Tip clearance influence on pressure fluctuation of a composite ducted propeller using two-way FSI method

With the development of advanced materials, composite material has been used widely over the world, especially in the marine industry. Composite propeller has been studied and developed over decades since its great structural performances and material damping properties which can lead to the increased hydrodynamic performance and reduced pressure fluctuation character of the propeller. While as a typical marine propeller, ducted propeller has a tip clearance between the blade tip and the inner face of the duct which can cause a complex fluid flow around the blades and influence the performance of the propeller. In hence, the tip clearance effects on pressure fluctuation of the composite ducted propeller compared with the metallic ones that is calculated using a two-way interaction method in this paper. The result indicates that the use of composite material on the ducted propeller blade has a significant inhibiting effect on pressure fluctuation on the blade surface.