The Minimum Energy Loss Propeller

Abstract

Various cases are presented of the solution of the problem ot the most efficient propeller, more general cases being considered than the one by Betz in 1919: namely, that of a propeller under a limiting light load, The problem is solved directly and also with the aid of the Ritz method which became readily applicable after the author proposed a method for the solution of the propeller problem, in general, with the aid of trigonometric series. The design of a propeller with the aid of this method is given and an analysis is made of the effect of the fuselage and of the viscosity coefficient mu on the character of the solution of the variational problem.