Aircraft Propellers—Is There a Future?
The race for speed ruled the early Jet Age on aviation. Aircraft manufacturers chased faster and faster planes in a fight for pride and capability. In the early 1970s, dreams were that the future would be supersonic, but fuel economy and unacceptable noise levels made that era never happen. After th...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2020-08-01
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| Series: | Energies |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/13/16/4157 |
| _version_ | 1797558809255739392 |
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| author | Pedro Alves Miguel Silvestre Pedro Gamboa |
| author_facet | Pedro Alves Miguel Silvestre Pedro Gamboa |
| author_sort | Pedro Alves |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The race for speed ruled the early Jet Age on aviation. Aircraft manufacturers chased faster and faster planes in a fight for pride and capability. In the early 1970s, dreams were that the future would be supersonic, but fuel economy and unacceptable noise levels made that era never happen. After the 1973 oil crisis, the paradigm changed. The average cruise speed on newly developed aircraft started to decrease in exchange for improvements in many other performance parameters. At the same pace, the airliner’s power-plants are evolving to look more like a ducted turboprop, and less like a pure jet engine as the pursuit for the higher bypass ratios continues. However, since the birth of jet aircraft, the propeller-driven plane has lost its dominant place, associated with the idea that going back to propeller-driven airplanes, and what it represents in terms of modernity and security, has started a propeller avoidance phenomenon with travelers and thus with airlines. Today, even with the modest research effort since the 1980s, advanced propellers are getting efficiencies closer to jet-powered engines at their contemporary typical cruise speeds. This paper gives a brief overview of the performance trends in aviation since the last century. Comparison examples between aircraft designed on different paradigms are presented. The use of propellers as a reborn propulsive device is discussed. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T17:36:36Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7efe993fd7c943dc8201a0cbfb5566ca |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1996-1073 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T17:36:36Z |
| publishDate | 2020-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Energies |
| spelling | doaj.art-7efe993fd7c943dc8201a0cbfb5566ca2023-11-20T09:50:53ZengMDPI AGEnergies1996-10732020-08-011316415710.3390/en13164157Aircraft Propellers—Is There a Future?Pedro Alves0Miguel Silvestre1Pedro Gamboa2C-MAST—Center for Mechanical and Aerospace Science and Technologies, University of Beira Interior, Rua Marquês d’Ávila e Bolama, 6201-001 Covilhã, PortugalC-MAST—Center for Mechanical and Aerospace Science and Technologies, University of Beira Interior, Rua Marquês d’Ávila e Bolama, 6201-001 Covilhã, PortugalC-MAST—Center for Mechanical and Aerospace Science and Technologies, University of Beira Interior, Rua Marquês d’Ávila e Bolama, 6201-001 Covilhã, PortugalThe race for speed ruled the early Jet Age on aviation. Aircraft manufacturers chased faster and faster planes in a fight for pride and capability. In the early 1970s, dreams were that the future would be supersonic, but fuel economy and unacceptable noise levels made that era never happen. After the 1973 oil crisis, the paradigm changed. The average cruise speed on newly developed aircraft started to decrease in exchange for improvements in many other performance parameters. At the same pace, the airliner’s power-plants are evolving to look more like a ducted turboprop, and less like a pure jet engine as the pursuit for the higher bypass ratios continues. However, since the birth of jet aircraft, the propeller-driven plane has lost its dominant place, associated with the idea that going back to propeller-driven airplanes, and what it represents in terms of modernity and security, has started a propeller avoidance phenomenon with travelers and thus with airlines. Today, even with the modest research effort since the 1980s, advanced propellers are getting efficiencies closer to jet-powered engines at their contemporary typical cruise speeds. This paper gives a brief overview of the performance trends in aviation since the last century. Comparison examples between aircraft designed on different paradigms are presented. The use of propellers as a reborn propulsive device is discussed.https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/13/16/4157propelleraircraftturbopropflight efficiencyflight speed |
| spellingShingle | Pedro Alves Miguel Silvestre Pedro Gamboa Aircraft Propellers—Is There a Future? Energies propeller aircraft turboprop flight efficiency flight speed |
| title | Aircraft Propellers—Is There a Future? |
| title_full | Aircraft Propellers—Is There a Future? |
| title_fullStr | Aircraft Propellers—Is There a Future? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Aircraft Propellers—Is There a Future? |
| title_short | Aircraft Propellers—Is There a Future? |
| title_sort | aircraft propellers is there a future |
| topic | propeller aircraft turboprop flight efficiency flight speed |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/13/16/4157 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT pedroalves aircraftpropellersisthereafuture AT miguelsilvestre aircraftpropellersisthereafuture AT pedrogamboa aircraftpropellersisthereafuture |