History of the aircraft propeller
History of the aircraft propellerHistory of the Propeller The aircraft propeller looks like a simple
mechanism to the uneducated individual. To the educated, an aircraft
propeller represents the highest sophistication in aerodynamics,
mechanical engineering and structural design. This report will touch
on the history of the propeller, from early pioneers/experiments,
advancement during/after the war, all the way up to current
applications of the propeller. The creation of the propeller can be
traced back to Leonardo da Vinci. Da Vinci's "helical screw"
helicopter is believed to be the ancestor of the air propeller and the helicopter rotor. The first idea of a propulsive airscrew, however, belongs to J.P. Paucton, a French mathematician. Paucton
envisioned a flying machine that had two airscrews, one for propulsion and the other for sustaining flight. The idea of using an airscrew for propulsion was utilized during the late 1700's to early 1800's. Only after experimentation did the inventors conclude that more propulsive power could be obtained by merely straightening out the surface of the airscrew blades. Attempts to utilize the "straight blade" propeller were made by balloonists. These contraptions were quite strange and hardly fulfilled their purpose of actually propelling the balloon. The basic propeller had evolved from the simple concepts of da Vinci, and was slowly becoming an effective means of aerial propulsion. To reach the next plateau of flight an increased knowledge of the propeller would be needed, and the mysteries of the propeller and mechanical power would need to be solved. These substantial tasks remained for aviation's pioneers to tackle during the 19th century. Throughout the 19th century, aviation pioneers explored and tinkered with the concepts of flight to design a viable airship. Some pioneers tried to transform the balloons into navigable cigar shaped airships by experimenting with sails, propellers, and paddlewheels but all produced limited results. Other experimenters, who were convinced that man flight should have wings, worked to establish basic principles in aerodynamics, flight stability and control, as well as propulsion. Controlled mechanical flight came on August 9, 1884. Charles Renard and A.C. Krebs flew the airship "La France" on a closed circuit from Chalais-Meudon to Villacoublay and back in 23 minutes. The airship "La France" as powered by a 9 horsepower electric motor that drove a 23ft diameter propeller and reached a speed of 14.5 mph. This flight was
the birth of the dirigible, a steerable, lighter-than-air ship with
adequate propulsion. Another important milestone in aviation, was the
understanding of aerodynamics. Sir George Cayley, a British theorist,
was acclaimed as the father of aerodynamics. He established a solid
foundation of aerodynamic principles that were essential to the
success of other pioneers. In 1875, Thomas Moy created a large model
that had twin 12ft propellers with 6 blades each! Interestingly enough these blades could be adjusted to produce maximum thrust under certain conditions, an early recognition of the need for changing blade pitch....
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