Adjustable Pitch Boat Propeller Hub and Blade Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional boat propellers with adjustable pitch are complex and costly due to the need for multiple molds and intricate construction, making them inefficient and expensive to produce.
Innovation Solution
A boat propeller design featuring a hub composed of two cylindrical members with slots and blades with oval-shaped insertion portions and adjustment members, allowing for easy adjustment of pitch by matching positioning members with receptacle members, reducing the number of required parts and simplifying assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional adjustable pitch propellers are used, then pitch adjustment capability is achieved, but device complexity and production cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The propeller is divided into modular components: a hub assembly with cylindrical members, slots for blade insertion, and receptacle members for positioning. This segmentation allows independent manufacturing of simple parts that can be assembled in different configurations to achieve various pitch angles, reducing overall construction complexity while maintaining adjustability.
Solution Approach 2:
The hub assembly serves multiple functions: it provides structural support, enables blade insertion through slots, and facilitates pitch adjustment through the interaction of positioning members with receptacle members. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate adjustment mechanisms, thereby simplifying the overall device structure.
2Adaptability or versatility
If conventional adjustable pitch propellers are used, then pitch adjustment capability is achieved, but production cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the propeller into simple, standardized components (hub with cylindrical members, slots, receptacle members), each part can be manufactured using conventional, cost-effective processes. The simplified geometry of individual parts reduces tooling requirements and manufacturing complexity, lowering production costs while maintaining pitch adjustability.
Solution Approach 2:
The design uses repeated, identical receptacle members and slot configurations that can be copied across multiple blades and hub assemblies. This standardization allows for efficient mass production through replication of proven, simple designs, reducing per-unit costs while maintaining the ability to adjust pitch.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple molds are used for different pitch propellers, then various pitch types can be produced, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
A single universal hub mold can produce hub assemblies with standardized slots and receptacle members that accommodate multiple pitch configurations. The universality of the hub design allows the same mold to produce components for different pitch angles, eliminating the need for separate molds for each pitch type and significantly reducing tooling costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The propeller design incorporates movable and adjustable elements (blades with positioning members that can engage different receptacle members) rather than fixed, mold-determined pitch angles. This dynamic adjustability allows a single mold to produce components that can be configured for various pitch types through assembly variations rather than requiring separate molds for each pitch.
Data Source
AI summary
A boat propeller comprises a hub formed of a first cylindrical member and a second cylindrical member detachably joined together. The second cylindrical member comprises a plurality of insertion cavities formed in the second cylindrical member, an end of each of the insertion cavities having a plurality of receptacle members. The boat propeller also comprises a plurality of blades equal in number to the number of insertion cavities. Each blade comprises a blade piece portion and an adjustment member, a tip of the adjustment member comprising a positioning member such that the positioning member makes contact with at least one of the receptacle members when the adjustment member is inserted into the corresponding insertion cavity. The positioning member of the adjustment member is selectively matched with one or more of the receptacle members for adjusting a pitch of the blades.