Study on the cavitation characteristics of cupped foils

The effects of cupping on a 0.7 radius foil section with a maximum thickness ratio of 3.5% of the Gawn-Burrill propeller series were studied both numerically and experimentally. A cupped foil increases its lift as a result of the induced camber by the cup, as the numerical results demonstrate. Also, the minimum pressure location of cupped foil moves from midchord to the cupped position near the trailing edge when the foil is in shock-free entrance. The calculated results and the tests confirm that cupped foil increases lift and may improve the cavitation performance of an underpitched propeller.