History of the Propeller The aircraft propeller looks like a simple mechanism
to the uneducated individual. To the educated, an aircraft propeller represents
the highest sophistication in aerodynamics, mechanical engineering and
structural design. This report will touch on the history of the propeller, from
early pioneers/experiments, advancement during/after the war, all the way up to
current applications of the propeller. The creation of the propeller can be
traced back to Leonardo da Vinci. Da Vinci’s “helical screw” helicopter is
believed to be the ancestor of the air propeller and the helicopter rotor.
The first idea of a propulsive airscrew, however, belongs to J.P. Paucton, a
French mathematician. Paucton envisioned a flying machine that had two
airscrews, one for propulsion and the other for sustaining flight. The idea of
using an airscrew for propulsion was utilized during the late 1700’s to early
1800’s. Only after experimentation did the inventors conclude that more
propulsive power could be obtained by merely straightening out the surface of
the airscrew blades.
Attempts to utilize the “straight blade” propeller were made by balloonists.
These contraptions were quite strange and hardly fulfilled their purpose of
actually propelling the balloon. The basic propeller had evolved from the simple
concepts of da Vinci, and was slowly becoming an effective means of aerial
propulsion. To reach the next plateau of flight an increased knowledge of the
propeller would be needed, and the mysteries of the propeller and mechanical
power would need to be solved.
These substantial tasks remained for aviation’s pioneers to tackle during the
19th century. Throughout the 19th century, aviation pioneers explored and
tinkered with the concepts of flight to design a viable airship. Some pioneers
tried to transform the balloons into navigable cigar shaped airships by
experimenting with sails, propellers, and paddlewheels but all produced limited
results.
Other experimenters, who were convinced that man flight should have wings,
worked to establish basic principles in aerodynamics, flight stability and
control, as well as propulsion. Controlled mechanical flight came on August 9,
1884. Charles Renard and A.C. Krebs flew the airship “La France” on a closed
circuit from Chalais-Meudon to Villacoublay and back in 23 minutes.
The airship “La France” was powered by a 9 horsepower electric motor that
drove a 23ft diameter propeller and reached a speed of 14.5 mph. This flight was
the birth of the dirigible, a steerable, lighter-than-air ship with adequate
propulsion. Another important milestone in aviation, was the understanding of
aerodynamics. Sir George Cayley, a British theorist, was acclaimed as the father
of aerodynamics.
He established a solid foundation of aerodynamic principles that were
essential to the success of other pioneers. In 1875, Thomas Moy created a large
model that had twin 12ft propellers with 6 blades each! Interestingly enough
these blades could be adjusted to produce maximum thrust under certain
conditions, an early recognition of the need for changing blade pitch. Without a
doubt, the most expensive and spectacular project of its time was that carried
out by Sir Hiram Maxim. His numerous experiments with propellers, culminated in
the construction of a huge, four-ton biplane in 1890.
