Prediction and Estimation of Propeller Drag

Turboprop aircraft have the capability of reversing thrust to provide extra stopping power during landing. Reverse thrust helps save the wear and tear on the brakes and reduces the landing distance under various conditions. The article explains a methodology to predict the disking drag (reverse thrust) from the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) technique using Blade Element Momentum (BEM) theory and estimation of the same from high-speed taxiing trial (HSTT) and ground roll data for a turboprop aircraft using system identification techniques. One-dimensional kinematic equation was used for modeling the aircraft dynamics, and the error between measured and estimated responses was optimized using the Output Error Optimization Method (OEOM). The estimated propeller drag was matched with CFD predictions to arrive at a relation between the propeller blade pitch angle and throttle position. The present study also investigates the estimation of the braking friction coefficient from the taxiing data and the change in braking distance using different runway conditions and reverse thrust. The exact prediction and usage of the reverse thrust can mitigate the possibility of using extra landing aids like spoilers for a similar prototype under design and development.