When a propeller is built or overhauled, it is always statically balanced in the propeller shop. This basically means that the blades are weighed and adjusted so they each weigh exactly the same amount. It stands to reason that static balancing has quite a few limitations, as an imbalance between propeller blades is not the only potential source of vibration.
Dynamic balancing is a little more practical, in that the propeller is balanced and adjusted while it is attached to the engine and airframe, and while the engine is running.
Mass Imbalance
When the centre of gravity of the propeller is not in the same place as the centre of rotation, the propeller has a ‘mass imbalance’. Even if a propeller is originally manufactured without a mass imbalance, an imbalance can develop over time. This might be because filing down stone chips during maintenance results in one blade with a slightly different weight to the other(s). Blades can also end up eroding at different rates with the same resultant mass imbalance.
At the propeller shop, props are statically balanced after overhaul or maintenance. The propeller (removed
