Perfect Propeller Performance

Overview

Objectives/Goals My objective was to learn which propeller was the most efficient for my remote control airplane. Methods/Materials I used a watt meter to measure power used by the motor, and a digital scale and thrust stand to measure thrust produced by the propeller. I used nine propellers in my experiments. First I attached a propeller to the motor. Then I went through all the throttle settings of my transmitter and measured the watts consumed by the motor and the newtons of force measured by the scale. I recorded all the data in my notebook. I repeated the experiment three times for each propeller. The propeller sizes were 7x4, 7x5, 7x6, 8x6, 9x3.8, 9x4.7, 9x6, 10x3.8, 10x4.7, with the first number measuring diameter in inches and the second number measuring average pitch in degrees. Results The propellers in order of efficiency are the 9x3.8, 10x3.8, 9x4.7, 10x4.7, 9x6, 7x4, 8x6, 7x5, 7x6. Conclusions/Discussion My experiments showed that propellers with less pitch were more efficient. However, the diameter of the propeller did not greatly affect propeller efficiency.

Competition history

• CSEF 2008 Aerodynamics/ Hydrodynamics (Junior Division Only) · Entry J0109

Resources

• CSEF project summary ↗

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