Schickler Tagliapietra

ST was represented by Founder Doug Schickler at the WYRF in Estoril this year.  He attended mostly the parallel Yacht Racing Design & Technology Symposium, where noted speakers from top design firms, sail and rig makers, and boat builders discussed the state of the industry from various angles.

The upcoming 34th America’s Cup and the changing TP52 circuit were of key interest.  The newly minted HPR (High Performance Rule) targeted at the top of the racing rule pyramid was introduced.  ST has taken no breaks on this front, getting immediately involved in the details of this yet-to-be-finalized rule, and offering our opinion on what makes sense.  We look forward to seeing the first HPR40′s coming out of China in the first months of 2012.

Davide Tagliapietra has joined the Challenge Italia campaign to wrest the Little America’s Cup from its defenders.  This is the first time in over 30 years that Italy has mounted a challenge for this trophy, contested in the C class catamarans.  Davide will be primarily responsible for structural simulation with the team and design work for what should be multiple platforms has already begun.

Dusseldorf was great success.  Two of two projects from ST were featured in a video on the german site http://segelreporter.com.  Both the Linq CQ6 and Whites Dragons proudly displayed Schickler Tagliapietra on their main sails.  link

Now, a late addition has been added to the discussion panels for the 2nd annual International Yacht Forum in Hamburg.  Doug will be attending and joining his collegues on stage to discuss appendages and their importance to overall yacht performance and control. link Happy to meet you in the Hansestadt!

Schickler Tagliapietra is proud to join LinQ boats at B57 in Hall 16 for the Boot Düsseldorf trade show. Davide will be joining Doug at the stand for Monday and Tuesday.

At the stand you can get your hands on the CQ6, with design by LinQ boats and engineering by Schickler Tagliapietra.  ST specially refined the canting keel spar, the lifting surfaces as well as rig and composite framework of this exciting machine.  Full on planing without even trying very hard is the outcome!  The CQ6 is a growing class as of yet unmatched in the “pocket VOR” marketplace, with its canting keel technology.

Also at the show will be Whites Dragon, a foiling catamaran project launched in the Fall.  ST is proud to be associated with this boat, having provided strategic structural support during construction.

Please come by and pay us a visit, ask us about the other exciting canting keel and multihull projects we have in the works.  You will be surprised!

Davide has been invited to speak this week at an exclusive round table on the technology of racing yachts, especially the America’s Cup.

We want to congratulate  Fabrizio Dragoni and Edoardo Bianchi, collectively Whites Dragons (FB, or site) for the first successful flights of their catamaran! Schickler Tagliapietra was a tutor and supporter of this project through the process of design, particularly in regards structures.  We look forward to more developments in the future.

Below is an excerpt from some recent press releases:

Concept:

The main goal was to create an easy boat, simple to transport, which can be sailed on foils instinctively, hardly different than a regular cat.  Further, it had to be tremendously fast.

Design and Construction:

The two students designed and ultimately self-built this 2 person hydrofoil cat, almost exclusively of carbon fibre.  Working with carbon A class hulls as a starting point, and borrowing the sail plan and mast directly from the Tornado class, they were well on their way.  Simulation based design, tutored by Davide Tagliapietra, focussed on flight dynamics, VPP, foil hydrodynamics (CFD) and accurate dimensioning of newly built components using Finite Element (FEA).

Principal Data

• LOA 7m
• LWL 5.5m
• Beam 4m (!)
• All up weight 125kg
• Mainsail area 16.35 m2
• Genneker ca. 17-20 m2

By October the boat was sailing regularly and the results were convincing.  Speeds over 20 knots with only the main have been achieved.   With the genneker, the boat was able to fly in about 6 knots of wind.

Supporters:

www.ribacomposites.it
www.modelleriabrussolo.com
www.styacht.com
www.YCI.it
www.angeloglisoni.com
www.Rostan.com
North Sails Carasco
www.compositipuntamanara.com

OpenFOAM is one of two CFD packages that are under consideration at ST for our internal CFD research and ultimately FSI solutions.

In the last months OpenFOAM has been implemented for both stationary and 2-6 DOF cases, generally involving free surface interaction.  This implementation is part of ST’s ongoing commitment to be a simulation based practice employing the latest technologies for improved performance.

Here is one example showing a candidate catamaran hull tested at 15 knots.  Data such as resistance and moments to maintain proper trim are compared between a number of candidates.  With a simulation like this one, the effect of the transom immersion can be more accurately understood.

OpenFOAM simulation of catamaran hull

In mid September 2010, the protocol and draft design rule for the newest generation of America’s Cup racing yachts was revealed.  To nobody’s surprise the match will be raced in large wing powered catamarans.  Already during the course of the last match, ST began acquainting itself with the performance of wing rigs.

Preliminary CFD analysis of 2 element wing

ST has had tools for the generation and testing of curved, twisted and blended foil shapes for some time.  New work for parametric and systematic generation of hull forms has been carried out.  The control system of wings has been studied and the nascent class rule scoured for valid design directions.  This will be the most demanding Cup cycle in recent memory, and ST is ready.

ST has been working with CompoTech since 2007 on a variety of projects.  The latest is the re-design of their F20 Predator catamaran.  The current Predator is a very fast cat, finishing in the top 10 at Round Texel, behind only the M20.  The lines of the boats will be revisited with an emphasis on reducing drag and improving longitudinal stability.  The parametric hull generator matching CompoTech’s stringent manufacturing requirements has been completed.  ST will be using OpenFOAM RANS solvers and slender body theory to score the candidates.  Foils will also be optimized in similar fashion, employing both 2D and 3D simulation.  Finally, the balance of the sailplan will be studied to enhance the boats overall performance.

Candidate Hull generated parametrically

The overall length and draft have been chosen; evidence that the concept that the next AC90 rule will be a box rule.  The intent is to speed the boats up considerably, therefore an improved DLR has been targeted.  The hull form itself has been totally parametrically generated and improved through several iterations toward a balance between easily driven planing off the wind and ultra-high pointing.  The bow profile is the result of pushing to the maximum dimension of box rule length, while eliminating all extraneous material.

The minimum drag appendage package has been established based on the idea that the race course and boats will be altered to make downwind performance of far greater importance.  The possibility of two rudders has been accounted for in the preliminary design.  With extensive experience designing state-of-the-art lifting keel systems, Schickler Tagliapietra are poised to apply highly evolved engineering concepts and techniques to the highest level of inshore racing in the yachting world.