Recent Advances Wind-Assisted Ship and Yacht Sail Aerodynamics

Abstract

Wind-assisted ships and racing yachts employ highly cambered sections to maximise performance. However, their complex aerodynamics governed by large regions of flow separation remain to be fully understood. Recently, particle image velocimetry (PIV), performed in water tunnels, has been suggested as a novel experimental technique, provided fundamental spatial and temporal resolution limitations are overcome. Consequently, force measurements and flow visualisation were undertaken on 2D circular arcs, representative of a wind-assisted ship wing, and 3D downwind yacht sails, namely symmetric spinnakers, to ascertain the viability of this experimental approach. The results show that (i) a linear blockage correction can be devised; (ii) a blockage-independent critical Reynolds number and critical angle of attack exist; and (iii) a force crisis occurs because of the suppressed relaminarization of the boundary layer downstream of the leading-edge separation bubble. As such, spatial and temporal limitations can be overcome, yielding novel insights into sail aerodynamics, with PIV in water tunnels shown to be a pertinent methodology for experimental flow visualisation. These findings provide new insights into the aerodynamics of wind-assisted ships and yachts and may contribute to improving their performance by design.

Divisions: College of Engineering & Physical Sciences > School of Engineering and Technology > Mechanical, Biomedical & Design
College of Engineering & Physical Sciences > Aston Fluids Group
College of Engineering & Physical Sciences > Smart and Sustainable Manufacturing
College of Engineering & Physical Sciences > Engineering for Health
Aston University (General)
Event Title: International Conference on Sustainable Sailing and Sail Racing and Federica Cup Fleet Race of University Sailing Teams
Event Type: Other
Event Location: CRV Italia, Banchina Santa Lucia
Event Dates: 2024-10-07 - 2024-10-08
Last Modified: 05 Mar 2025 08:38
Date Deposited: 26 Nov 2024 14:36
PURE Output Type: Conference contribution
Published Date: 2024-10-07
Published Online Date: 2024-10-07
Accepted Date: 2024-09-07
Authors: Souppez, Jean-Baptiste R. G. (ORCID Profile 0000-0003-0217-5819)

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