Preliminary Design and Performance Analysis of Aircraft Propellers Using a 0-D Model

Abstract This paper presents a comprehensive methodology for the preliminary design and performance analysis of aircraft propellers using a 0-D physics-based analytical model coupled with a parametric lift/drag polar. The model is calibrated using public domain data for 41 different propellers, showing prediction errors under 2% for power coefficient and 0.5 degrees for pitch angle, while maintaining physical representativeness across a wide range of Mach numbers and angles of attack. A detailed case study explores the influence of blade number, diameter, activity factor and airfoil type on propeller performance, highlighting the model’s capability to deliver rapid and precise results. Through this analysis, activity factor is shown to be reduced when number of blades or diameter increase, while for low advance ratios, the number of blades effect is negligible compared to that of diameter. Methods of polar scaling are proposed for cases of limited calibration data. These methods are highlighted with the presentation of an illustrative case in which an already tuned polar is scaled when limited performance data are available, and with general scaling guidelines for cases where no data are available. This research provides a reliable framework for propeller design, offering valuable insights and a robust tool for the preliminary phase of aircraft propeller development.