I'm in 4th year. Almost all of what I know is through practical experience and using them on my own boat, the University hasn't taught me much to do with propellers so far.
I was looking at a piece of software called PropCAD, but they don't do student licences and we don't have it at Strathclyde.
I know a bit about pitch and cup and rake etc. at least in the context of how each parameter affects performance. I've read up a wee bit on super cavitating propellers but I really don't know much about them and it's not something we cover in this course.
My aim for this project is not so much to design a propeller as to model and modify an existing design, I don't pretend to know enough to design my own, or at least not yet. The modification I mention is not to the blades of the propeller, instead to the hub and the pieces which connect the inside to the outside of the hub.
I've been speaking to a few companies in the UK who could take the propeller in question and scan it to create a parametric model, which I could then receive in IGES format ready to be modified using the software available to me (Maxsurf, AutoCAD, Rhino)
Do you think this is a bit ambitious for me at this time? I want to make sure my aim is realistic before I begin but surface piercing props are of interest to me, and I think the whole project would be easier if it's a topic I enjoy.
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