Numerical Investigation of the Effects of Leading- and Trailing-edge damage on Marine Propeller Performance and Cavitation Behavior

Marine propellers are vital components of maritime vessels, directly affecting their efficiency and reliability. Blade damage caused by wear, impact, or corrosion alters the surrounding flow field, resulting in increased turbulence, pressure losses, and flow separation. This study aims to investigate the effects of leading and trailing-edge damage mainly on marine propeller hydrodynamic performance and cavitation behavior. Using computational fluid dynamics (CFD), the hydrodynamic performance and cavitation behavior of propellers subjected to different edge-damage configurations are examined. Various damage sizes and radial locations are analyzed under cavitating and non-cavitating conditions to quantify their effects on thrust, torque, efficiency, and cavitation behavior. The main findings demonstrate that the presence of small leading-edge damage near the blade tip alters the thrust and torque coefficients, as well as the overall propeller efficiency. Specifically, the thrust coefficient increased about ۳.۳%, and the torque coefficient about ۶.۵%, while efficiency decreased by nearly ۳%. Under cavitating conditions, leading-edge damage markedly modifies the mean cavity topology. Although the projected cavity area diminishes by ۷.۵–۱۰.۷% relative to the intact propeller, the cavity volume expands by ۱۱.۷–۲۷.۱%, suggesting the formation of a thicker, three-dimensional vapor structure downstream of the damaged region. In contrast, trailing-edge damage exerts only negligible effects on both hydrodynamic performance and cavitation behavior, with cavity-area variations confined to ۰.۳۵–۰.۹۳% and cavity-volume changes ranging from ۰.۵۶% to ۱.۰۱% over the parameter space examined. These findings collectively underscore the critical importance of edge integrity in propeller performance and cavitation behavior and highlight the necessity of routine inspection and maintenance in marine engineering to ensure optimal operational efficiency.

کلیدواژه ها:

Leading- and Trailing-edge damage Marine propeller ، Hydrodynamic performance ، Cavitation ، CFD simulation