Marine Propeller Blade Attachment Using Cylindrical Inserts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Built-up propeller (BUP) designs face higher costs and lower hydrodynamic efficiency due to increased number of expensive parts and larger hub designs compared to fixed pitch propellers (FPP).
Innovation Solution
A marine vessel propeller with a built-up type circular array of propeller blades, where each blade is a single piece with a base part having radially extending cylindrical indents and fastening holes, and cylindrical inserts that fit into these indents, allowing for attachment to a propeller shaft with fastening bolts, while providing a slim hub design for improved hydrodynamic efficiency and corrosion resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of repair
If built-up propeller design is used to enable blade replacement, then ease of repair is improved, but device complexity increases due to more parts
Solution Approach 1:
The propeller is divided into modular components: a hub and multiple detachable blades. Each blade can be independently removed and replaced by unscrewing fastening screws, enabling selective repair of damaged blades without replacing the entire propeller. This segmentation directly improves ease of repair while the standardized modular design minimizes the increase in device complexity.
2Ease of operation
If built-up propeller design is used to enable blade detachment, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The propeller employs segmented blade components that can be independently detached from the hub through externally accessible fastening screws. This segmentation enables easy blade detachment for maintenance or replacement operations without requiring complex disassembly procedures, improving ease of operation while keeping the overall structure relatively simple.
Solution Approach 2:
Fastening screws act as intermediary elements connecting the blades to the hub. These screws provide a simple, standardized mechanism for attaching and detaching blades, enabling easy operation while avoiding the need for complex integration mechanisms that would increase device complexity.
3Ease of repair
If traditional BUP design with larger hub is used to accommodate multiple parts, then ease of repair is improved, but hydrodynamic efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The hub is segmented to contain precisely fitted recesses that receive the blade root portions. This segmentation allows the hub to be compact and aerodynamically optimized rather than requiring a large bulk structure, thereby maintaining hydrodynamic efficiency while still enabling blade replacement capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The blade root portions are nested within precisely fitted recesses in the hub, creating a compact integrated structure. This nesting arrangement allows the propeller to maintain a streamlined, hydrodynamically efficient外形 while accommodating the modular blade-hub assembly necessary for easy repair and blade replacement.
Data Source
AI summary
A marine vessel propeller to convert engine rotational power into propulsive thrust is of a built-up propeller (BUP) type having a circular array of propeller blades, wherein each propeller blade is a single piece including a blade part and a base part. The base part has a generally circular inner surface with a number of radially extending cylindrical indents provided with planar end wall and fastening holes arranged through the base part at a location of the indents. A cylindrical insert is provided with a hole parallel to a longitudinal axis of the insert and arranged to fit into the indent, such that the propeller blades are attachable to a propeller shaft using exemplary fastening bolts through the fastening holes and inserts. A propeller blade and method for installing a marine vessel propeller are also disclosed.