Wake-Adapted Propellers, Struts, and Rudders

Wake-Adapted Propellers, Struts, and Rudders from Michigan Wheel are underwater hardware components designed specifically to operate in the wake of a given vessel – the region of water disturbed by the hull, where propellers, struts and rudders work. A wake-adapted rudder, for example, often has a twisted shape to align with the flow leaving the propeller.

How it works

• Wake-adapted propeller: produces more thrust for a given amount of power.
• Wake-adapted strut: lower drag and improved water inflow to the propeller, increasing propeller efficiency.
• Wake-adapted rudder: lower drag; a well-designed rudder can recapture some of the energy put into the water by the propeller and convert it into thrust.
• Blade and rudder geometry matched to the flow reduces cavitation and the operating range where it occurs.

Benefits

• Less power required for a given speed across a wide speed range, or higher speed for the same power
• Improved fuel efficiency
• Reduced noise and vibration, including rudder post vibration

Design and manufacturing

• Designs developed with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation of the vessel and its appendages, verified in full-scale trials
• Made of high-strength nickel-aluminum bronze (NiBrAl)
• Specialised casting, full multi-axis CNC machining and 3D laser-scan inspection against the design model
• Manufactured mostly in Grand Rapids, Michigan

Applications

Military patrol boats, coast guard boats, ferries, large yachts, sportfish boats and cruisers.