This repository provides an example implementation of the Vortex Lattice Method (VLM) for marine propeller design. The algorithms are public domain.
This project uses meson to build. For example:
meson setup /tmp/build/pvl
meson compile -C /tmp/build/pvl
sudo meson install -C /tmp/build/pvl
The installation instructions above will place an example PVL input file
example.inp in /usr/local/share/pvl. To use that input file, start pvl
and provide the path to that input file when prompted. Alternatively:
echo "/usr/local/share/pvl/example.inp" | pvl
The Fortran source is based on J. E. Kerwin's PVL implementation in the lecture notes for the MIT course 13.04/2.23 Hydrofoils and Propellers. MIT OpenCourseWare (OCW) hosts subject material for the course as taught Fall 2003 and Spring 2007.
Example implementations in more languages are in the works.
This repository is intended as an educational resource.
Source is licensed under the GPLv2 -- see LICENSE.
For a more advanced propeller design tool (based on the same basic principles) refer to the OpenProp project.