Novel electro-magnetic test facility for the calibration of a propulsor fluctuating force module

Abstract The testing of scale model propulsors is an essential part of any marine propulsion design process. The fluctuating force module (FFM) is a self-contained, instrumented propulsor drive system designed to be an integral part of a scaled propulsor test facility. This paper describes a novel electro-magnetic test facility which provides a static axial thrust of 0–1 kN and triaxial dynamic forces of 0.3–3 Nrms, at frequencies of 80–800 Hz, to an equivalent propulsor mass rotating at speeds of 0–900 rpm, in order to calibrate the FFM force measurement systems.