IJSCT 165

Paper Title: Aerodynamic Force Deduction on Yacht Sails Using Pressure and Shape Measurements in Real Time

Authors

D Le Pelley, Yacht Research Unit, University of Auckland, New Zealand, D Morris, Southern Spars, New Zealand,
P Richards and D Motta, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Auckland, New Zealand

Summary

This paper describes a method of deducing aerodynamic force components produced by individual sails. This is achieved by measuring the pressure distribution at a number of discrete locations over the sail and extrapolating these measurements into a distribution across the entire sail surface. The sail shape is measured using the camera-based VSPARS system and the force distribution over the sail surface is then determined. Wind tunnel tests have been conducted to validate the accuracy of the model. Full scale testing has been undertaken to investigate how aerodynamic effects of trimming sails affect yacht performance.

Reference

Transactions RINA, Vol 157, Part B2, International Journal of Small Craft Technology, Jul-Dec 2015 

DOI Number

DOI No: 10.3940/rina.ijsct.2015.b2.165

Search and Order IJSCT papers

All International Journal of Small Craft Technology (IJSCT) papers are listed in the RINA Publications Database. You can search the database by author name and paper title. Publications may be ordered and paid for online. Other publications are also listed, some of which may be downloaded free of charge. Follow the link to Search Publications & Order.