Numerical Validation of a Composite Propeller Design by Using Different Hydro-Structural Coupling Methods

Abstract Composite propellers are emerging as a promising alternative to the traditional metallic propellers in the maritime industry, offering potential cost savings through increased efficiency and reduced maintenance requirements. The industry is increasingly focusing on the feasibility of using composite materials for propellers and developing robust design evaluation tools for their certification. The CoPropel EU research project is one similar effort by the industry where the objective is to present a holistic approach that realizes the practical application of composite propellers and to increase the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of composite propellers. This article presents the work done as part of CoPropel Project with the objective of validating the design of composite propeller, which is modelled after an already existing metallic propeller. The structural design is developed by MECA, a CoPropel Project Industrial Partner, which includes hydrodynamic and structural analyses. The results of these hydrodynamical and structural analysis are validated using Fluid Structure Interaction (FSI) simulations in this article. Two FSI coupling schemes were employed: Computational Fluid Dynamics-Finite Element Method (CFD-FEM) and Boundary Element Method-Finite Element Method (BEM-FEM). The CFD-FEM analysis, conducted using STAR CCM+ and FEMAP, utilizes the Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes Equations (RANSE). The BEM-FEM analysis is performed using ComPropApp, a design assessment tool that integrates the BEM software PROCAL. The results obtained from the CFD-FEM coupled FSI analysis are also used to validate the BEM-FEM coupled FSI results from ComPropApp.