History of the Aircraft Propeller
The aircraft propeller looks like a simple mechanism to the uneducated individual. To the educated, an aircraft propeller represents the highest sophistication in aerodynamics, mechanical engineering and structural design. This report will touch on the history of the propeller, from early pioneers/experiments, advancement during/after the war, all the way up to current applications of the propeller.The creation of the propeller can be traced back to Leonardo da Vinci. Da Vinci's "helical screw" helicopter is believed to be the ancestor of the air propeller and the helicopter rotor. The first idea of a propulsive airscrew, however, belongs to J.P. Paucton, a French mathematician. Paucton envisioned a flying machine that had two airscrews, one for propulsion and the other for sustaining flight. The idea of using an airscrew for propulsion was utilized during the late 1700's to early 1800's. Only after experimentation did the inventors conclude that more propulsive power could be obtained by merely straightening out the surface of the airscrew blades. Attempts to utilize the "straight blade" propeller were made by balloonists. These contraptions were quite strange and hardly fulfilled their purpose of actually propelling
Controlled mechanical flight came on August 9, 1884. The war brought much advancement to the propeller. I hope this report was as interesting to read as it was to write. Two major breakthroughs occurred after the war: the once piece metal propeller, and the ground adjustable pitch propeller. Thinner blades also improved efficiency at higher speeds. This contraption was powered by two 180hp steam engines that each drove propellers 17ft, 10inches in diameter and weighing 135lbs. In 1875, Thomas Moy created a large model that had twin 12ft propellers with 6 blades each! Interestingly enough these blades could be adjusted to produce maximum thrust under certain conditions, an early recognition of the need for changing blade pitch. After WWII, the Hydromatic propeller was improved by Hamilton Standard to include features such as reversible pitch, automatic synchronization, and electrical blade deicing. This dilemma made designing the propeller one of the Wright brothers most challenging problems. To reach the next plateau of flight an increased knowledge of the propeller would be needed, and the mysteries of the propeller and mechanical power would need to be solved. The age of the Turboprop brought a few changes to the propeller. One of the first designs was the "Integrale", developed by Lucien Chauviere, the world's first industry standard propeller manufacturer. The metal propeller could be made thinner than a comparable wooden propeller, which allowed for faster cruising speeds due to less drag from compressibility. The two-blade propellers, inversely tapered and squared at the tips 5 1/2 ft wide, were made of American Pine, planed smooth, covered with glued canvas and stayed to the propeller shafts with steel wire to handle the high thrust loads.
Common topics in this essay:
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Acceptance Essays
