Abstract: Both of the Lerbs nonoptimum propellers theory and Epps optimum circulation distribution theory were adopted to enlarge the propeller traditional liftingline preliminary design to open water performance curves prediction. All of the DTMB 4119, 4381, 4382, 4497 propellers’ offdesign performances were analyzed by this method. The precision of the Epps method is higher than that of Lerbs, and is fit for engineering preliminary analysis. With furthering away from the design point (low and high advance coefficients), the prediction difference gets larger, and the skew angle amplitude and the rake exist will also increase the prediction error. To overcome the moderately loaded limit and analyze blade cavitation performance comprehensively within the viscous field, the liftingline theory and RANS simulation were integrated to enhance offdesign hydrodynamic characteristics prediction. The blade section offsets input to RANS calculation were obtained from liftingline method. Blade geometry modeling and hex meshes were both completed by procedure control.  After analysis of mesh sensitive effects on RANS simulation, the calculated thrust and torque coefficient and pressure coefficient distribution are all fit well with the experiment. After the mixture homogeneous cavitation model is adopted into the RANS simulation, the results quantitatively present the blade tip vortex filament’s helical track within a little distance, in which the smallest pressure magnitude can be combined with the cavitation bucket performance of the biggest load section to relatively determine the propeller’s cavitation performance. The numerical system for propeller parametric design and noncavitation and cavitation hydrodynamic performances prediction based on hydrodynamics was constructed.

Key words: ship, propeller, lifting line theory, reynolds averaged navierstokes(RANS) simulation, propeller design, open water performances, cavitation performance