What Are the Best Propeller Design Programs for Airplanes?

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the search for effective propeller design programs specifically for airplanes, with a preference for tools written in Matlab. The user, Nate, is familiar with XFoil, XFLR5, and XPlane but seeks alternatives that focus on propeller design. While MPVL is mentioned, it is noted to be primarily for water propellers. Nate aims to build a propeller and analyze its polars, eventually optimizing for specific Reynolds numbers or lift coefficients.

PREREQUISITES
  • Familiarity with XFoil and XFLR5 for aerodynamic analysis
  • Understanding of propeller design principles
  • Basic knowledge of Reynolds numbers and lift coefficients
  • Experience with Matlab programming for simulations
NEXT STEPS
  • Research propeller design software options like QBlade or JavaProp
  • Learn about optimizing propeller performance using computational fluid dynamics (CFD)
  • Explore the use of SolidWorks for propeller modeling and analysis
  • Investigate the application of XFoil for propeller analysis
USEFUL FOR

Aerospace engineers, propeller designers, and students in aerodynamics looking to enhance their understanding of propeller design and analysis tools.

swishidge
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Hey I was wondering if anyone knew of a propeller design program, preferably written in Matlab, but I'd take anything.

I am familiar with XFoil, XFLR5, and XPlane, but I don't know of any good propeller design programs. I have read into MPVL, but I'm pretty sure that is just designed for water propellers, and I didn't get deep enough to see if I could somehow convert it to design propellers for airplanes.

What I would like is something like XFoil or XFLR5, but for propellers.

I would then like to optimize it for a specific Reynolds number or lift coefficient, but that's farther down the line. First I would just like to build a propeller, and then analyze its polars.

Let me know if you think of anything,

Nate
 
Physics news on Phys.org
solid works or flow works maybe?
 

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