Techno Press
You logged in as Techno Press

Wind and Structures
  Volume 16, Number 6, June 2013 , pages 541-560
DOI: https://doi.org/10.12989/was.2013.16.6.541
 


Analysis and optimal design of fiber-reinforced composite structures: sail against the wind
R. Nascimbene

 
Abstract
    The aim of the paper is to use optimization and advanced numerical computation of a sail fiber-reinforced composite model to increase the performance of a yacht under wind action. Designing a composite-shell system against the wind is a very complex problem, which only in the last two decades has been approached by advanced modeling, optimization and computer fluid dynamics (CFDs) based methods. A sail is a tensile structure hoisted on the rig of a yacht, inflated by wind pressure. Our objective is the multiple criteria optimization of a sail, the engine of a yacht, in order to obtain the maximum thrust force for a given load distribution. We will compute the best possible yarn thickness orientation and distribution in order to minimize the total fiber volume with some displacement constraints and in order to leave the most uniform stress distribution over the whole structure. In this paper our attention will be focused on computer simulation, modeling and optimization of a sail-shape mathematical model in different regatta and wind conditions, with the purpose of improving maneuverability and speed made good.
 
Key Words
    wind action; finite element analysis; sail; composites; fiber material
 
Address
R. Nascimbene : EUCENTRE, Via Ferrata 1, Pavia, Italy
 

Techno-Press: Publishers of international journals and conference proceedings.       Copyright © 2025 Techno Press
P.O. Box 33, Yuseong, Daejeon 305-600 Korea, Tel: +82-42-828-7996, Fax : +82-42-828-7997, Email: admin@techno-press.com