50 Years of Propeller Design with Computers
HydroComp’s Article in The Naval Architect
50th Anniversary, April 2021
Technical Director Donald MacPherson reflects on the use of computers over the last 50 years. Don’s story begins with reflections on his first use of a TRS-80 and using hand calculations to identity diameter and pitch. The story continues forward focusing on the evolution of the ever-increasing computational speed and power of today.
‘The evolution of computer hardware and propeller design software over the last 50 years has indeed been remarkable, but has not changed our overall design process all that much.’
Design for production
Design for performance
Propeller parameter selection for system design
Conduct a wake-adapted propeller design
Full 3D numerical analysis
The future of propeller design