Fluid structure interaction design development of passive adaptive composite international moth foil

Abstract

The International Moth is a single-handed ultra-lightweight foiling development class boat, and it follows open class rules. Therefore, the designer and builder have full liberty to develop and produce the fastest boat [1]. It is possible to adapt the internal structure of the fixed foil to achieve a tailored twist angle for a given load. Exploring the possibility of using Passive Adaptive Composite (PAC) on the moth hydrofoil to control its pitch angle enables the boat to achieve a stable flight in a wide range of weather conditions whilst reducing the induced drag, passively decreasing the angle of attack in increased boat speed. Using PAC in a multi-element foil, such as the International Moth one, will allow the structure to achieve a constant lift force with speeds higher than the design take-off speed with less need to constantly modifying the rear foil section. Toward the development of a PAC moth fixed foil, experimental and numerical results for a single element aerofoil, able to achieve a linear decrease in lift coefficient with increase in wind speed, are presented and discussed. The results present the aero-elastic response of the foil explaining the complexity involved in fluid-structure interaction problems.

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Identifiers

ORCID for Joseph Banks: orcid.org/0000-0002-3777-8962

ORCID for Stephen Turnock: orcid.org/0000-0001-6288-0400

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