Hydrofoil Seminar Report 2010

1. INTRODUCTION

A Hydrofoil is a specially designed hydrodynamic surface that creates lift significantly

exceeding drag. The main function of the hydrofoil is to lift the ships hull out side the water. At
low speeds the ships hull sits on the water and the hydrofoils are totally submerged in water, but
as the speed increases the hydrofoils create lift, bringing the hull outside the water surface.

The basic principle of the hydrofoil concept is simply to lift a ship's hull out of the water and
support it dynamically on wing-like lifting surfaces, i.e. hydrofoils, to reduce the effect of waves
on the ship and to reduce the power required to attain modestly high speeds. Engineers and naval
architects have been intrigued with the possibilities of this concept for many years. A United
States patent for a hydrofoil was defined in the late 1880s, about the same time as the early
airplane and airfoil patents. The earliest record of a successful hydrofoil flight is 1894 when the
Meacham brothers demonstrated their 14 foot test craft at Chicago, Illinois. This compares with
the Wright brothers' first airplane flight in 1903. The early attempts to exploit the hydrofoil
concept were frustrated by lack of suitable structural materials and power plants. However,
advancement in these areas, much of it stemming from aircraft developments, has permitted
development over the past 30 to 40 years of the technology necessary to achieve and demonstrate
reliable and effective hydrofoil ships for both military and commercial below.

Dept. Of Mechanical Engg. 1 SBCE,Pattoor

Hydrofoil Seminar Report 2010

2. HYDROFOIL BASICS

Many people are familiar with airfoils. Foil is simply another word for the wing (such as the
wing on an airplane). A hydrofoil is a wing that 'flies' in water. Hydrofoil is also used to refer to
the boat to which the water wings are attached. A hydrofoil boat has two modes of operation:

a. as a normal boat with a hull that displaces water and

b. with the hull completely out of the water and only the foils submerged.

Hydrofoils let a boat go faster by getting the hull out of the water. When a normal boat moves
forward, most of the energy expended goes into moving the water in front of the boat out of the
way (by pushing the hull through it). Hydrofoils lift the hull out of the water so that you only
have to overcome the drag on the foils instead of all of the drag on the hull.

The foils on a hydrofoil boat are much smaller than the wings (foils) on an airplane. This is
because water is about 1000 times as dense as air. The higher density also means that the foils do
not have to move anywhere near as fast as a plane before they generate enough lift to push the
boat out of the water.

The hydrofoils generate lift only when they are in the water; if they leave the water, the boat will
crash down onto the surface of the water (and thus submerge the foils) until the foils generate
enough lift to lift it back out. Like an airplane, a hydrofoil must be controllable in terms of pitch,
roll, and yaw. Unlike an airplane, a hydrofoil must also maintain a consistent depth. Whereas an
airplane has a range of about 40,000 feet in which to maintain its altitude, a hydrofoil is limited
to the length of the struts, which support the boat above the foils.

Dept. Of Mechanical Engg. 2 SBCE,Pattoor

Hydrofoil Seminar Report 2010

3. WORKING

3.1. MAIN FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENT

Lift the boat's hull outside the water.

3.2. DESIGN PARAMETER

Hydrofoil (It is a foil or wing under water used to lift the boat's hull until it is totally outside the
water.)

3.3. GEOMETRY/STRUCTURE

Figure 1: Detail of Hydrofoil Geometry

Dept. Of Mechanical Engg. 3 SBCE,Pattoor

Hydrofoil Seminar Report 2010

Figure 2: Flow around a hydrofoil (aerofoil)

3.4. EXPLANATION OF HOW II WORKS/ IS USED

1. At low speeds the hull (body of ship) sits in the water and the hydrofoils are totally
submerged in the water.

2. As the boat's speed increases, the hydrofoils create lift.

3. At a certain speed, the lift produced by the hydrofoils equals the sum of of the boat and
cargo weights. Therefore the hull comes out of the water.

4. Instead of having an increase in drag with increasing speed because the hull is lifted out
of the water (contrary to what happens in traditional boats due to pressure drag), the hydrofoils
provide a more efficient way of cruising. Decreasing the drag contributes to the better use of the
power needed for the movement of the boat.

Dept. Of Mechanical Engg. 4 SBCE,Pattoor

Hydrofoil Seminar Report 2010

4. DOMINANT PHYSICS

How is the lift produced - Fluid Dynamics.

Bernoulli's Equation: Po = Pt + 1/2pv12 + Pgy1 = P2 + 1/2pv22 + pgy2

Variables Units
Po Stagnation Pressure [Pa] or [lbf/ft2]
P Pressure [Pa] or [lbf/ft2]
p Density [kg/m3] or [lbf/ft3]
V Velocity [m/s] or [ft/s]
g Gravitational- constant [m/s2] or [ft/s2]

Dept. Of Mechanical Engg. 5 SBCE,Pattoor

Hydrofoil Seminar Report 2010

5. PRINCIPLE

This equation applies to flows along a streamline which can be modeled as: inviscid,
incompressible, steady, irrotational and for which the body forces are conservative. Also the
difference on the height of the foil (the distance from the bottom section to the upper one) is
small enough so that the difference pgy2 – pgy1 is negligible compared to the difference of the
rest of the terms. What is left is that the pressure plus one half the density times the velocity
squared equals a constant (the stagnation pressure).

As the speed along these streamlines increases, the pressure drops (this will become important
shortly). The fluid that moves over the upper surface of the foil moves faster than the fluid on the
bottom. This is due in part to viscous effects, which lead to formation of vertices at the end of the
foil. In order to conserve angular momentum caused by the counter-clockwise rotation of the
vortices, there has to be an equal but opposite momentum exchange to the vortex at the trailing
edge of the foil. This leads to circulation of the fluid around the foil. The vector summation of
the velocities results on a higher speed on the top surface and a lower speed on the bottom
surface. Applying this to Bernoulli's it is observed that, as the foil cuts through fluid, the change
in velocity produces the pressure drop needed for the lift. As it is presented in the diagram, the
resulting or net force (force= i pressure) (area)) is upward.

Detail of Hydrofoil:

a) Pressure Profile

b) Momentum Transfer

c) Circulation

d) Streamlines

Dept. Of Mechanical Engg. 6 SBCE,Pattoor

Hydrofoil Seminar Report 2010

This explanation can be enriched with the Principle of Conservation of Momentum. (Momentum
= (mass) (velocity)) If the velocity of a particle with an initial momentum is increased, then there
is a reactant momentum equal in magnitude and opposite in direction to the difference of the
momentums. (See diagram). (Mi = Mf + C1M)

a) Pressure Profile
b) Momentum Transfer
c) Circulation
d) Streamlines

Figure 3: Detail of Hydrofoil

Dept. Of Mechanical Engg. 7 SBCE,Pattoor

Hydrofoil Seminar Report 2010

6. FOIL LIFT AND DRAG

FOIL LIFT IS CALCULATED USING THE EQN:

Z = (l/2)p*V2*<Cl*S

FOIL DRAG IS CALCULATED USING THE EQN:

Z = (l/2)p*V2*<Cd*S

WHERE

p=DENSITY

V=VELOCIY

C=DRAG OR LIFT COEFFSHPROFILE C.S.AREA

Dept. Of Mechanical Engg. 8 SBCE,Pattoor

Hydrofoil Seminar Report 2010

7. ANGLE OF ATTACK

As it has been presented, lift comes from the dynamics of the fluid in the area surrounding the
foil. But the lift can be optimized by positioning the hydrofoil at an angle (relative to the
incoming fluid flow) called the angle of attack (See diagram). The goal is to optimize the lift to
drag ratio. This ratio depends on the shape of the foil, which in this case is considered to be a
thin foil. With a small angle of attack, the lift increases rapidly while the drag increases at a
small rate. After an angle of —10° the lift increases slowly until —15° where it reaches a
maximum. After ~15° stall can set in. 'When the angle of attack is 3° to 4° the ratio of lift: drag is
at it's maximum. So the foil is more efficient at those angles (3°and 4°) with lift to drag ratios of
— 20 to 25:1

Dept. Of Mechanical Engg. 9 SBCE,Pattoor

Hydrofoil Seminar Report 2010

8. LIMITING PHYSICS

e)

8.1. DETAIL OF HYDROFOIL GEOMETRY

At first, people can think that stalling is likely to be a problem in hydrofoils as it is in airfoils, but
surprisingly it is not. A steep angle of attack is not needed in the design of the hydrofoil. On the
contrary, small angles of attack are used on hydrofoils to optimize the lift to drag ratio as
explained before.

What is a primary concern is the design of the foil, the struts/supports, and their positioning. All
these features have to be taken in consideration. So the features are designed to produce a
minimum speed that will lift the boat of certain weight and keep it foil borne.

One problem that a hydrofoil craft can experience is the height of the waves being greater than
the struts. Also, if the craft is traveling faster than the waves, the foils could break to the surface
and outside of the water, resulting in a loss of lift and a negative angle of attack when the foil
dives into the next wave, making the craft crash into the sea. Engineers have designed hydrofoils
to minimize these limitations and better the ship's performance.

Dept. Of Mechanical Engg. 10 SBCE,Pattoor

Hydrofoil Seminar Report 2010

There are two particularly persistent problems faced by designers of hydrofoils:

Cavitation and ventilation

Ventilation occurs when part of a hydrofoil pierces the surface of the water and air gets sucked
down the lifting surface of the foil. Since air is much less dense than water, the foil generates
much less lift and the boat crashes down. Ventilation can occur at any air-water interface.

Ventilation occurs when air gets sucked down to the lifting surfaces. Although ventilation can
occur on -vertical struts, 'V foils are particularly prone to this problem because of the shallow
angle the foil makes with the water surface.

Cavitation occurs when the water pressure is lowered to the point where the water starts to boil.
This frequently happens with propellers. When a propeller is turned fast enough, the blades
generate so much lift (i.e. the pressure on the lifting surface of the blades goes down) that the
water flowing over the propeller blades begins to boil. When cavitation occurs, the foil no longer
generates enough lift and the boat crashed down onto the water.

Note that a hydrofoil is not a hovercraft. Hydrofoils fly on wings in the water that generate lift
whereas hovercraft floats above the water on a layer of air. In both cases the boat's hull leaves
the water, but the mechanisms by which this is achieved are completely different

Dept. Of Mechanical Engg. 11 SBCE,Pattoor

Hydrofoil Seminar Report 2010

9. CONFIGURATIONS

Hydrofoil configurations can be divided into two general classifications, surface piercing and
fully submerged which describe how the lifting surfaces are arranged and operate (see Figure 1).
In the surface piercing concept, portions of the foils are designed to extend through the air/sea
interface when foil borne. Struts connect the foils to the hull of the ship with sufficient length to
support the hull free of the water surface when operating at design speeds. As speed is increased,
the lifting force generated by the water flow over the submerged portion of the foils increases
causing the ship to rise and the submerged area of the foils to decrease. For a given speed the
ship will rise until the lifting force equals the weight carried by the foils. As indicated by the
terminology, the foils of the fully submerged concept are designed to operate at all times under
the water surface.

Figure 4: Surface-Piercing (Left) & Fully Submerged (Right) Foil Configurations

The struts which connect the foils to hull and support it when the ship is foilborne generally do
not contribute to the total hydrofoil system lifting force. In this configuration, the hydrofoil
system is not self-stabilizing. Means must be provided to vary the effective angle of attack of the

Dept. Of Mechanical Engg. 12 SBCE,Pattoor

Hydrofoil Seminar Report 2010

foils to change the lifting force in response to changing conditions of ship speed, weight and sea
conditions. The principal and unique operational capability of hydrofoils with fully-submerged
foils is the ability to uncouple the ship to a substantial degree from the effect of waves. This
permits a relatively small hydrofoil ship to operate foilborne at high speed in sea conditions
normally encountered while maintaining a comfortable motion environment for the crew and
passengers and permitting effective employment of military equipment. It is this desirable
characteristic which has caused the hydrofoil ship development in the United States to
concentrate on the fully- submerged foil concept.

The basic choices in foil and strut arrangement are canard, conventional or tandem as shown in
Figure 2. Generally ships are considered conventional or canard if 65°/o or more of the weight is
supported on the front or the aft foil respectively. If the weight were distributed relatively evenly
on the fore and aft foils, the configuration would be described as tandem.

Dept. Of Mechanical Engg. 13 SBCE,Pattoor

Hydrofoil Seminar Report 2010

Figure 5: Foil/Strut Arrangements

10.FEATURES

10.1. WEIGHT LIMITATIONS

Like the airplane designer, the hydrofoil designer must, at all times, be extremely conscious of
weight. The hydrofoil type of craft is weight critical, and every pound of weight saved in
structure, outfit, or machinery means weight available for pay load and fuel.

Dept. Of Mechanical Engg. 14 SBCE,Pattoor

Hydrofoil Seminar Report 2010

The structural engineer, in designing hydrofoils to conserve weight, uses aircraft techniques.
Relative to conventional ships, hydrofoil craft are subject to very high loadings, as caused by
high operating speeds. Likewise, lightweight, high strength materials are used. He also must
contend with fatigue and problems of hydroelasiticity, including both divergence and flutter.

10.2. HULL CONSIDERATIONS

The development of a satisfactory hull form for hydrofoil application represents a significant
challenge to the designer. The hull should perform well in the hullborne mode but also during
takeoff and during foilborne operation where impacts with waves are involved. In addition, the
hull configuration of a hydrofoil ship must satisfy all of the requirements for strength, freeboard,
and intact and damaged stability for any other ship.

Relatively high power requirements for high-speed operation, in common with other high
performance systems, pay a high performance dividend for achieving a minimum weight
structure. Therefore, hydrofoil ship hulls are generally constructed using high-grade aluminum
alloys, 5000 series weldable alloy being typical. Structurally, the hull must have the strength to
resist wave impact at high speed as well as distribute the concentrated load at the strut
attachment points. Although hydrofoil hulls may appear quite conventional, the required
compromises are more complex than for a monohull because of the many operating modes of the
ship. An efficient hull form for a lower speed operation requires a narrow beam. However, a
righting moment large enough to satisfy the stability criteria of reference [6] with the foils
retracted generally dictates a wide beam. Cresting the tops of waves while foilborne points
toward the use of a deep vee forward and high deadrise.

Another major consideration in hydrofoil hull design is the requirement for good seakeeping
characteristics in a heavy sea. If hydrofoil craft are to operate unrestricted in open ocean, they
must be capable of surviving storm seas in the hullborne condition. Furthermore, in certain
missions, it may be expected that the hydrofoil ship will spend the greater portion of its operating
lifetime in the hullborne mode. Thus, it is essential that close attention be given to the hull
seakeeping characteristics. With the foils extended during hullborne operation, which is normal

Dept. Of Mechanical Engg. 15 SBCE,Pattoor

Hydrofoil Seminar Report 2010

operation at sea, there is a significant reduction of craft motion in both the roll and pitch modes
which is normally not heavily damped. Thus the strut/foil system gives hydrofoil craft hullborne
motion characteristics of ships having much larger displacement.

10.3. FOIL SYSTEMS

Foil variable lift is obtained by either trailing edge flaps or variable incidence of the entire foil as
illustrated in Figure 5.

Figure 6: Hydrodynamic Force Control

10.4. WEIGHT TREND

A fundamental limitation is imposed by the so-called "square- cube" law, which impacts the
growth potential of hydrofoil ships. The lift developed by the foils is proportional to their
planform area (the square of a linear dimension), whereas the weight to be supported is
proportional to a volume (the cube of a linear dimension). It follows that as size of the hydrofoil
is increased, the foils tend to outgrow the hull. Aircraft solve this problem by increasing speed
and wing loading as size is increased, but practical hydrofoil speeds are limited by cavitation.

In the early period of hydrofoil development it was felt that an increase in the foil and strut
weight fraction by direct application of the square-cube law would inherently limit hydrofoil
size. More detailed design studies show that foil system weight fractions increase only slightly
with displacement, Figure 6.

Dept. Of Mechanical Engg. 16 SBCE,Pattoor

Hydrofoil Seminar Report 2010

Figure 7: Strut and Foil System Weight Trend

The principal reasons why the weight fraction does not increase as might be expected is that
required strut length varies with design sea state, not ship size, and larger foils are structurally
more efficient. For hydrodynamic efficiency, it is desirable to use as high a foil aspect ratio
(span/chord) as possible. The PHM aft foil extends almost 10 feet on either side of the hull.
Thus, a camel is normally used to hold the ship away from the pier for mooring. When no camel
is available the ship must be moored across the end of a pier or the transom of a larger ship with
the stern overhanging. PHMs have occasionally nested bow to stern. As ship size increases and
foils grow relative to the hull and in actual dimension, practical considerations dictate efforts to
limit the span. The trend will be to move toward tandem foil configurations to divide the weight
more evenly between the forward and aft foils.

11.PROPULSION SYSTEMS

Modern hydrofoil ships have been made possible by the development of lightweight diesel
engines and marinized gas turbine engines. Most of the European commercial ships using fixed
surface-piercing foil systems have used lightweight diesel engines driving subcavitating

Dept. Of Mechanical Engg. 17 SBCE,Pattoor

Hydrofoil Seminar Report 2010

propellers by means of an angled transmission system. This combination provides simplified

construction, relative ease of maintenance and low cost. However, the comparatively high
specific weight (6-8 pounds per horsepower) of the diesel engines and higher overall drag have
resulted in practical design speeds of these ships of about 35 to 40 knots.

Existing aircraft gas turbine engines slightly modified and coupled with specially designed free
powered turbines are available in sizes with power ratings up to about 30,000 horsepower and
specific weights of around 0.5 pounds per horsepower. The newer large engines employing blade
cooling techniques have specific fuel consumption rates at their design power about equal to
diesel engines. Gas turbine engines have been used in all major U.S. military and commercial
hydrofoil ships permitting practical design speeds greater than 40 knots. Propellers are the most
efficient propulsion device available for operating over the subcavitating speed range of current
hydrofoil ships. The power transmission systems required when using fully submerged foil
systems consist of right angle bevel gears, flexible shafts and possibly a speed reduction gearbox
in the propeller transmission pod. See Figure 7 as an example.

Figure 8: PGH-1 FLAGSTAFF Propulsion System

Problems encountered with gear transmission systems in early hydrofoil ships led to interest in
waterjet propulsion systems. While not entirely eliminating the need for gearboxes, these
systems consist of underwater inlets, water ducts in the struts, a pump located in the machinery
spaces and an above-water exhaust nozzle. The U.S. Navy's PHM waterjet system is shown on

Dept. Of Mechanical Engg. 18 SBCE,Pattoor

Hydrofoil Seminar Report 2010

Figure 8. The price paid to achieve these less complex waterjet systems is a decrease in
propulsive efficiency of about 20% at 45-50 knots and considerably more at takeoff speeds along
with an increase in propulsion system weight due to the water carried in the system.

Figure 9: PHM Waterjet System

12.AUTOMATIC CONTROL SYSTEM

Dept. Of Mechanical Engg. 19 SBCE,Pattoor

Hydrofoil Seminar Report 2010

As noted earlier, surface-piercing hydrofoil configurations are self-stabilizing in both pitch and
roll and thus do not require an automatic control system. However, to reduce the inherent
reaction to rough seas, a number of ships have added trailing- edge flaps to the surface-piercing
foils and have used autopilots for ride improvement.

In the United States, full automatic control of submerged foils has been deemed necessary to
attain the seaway performance desired for ocean-going hydrofoil ships. Typically, control is
accomplished by positioning trailing-edge flaps on the forward and after foils and by rotating the
swiveled forward strut (rudder), or by moving the entire foil surface and by using the power
driven aft strut as a rudder. See Figures 9 and 10 for schematic and pictoral diagrams of a control
system. The control surfaces are positioned by means of conventional electro- hydraulic servos.
The control system motion sensors consist of: 1) a vertical gyro which measures craft pitch and
roll angular motion, 2) a rate gyro which measures craft yaw rate, 3) three vertical
accelerometers, one accelerometer being located approximately on top of each strut (the two aft
accelerations work differentially to provide roll angular acceleration feedback, and they work in
unison to provide pitch and heave acceleration feedback), and 4) a height sensor which measures
the height of the bow above the water surface. The manual inputs consist of a foil depth
command, which the helmsman uses to select any desired foil depth (or flying height), and the
helm, which introduces the craft turning commands.

Figure 10: Hydrofoil

ACS Schematic

Dept. Of Mechanical Engg. 20 SBCE,Pattoor

Hydrofoil Seminar Report 2010

Figure 11: Typical Hydrofoil Automatic Control System (ACS )

The ACS provides continuous control during takeoff, landing, and all foilborne operations. The
pitch, roll, and height feedback loops provide automatic stabilization of the craft. The craft is
automatically trimmed in pitch by the pitch feedback, and roll trim is accomplished by helm
inputs. To steer the ship, the helmsman simply turns the helm, and the ACS automatically
maintains a coordinated turn, with turn rate being proportional to helm deflection. ACS system
requirements and operation are discussed in detail in References (7), (8), and (9).

13.HYDRAULIC SYSTEM

Dept. Of Mechanical Engg. 21 SBCE,Pattoor

Hydrofoil Seminar Report 2010

The hydraulic and automatic control systems are worthy of mention because: 1) they have
proven reliable and functionally well suited for a hydrofoil ship, 2) they combine proven aircraft
system equipment applications, and 3) they are essential to all operations: foilborne, hullborne,
and docking. Because the hydraulic systems are crucial to both foilborne and hullborne
operation, the design should employ multiple levels of redundancy to assure continued operation
in the event of system failures.

On the PHM, for instance, four separate systems supply the required power to the various
hydraulic equipment users which include the foilborne and hullborne control actuators, strut
retraction and lock actuators, bow thruster, anchor windlass, and emergency fuel pump.JSystems
No. 1 and No. 2 supply hydraulics to the forward part of the ship while systems No. 3 and No. 4
supply the aft part. Two separate supply systems feed each user with provisions included to
transfer (shuttle) the user from its primary supply to its alternate supply in the event of loss of
primary supply pressure. The hydraulic systems of the PHM operate at a standard 3,000 psi
(20.68 MN/m2) constant pressured Proven aircraft hardware, mostly from the Boeing 747
aircraft, was used where possible. The hydraulic pumps, tube fittings, tubing material, and filters
were all taken directly from the 747. In the case of the foilborne and hullborne steering actuators,
an automatic shuttle valve was specifically developed for the hydrofoil program which rapidly
transfers the user actuator from a failed supply to the alternate, thus assuring continued safe
foilborne operation. The hydraulic actuators on the PHM were for the most part specifically
designed and developed for this program. The four foilborne control actuators, the hullborne
steering actuator, two hullborne thrust reverser actuators and the strut retraction actuators all
were designed, manufactured and qualified to military specifications including rigorous
environmental and life testing.

The PHM hydrofoil program pioneered the use of a new hydraulic fluid, a synthetic
hydrocarbon. This new fluid provides a much greater resistance to fire and explosion than its
predecessor. At the same time it overcomes the serious shortcomings of phosphate ester base
fluids which have proven to be incompatible with the saltwater environment.

14.CHARACTERISTICS

Dept. Of Mechanical Engg. 22 SBCE,Pattoor

Hydrofoil Seminar Report 2010

14.1. RESISTANCE AND POWERING

Although the major reason for the employment of hydrofoils is to lift the hull out of the water to
reduce the effect of waves and to reduce the drag at high speed, a naval hydrofoil ship spends a
considerable portion of its life hullborne and must have an efficient hull form to keep the drag
low at low speed and through takeoff. Total drag just prior to takeoff is a significant factor in
establishing the power requirement. Careful attention must be paid to the hull design to minimize
this effect. Figure 3 shows a generalized smooth water drag curve for d hydrofoil craft with its
significant "hump" prior to takeoff. Comparison is also made with a typical planing craft to
illustrate the high-speed advantage of the hydrofoil even in smooth water. To overcome
additional takeoff drag which results from rough water, a power margin over the smooth-water
takeoff drag is required. Since the magnitude of this margin is a prime factor in the sizing of the
propulsion system,} it is essential that it not be arbitrarily overspecifled. Tests in design sea
states on well-instrumented U.S. Navy hydrofoils show that 20 to 25 percent margin is ample to
permit takeoff in rough water in any direction.

Figure 12: Typical Calm Water Thrust

14.2. SEAKEEPING

Dept. Of Mechanical Engg. 23 SBCE,Pattoor

Hydrofoil Seminar Report 2010

Some of the principle advantages of hydrofoil ships, over all other monohull or alternative ship
types are: (1) the ability of a ship, which is small by conventional ship standards, to operate
effectively in nearly all sea environments, and (2) an improved ratio of power to displacement in
the 30 to 513 knot speed range permitting economical operation at these higher speeds. The
submerged-foil ship can maintain its speed and maneuverability in heavy seas while
simultaneously providing a comfortable working environment for the crew.The ship's automatic
control system (ACS) provides continuous dynamic control of the ship during takeoff, landing,
and all foil borne operation In addition to providing ship roll and pitch stability, the ACS
controls the hull height above the water surface, provides the proper amount of banking in turns
and all but eliminates ship motions caused by the orbital particle motion of waves. Foilborne
operations only become limited as wave height exceeds the hydrofoil's strut length.] Figure 4
shows operating data points for three submerged-foil hydrofoil ships in actual sea conditions.
The data clearly show only a modest reduction in speed as wave heights increase. A hypothetical
operating envelope is drawn to represent hydrofoils designed to have a 50-knot speed capability
in calm water.

14.3. MANEUVERING
Besides a significant speed advantage, hydrofoils are more maneuverable and provide a more
stable platform than conventional ships. Foilborne turns are accomplished in a banked
(coordinated) fashion. This causes the centrifugal force required in turns to be provided
predominantly by the reliable lift capability of the submerged foils rather than by the
unpredictable side forces from the struts. Turn coordination enhances crew comfort during high-
rate turns because the accelerations due to turning are felt primarily as slightly greater vertical
forces rather than lateral forces. For example, a 0.4g turn is felt as only 0.08g vertical
acceleration increase while the lateral acceleration is zero. Therefore, hydrofoil ships have design
turn rates of 6 to 12 degrees per second, two to four times those of conventional ships, and they
can maintain these rates in both calm and rough seas. This makes the hydrofoil ship a more
difficult target for enemy missiles, guns, or torpedoes. The exceptional stability of the hydrofoil
ship makes it a superior platform in which to mount surveillance equipment and weapons while
maintaining crew comfort and proficiency.

15.ADVANTAGES

Dept. Of Mechanical Engg. 24 SBCE,Pattoor

Hydrofoil Seminar Report 2010

1. A hydrofoil requires only 50°/o of the power of a displacement vessel of comparable

size, for a given speed
2. The hydrofoil due to their small size and maneuverability, are target less vulnerable to
tactical military weapons like missiles
3. Greater platform stability and high speed
4. Can be maintained even in seaway due to better sea keeping ability

15.1. SOME HYDROFOILS AND THEIR USE

Hydrofoils have become very popular. They are used in various kind of sea traveling, from
military use to water sports. The high speed, smooth cruise and better turns delivered by
hydrofoils have been used in military ships. Sailing has also adopted the hydrofoils to gain more
speed. They enable new inventions that can satisfy people's desire to challenge danger, like the
sky ski. It is a water ski with a hydrofoil attached, which permits people to fly above the water
surface. Every day more hydrofoils are used, and in the future, they may be the dominate method
of sea traveling

16. CONCLUSION

Dept. Of Mechanical Engg. 25 SBCE,Pattoor

Hydrofoil Seminar Report 2010

Although the basic concept of hydrofoils has been around for 85 years, it has only been in the
last 35 years through advances in materials, light weight propulsion plants, and control theory,
they have become a viable open ocean concept. Involved. The design of a hydrofoil demonstrates
the very essence of engineering that is the trade-off and compromise among often-conflicting
requirements of many disciplines to arrive at a good balanced design.

17. REFERENCES

Dept. Of Mechanical Engg. 26 SBCE,Pattoor

Hydrofoil Seminar Report 2010

www.foils.org

www.howstuffworks.com

Dept. Of Mechanical Engg. 27 SBCE,Pattoor