Updates from Sailing Yacht Research Foundation

The Sailing Yacht Research Foundation (SYRF) has published online the final report on Phase 2C of the Downwind Aero Moments and Forces project has been completed by researchers JB Braun and Michael Richelsen of North Design Services.

This paper completes a multi-part study that used fluid-structure interaction (FSI) modeling to produce a publicly available set of results comprised of all the aerodynamic moments and forces for a range of downwind sails, angles, and wind speeds.

Phase 2C examined these effects at deep apparent wind angles, and its findings have significant implications for parametric changes in spinnaker sheet trimming.

A companion paper has also been written that examines more closely the use of RANS simulations in determining optimal downwind sail trim, showing in more detail the effects of sheet tension and trim angle on drive force coefficients in downwind sails. This paper has been submitted and is pending publication soon.

The 14M Project was conceived as a follow up from the 2015 SYRF Wide Light Project, which provided the design and research community with a means of validating computational fluid dynamics (CFD) codes against a towing tank model. By making public the hull surface files and rig dimensions, SYRF hopes that designers and researchers can once again collaborate to improve their understanding of CFD’s ability to accurately predict the performance of wide and light designs.

To help promote this collaboration, SYRF has partnered with Innov’ Sail 2017 being held over 28-30 June in Lorient, France to provide an in-person forum for researchers and designers to review and compare their CFD methodologies and results, using the 14M Model Hull as the baseline for comparison.

“This is an exciting time for us,” says Steve Benjamin, Chairman of SYRF. “The completion of these studies after years of planning and research has yielded interesting and meaningful results that are being embraced by the global research and design community, which exactly fits our mission to advance the science behind sailboat performance. Our new website is also a refreshing and more interactive display of all that we do, so we look forward to more interest and traffic through this important portal to SYRF-supported projects.”

Also, SYRF has partnered with Numeca International for a free hands-on seminar about Numeca’s FINE™/Marine simulation software for marine design to be held at the New York Yacht Club on Wednesday, May 10th. An overview of FINE™/Marine capabilities and benefits for simulation in naval architecture will be presented by Benoit Mallol, product manager of the marine group at Numeca International.

This is a unique opportunity to also listen to industry leaders on how they take advantage of FINE™/Marine in their design process, with speakers including Len Imas from Oracle Team USA.

The seminar will feature live demonstrations with FINE™/Marine software that gives new users the chance to experience automated simulations during hands-on exercises. For those interested, this free introduction is followed by two days of intensive training on the use of FINE™/Marine.

SYRF website: www.sailyachtresearch.org

Source: SYRF