Publications Repository - Gdańsk University of Technology

This article addresses the problem of determining the hydromechanical loads generated by flexible hydrofoils. The research was done on the example of the composite windsurfing fin for the RS:X monotype class. Despite the assumption of fins identity, everyday practice showed that variations of mechanical properties occur and strongly affect their performance. Therefore, we decided to study the differences between the windsurfing fins' stiffness and quantify the resulting variations in performance. The study was done using mainly computational methods supported by the experimental investigation. The two-way Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) calculations were performed to investigate this problem. From a large population of measured fins, three fins were selected for calculations, each representing various stiffness properties – rigid, moderate and flexible. The FSI calculations were performed using Abaqus and Star-CCM+ explicit coupling. The substitute Finite Element Method (FEA) model was created since the composite stacking sequence was unknown. Each fin was divided into eight sections, and the material properties of each section were identified based on the experimental investigation results. The FSI calculations aimed to find lift and drag forces generated by the fins with various stiffness distributions and the quasi-static deformation of the structure. The calculations were performed for one speed and several angles of attack. Based on that, the lift and drag forces were evaluated. The calculations obtained for flexible fins were compared to a rigid hydrofoil. Significant differences between the performance of the fins were obtained, depending on the hydrofoil angle of attack.

Authors

• mgr inż. Hanna Pruszko link open in new tab ,
• dr inż. Maciej Reichel link open in new tab ,
• dr hab. inż. Tomasz Mikulski link open in new tab