Performance study of a composite propeller with cavitation mitigation capability under uniform inflow

Although research has suggested that the Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) composite propeller has the potential to delay cavitation inception because of its hydroelastic characteristic, there remains a notable absence of comprehensive studies on the performance characteristics of composite propellers specifically designed for cavitation mitigation. Therefore, this study presents a holistic investigation of a composite propeller with cavitation mitigation capability through fluid-structure coupling numerical simulation and cavitation tunnel tests. Hydrodynamic performance, cavitation buckets, and cavitation patterns under both uniform and non-uniform inflows were systematically tested and analyzed. Comparison of cavitation characteristics under uniform inflow shows that the composite propeller effectively delays cavitation inception (e.g., the inception J of sheet cavitation at the 0.8R cross-section is delayed by 0.15) and attenuates cavitation intensity, achieving a 19.72% reduction in cavitation area fraction relative to the metallic propeller.