Design of a set-up to measure sails shape and pressure distributions on the sail plan

Design of a set-up to measure sails shape and pressure distributions on the sail plan

Design of a set-up to measure sails shape and pressure distributions on the sail plan

A new set-up to measure pressure distributions together with aerodynamic forces and sails shape was developed and tested in the wind tunnel on a yacht scaled model equipped with a soft sail plan. The system is made by very flexible strips applied to the sails without changing their shape: in the strips small holes and micro channels are made to transfer the punctual pressure to the sensors placed on the deck. The analysis of the surface pressure distributions obtained at different sails trim is an important is usefull to understand how to obtain the best performances.

The trims are identified measuring the sails shape through TOF (time of flight) technology: a laser pulse is emitted by the TOF sensor and by measuring the time the pulse takes to hit the target surface and to come back to the receiver, it is possible to estimate the target distance.

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Year: 2016

Area: Research project

February 9, 2017