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Q:
We often see propellers with two, three, four, or five blades, but would twelve or twenty with an angle that accommodates wind flow require less horsepower?
A:
More blades does not always mean better performance. You never see propellers with more blades because it's simply not worth it: the more blades you have, the more drag you are going to have. You are also going to have a lot more weight, because propellers are very heavy.
When a propeller spins, it creates a small vortex in its wake. This means the next blades are going to pass through this vortex, rather than through undisturbed air, which creates vortex drag. So if one had 12 blades, although it would push the plane forward, it would also be pushed back more than a 4 blade propeller pane. Why have more blades than necessary?
Posted on April 14, 2013 at 8:57 pm
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