Numerical Research on Excitation Force Characteristics of Pre-Swirl Stator–Propeller–Rudder System

Zhong, Xianghai; Wang, Nini; Guo, Xinxin; Zhang, Junwu; Zhao, Dagang; Guo, Chunyu

doi:10.3390/jmse14111032

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Numerical Research on Excitation Force Characteristics of Pre-Swirl Stator–Propeller–Rudder System

by

Xianghai Zhong

^1,2,

Nini Wang

¹,

Xinxin Guo

¹,

Junwu Zhang

³,

Dagang Zhao

^1,2,*

and

Chunyu Guo

^1,4

¹

College of Shipbuilding Engineering, Harbin Engineering University, Harbin 150001, China

²

National Key Laboratory of Hydrodynamics, Wuxi 214082, China

³

Shanghai Marine Equipment Research Institute, Shanghai 200031, China

⁴

Qingdao Innovation Development Base, Harbin Engineering University, Qingdao 266000, China

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2026, 14(11), 1032; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse14111032

Submission received: 20 April 2026 / Revised: 27 May 2026 / Accepted: 29 May 2026 / Published: 31 May 2026

(This article belongs to the Section Ocean Engineering)

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Abstract

The present study conducts numerical simulations to investigate the excitation force characteristics of a pre-swirl stator–propeller–rudder system and analyzes the potential benefits of the combined pre-swirl stator and rudder bulb for vibration and noise based on force and pressure fluctuations. The propeller bearing force, rudder force and hull surface pressure are compared and analyzed under conditions with and without energy-saving devices. The results show that the pre-swirl stator and rudder bulb intensify the axial load pulsation of the propeller, which may affect the service life of the main engine and gearbox. The overall level of lateral load pulsation is also increased, which may lead to higher cabin noise. The load pulsation level of the pre-swirl stator is comparable to that of the propeller bearing force, while the increased vibration of the rudder may result in more complex structural safety and noise issues. The reduction in hull surface pressure fluctuation contributes to the mitigation of the low-frequency underwater radiated noise. The influence mechanism of the pre-swirl stator–rudder bulb on the excitation force is of great significance to the ship engineering design.

Keywords: pre-swirl stator; rudder bulb; excitation force; computational fluid dynamics

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MDPI and ACS Style

Zhong, X.; Wang, N.; Guo, X.; Zhang, J.; Zhao, D.; Guo, C. Numerical Research on Excitation Force Characteristics of Pre-Swirl Stator–Propeller–Rudder System. J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2026, 14, 1032. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse14111032

AMA Style

Zhong X, Wang N, Guo X, Zhang J, Zhao D, Guo C. Numerical Research on Excitation Force Characteristics of Pre-Swirl Stator–Propeller–Rudder System. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering. 2026; 14(11):1032. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse14111032

Chicago/Turabian Style

Zhong, Xianghai, Nini Wang, Xinxin Guo, Junwu Zhang, Dagang Zhao, and Chunyu Guo. 2026. "Numerical Research on Excitation Force Characteristics of Pre-Swirl Stator–Propeller–Rudder System" Journal of Marine Science and Engineering 14, no. 11: 1032. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse14111032

APA Style

Zhong, X., Wang, N., Guo, X., Zhang, J., Zhao, D., & Guo, C. (2026). Numerical Research on Excitation Force Characteristics of Pre-Swirl Stator–Propeller–Rudder System. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, 14(11), 1032. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse14111032

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

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Numerical Research on Excitation Force Characteristics of Pre-Swirl Stator–Propeller–Rudder System

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