Loop-Blade Propeller for Non-Axial Lift and Axial Thrust
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing propellers struggle to efficiently generate non-axial lift and redirect non-axial fluid flow to create axial thrust, limiting their performance in applications requiring efficient fluid propulsion.
Innovation Solution
A propeller design featuring blades with a configuration that generates non-axial lift through a tip portion with a roll angle greater than 90 degrees, transitioning from an intake portion to an exhaust portion, allowing for the redirection of non-axial fluid flow to axial thrust.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional propeller blade configuration is used, then structural simplicity is maintained, but non-axial lift generation and fluid flow redirection efficiency are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The propeller blade is divided into distinct functional portions: an intake portion, a tip portion, and an exhaust portion. Each portion is optimized for its specific function - the intake portion captures fluid, the tip portion generates non-axial lift, and the exhaust portion redirects flow. This segmentation allows the complex thrust generation task to be distributed across specialized sections, improving overall efficiency without requiring the entire blade to be overly complex.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the blade are given different geometric properties tailored to their specific functions. The tip portion specifically features a roll angle greater than 90 degrees and extended radial distance to maximize non-axial lift generation, while other portions maintain configurations optimized for their respective roles. This localized optimization of blade geometry enables high thrust efficiency without requiring uniform complexity throughout the entire blade structure.
2Force
If blade tip portion is extended radially outward with roll angle greater than 90 degrees, then non-axial lift is increased, but blade structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The tip portion of the blade is designed with asymmetric geometry, specifically with a roll angle greater than 90 degrees and extended radial distance from the rotational axis. This asymmetric configuration is specifically tailored to generate non-axial lift by creating unequal pressure distributions on either side of the blade tip. The asymmetric design allows the blade to exploit fluid dynamics more effectively, generating additional lift force that symmetric configurations cannot achieve.
Solution Approach 2:
The blade tip portion extends further radially outward from the rotational axis than traditional blade designs, effectively utilizing the outer dimensional space available in the propeller system. This extension into the radial dimension allows the tip portion to intercept and redirect fluid flow more effectively, generating non-axial lift by operating in a three-dimensional flow field rather than being constrained to a single plane.
3Productivity
If non-axial fluid flow is redirected to axial thrust, then propulsion efficiency is improved, but fluid flow control complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The functions of fluid intake, non-axial lift generation, and flow redirection are merged into a single integrated blade structure rather than requiring separate components. The intake portion, tip portion, and exhaust portion work together as one cohesive unit to capture fluid, generate lift, and redirect flow into axial thrust. This merging eliminates the need for additional separate flow control mechanisms, achieving propulsion efficiency through the blade's inherent geometric design.
Solution Approach 2:
The blade geometry itself performs the fluid flow control function without requiring external control mechanisms. The asymmetric tip portion configuration and the transition between intake and exhaust portions automatically redirect non-axial fluid flow into axial thrust through its structural design. The blade serves its own flow control needs through its geometry, eliminating the need for separate active control systems and reducing overall system complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design enhances fluid propulsion by increasing non-axial lift, particularly in the tip portion, resulting in improved thrust generation and efficient fluid flow redirection, enhancing propulsion systems in aircraft, watercraft, and turbines.
Implementation Method 1
the distance from the rotational axis to the leading edge of the blade is greater than the distance from the rotational axis to the trailing edge of the blade in at least part of the tip portion
Implementation Method 2
a means for redirecting non-axial fluid flow to create axial fluid movement or thrust
Data Source
AI summary
A propeller having a plurality of blades extending radially outward from a hub, the blades forming a loop. Each loop can have an intake portion, an exhaust portion and a tip portion extending radially outward from the hub and a gap between the intake root and the exhaust root.