propellerinduced

Propellerinduced refers to the disturbances and flows generated in a fluid by the rotation and operation of a propeller. In both aviation and marine engineering, the term encompasses the thrust-producing axial flow, the swirl or tangential velocity imparted to the fluid, and the wake that trails behind the propeller. The resulting flow field is characterized by a region of accelerated, deflected fluid directly behind the blades and a band of reduced velocity in the wake, often accompanied by coherent tip vortices.

The main physical phenomena associated with propellerinduced flow include axial momentum transfer that produces thrust, induced swirl due to blade geometry and loading, and complex wake structures that evolve with distance from the propeller. The interaction of the propeller wake with surfaces such as aircraft wings, tails, hulls, or nearby propellers can influence overall performance, stability, noise, and vibration. Blade design—pitch, chord, twist, number of blades—and operating conditions like RPM and advance ratio determine the magnitude and distribution of the induced flow. In multi-propeller configurations, mutual interaction of propeller wakes can alter thrust distribution and efficiency.

Measurement and modeling of propellerinduced effects rely on computational fluid dynamics, blade element momentum theory, and experimental techniques such as particle image velocimetry or flow-viscosity surveys. Understanding propellerinduced flow is essential for propulsion efficiency optimization, noise control, structural loading assessment, and the accurate prediction of aerodynamic or hydrodynamic performance in vehicles and vessels.