1. Project background and objectives

1.1 A "new generation" thruster

The vast majority of civil vessels (liners, cargo ships, fishing boats, pleasure craft, etc.) and military vessels (submarines, aircraft carriers, frigates, etc.) are fitted with metal propellers. This type of propulsion was chosen as early as the 18th century to equip the first machines designed to navigate underwater, such as the Turtle by American engineer David Bushnell (1742-1824), developed in 1776, whose propulsion was based on a propeller. The use of propellers instead of sails or paddlewheels became widespread during the 19th century, when various naval engineers adapted the worm screw principle to boats and perfected this propulsion method for vessels such as torpedoes, studying numerous possible forms. Metallic materials, in particular copper-aluminum,...