Propeller Partial Ground Effect

Authors

Presenter(s)

Jielong "Jacky" Cai

Files

Description

We extend our recent propeller ground-effect study to consider a circular ground-plate, instead of planar-surface of assumed infinite extent. Parameter studies include propeller to plate diameter ratio, propeller diameter to ground-offset ratio, and propeller pitch to diameter ratio. As with classical ground effect, benefits of thrust-augmentation and/or power-reduction with proximity to the ground, depend on the propeller pitch to diameter ratio. Flow visualization suggests that for larger pitch to diameter ratio, the lack of conclusively large ground-effect benefits can be attributed to stalled flow about the blade, and spatially more diffuse tip-vortices. A circular ground-plate of half of the propeller diameter was found to have almost no distinction from that of an unimpeded free-stream, while when the plate and propeller have the same diameter, the resulting ground-effect already resembles that of the infinite-plate.

Publication Date

4-22-2020

Project Designation

Graduate Research

Primary Advisor

Sid Gunasekaran

Primary Advisor's Department

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Keywords

Stander Symposium project, School of Engineering

Recommended Citation

"Propeller Partial Ground Effect" (2020). Stander Symposium Projects. 1857.
https://ecommons.udayton.edu/stander_posters/1857