| Abstract | There are several possible explanations for the difference in performance of puller and pusher type podded propulsors. One is related to the difference in the hub geometry (hub taper angle). Puller and pusher propellers have opposite hub taper angles, hence different hub and blade root shapes. Results are presented here of an experimental study focused on the variation in performance of pusher and puller propellers with the same blade sections, but different hub taper angles, both in cavitating and noncavitating open water conditions. In the first phase of the study, three model propellers with different hub taper angles were tested in open water conditions. In the second phase, a similar study was carried out in a cavitation tunnel. Both of the studies were done to investigate the effect of hub taper angle on performance at different operating conditions. The open water propeller data is used to provide a comparison with the cavitation performance. From the open water study, it is concluded that hub taper angle has a significant effect on propulsive performance, especially at the highly loaded condition, where the puller propellers perform better than the pusher ones. From the cavitation tunnel study, it is concluded that the puller configuration propellers do not have better performance than the pusher configuration propellers under all cavitating conditions. |
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