Abstract des Autors

The International Human Powered Vehicle Association (IHPVA) was founded to foster innovation in the design of human-powered vehicles. As a result of the IHPVA, land vehicle performance has taken a quantum leap in the last decade. A similar revolution is underway in human-powered water vehicles. With the motivation provided by Du Pont Watercraft Speed Prize, a new wave of watercraft has toppled records held by oared shells, with relative speed improvements at least as great as those seen for land vehicles. Many of the new high-speed craft are hydrofoils. By literally flying through the water, hydrofoils eliminate the water drag of a hull. The required wing area for fast hydrofoil is quite small - on the order of 0.5 ft2 or less. This chapter discusses the design of human-powered hydrofoils, concentrating on wing sizing based on power available, minimum flight power, takeoff speed, and structural considerations. Many hydrofoil configurations are suitable for human-powered applications. This chapter considers the Flying Fish configuration, a single fully submerged main wing under the center of gravity and a small forward stabilizer wing that carries little or no load. The main wing is supported at its center by a single strut that houses the drive mechanism to the propeller. Other more complex configurations (ladder foils, biplanes, multiple support struts, etc.) may prove to be better for really fast designs. The analysis ideas presented here can be readily extended to these cases. Verf.-Referat