Lego Propellers in Water (worst to best)

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  • čas přidán 28. 04. 2024
  • 22 Lego propellers are tested in a water-filled container. Which one provides the most thrust? Enjoy!
    2 non-Lego propellers are also tested for comparison.
    Test method: a Lego Buggy motor (5292c01) and 7V input voltage. A weight scale measures the thrust in grams. Multiple gear ratios (from 1:25 to 5:1) and both directions of rotation are tested for each propeller. The test bench is explained in detail starting at 1:46.
    Note: the list of gear ratios shown from 3:22 to 3:50 are incorrectly presented as inverse ratios. Sorry about that.
    The results can be read in my blog:
    brickexperimentchannel.wordpr...
    0:00 propellers worst to best
    1:00 RESULTS CHART
    1:46 TEST BENCH
    4:22 TEST PROCEDURE
    5:44 6041 Propeller 3 Blade 3 Diameter with Axle Hole
    6:08 4745 Propeller 2 Blade Twisted
    6:40 92842 Propeller 3 Blade 5 Diameter
    7:12 non-Lego boat propeller - Joysway 2-blade P1.4x40mm 83 series
    7:51 30332 Propeller 3 Blade 9 Diameter
    8:21 4751c Propeller 4 Blade 13 Diameter without Studs
    9:02 2952 Propeller 2 Blade 9 Diameter
    9:27 64683 Technic, Panel Fairing 3 Small Smooth Long, Side A
    10:10 Lego liftarm propeller 2-blade 14x9 45-deg
    11:05 18592 Propeller 3 Blade 13 Diameter (Ninjago Airjitzu)
    11:39 41325 Propeller 4 Blade, for Flying Model Helicopter
    12:26 2740c01 Technic Propeller 3 Blade with Gear 24 Tooth
    13:10 non-Lego drone propeller Diatone Bull Nose 4 x 4.5
    13:51 89509 - Propeller 1 Blade 14L with Two Pin Holes and Four Axles
    14:41 COMPARISON TEST: 2 vs 4 blades
    14:58 COMPARISON TEST: short vs long blades
    15:23 COMPARISON TEST: 30 vs 45 vs 60 pitch angle
    15:49 COMPARISON TEST: narrow vs wide blades
    Music:
    Heaven and Hell - Jeremy Blake
    • Heaven and Hell - Jere...
  • Věda a technologie

Komentáře • 428

  • @BeTheGr8
    @BeTheGr8 Před 16 dny +1406

    Just straight into action. No intro, no sponsors, no bs. Love these kinds of channels

  • @BenjaminMarshallScienceMan
    @BenjaminMarshallScienceMan Před 16 dny +827

    It would have been cool to only have the audio from the under water camera, that way you could hear the noise difference between the small and large propellers. In both watecraft and aircraft, small propellers have the trade-off of making more thrust per unit-area, but being significantly louder. That is one of the main reasons that fighter jets are so much louder than giant passenger aircraft despite having a fraction of the engine power, and why nuclear submarines utilize HUGE propellers that spin very slowly.

    • @GerinoMorn
      @GerinoMorn Před 16 dny +55

      There is a point where cavitation becomes an issue, right? And you get that ultra-loud collapsing bubble thing...

    • @BrickExperimentChannel
      @BrickExperimentChannel  Před 16 dny +559

      I just listened to the pure underwater audio. You're right. Smaller props are louder. :)
      By the way, that propeller camera was outside the water container. But I had a separate waterproofed Lavalier mic to capture the underwater noises. What you hear on the video is a 50/50 mix of the sound underwater and above it.

    • @mikieswart
      @mikieswart Před 16 dny +73

      @@GerinoMornahead flank; emergency speed. warning! vessel cavitating; excessive noise!

    • @BenjaminMarshallScienceMan
      @BenjaminMarshallScienceMan Před 16 dny +39

      ​@@GerinoMorn Cavitation is caused by a rapid drop in pressure on the trailing edge of the blades, in aerospace the equivalent phenomenon is called 'boundary layer separation', which is the same thing that causes aircraft to stall and lose lift. As far as I'm aware it's simply an issue of your propeller moving too fast for its given blade pitch, so the only solution is to slow the propeller down or reduce pitch, meaning it needs to be larger to make the same thrust. Of course, the larger your propeller is, the faster the tips of the blades are moving at a given RPM, so scaling the size only goes so far.

    • @kennethmoureau5123
      @kennethmoureau5123 Před 16 dny +20

      @@mikieswartEject decoy!

  • @theo123-cookie
    @theo123-cookie Před 16 dny +1024

    Helicopter helicopter

  • @drake52
    @drake52 Před 16 dny +390

    the fact that you are testing propellers makes me wonder if you are planning on revisiting your Lego submarine.

    • @rukirgaming
      @rukirgaming Před 15 dny +23

      kinda seems like an anual tradition at this point

  • @Themanhimself000
    @Themanhimself000 Před 16 dny +753

    Bro's the top lego engineer 🗿

  • @koray8820
    @koray8820 Před 16 dny +221

    top tier data analysis, im fully satisfied

  • @Username-qx9gk
    @Username-qx9gk Před 16 dny +269

    Gramms per Watt would have been useful, but with the gears you also arrived the sweet spot for that motor. Although "static thrust" numbers could be very different to those when boat and prop are both moving fast through water

    • @ionstorm66
      @ionstorm66 Před 16 dny +17

      To be fair I doubt a Lego powered boat is going to move fast enough the dynamic thrust will be too different then the static thrust.

    • @Elias-eo1vh
      @Elias-eo1vh Před 16 dny +28

      ​@@ionstorm66Maybe true, but it would be interesting to see how the different propellers would perform when it comes to top speed and/or efficiency, while the larger props generated a considerable amount of thrust, they also create much more drag and resistance when mounted on a moving boat.

    • @ABaumstumpf
      @ABaumstumpf Před 16 dny +1

      Yeah would be very interesting. But there are the current-numbers and the voltage seems pretty stable.
      @@ionstorm66 There is no need for high speeds for significant difference to arise.

    • @BrickExperimentChannel
      @BrickExperimentChannel  Před 14 dny +53

      Good idea with the grams per Watt. I added that comparison to the blog.
      brickexperimentchannel.wordpress.com/2024/04/13/lego-propellers-water-thrust/

    • @Papinak2
      @Papinak2 Před 13 dny +3

      Just a little warning, these results are valid at 7V, closest to that is 6x rechargable AA batteries.

  • @etepeteseat7424
    @etepeteseat7424 Před 13 dny +67

    While I enjoy your build-up-to-the-best-bit style, I want to commend you for the intellectual honesty in getting directly to the showing off all the variations in this large-dataset case which otherwise might have had a very long build-up; not a second wasted, and once you'd shown the most clickbaity part of the video, you investigated each case further. Very respectful of your audience's time, thank you. 🙂

  • @torpid5092
    @torpid5092 Před 15 dny +51

    Anybody else find this really weirdly relaxing? Just a quiet video with no dialogue and some experimenting

    • @papirus00000
      @papirus00000 Před 11 dny

      It's just like childhood lego experiments in your room

    • @KapitaenAwesome
      @KapitaenAwesome Před 25 minutami

      Just like Primitive technology. (The OG, not the horrible ones with music and click bait building "underground pools"

  • @Psychodog_
    @Psychodog_ Před 16 dny +64

    I love these kinds of videos. Good old empirical science. Test a bunch of stuff, note the result, analyse, learn. Great resource when making boats, planes and helicopters.

  • @lwpeden5
    @lwpeden5 Před 15 dny +16

    I loved the freeze frame on each propeller followed by their dimensions. Made me feel like I was watching a heist flick where all the characters with special abilities are being introduced.

  • @rekire___
    @rekire___ Před 16 dny +39

    My man trying to teach us mechanical engineering and thinking we wouldn't notice

  • @j-7005
    @j-7005 Před 16 dny +51

    He is studying for the next Submarine!

    • @Bocchi-the-wide
      @Bocchi-the-wide Před 16 dny

      Nahh that's wild why😭

    • @andrewpinedo1883
      @andrewpinedo1883 Před 15 dny +1

      @@Bocchi-the-wideI bet some of the components on that submarine were made of Lego.

    • @user-uu8ep1il5w
      @user-uu8ep1il5w Před 7 dny

      ⁠​⁠​⁠​⁠@@Bocchi-the-wide He is talking about the Lego submarines BEC has made.

  • @KiriMantiss
    @KiriMantiss Před 15 dny +13

    Had to stop and re-watch at 0:20 . I legit had thought it was a comically edited failure because of how smooth that piece just gently sank down.
    Love watching allt he test and trials you come up with. Keep up the awesome work!

  • @IdealIdeas100
    @IdealIdeas100 Před 16 dny +20

    its crazy how much more power some of the much smaller ones put out in comparison to the larger ones

  • @hermaeusmora4874
    @hermaeusmora4874 Před 16 dny +45

    Gotta go tell my gf that 15cm is indeed considered huge

  • @JushuaAbraham-sj2xl
    @JushuaAbraham-sj2xl Před 16 dny +16

    As propellers are tested at zero forward speed it is more useful to be compared in term of "figure of merit"(thrust/shaft power)

  • @KingOfDams
    @KingOfDams Před 16 dny +10

    Really educational!

  • @peacekeepers_error
    @peacekeepers_error Před 16 dny +71

    Wake up
    BEC uploaded a new video

  • @e1woqf
    @e1woqf Před 16 dny +23

    Next we need to know which design is the most efficient: thrust vs. power draw
    BTW: good work!

    • @BrickExperimentChannel
      @BrickExperimentChannel  Před 14 dny +12

      The non-Lego drone propeller wins that comparison. It gets 60 grams per Watt. From Lego propellers the white long panel 64681 wins it. :)
      brickexperimentchannel.wordpress.com/2024/04/13/lego-propellers-water-thrust/

  • @phillipbuck6104
    @phillipbuck6104 Před 15 dny +6

    I appreciate how scientifically rigorous and well documented this is. Good experiment 👏

  • @duncanfreeman5436
    @duncanfreeman5436 Před 13 dny +4

    THIS is peak content. Densely packed with information. Good testing procedures. Great usage of graphics. Legos!

  • @JoXDDFive
    @JoXDDFive Před 16 dny +6

    your videos are fantastic, from the editing, building puzzles solved to the top tier data analysis all in an easy to understand presentation WITHOUT saying a word!!!

  • @ResidentIT_
    @ResidentIT_ Před 13 dny +1

    i cant describe how much i love this channel. good, interesting test with good usable results. nothing is over the top and is a very relaxing watch. cant wait for the next sub video!

  • @doubledarefan
    @doubledarefan Před 13 dny +2

    Props to you for doing these experiments.

  • @Maccaroney
    @Maccaroney Před 16 dny +3

    Great video and i love the editing. Makes it really easy to watch.
    Would love to see these blades spun up really fast underwater for fun and maybe to find the failure modes.

  • @compi3882
    @compi3882 Před 8 dny

    TBH I love how you just got straight to the point, and saved the details for later. Everything you needed to know, followed by everything you want to know.

  • @lerikhkl
    @lerikhkl Před 14 dny

    This is so thorough that I can't even think of something to add! Great job!

  • @rumblehansi
    @rumblehansi Před 16 dny +6

    props for this test and the editing

  • @puddinhead99
    @puddinhead99 Před 12 dny

    this is incredibly in-depth and i appreciate your deligence

  • @The-creator-of-good-videos-15

    Cool Lego experiments, man! I hope they get better and better every day with each and every video you make. Awesome job, man! 👏🏻 👏🏻

  • @sage5296
    @sage5296 Před 10 dny +1

    Man the editing here is hella clean, very nice video, and the processes were very clearly laid out which is fantastic

  • @hedix13
    @hedix13 Před 15 dny

    This is some incredible editing! Plus the effort in collecting the data itself! I know it's just Lego propellers, but I enjoyed watching the video. Thanks!

  • @dogvetusa
    @dogvetusa Před 15 dny +2

    Thank you for going over the set up for testing too.

  • @motorhorn
    @motorhorn Před 16 dny +3

    Fascinating as always

  • @catmage
    @catmage Před 22 hodinami

    Wow, that is incredibly thorough testing. Well done!

  • @lincolngolladay
    @lincolngolladay Před 14 dny

    Thanks for all the time and effort for great data!

  • @TheElMexicano
    @TheElMexicano Před 16 dny +1

    Never a dull upload with this channel that’s for sure 👍

  • @Zero-ry2rc
    @Zero-ry2rc Před 15 dny +1

    This was absolutely fascinating

  • @goobydoo9278
    @goobydoo9278 Před 14 dny

    Everything about your videos are so efficient and informative

  • @greatraven3839
    @greatraven3839 Před 12 dny

    This feels like a college project for a fluid dynamics class. Well done!

  • @JosephsDesign
    @JosephsDesign Před 15 dny +1

    Very cool results and very thorough test procedure!

  • @STA-3
    @STA-3 Před 15 dny +1

    Babe, wake up. Brick Experiment Channel just posted a new video.

  • @edcramer6475
    @edcramer6475 Před 15 dny

    The instrumentation an attention to detail is great, data can be fascinating stuff.

  • @M0torsagmannen
    @M0torsagmannen Před 16 dny +1

    now this is the answer thati never thought to question, very interesting results.

  • @Nikolai_The_Crazed
    @Nikolai_The_Crazed Před 7 dny

    This gives you a great idea of how well each propeller does under their respective optimal conditions, but what I’d like to see is a data set where all the propellers use the same rpm and gear ratio. That way we can see how the variation of those two factors changes the results. If they’re all taken from the same baseline first, then it gives a frame of reference for their performance under optimal gearing and rpm. It highlights what effects small compromises can have on performance. Someone might use more compact gearing for a smaller project, and get different results because of it.

  • @breakfingers
    @breakfingers Před 14 dny

    Captivating video. Love all the graphics you showed

  • @DonLuca27
    @DonLuca27 Před 16 dny +1

    Fantastic video, as always.
    I would have loved to see some efficiency comparison as well (power/thrust), maybe next time :P

  • @Jamesonfp
    @Jamesonfp Před 15 dny +1

    id love to read the research paper you make from this

  • @jackmalcolm
    @jackmalcolm Před 13 dny

    This is amazing data collection/analysis

  • @Irskin
    @Irskin Před 16 dny +1

    You can *really* see the difference in directional thrust from the ones with an actual aero/hydrofoil shape to the blades, wow.

  • @jarrettbellboy
    @jarrettbellboy Před 4 dny

    Something about the #6041 fan that is so nostalgic. It was used in so many early 2000s wacky sets in underwater, space and plane sets in both earth tones and wild highlighter transparent colors.

  • @Bayoll
    @Bayoll Před 16 dny +2

    Surprisingly advanced methodology

  • @peterrogulla7726
    @peterrogulla7726 Před 7 dny

    At first i thought it was just like any good LEGO channel. Then i saw the "Biltema" tachometer, that confirmed my thoughts. Jokes aside, this is great content and i absolutely love the seriousness!

  • @timehunter9467
    @timehunter9467 Před 13 dny

    Nice to see the old ZNAP wheels being given a chance! I still have a lot of that stuff somewhere.

  • @silverground3670
    @silverground3670 Před 11 dny

    There are too many variables, but it's very nice and detailed
    and arranged very neatly and meticulously making it easy to understand

  • @idowedo
    @idowedo Před 15 dny

    I'm going to sit here in almost silence admiring the time and effort this took you to make, this is incredible.

  • @Matthias-499
    @Matthias-499 Před 16 dny +10

    Nice video, like your Lego techniques a lot

  • @RedShift5
    @RedShift5 Před 16 dny +1

    This is like Project Farm but for Lego. This man must also be protected at all costs.

  • @DonVigaDeFierro
    @DonVigaDeFierro Před 13 dny

    Huge props to this channel!

  • @koosnaamloos4291
    @koosnaamloos4291 Před 16 dny +2

    I love that somewhere, someone is going to find this incredibly useful for their own project

  • @BenjaminGoldberg1
    @BenjaminGoldberg1 Před 16 dny

    Awesome.
    I would love to see some lego impellers.
    Or, better yet VSP-style cyclorotors.

  • @shivajoshi9068
    @shivajoshi9068 Před 16 dny +3

    it was fascinating to see the difference between CW and CCW thrust may be sorta dependent on the difference of the pitch angles of the 2 sides of the propellers!!
    thank you for making such amazing videos! love the whole thing!

  • @melody3741
    @melody3741 Před 13 dny

    please remember pluber's tape is specifically designed for LOW friction
    if you look at many of the plumbers tape they only perform well at low gear ratios. likelyy because higher ones slip.

  • @mhas9110
    @mhas9110 Před 16 dny

    This is lovely research ❤

  • @theoozmachine
    @theoozmachine Před 15 dny +1

    It would be nice if you could make explained videos for some concepts you usually use like gear ratios, torque, and other such engineering concepts for us non engineers to understand

  • @OcelotTheGreat
    @OcelotTheGreat Před 13 dny

    Very nicely done!❤

  • @TheWinjin
    @TheWinjin Před 10 dny

    That level of comparison and analysis is heads and shoulders above all these CZcams "engineers" that just eyeball the propellers. Looking at you, everyone with 3d-printer who just made something that looks a bit like the MIT toroidal propeller and tried to make comparison videos out of it.
    There's content and there's scientific content and I think we can see the difference

  • @WoLpH
    @WoLpH Před 15 dny

    For the 64683 Technic, Panel Fairing, you could try variable pitch and see what pitch works best.
    The tests are absolutely awesome in any case! I love it :)

  • @SeresHotes25
    @SeresHotes25 Před 21 hodinou

    That's cool! It's interesting to see, what's RPM that will make make the motor to generate the most power. And then it's interesting to know, what's the RPM, that will make each propeller to generate the most force/power. We can then see the efficiencies in percents of each propeller.

  • @matthew.wilson
    @matthew.wilson Před 15 dny

    Bravo! Next step: A marine "wind" tunnel where you can test variable pitch against flow rate and give us some sweet 3D plots :)

  • @CaptainWizard3000
    @CaptainWizard3000 Před 14 dny

    For the slippery one that required tape to be solid, you could’ve marked it (with a line on tape and prop) to see how much it rotated (if at all) after spinning.

  • @HigginsObvious
    @HigginsObvious Před 16 dny +1

    Woah awesome results! Its been a while since I did any fluid mechanics, but I wonder if the biggest propeller wouldn't get better results in a larger test container? 1cm clearance seems like it could cause drag issues that might be making it look worse than it is.

  • @RandomBogey
    @RandomBogey Před 15 dny

    I don’t know what I personally will ever do with any of this information. But, as someone who loves running numbers/data and Lego, I’m down for it

  • @pigletshut
    @pigletshut Před 12 dny

    That 2740c01 brings back memories. It was "the only prop" on the Technic 8855 prop plane set which I still have stowed away in a closet. How to drive it can be a challenge though.

  • @JeremyMcCrearyTechnicalLEGO

    Excellent static thrust tests! Hoping you have some working LEGO powerboats in the works.
    During my LEGO powerboat heyday (see channel), tested all existing LEGO props and several easily adaptable non-LEGO props with methods much cruder than yours. The 2-blade 4745 turned out to be the best performer in speed trials, where many factors other than static thrust also come into play.
    Longer hulls with twin outdrives powered by their own L or XL motors were nearly always fastest. Buddies and I handily won the 2015 Brickworld boat drag race with such a boat fitted with 4745 props. If race rules had allowed us to sand the 4745's slab blades into airfoils, we'd have won by a much bigger margin.
    Real marine prop blades have airfoil profiles to add forward lift to the thrust generated by simply deflecting water aft. No LEGO prop blades had such profiles at the time. Also no LEGO counter-rotating pairs, which meant lots of propwalk.
    When not restricted by race rules, we always used 52-55 mm 3-blade counter-rotating props made for hobby-shop RC boats. No LEGO prop could come close in speed trials, with or without blade shaping.
    Naval architects consider the matching of hulls to powerplants to props something of a black art. Ditto for LEGO powerboats. The key is to arrange for the boat to come to max speed just as the motor's hitting peak mechanical power near 50% no-load shaft speed. That's where gearing becomes critical. Lots of guess-and-check involved.

  • @norbert.kiszka
    @norbert.kiszka Před 11 dny

    4:16 small clearance will cause propeller to generate less drag - similar thing we can observe with ducted fans like in turbofans, winglets in planes and with ground effect in low flying planes.

  • @Creativity_Sparks
    @Creativity_Sparks Před 13 dny

    0:19 the trust in that was so good, it literally made the piece come off.. 😂

  • @LutraLovegood
    @LutraLovegood Před 14 dny

    This is gonna be very useful on my cars!

  • @landfillbaby
    @landfillbaby Před 13 dny

    good video! very thorough! i'm glad the classics work so well!
    do you think the ninjago ones would work better with the nosecone?

  • @andrewzelitt
    @andrewzelitt Před 11 dny

    Would be neat if you did a demo where you slowly add food coloring from the bottom to see the pattern that each propeller leaves in the water.

  • @nastyevilbunny
    @nastyevilbunny Před 15 dny

    Loving the data comparison.

  • @atmhso
    @atmhso Před 13 dny

    Such a good video. My only scientific thought is the size of the container is limiting, in that it bounces the water back towards the propeller and alters the result. Still, minor quibble and probably wouldn't make a significant difference!

  • @zett5729
    @zett5729 Před 14 dny

    Great Video. Would be Interesting to see the different performance patterns in active flow. A lot of Props can create really unintuitive thrust when measured in an active flow scenario.

    • @zett5729
      @zett5729 Před 14 dny

      But no clue how you can create such a test structure.

  • @Eequality72521
    @Eequality72521 Před 16 dny +7

    I really would like to see the input power that each was driven at

    • @NeinStein
      @NeinStein Před 15 dny

      The data is there: power is voltage times current. So e.g. at 12:10 it's: 7 V × 0.78 A = 5.46 W

  • @jamesgroccia644
    @jamesgroccia644 Před 14 dny

    There's another 3-blade Lego prop.
    1x Technic hub w/ 3 axles
    3x 1x2 inverted slope
    3x 1x2 plate
    6x 1x1 cheese slope
    The thin end of the 1x2 slope makes the "scoop" of the blade

  • @MrGustavier
    @MrGustavier Před 16 dny

    Fascinating.

  • @3_Bricks.
    @3_Bricks. Před 11 dny

    It is clear that difficult work has been done. Like. 👍

  • @TheGlitch93
    @TheGlitch93 Před 13 dny +1

    Can you try to form supercavitation on some props? Would be interesting to see how much RPM each small/medium prop can handle before it starts to form supercavitation...

  • @Atilolzz
    @Atilolzz Před 16 dny

    Crazy cool research!

  • @WipZedKay
    @WipZedKay Před 16 dny +1

    I'm sure some academic paper regarding hydrodynamics will reference this video.

  • @vmrajala
    @vmrajala Před 16 dny +2

    Aivan mahtavaa! Ylänappi kiinni ja käsi lippaan.

  • @clssgn
    @clssgn Před 16 dny +1

    With those data, I think you could publish high quality lego engineering scientific article. It should be a thing, lol, getting it peer reviewed would be amazing. 😂😂 but always, so great to see your vids as always.

  • @nyananas20111
    @nyananas20111 Před 12 dny

    i have a fun lil video idea, a battle ship with like trapdoors on the side wich can eject submarines, and or like mini scouting boats, and maybe functioning remote control cannons, you choose rest, but it would be fun if you made that

  • @grievous1938
    @grievous1938 Před 14 dny

    Another statistic you should try measuring in the future is thrust to weight, because while bigger and heavier propellers may generate more raw thrust, they might not utilize that thrust as efficiently as lighter models.

  • @rthomp03
    @rthomp03 Před 16 dny

    Wow, quite the deep dive (no pun intended). I had no idea there were so many different propeller options. I assume this is part of a larger series of experiments to optimize a Lego boat or submarine?
    My only disappointment is you didn't make a 10-speed transmission, to avoid having to change out the propeller so often. Or even a CVT to optimize the RPMs even more.

  • @Spyzilla1850
    @Spyzilla1850 Před 15 dny

    Would have loved to see a toroidal propeller in here! Very nice video.

  • @ivy7642
    @ivy7642 Před 15 dny

    I'd definitely like to see an efficiency curve, with amps versus thrust!

  • @kickpushlongboards
    @kickpushlongboards Před 8 dny

    You should make a combo laser printed part which has a porous edge but also has some fully melted and fused core for stability

  • @QtreadzSD
    @QtreadzSD Před 16 dny +1

    Came for the results. Stayed for the engineering.