SD2706 Sailing for Performance 6.0 credits

• Educational level

  Second cycle

• Academic level (A-D)

• Subject area

  Mechanical Engineering
  

• Grade scale

  A, B, C, D, E, FX, F

• Course page on KTH Social

Learning outcomes

Various kinds of wind powered ships has been used for ages but in modern times sailing has been mostly reserved for recreational purposes in leisure boats. Recently however, wind assisted propulsion has become increasingly addressed for commercial purposes as a result of the need for renewable power in times of environmental awareness. New concepts are investigated and will likely be commercially implemented within short. The course addresses the mechanics of sailing in general applicable to all kinds of sailing vessels. The basic forces, moments and equilibriums are investigated and exploited to determine the performance of the vessel in various conditions.

After the course the student shall:

• know and be able to describe the fundamental concept of sailing
• be able to model the basic force/moment equilibriums of sailing
• be able to describe the various sources of drag of a hull
• be able to describe the behaviour of lifting foils
• implement the mechanical model and solve the equilibrium equations of a sailboat in a velocity prediction program (VPP)
• optimize the performance of a sailboat given a set of suitable constraints
• describe methods of deterministic weather routing, e.g. by dynamic programming
• know and be able to declare the characteristics, benefits and draw backs of different kinds of hulls
• know of state-of-the-art methods for VPP in yacht design
• be able to perform a rig design

Course main content

The course  consists of theory, implementation of theory, exploration of the theory through evaluation, optimization of performance and decision making based on calculations. The theory is presented in a course binder and scientific papers. Lectures are used to discuss the theory, content of the papers and to assist in conceptual understanding. The models are implemented in computer code for effective evaluation of various sailboat designs. The implementation is then used in combination with external rules for iterative analysis for optimization of performance. Some guest lectures from experts in the field are planned.

Eligibility

The course is aimed at students in the first or second year at a Masters program in engineering. Bachelor of engineering with working knowledge in Matlab, mechanics, algebra and calculus is required. 

Literature

Litterature will be handed out during the course.

Examination

• RAPP - Report, 6.0 credits, grade scale: A, B, C, D, E, FX, F

Requirements for final grade

Final project with report and oral presentation. 

Offered by

SCI/Aeronautical and Vehicle Engineering

Examiner

Jakob Kuttenkeuler , jakob@kth.se, tel. 070-346 4240

Version

Course plan valid from: Spring 11.
Examination information valid from: Spring 11.