Airplane Prop

Posted on | January 27, 2010 | 2 Comments

Airplane Prop

in aviation(private) what determines prop #'s?

I'm sure this is obvious to any aviation buff:
what factor limits the # of blades on the prop of an airplane engine
jet engines must have 100's of tiny blades in them
is there a limit to the # of propellers an airplane engine can have
I ask this question peering through the pinhole of how much mire efficient five bladed ceiling. cooling fans are than their 3 & 4 bladed
predicesors. Why couldn't a ten blade engine out run a 4 blade?

There are many aerodynamic factors to consider but in the real world the practical considerations are probably the most concern. The best propeller (efficiency) is a single blade with a counterweight for balance. A few aircraft have actually been built with this arrangement. For most real aircraft the single blade would have to be very long and you have other limitations - ground clearance and keeping the blade tips sub-sonic. Most light aircraft have used 2 bladed props because they are the best compromise between performance and complexity (cost). Their has been a trend the past several years for 3 and 4 bladed on light aircraft. This is due to noise pollution concerns. More blades = shorter blades = less noise. Listen to a twin Beech with 2 bladed Hamilton Standard props take off and then listen to one with Hartzel 3 bladers and you'll understand about noise. The biggest factor in large aircraft has always been ground clearance. Noise wasn't a big deal when they were making prop driven airliners.

Turbo Prop Plane Takeoff

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