Wind Tunnel Investigation of Propeller Characteristics and Wing-Propeller Interaction

Abstract

The main goal of this project is to review the mechanisms and describe the phenomena that play a role in the aerodynamic interference between the propeller and a wing. Therefore, the characteristics of the isolated propeller (the propulsion relationship and the efficiency with the flight speed) were studied. The results were then compared with the propeller characteristics installed on the wing or on the fuselage. The results showed a drop in thrust with increasing the flight speed for an isolated propeller, and a decrease in efficiency was also observed due to the presence of wing or fuselage (due to pressure drag).