AERODYNAMIC ANALYSIS OF 3D MULTI-ELEMENTS WINGS: AN APPLICATION TO WINGSAILS OF FLYING BOATS

摘要

Since the beginning of aeronautics, the two-element wing also known as slotted flap design was introduced on the aircraft to improve the high-lift capabilities in case of takeoff and landing compared to simple flapped wing design. This same two-element design has been recently transposed on the naval wing, the "wingsail", used to propel the "America's Cup" catamaran (Fig. 1) instead of the soft mainsail. This rig is constantly set to flap deflection angles varying from 15° to 40° and the slotted configuration helps in increasing its lift performances. After its introduction in the naval domain, the wingsail has enhanced the yacht performances in both upwind and downwind conditions. Nevertheless the abrupt stall characteristics of the wing make difficult its management bringing to spectacular and hard capsizes.