tilopa
Well-Known Member
I've been reading about propeller principles and design, and the typical description of a propeller is that it is merely a wing, a small wing, or airfoil. And in looking more closely at the aerodynamics of wings it seems that the only area for improving efficiency, or lift to drag ratio, is at the wing tips, since in the wing itself lift and drag are directly proportional, if you increase lift you necessarily increase drag, as Newton's third law emphasizes: equal and opposite. At the wing tips, vortices are created that disrupt airflow and create more induced drag. And one of the ways to counter wingtip vortices is with winglets. So I wonder if winglets on the tips of prop blades would also help to counter the extra drag at the tips. Surely others have thought of this, so what are the reasons they are not commonly incorporated?
