Novel electro-magnetic test facility for the calibration of a propulsor fluctuating force module

The testing of scale model propulsors is an essential part of any marine propulsion design process. The fluctuating force module (FFM) is a self-contained, instrumented propulsor drive system designed to be an integral part of a scaled propulsor test facility. This paper describes a novel electro-magnetic test facility which provides a static axial thrust of 0-1 kN and triaxial dynamic forces of 0.3-3 Nrms, at frequencies of 80-800 Hz, to an equivalent propulsor mass rotating at speeds of 0-900 rpm, in order to calibrate the FFM force measurement systems