Low Fidelity Multidisciplinary Methodology for Efficient and Quiet Propeller Design: Numerical Investigation and Experimental Validation

This paper discusses the early-stage development of a fast propeller design tool using low-fidelity methods. Aerodynamics, aeroacoustics, and structural behavior of the propeller have been incorporated into an optimization framework to generate more efficient and quieter propeller designs. A first optimization process has successfully provided a set of more efficient and/or quieter designs among which one specific geometry has been manufactured. CFD validation has confirmed its aerodynamic performances and reasonable agreements have been observed with experimental results, with some discrepancies, however. Additional parametric studies are also discussed.