The existing propulsor that can perform both propulsion and maneuvering along axis of rotation is propeller/rotor for a helicopter. Helicopter propellers when maneuvering increase or decrease their blades’ pitch cyclically to create imbalanced thrust and hence maneuvering force/torque. A "maneuverable propeller" was developed and its performance on both maneuvering and propulsion is assessed. The "maneuverable propeller" is an alternative of the existing helicopter rotors. The novelty of this propulsor is that the imbalanced thrust force/torque is created by cyclically increasing or decreasing the angular speed of their blades relatively to the hubs/shafts, to provide the desired maneuvering torque. This maneuverable propeller is hence defined as the Cyclic Blade Variable Rotational Speed Propeller (CBVRP). One of the best advantages is that the maneuvering torque created by the "maneuverable propeller" is much higher, about 5 times of the shaft torque of the same propeller at thrust only mode. The "maneuverable propeller" has wide applications for both surface ships and underwater vehicles that require high maneuverability for cruising inside the narrow passage.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Keywords:	propeller, maneuvering propeller, helicopter propeller, novel propulsor, unconventional propulsor
Research Division:	Engineering
Research Group:	Maritime engineering
Research Field:	Naval architecture
Objective Division:	Transport
Objective Group:	Water transport
Objective Field:	Water transport not elsewhere classified
UTAS Author:	Liu, P (Associate Professor Pengfei Liu)
ID Code:	130750
Year Published:	2019
Web of Science® Times Cited:	8
Deposited By:	NC Maritime Engineering and Hydrodynamics
Deposited On:	2019-02-11
Last Modified:	2019-04-16
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