Propeller governor

Propeller governor PCU5000, made by Jihostroj a.s. company, fitted to an American Champion aircraft

A propeller governor senses the speed of an aircraft engine and changes the propeller blade angle to maintain a selected RPM regardless of the operational conditions of the aircraft.

History

In the history of development of aircraft it became apparent that it is necessary to improve performance. One of the influential factors was the propeller design in relation to the most efficient blade angle. The first propellers were fixed pitch and if the propeller blade angle is set to give good take off and climb performance, the propeller would be inefficient in cruising flight because the blade would be at too low an angle. It was apparent, that the blade angle needs to be adjustable.

A constant-speed propeller was needed along with a device that would change the propeller blade angles according to varying flight conditions. Using this system of control an aircraft can obtain an acceptable amount of efficiency during all flight conditions. This device was the propeller governor, or a propeller control unit.

References

Gunston, Bill. Development of Piston Aero Engines. Cambridge, England. Patrick Stephens Limited, 2006. ISBN 0-7509-4478-1
For more technical information on the first constant speed propeller governor mechanism invented by Elmer E. Woodward, see U.S. Patent 2,204,639

External links

External propeller governor description

Aircraft piston engine components, systems and terminology

Piston engines

Mechanical components	Camshaft Connecting rod Crankpin Crankshaft Cylinder Cylinder head Gudgeon pin Hydraulic tappet Main bearing Obturator ring Oil pump Piston Piston ring Poppet valve Pushrod Rocker arm Sleeve valve Tappet

Electrical components	Alternator Capacitor discharge ignition Dual ignition Electronic fuel injection Generator Ignition system Magneto Spark plug Starter

Terminology	Air-cooled Aircraft engine starting Bore Compression ratio Dead centre Engine displacement Four-stroke engine Horsepower Ignition timing Manifold pressure Mean effective pressure Naturally aspirated Monosoupape Overhead camshaft Overhead valve engine Rotary engine Shock cooling Stroke Time between overhaul Two-stroke engine Valve timing Volumetric efficiency

Propellers

Components	Propeller governor Propeller speed reduction unit Spinner

Terminology	Autofeather Blade pitch Constant-speed Contra-rotating Counter-rotating Scimitar Single-blade Variable-pitch

Engine instruments

Engine controls

Fuel and induction
system

Other systems

Aircraft gas turbine engine components, systems and terminology

Gas turbines

Types	Propfan Turbofan Turbojet Turboprop Turboshaft

Mechanical components	Accessory drive Afterburner (reheat) Axial compressor Centrifugal compressor Combustor Constant speed drive Propelling nozzle Turbine blade

Terminology	Aircraft engine starting Bypass ratio Compressor stall Engine pressure ratio (EPR) Flameout Windmill restart

Propellers

Components	Propeller governor Propeller speed reduction unit

Terminology	Autofeather Blade pitch Constant-speed Contra-rotating Counter-rotating Proprotor Scimitar Variable-pitch

Engine
instruments

Engine controls

Fuel and induction
systems

Jet fuel

Other systems

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 6/24/2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.

Propeller governor

History

See also

References

External links