HomeAerospace Engineering & Orbital MechanicsVariable-Pitch Propeller: 2D Blade Element Diagrams

Variable-Pitch Propeller: 2D Blade Element Diagrams

2D blade-element-theory simulator for a variable-pitch propeller: inspect the velocity triangle and spanwise angle-of-attack, thrust and torque distribution at any radial station as you adjust collective pitch, RPM and airspeed.

Aerospace Engineering & Orbital Mechanics2DAdvanced60 FPS📱 Mobile-adapted⇄ 3D version
2d-variable-pitch-propeller-blade-element ↗ Open standalone

This simulator draws blade element theory the way it is actually derived: as flat 2D diagrams rather than a rendered blade. A rotating disk view shows the blade's angular position and its per-blade average angle of attack; a velocity-triangle panel builds the rotational speed U, axial airspeed V, and their resultant W at whichever radius you inspect, alongside the chord line, the angle of attack, and the resulting lift and drag directions; and a spanwise chart plots angle of attack, thrust distribution (dT/dr) and torque distribution (dQ/dr) across the whole blade at once. Adjust pitch, RPM, airspeed and blade count to see stall creep in from the root at coarse pitch and low speed, or negative angle of attack appear at the tip at fine pitch and high speed — exactly as on the real constant-speed propeller this pairs with.

⚙ Under the hood

Inspect blade element theory the way it is actually derived: a 2D velocity-triangle diagram at any radial station plus a spanwise chart of angle of attack, thrust and torque distribution, driven by the same collective pitch, RPM and airspeed controls as the 3D version.

propelleraerodynamicsblade element theoryvelocity triangleaviationpitch control

2D · HTML5 Canvas 2D · 60 FPS target · runs fully client-side, no install

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