Fluid–structure interaction of a marine rudder at incidence in the wake of a propeller

The structural response of a rudder in the wake of a marine propeller is investigated by one-way fluid-structure interaction approach. The unsteady pressure field gathered by detached eddy simulations is provided to a structural solver for the computation of deformations and stresses of the rudder. The study compares the structural response of the rudder at neutral and two equal and opposite rotations, which are representative of design conditions in straight motion and maneuvering conditions that are experienced under the action of the autopilot for course control or weak maneuvering. The analysis sheds light on the different structural behavior at the two opposite rotation angles, caused by asymmetrical variation along the span of the rudder of the angle of attack induced by the propeller slipstream, by considering the different role played by the tip and hub vortical systems. The test case consists of a rudder with a rectangular plane area and National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics 0015 sectional profile located past the E779A propeller. The propeller operates at low loading conditions, and the rudder is set at incidence δ = 0 ∘ , ± 4 ∘ . The study shows that the response of the rudder is driven by flap and torsion and is asymmetric for the two and opposite rotations. The mean deformation and vibratory response are magnified for δ = − 4 ∘ by at least 70% and 20% for the lateral and edgewise deflections, respectively, with respect to the opposite rudder incidence. In general, the excitation generated by the tip vortex is stronger than that of the hub vortex. In the most critical condition, at δ = − 4 ∘ , the excitation associated with the tip vortex is nearly double that of the hub vortex.