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That's a larger model, this is the earlier Saildrone Explorer mentioned in that video. The vessel they are launching is 72 feet long, this one is 23 feet. So no
by ezzaf 5y ago
That's a larger model, this is the earlier Saildrone Explorer mentioned in that video. The vessel they are launching is 72 feet long, this one is 23 feet. So not a model boat, but not large either.
- fho 5y agoCould somebody please TL;DR the wing design (of the big boat) for me? The one with the additional extra wing?
- maxerickson 5y agoThe hurricane wing? It's smaller. https://www.saildrone.com/news/tropical-atlantic-hurricane-mission-launch https://www.saildrone.com/news/tropical-atlantic-hurricane-m...
- fho 5y agoAh ok ... no I was asking about the full size wing with that second wing attached to it.
- jcun4128 5y agoThink it's like an elevator on airplane controls the angle of the big one. Easier to rotate the wing than a motor at the root of the big wing.
- fho 5y agoOoooh ... smart! Now ... I wonder if I can do the same thing for my 3D printed (hobby-) VAWTs!
- jcun4128 5y agoI think those have some kind of centrifugal pitch control with a linkage (based on RPM), might have to look at existing designs. There are some helicopter blades that have this same idea, a little moving thing to control the pitch of the rotor over a swash plate
- rkagerer 5y agoControlling the pitch of the blades is how most helicopters work.
- jcun4128 5y agoProbably wasn't clear above, I'm saying they weren't using a swashplate (most helicopters) they were using this little tiny tab attached to the rotor that could be controlled. This thing on kman kmax https://gallery.vtol.org/images/2017/08/15/kmaxServoFlap.jpg https://gallery.vtol.org/images/2017/08/15/kmaxServoFlap.jpg info https://www.helis.com/howflies/servo.php https://www.helis.com/howflies/servo.php
- rkagerer 5y agoOh neat! Thanks for educating me.
- jacquesm 5y agoYes, but that's using an external actuator, rather than weights that pull the blades to their new angle.
- jacquesm 5y agoThat's a safety feature as much as it is an efficiency feature, it allows you to safely furl the blades when you are overspeeding, you can't rely on anything that isn't directly connected to the rotor base because it might be jammed, damaged, out of power or missing entirely. The blades governing themselves is the ideal, the linkage is there for synchronization and balance purposes only.
- darksaints 5y agoIt's a self trimming wingsail. Its only purpose is to maintain the angle of attack of the main wing, much like how a horizontal stabilizer works on an airplane. Personally I think it is something that is brilliant, and it is actually the primary feature that enables autonomous operation as a drone. There are no halyards or sheets, no ropes anywhere. All you have to do is maintain an angle of attack relative to the wind, and you have propulsion. BTW, the founder holds the wind propulsion land speed record, and the wing design for this is an evolution of that design. When you're moving at 4 times the wind speed, no human can possibly keep up with the continuous trimming demands of a sail. This design does it perfectly, and at an overall reduction in total complexity.
- gertrunde 5y agoNice, I had seen the Explorer models a while back and rather liked the work they were doing, it's great to see they are progressing and making larger ones.
- yosito 5y agoThe house I grew up in, in the US, was 23 feet wide. And globally speaking, that's a big house. So it ain't small, either.