PLEASE! Settle this dispute!?

Question

My friend says airplane propellers are made out of plastic. I say no, they are made out aluminum because plastic has a low melting point. My friend went to flight school and failed/ I scored a 4 on the AP chem exam. I am not flight specialist so I may be wrong but I know the uses of building materials and aluminum is used to build airplanes because it is lightweight and has a good melting point and resists rust.

Propellers, plastic or aluminum?

I also said it could be made out of an alloy if not aluminum.

Answer 1

Dear friend,
In one instance i can say u r right and your friend is wrong if he meant plastic means general plastic. But reality is that both of u is partly correct. In general if aircraft is wooden, propeller may be of wood, if made of metal then aluminium alloy. while in newer high performance aircraft it is of advance composite materials which is very near to plastic. It is not called plastic because it gives sence of a cheap and comparatively weak materials (ref.-ADVANCED COMPOSITES by Cindy Foreman). So either none of u is right or both of u is right. In case of any further dispute u r welcome.

Answer 2

Generally, they're not made of plastic. Most modern propellers are made of aluminum, or an alloy. There are still quite a few made of wood as well. There maybe some aircraft that have a carbon fiber or other composite construction, but those would be expensive, specialty items.

Answer 3

If you're thinking of plastic like milk cartons are made of, then no...there are no "plastic" props.

However, there are many commercial aircraft that use composite props made with fiberglass and carbon fiber. Composite props use a form of plastic resin to add structural support and stiffness to the flexible fiberglass or carbon fiber.

http://www.hartzellprop.com/engineering/hd_prop.htm

If you see an airplane with black painted propellers, there's a good chance that the props are composite (plastic). A good example would be the ATR 42/72 series of passenger aircraft, or the military's C-130 Hercules.

Answer 4

Propellers are made from a variety of materials. Aluminum is by far the most common from little Cessnas to large turboprops. Newer aircraft have composite propellers (fiberglass, carbon fiber, etc). Also wood is still quite common on simple and antique aircraft.

A was going to say that there are no plastic props but you never know with the homebuilt/ultralight crowd.

Answer 5

Plastic no - Aluminum and wood yes - You can get information about propeller on the Sensenich Propeller website as they are a major manufacturer of propellers.

Answer 6

Propellers are often, today, made of CFRP (carbon fiber reinforced plastic), the same advanced material used in the new 787. Large engine fan blades (which provide most of the thrust) are also usually CFRP. It is much lighter than metal and is not subject to metal fatigue- perfect for rotating applications.

Answer 7

They are usually made of aluminum or some type of composite such as carbon fiber...they usually use alloys though, not pure aluminum. In jet engines, the fn is usually titanium, and on larger engines, (GE90, GEnx) a combination of carbon fiber composite and titanium.

Answer 8

On the B17 and other radial engined planes they were made of alloy because they needed the weight of the props to act like a flywheel to carry the engine over its compression cycle we have some prop blades at our museum and you would have difficulty lifting just one blade.

Answer 9

both. some are metal, some are alloys, some are plastics, some are a form of fiberglass others are resign and some are carbon fiber. all depends on the maker, size of plane, load, etc.

old ones were wood.

Answer 10

Originally props were made of wood. Now they are made of an alloy because of the higher speed that props turn. Plastic and Aluminum do not have enough strength to keep the prop in its proper shape