Par 400 Page 31 CHAPTER 4. INSTALLATION
400. PROPELLER INSTALLATION. Propellers must be installed by an appropriately rated mechanic or repair station. Certain propellers are only partially assembled for shipping prior to installation on the aircraft and must be assembled during installation. The propeller manufacturer will provide explicit instructions on assembly during installation that must be carefully followed.
Ensure that correct seals and O-rings are used during assembly. Only the propeller manufacturer’s bolt or nut torque requirements should be used for the installation. On some propellers, the correct installation torques may be shown on a propeller hub decal. Whether to use or not use lubrication during torquing is important, and the manufacturer’s instructions must be carried out. When the propeller is correctly torqued, the blade track should be checked to the tolerances specified by the manufacturer. New or reconditioned propellers will be statically balanced by the manufacturer or propeller repair facility. However, if after installation the propeller/engine combination begins to immediately run rough (vibration) on the ground or in flight, the propeller should be removed, rotated 180 degrees on the engine crankshaft (if not indexed), and reinstalled and the blade track should be checked again. Certain propeller installations may require additional dynamic propeller balancing on the engine. Chapter 3, paragraph 300 discusses the general guidelines for dynamic balancing. Proper pitch change action and revolutions per minute (RPM) parameters must be checked during run-up and the installation inspected for oil and grease leaks. Spinner assemblies should be inspected during installation in accordance with the propeller or aircraft manufacturers’ guidelines. Inspect spinners and backplates for warping, cracks, looseness, missing parts, fasteners, improper repairs, or unauthorized modifications (including addition of balance weights).
Appendix 1 APPENDIX 1.
Glossary of Common Propeller Terms Blade Angle. An angle between the chord line of a propeller blade section and a plane perpendicular to the axis of propeller rotation.
Blade Station. See “Stations.”
Blade Track. The path established by the tip of each blade as it passes a fixed point in rotation.
Blade. One arm of a propeller from the hub to tip.
Chord Line. A straight line drawn between the leading and trailing edges of the blade.
Chord. The distance from the blade leading edge to the trailing edge.
Corrosion, Pitting. Visible cavities extending inward from the metal surface due to chemical or electrochemical action.
Corrosion, Intergranular. Intergranular corrosion occurs in the grain boundaries of some alloys of aluminum. The presence of intergranular corrosion may be the result of fatigue, stress, or the continued presence of moisture such as under a decal or in a fastener hole. Sometimes called exfoliation corrosion when it occurs in forgings, extrusions, or rolled sheets.
Corrosion, Surface. Surface loss of metal due to chemical or electrochemical action. On polished surfaces, it begins as a dulling of surface, soon becoming frosted, followed by widespread pitting.
Corrosion. Deterioration of a metal because of reaction with its environment. For further references, refer to Advisory Circular (AC) 43-4, Corrosion Control for Aircraft.
Crack. A physical opening or fissure within the body of a material. May be either internal within the material or at the surface (surface breaking). On a propeller, cracks can be started by cuts, nicks, or corrosion.
Cut. A deep, long, narrow fissure usually caused by a sharp object.
Debond/Disbond. An adhesive or cohesive failure or separation along a bonded interface between two or more surfaces.
Delamination. Separation between adjacent layers of a laminate.
Dent. A depression in the blade as the result of impact from a blunt object.
Depression. Concave surface deformation.
Diameter, Propeller. The diameter of the circle circumscribed by the blade tips.
Appendix 1 Erosion. Surface removal of material by mechanical action of grit, sand, water, etc., usually present on the leading edge close to the tip.
Face Surface. The flat, or very slightly curved, side of the propeller blade against which the relatively higher pressure acts to produce thrust when the propeller is rotated.
Gouge. A deep groove on a blade formed by a heavy pressure contact with a solid object.
Horizontal Balance. The blade balance process that locates the center of blade mass along the radial direction to reduce unbalance of an assembled propeller.
Hub. Center section of the propeller that carries the blades and is attached to the engine shaft.
Impact Damage. Damage (visible or not) resulting from a blade striking or being struck, while in flight or on the ground, by an object, such as a snow bank, runway light, maintenance stand, birds, etc.
Inclusion. Material foreign to base metal but contained in it.
Leading Edge. The edge of the blade that leads the direction of rotation and first encounters the air.
Lightning Strikes. Damage to blades caused by lightning usually manifested by localized burning, discoloration, melted metal, and/or pits.
Nick. A sharp notchlike displacement of metal usually found on leading and trailing edges.
Overhaul. Complete teardown and reassembly associated with major repair or maintenance. The terms overhaul and reconditioning are synonymous for fixed-pitch propellers.
Pitch. The theoretical distance that the propeller blade reference station would move forward if it were moving along a helix with an angle equal to the blade section angle.
Pitting. Small irregularly shaped cavities from which material has been removed by erosion or corrosion. Corrosive pitting is usually accompanied by a deposit such as rust, a corrosion byproduct, formed by a corrosive agent on the base metal.
Propeller, Constant Speed. A propeller in which a governor is used to automatically provide constant revolutions per minute (RPM) as the pilot selects the propeller pitch setting.
Propeller, Controllable Pitch. A propeller with blades that may be altered continuously to any desired angle during flight.
Propeller, Fixed-Pitch. A one-piece propeller with fixed blade angles.
Propeller, Full-Feathering. A propeller with blades that can be rotated to a high positive blade angle to stop rotation (windmilling). This feature is common on multiengine aircraft because it allows an engine to be shut down and rotation stopped to reduce drag and asymmetric control forces.
Appendix 1 Propeller, Reversing. A propeller in which blades can be rotated to a negative blade angle where they will provide a rearward thrust to slow down, stop, or move the aircraft backward.
Propeller. A device for propelling an aircraft that has blades on an engine-driven shaft and that, when rotated, produces by its action on the air, a thrust approximately perpendicular to its plane of rotation. It includes associated control components normally supplied by its manufacturer.
Reconditioning. The repair of major or minor blade damage caused by erosion or striking small objects during normal operation. Reconditioning consists of penetrant inspection, refinishing, and rebalancing. It is accomplished on an irregular basis as necessary and required.
Repair. The correction, on an irregular basis as necessary, of minor or major damage caused by a physical mishap. The amount, degree, and extent of damage determine whether the propeller can be repaired as a minor repair in the field by a mechanic.
Score. Groove-like indentations from rubbing by a hard, rough surface. See “Gouge.”
Shank. The portion of the blade from the butt face to the first blade station.
Stations. Locations perpendicular to the blade center line at which dimensions are checked.
Tip. The portion of the blade outermost from the axis of propeller rotation.
Tracking. See “Blade Track.”
Trailing Edge. The rear edge of the blade where the air leaves the blade.
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