ARRANGEMENT OF SHIP SCREW AND GUIDE WHEEL

摘要

A driving arrangement for a watercraft includes a propeller and a freely pivoted guide wheel arranged subsequently to the propeller. The guide wheel which has a higher blade number and a smaller rotational speed than the propeller is provided with sectionized blades. One segment of each blade is propeller blade-like and extends outside the stream generated by the propeller and the other segment is turbine bucket-like and extends within the propeller stream. Upon equal rotational speed of the propeller and the guide wheel, the pitch of the respective segments is such that the pitch of the one segment which is outside the propeller stream is essentially constant in radial direction while the pitch of the other segment steadily increases radially from the one segment towards the hub on which the guide blade is arranged.