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

这项研究项目始于六年前。首先，为了明确划“Ro”的水动力特性，制作了自动划“Ro”的第三个比例模型的机器人，历时三年完成。用该机器人划船“Ro”的水箱试验结果证明，“Ro”是一种实现高效率的优秀推进装置。设计了一种新型的推进装置，在某机构中设置了多个垂直叶片，在前线从右向左、在后排从左向右以合适的攻角连续推进。这被命名为“横向运动桨叶式推进器”。该新型推进器在横滨国立大学船模池进行了舱内试验。结果表明，由于驱动系统和叶片转向系统的巨大损失，该推进器无法获得优异的水动力性能。为了克服驱动线末端叶片转动时产生的大扭矩和剧烈振动，进行了多次改进试验。然而，即使在这个项目的最后一年，还没有取得成功的结果，但这种新型推进器的效率已经达到了20%。在不久的将来，叶片的驱动和转动机构将得到更新。

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.