Why so many different E-Props blades ?

At E-Props, we don’t have a single blade used for all engines, whether the propeller is a ground adjustable or an in-flight variable pitch model. No, definitely NO.
Because unfortunately, it’s impossible for a single blade to be generic. That would be really nice for the propeller manufacturer ! 🙂

Example 1 : Beyond power difference, a Rotax 912S has a 2.43 gearbox and a Rotax 916iS has a 2.54 gearbox. The propeller therefore doesn’t turn at the same rpm. How could the same blade have the right efficiency on both ?

Example 2 : A propeller is designed – sorry, must be designed – for a specific diameter. You can cut the blades back a little, a few inches, but no more, otherwise the profile and chord will no longer fit. Some manufacturers don’t bother with these considerations and recut their blades to give their customers the desired diameter. As a result, this poor propeller with its cut-off blades no longer performs at all.

If you want a high-performance propeller, then it has to be exactly matched to the engine, the gearbox if any, and the ideal diameter for your aircraft and your needs. It has to be a specific propeller.

At E-Props, we have calculated, developed, tested and we manufacture hundreds of propeller models for every configuration. And there is a different mold for each blade every 2 inches. So each propeller has the right profile and chord for each diameter. It’s no coincidence that E-Props perform so well…

With propeller manufacturers who have a real designer in their engineering department (at E-Props, it’s Jérémie Buiatti 🙂), calculations are made for every possible engine and diameter configuration.
He has developed a dedicated software called LUKY, which models the behavior of an E-Props propeller on a given engine, from an aerodynamic and mechanical point of view, including vibration analysis and service life calculation.
This software is a model of the type lifting line for the speed of execution, in order to allow the exploration of the domain of possible propellers with the help of an evolutionary algorithm (metaheuristic), in order to automate the search for propeller solutions (mechanical and aerodynamic dimensioning) for a given problem.

See more explanations here : LUKY SOFTWARE

Our team of engineers (no salesmen in our team, just engineers with a solid technical background) is at your disposal to help you find the propeller you need for your aircraft, your engine, your use.

A question ? Ask us by email helices@e-props.fr