Aerodynamic Analysis of Rigid Wing Sail Based on CFD Simulation for the Design of High-Performance Unmanned Sailboats

Shipeng Fang, Cunwei Tian (), Yuqi Zhang, Changbin Xu, Tianci Ding, Huimin Wang and Tao Xia
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Shipeng Fang: School of Physics Science and Information Engineering, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 252000, China
Cunwei Tian: School of Physics Science and Information Engineering, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 252000, China
Yuqi Zhang: School of Physics Science and Information Engineering, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 252000, China
Changbin Xu: School of Physics Science and Information Engineering, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 252000, China
Tianci Ding: School of Physics Science and Information Engineering, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 252000, China
Huimin Wang: School of Physics Science and Information Engineering, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 252000, China
Tao Xia: First Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao 266061, China

Mathematics, 2024, vol. 12, issue 16, 1-15

Abstract: The utilization of unmanned sailboats as a burgeoning instrument for ocean exploration and monitoring is steadily rising. In this study, a dual sail configuration is put forth to augment the sailboats’ proficiency in its wind-catching ability and adapt to the harsh environment of the sea. This proposition is based on a thorough investigation of sail aerodynamics. The symmetric rigid wing sails NACA 0020 and NACA 0016 are selected for use as the mainsail and trailing wing sail, respectively, after considering the operational environment of unmanned sailboats. The wing sail structure is modeled using SolidWorks, and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations are conducted using ANSYS Fluent 2022R1 software to evaluate the aerodynamic performance of the sails. Key aerodynamic parameters, including lift, drag, lift coefficient, drag coefficient, and thrust coefficient, are obtained under different angles of attack. Furthermore, the effects of mainsail aspect ratios, mainsail taper ratios, and the positional relationship between the mainsail and trailing sail on performance are analyzed to determine the optimal structure. The thrust provided by the sail to the boat is mainly generated by the decomposition of lift, and the lift coefficient is used to measure the efficiency of an object in generating lift in the air. The proposed sail structure demonstrates a 37.1% improvement in the peak lift coefficient compared to traditional flexible sails and exhibits strong propulsion capability, indicating its potential for widespread application in the marine field.

Keywords: unmanned sailboat; dual sail; aerodynamic analysis; computational fluid dynamics; ANSYS Fluent (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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