Flow Interference Between Two Model Wingsails

The interaction between two model SailGP F50 wingsails was investigated in the Union College wind tunnel using two-dimensional particle image velocimetry (PIV). Sheltering effects between bodies are a significant area of research in fluid mechanics and have direct applications to sailing performance. Flow quantities, including streamwise and wall-normal velocities, were measured, while Reynolds shear stress (RSS) and turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) were calculated from the velocity data. The objective of the experiments was to quantify the aerodynamic sheltering effects between two rigid wingsails and determine how the wake of the upstream wingsail influences the incoming flow field of the downstream wingsail. Experiments were conducted for an isolated wingsail configuration and for two-sail configurations at different streamwise spacings. Results indicate that the upstream wingsail significantly influences the aerodynamics of the downstream wingsail, and varying the spacing between the wingsails leads to different flow characteristics.