FAE Analysis of Boat Propeller with Differences of Loading Conditions and Manufacturing by Casting Process

Finite Element Analysis (FEA) in this study was carried out on a boat propeller with five loading variations, such as 150, 300, 450, 600, and 800 MPa. The analysis carried out included stress, strain, and displacement on aluminum 8176 (AlFeSi) material. The purpose of this simulation is to analyze the maximum stress, strain, and displacement of the boat propeller with several loading variations. The process of manufacturing the propeller also has been carried out through metal casting techniques. The load is applied evenly to one side of the propeller surface with the assumption that it receives the pressure load from the water when the propeller rotates and the boat moves forward. The result is that the maximum stress and strain values are 70.03 MPa, 7.59 × 10−4 (respectively) at a load of 800 N, formed at the inner base of the propeller. The maximum displacement is 2.75 mm at the outer end of the propeller with a given load scenario of 800 N. Stress, strain, and displacement values in this simulation increase with the increasing load applied to the propeller. The production of boat propellers has been successfully implemented in this research by a gravity casting technique with permanent molding.