Physics of Sailing

by Kimball; John

Edition: 1st

ISBN13: 9781420073768

ISBN10: 1420073761

Format: Nonspecific Binding

Pub. Date: 2009-12-22

Publisher(s): CRC Press

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Summary

This book provides a broad-based, widely accessible introduction to the basic science underlying the sport of sailing. It illustrates the many ways physics can be used to understand the principles of sailboats propulsion, how sailing has developed in parallel with scientific ideas, and how a scientific understanding of the boat, wind, and water can lead to more skillful sailing. The author artfully explains the physical principles that inform efficient design of a sailboat. He presents the essential scientific knowledge a sailor needs for optimal decision making, including how the physics of the sky, the weather, the wind, and the waves influence performance in a race or on a recreational outing.

Preface	p. xiii
Physics Facts	p. xv
Acknowledgments	p. xvii
Depart, Depart from Solid Earth	p. 1
Why Sailing, Why Physics, Why Both?	p. 1
Origins	p. 3
Egypt	p. 3
The First Sailors	p. 5
Polynesia	p. 5
China	p. 7
Speculations	p. 8
There's Much More	p. 9
Downwind-The Easy Direction	p. 11
Speed	p. 11
Forces	p. 13
Quadratic Approximation	p. 13
Newton's Impact Theory	p. 14
Refinements	p. 17
Boatspeed	p. 19
Apparent Wind Speed, V	p. 19
Downwind Speed Ratio, S₀	p. 20
Calculating the Downwind Speed Ratio	p. 20
Archimedes Principle	p. 22
Wind Shadow	p. 23
Acceleration	p. 27
Examples	p. 28
Force and Power	p. 28
Real Boat Speeds	p. 32
A Check	p. 33
Better Speed Calculations	p. 34
Acceleration	p. 35
The Speed Limit	p. 36
Upwind-The Hard Direction	p. 39
Overview	p. 39
Lift and Drag	p. 39
Wind Direction	p. 40
Forces	p. 42
Iceboats	p. 43
Iceboat Forces	p. 44
Iceboat Speed Diagram	p. 45
Derivation of Iceboat Speed Diagram	p. 47
Iceboat Speed Diagram Interpretation	p. 48
Ice Friction	p. 50
Sailboat Speeds	p. 50
Step 1: Lift and Drag Phenomenology	p. 52
Step 2: Centerboard Lift and Drag	p. 53
Where Is the Theory?	p. 56
Step 3: Pushing the Sailboat	p. 58
Step 4: Wind Lift and Drag	p. 60
Step 5: Wind and Water Forces Combined	p. 62
Scaled Units	p. 62
Comparing Graphs	p. 63
Broad Reach	p. 64
Sailing Closer to Windward	p. 66
Generalization	p. 66
Closest to the Wind	p. 67
Step 6: Sailboat Speed Diagram	p. 68
Basic Example: A Standard Sailboat	p. 69
Comparison of Speeds	p. 71
Comparisons of Lift-to-Drag Ratios	p. 73
Why Is Sailing Upwind So Complicated?	p. 73
Tipping, Torques, and Trouble	p. 77
Roll, Pitch, and Yaw	p. 77
Torques	p. 77
Winch: A Simple Example	p. 78
More General Torques	p. 79
Centers of Mass, Buoyancy, and Effort	p. 79
Center of Mass	p. 79
Center of Buoyancy	p. 80
Center of Effort	p. 80
Catamaran	p. 81
Catamaran Roll and Capsize	p. 81
Catamaran Pitch	p. 84
Iceboat	p. 86
Monohull	p. 86
Staying Upright	p. 89
Limiting the Sail's Torque	p. 89
Increasing the Restoring Torque	p. 90
Steering and Helm	p. 95
Dynamics	p. 98
Moment of Inertia	p. 97
Resonance	p. 99
Instability	p. 100
Upright Mast	p. 101
Personal Torques	p. 102
See How the Mainsail Sets	p. 103
Spinnaker	p. 104
Gaussian Curvature	p. 105
Spinnaker Shape Changes	p. 107
Make Your Own Sail	p. 107
Stress	p. 108
Mainsail and Jib	p. 110
Tight Leech	p. 113
Tight Foot	p. 113
Perfect Blend	p. 113
Sail Shape Equations	p. 120
Sail Characterization	p. 122
Twist	p. 123
Camber Ratio	p. 123
Maximum Draft Position	p. 123
Applying the Forces	p. 124
Sail Shape	p. 124
Sail Position	p. 126
Real Sails	p. 127
Pressure Variation	p. 127
Stretching, Bending, and Other Complications	p. 128
Stretching	p. 128
Gaussian Curvature	p. 130
Bending Masts	p. 131
Luff Tension	p. 133
What Really Counts	p. 134
Fluid Dynamics	p. 137
Navier-Stokes Equation	p. 137
Viscosity	p. 139
Viscosity and Pressure, Lift and Drag	p. 140
Viscosity Defined	p. 140
The Centerboard Problem; First Attempt	p. 142
Viscosity Physics	p. 143
Viscosity, Energy, and Dissipation	p. 144
Reynolds Number	p. 146
Reynolds Number Defined	p. 147
The Centerboard Problem: Second Attempt	p. 149
Boundary Layers	p. 150
Laminar Boundary Layer	p. 150
The Centerboard Problem: Third Attempt	p. 152
Turbulence Basics	p. 154
Turbulent Boundary Layer	p. 156
Boundary Layer Separation	p. 157
The Centerboard Problem: Final Attempt	p. 159
Problems Harder than the Centerboard Problem	p. 159
Euler Equation	p. 159
d'Alembert's Paradox	p. 160
Bernoulli's Equation	p. 161
Circulation	p. 162
Kutta-joukowski Theorem	p. 163
Lift's Many Explanations	p. 163
Two Dimensions	p. 165
Why Are Fluids So Complicated?	p. 167
Surfaces	p. 169
An Example	p. 169
Inadequate Theory	p. 173
Curiosities	p. 174
Golf Balls	p. 176
Swimming Speeds	p. 177
Shark Imitations	p. 178
When Is It Smooth Enough?	p. 179
Waves and Wakes	p. 181
Wave Shape	p. 181
Water Motion	p. 183
Gravity Waves	p. 185
Wave Frequency	p. 185
Wave Speed	p. 186
Capillary Waves	p. 188
Damping	p. 188
Wind and Waves	p. 189
Flat Water	p. 190
Fetch	p. 191
Wind and Wave Energies	p. 193
Wave Packets and Group Velocity	p. 194
An Example	p. 195
Wakes	p. 197
Properties	p. 198
Center Wake	p. 198
Side Wakes	p. 199
Wake Energy and Hull Speed	p. 201
Two Wakes Merge to One	p. 201
Sailing Uphill	p. 202
Scaling Model	p. 202
Wake Properties Derived	p. 205
The Importance of Waves	p. 207
Wind	p. 209
Two Examples	p. 209
Turbulence	p. 211
Details of the Gusty Breeze	p. 211
Turbulence Theory	p. 215
Wind up High	p. 218
Results	p. 218
Theory	p. 220
Weather	p. 222
Predictions and Guesses	p. 222
High-Pressure Systems	p. 222
Low-Pressure and Complications	p. 225
Geography	p. 227
Apologies	p. 228
Strategy	p. 229
Directions	p. 229
Ideal Sailing Direction	p. 230
Preferred Direction	p. 231
Relation between the Ideal Sailing Direction and the Preferred Direction	p. 231
Constant Preferred Direction	p. 233
Condition for a Constant Preferred Direction	p. 233
Finish Line	p. 234
Upwind in a Constant Wind	p. 234
Downwind in a Constant Wind	p. 235
Upwind in a Changing Wind	p. 237
Downwind in a Changing Wind	p. 238
Variable Preferred Direction	p. 238
Rings	p. 238
Sailboat Ring Growth	p. 240
Wind Speed Varies with Position	p. 241
Wind Direction Varies with Position	p. 243
Current	p. 243
Least-Time Path	p. 245
Light Analogy	p. 247
Mathematical Approach	p. 248
Predicting the Wind	p. 250
Water's Color	p. 251
Light Reflection and Polarization	p. 251
Scanning the Horizon for Wind	p. 256
Which Direction Is the Wind Blowing?	p. 258
Which Way Was the Wind Blowing?	p. 259
Real Sailing	p. 261
Finally	p. 263
Sailing Glossary	p. 265
Index	p. 269
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Physics of Sailing

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