Adjustable Ballast Bulb for Sailing Vessel Heel Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Modern sailing vessels face challenges in controlling their 'heeling' moment when sailing off or close-hauled, as existing technologies do not effectively manage the distribution of ballast to maintain an even keel and optimize speed and stability across different wind angles.
Innovation Solution
An adjustable ballast bulb system with a control apparatus that includes rotating mechanisms for pitch and roll adjustments, connected by wires to actuators, allowing for precise control of ballast distribution within the bulb, enabling the vessel to maintain an even keel and optimize speed by adjusting the angle-of-attack of the foil and distributing ballast effectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a fixed ballast bulb is used at the base of the keel, then the vessel structure is simple, but the vessel cannot adjust ballast distribution to optimize performance across different wind angles and sailing conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The ballast bulb is transformed from a fixed static component to a dynamic adjustable component. The control apparatus enables the ballast bulb to rotate around the keel's longitudinal axis and adjust its angle of attack, allowing real-time adaptation of ballast distribution to different sailing conditions and wind angles.
Solution Approach 2:
The control apparatus is divided into distinct functional components: a rotation mechanism for adjusting the ballast bulb's angular position around the keel, and a separate mechanism for adjusting the angle of attack. This segmentation allows independent control of different ballast distribution parameters.
2Speed
If ballast distribution is adjusted to optimize speed when sailing off the wind, then the vessel can exceed wind speed, but the vessel cannot sail directly downwind as sails collapse at wind speed
Solution Approach 1:
The system optimizes vessel speed by dynamically changing the ballast distribution parameters (angular position and angle of attack) to maximize hydrodynamic efficiency when sailing off the wind, enabling speeds exceeding wind velocity through optimized foil angle and ballast positioning.
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 1C
AI summary
A sailing vessel is disclosed which comprises a hull, a keel depending from the hull and a mast. A ballast bulb is provided at the lower end of the keel. A first control mechanisms is provided for rotating the ballast bulb about a transverse axis to change the angle of attack of the bulb. A second control mechanism is provided for rotating the bulb about a longitudinal axis of the vessel.