Research and Development of a New Propulsion Device of Ships Applied the Principle of Rowing"Ro"(Oriental Sweep)

这项研究始于六年前。首先，为了研究赛艇运动的水动力学特性，研制了三年来完成的第三比例尺模型的自动赛艇机器人。该机器人的赛艇“Ro“的水池试验结果证明，“Ro“是一种性能优良的高效率推进装置，它是在一个机构中设置了多个垂直叶片，在前线从右到左、在后方从左到右成排前进，并具有适当的攻角。这被命名为“横向运动叶片式推进器。“这种新型推进器的水池试验是在横滨国立大学的船模水池中进行的。结果表明，该推进器由于传动系统和叶片转动系统损失大，不能达到良好的水动力性能，为此，多次尝试改进，以克服传动系统末端叶片转动时产生的大扭矩和冲击振动。然而，即使在这个项目的最后一年，也没有取得成功的结果，但这种新推进器的效率已经达到了百分之二十。叶片的驱动和转动机构将在不久的将来更新。

This research project began six years ago. First of all, the robot which rowed the third scale model of "Ro"automatically, was produced in order to make clear the hydrodynamic characteristicsof rowing "Ro"and was completed for three years. The results of tank tests of rowing "Ro"by this robot proved that the "Ro"was an excellent propulsion device to achieve high efficiency.The multi vertical blades advancing in a row right to left on the front line and left to right on the back line with an appropriate attack angle were set up in a mechanism as a new propulsion device. This was named"The lateral motion blades type propulsor."The tank tests of this new propulsor were carried out in the Ship Model Basin of Yokohama National University. As the results, it was found that this propulsor could not attain excellent performances hydrodynamically because of great losses of the driving system and the turning system of blades.The improvement was tried in many times so as to overcome the great torque and shocking vibration which occured during turning of blades at the end of driving lines. However, even in the last year of this project, the successful results have never been obtained yet but the efficiency of this new propulsor has been up to twenty percent. The driving and turning mechanism of blades will be renewed in the near future.