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experimental investigation of the performance of a series of propellers for a human powered underwater vehicle

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Date Issued:
1994
Summary:
Designing a propeller for optimum performance on a human powered underwater vehicle presents a significant engineering challenge. The propeller must be highly efficient to utilize the inherently low power output of a human. Also, the propeller must be correctly matched to the maximum sustainable torque of the propulsor. This thesis experimentally investigates a minimum induced loss propeller design program and its application to a human powered underwater vehicle. The design program is based on the vortex theory of propellers. The work includes experimental measurements of the velocity and rotational rate of three propellers designed with the minimum induced loss propeller design program. This positively verifies the output of the design algorithm. Also, the research, through the use of an underwater ergometer, determines the maximum power and torque sustainable by a human pedaling underwater. Final results of the research show that the design algorithm overestimates the blade section angles by 25% because the design program neglects the influence of the wake of the vehicle.
Title: An experimental investigation of the performance of a series of propellers for a human powered underwater vehicle.
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Name(s): Heeb, Karl Von.
Florida Atlantic University, Degree grantor
Dhanak, Manhar R., Thesis advisor
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Issuance: monographic
Date Issued: 1994
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Boca Raton, Fla.
Physical Form: application/pdf
Extent: 96 p.
Language(s): English
Summary: Designing a propeller for optimum performance on a human powered underwater vehicle presents a significant engineering challenge. The propeller must be highly efficient to utilize the inherently low power output of a human. Also, the propeller must be correctly matched to the maximum sustainable torque of the propulsor. This thesis experimentally investigates a minimum induced loss propeller design program and its application to a human powered underwater vehicle. The design program is based on the vortex theory of propellers. The work includes experimental measurements of the velocity and rotational rate of three propellers designed with the minimum induced loss propeller design program. This positively verifies the output of the design algorithm. Also, the research, through the use of an underwater ergometer, determines the maximum power and torque sustainable by a human pedaling underwater. Final results of the research show that the design algorithm overestimates the blade section angles by 25% because the design program neglects the influence of the wake of the vehicle.
Identifier: 15078 (digitool), FADT15078 (IID), fau:11856 (fedora)
Collection: FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection
Note(s): College of Engineering and Computer Science
Thesis (M.S.E.)--Florida Atlantic University, 1994.
Subject(s): Propellers
Submersibles
Underwater propulsion
Held by: Florida Atlantic University Libraries
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/15078
Sublocation: Digital Library
Use and Reproduction: Copyright © is held by the author, with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
Use and Reproduction: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Host Institution: FAU
Is Part of Series: Florida Atlantic University Digital Library Collections.