propellers used in Pilot boats are explored. A method for increasing the life of the propellers is proposed viz., improving the composition of the propeller material. Aluminium bronze materials are found to have better properties compared to the existing propeller materials. Three new alloys of Aluminium bronze have been developed to find a better material for extending the service life of the propellers. The preliminary results of mechanical properties evaluation clearly reveals that these alloys are alternative to the existing Copper-Tin-Zinc-Lead alloys. The alloy with Ni/Fe=1.1 (with a chemical composition of Cu 80.31%, Al 9.52%, Ni 4.87%, Fe 4.4% and Mn 0.9%) has been found to have better mechanical properties compared to other two alloys. This may be attributed to the possible formation of optimum morphology and volume fraction of intermetallics phases in copper matrix.
