The Impact of Noise Regulations on Propeller Design

Propeller noise is largely dependent upon tip speed and a reduction of this inevitably leads to either performance or weight penalty. A new aerofoil section has been developed which permits blade loading to be increased. Thus, slower revving propellers can be designed without degrading the performance or imposing a weight penalty. The paper introduces the characteristic differences in performance of the new section with more conventional ones and looks at the design of a range of propellers to illustrate the trade between noise, performance and weight with each type.