Integrated matching design of motor and propeller for shaftless rim-driven thrusters

The shaftless rim-driven thruster (RDT) has emerged as a promising alternative to conventional shaft-driven propulsion systems due to its highly integrated architecture. The RDT achieves superior compactness by combining the electric motor and propeller into a unified assembly while eliminating the traditional drive shaft. A motor-propeller matching methodology is proposed to rapidly select the optimal RDT drive motor, enabling the RDT to functionally replace shaft-driven thrusters. The corresponding propeller parameters are calculated based on the RDT performance indicators. Then, the motor is designed in accordance with the matching method. A dual-stator single-rotor (DSSR) axial-flux permanent magnet motor is designed as the drive motor. Its performance is evaluated through parameter calculation and finite element analysis, followed by multi-objective optimization. An RDT experimental prototype integrated with a propeller is fabricated and tested, verifying the feasibility of the RDT scheme.