This project investigates whether loop-shaped marine propellers may reduce laceration risk to large marine wildlife. Using CAD-derived geometry, Monte Carlo encounter simulations, computational fluid dynamics (OpenFOAM), and finite-element contact modeling (FEBio), conventional and loop-shaped propellers were evaluated under matched simulated encounters.
Across multiple independent modeling approaches, the loop-shaped geometry consistently produced lower modeled laceration-related tissue-loading proxies than the conventional propeller, with the greatest differences attributed to reduced exposed cutting-edge geometry rather than changes in encounter probability. While these findings do not constitute biological validation, they provide encouraging evidence that propeller geometry may play an important role in reducing injury severity and establish a framework for future experimental validation.