Newsletter No. 9 -
2014
METS2014 EDITION
NEW PRODUCT LAUNCH Open talk:
Speaker:
AC65 box rules the technical challenges
Andy Claughton
Img2Des At METS2014, SMAR Azure will launch the brand new version of AzureProject
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Some of the new features are: • Luff Curve - Sail Shape Interaction
Ben Ainslie Racing Technical Director Date: Wed 19th Nov Time: 1.00 pm Where: SMAR Azure stand 10.312 More info here
Seminar:
Rig Design: Be right first time!
Speaker:
Sabrina Malpede
• Lateral luff curve Find more here
Event: ICOMIA TECHNOLOGY SEMINAR
SMAR Azure has been contracted by the British America’s Cup team - Ben Ainslie Racing (BAR) to contribute to the design of an AC62 wing-sail rig and catamaran structure.
Learn more here
Discuss with the R&D team of SMAR Azure any rig-sailplan questions
SMAR Azure CEO Date: Wed 19th Nov Time: 3.30pm Where: Innovation Lab stage – METS More info here
Img2Des is the new Add-On product for AzureProject users. It can measure a flying sail shape starting from any sail digital image
Some of the v.3 0 features are: Easier GUI: to validate alternative design Load cases: to vary tuning & sailing setting Final Tension Tuning Find out more here
Our in-house technology is used in connection with advanced analysis tools to offer expert professional services for sail, rig and yacht design.
Read more here
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CONTACT
T| +44 131 610 7627
In coincidence with METS2014, SMAR Azure Ltd will celebrate its 10 Years Anniversary. We began our journey in Oct 2004 and have dedicated the last decade to delivering cuttingedge technology initially to the yachting sector and, subsequently, to the wider marine industry. Today, SMAR Azure is recognised as market leader in 3D CAD design and analytical software for various segments of the marine industry. We have over 200 users in 27 countries. We offer expert design services using in-house technology in combination with FEA tools and CFD-Ranse. Our vision now extends far beyond our current products: we are now engaging in the development of innovative technology which will reduce fossil fuel consumption and lower pollution & greenhouse gas emissions. To all our customers, partners and collaborators, THANK YOU for your continued confidence in SMAR Azure Ltd.
Sabrina, Alessandro and Donald
E| info@smar-azure.com
W| www.smar-azure.com
Open talk: AC65 box rules - the technical challenges Speaker:
Andy Claughton Ben Ainslie Racing Technical Director
Date: Wed 19th Nov Time: 1pm Where: SMAR Azure stand 10.312
The AC62 box rules created for racing the 35th America’s Cup is, in very simple terms, a catamaran with a hull length of 62 feet, whose thrust force is developed by a wing sail rig also carrying a headsail. Andy Claughton will discuss the technical challenges presented by the AC65 box rules. Seminar:
Rig Design: Be right first time!
Speaker:
Sabrina Malpede SMAR Azure CEO
Event: ICOMIA TECHNOLOGY SEMINAR Date: Wed 19th Nov Time: 3.30pm Where: Innovation Lab stage – METS
“Modern sailing boats are designed to attain high technical performance, while also maintaining high levels of comfort. With this in mind, designing an optimal sail-rig plan poses a number of challenges. Mast and rig design cover an important role in maximising the performance of sailing yachts. The design of optimal rigs should take into account realistic sail loads, whereas the design of optimal sail-plan should consider the particular rig configuration and its structural behaviour (mast bend, forestay sag). The challenge is to facilitate both” More info about Innovation Stage event can be found here.
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The America’s Cup is sailing’s most prestigious competition, attracting the world’s foremost sailors, designers and engineers. Since its inception in 1851, the America’s Cup sailing boats have changed rig, dimensions and rules many times to keep up with changes in technology. One of the most dramatic changes happened in 2010, when multi-hull and wing-sails were introduced, causing one the most extreme technological shifts in the history of sailboat racing design. The AC62 box rules created for racing the 35th America’s Cup is, in very simple terms, a catamaran with a hull length of 62 feet, which has its thrust force developed by a wing sail rig also carrying a headsail. From a structural standpoint, the America’s Cup boat box rule brings a number of difficult technical challenges. Teams are allowed to build only one version of the AC62 and – moreover – the novelty of the rules leaves the design team with little background technical information to build on. Ben Ainslie Racing (BAR), the British America’s Cup team, has contracted SMAR Azure to develop ‘WingEdge’, an integrated fluid-structural analysis software tool for the AC62 design and performance analysis. Conceived in accordance with the requirements of the BAR design team, WingEdge is a user-friendly, accurate and fast tool for the analysis of an AC62 hull platform and wing-sail. The rules governing the operation of America’s Cup teams do not allow for excessive amounts of time in experimental testing. The ability to use powerful, accurate and specific tools – in silico – to simulate the boat’s behaviour is key. WingEdge allows modelling of the AC62 platform, wing-sail and wing control systems as a single entity. Aerodynamic loads can be taken directly from RANSbased CFD solutions, or created using SMAR Azure’s integrated Panel method for the wing-sail, and modified Vortex Lattice method for the soft-sail. The aero dynamic load is then applied to the structural model of the wing and the deformations, loads, and stresses are calculated. WingEdge is used by the BAR Design Team, as standalone software on a user’s desktop, or as part of a larger optimisation loop. Donald MacVicar, CTO of SMAR Azure, said: "WingEdge builds on, and makes use of the proprietary FEA system included in SMAR Azure's RigEdge, the unique tool for rig design and analysis". He added: "We are having an excellent collaboration with the BAR design team. We'd like to thank all the members of the team and wish them best of luck with their attempt to bring the Cup back to Britain!” Sabrina Malpede, CEO for SMAR Azure, said: “When we incorporated the company 10 years ago, our dream was to provide the technology for the design of an America’s Cup boat. Since the outset, SMAR Azure has engaged in the development of smart solutions to the complex problems faced by naval architects, rig designers and sail designers. As the AC box rule has been dramatically transformed, our R&D activities are being adapted to meet emerging needs and provide ad-hoc solutions.” Sabrina concludes: “Being a British company, we are pleased and honoured to have been selected by the Ben Ainslie Racing team to develop such an advanced technology solution. We cannot wait to see the new boat sail on the water”.
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AzureProject is the integrated sail design software that allows sail designers to move effortlessly through the various phases of design, optimization and fiber layout. At METS2014, SMAR Azure will launch the brand new version of AzureProject, which includes special features that focus on sail design optimization and production. Some of the new features are: Luff Curve - Sail Shape Interaction Lateral luff curve Automated spreader marking on reefed mainsails
NEW PRODUCT LAUNCH
This feature lets designer to see how the sail shape changes as luff curve and foot camber are altered, via both graphical and numerical views.
Img2Des Img2Des allows the user to measure a flying sail shape from any digital pic or image of a sail. The measured data can then be directly used to create an AzureProject design file, which can be compared with an initial sail design and/or with a flying sailshape calculated using the analysis tools available in AzureProject. Img2Des is available with any version of AzureProject. Img2Des offers you another great tool to improve your sail design!
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RigEdge enables rig and yacht designers to quickly define the rig’s dimensions. Its robust analytical tools enable designers to evaluate the sail’s loads on the rig and calculate the rig’s deformation and relative loads. In 2014, SMAR Azure released RigEdge V.3, dramatically improving the rig design experience thanks to its user-friendly new functionalities. The new RigEdge design interface can drive any user through the various rig design phases via a tree-based designed work-flow, which also allows storing multiple geometries, tuning and sailing load cases. Not only does the new design interface speed rig design up as every tool is at the user’s fingertips, but moreover it supports the designer from conceptual design phase to rig finalization, because all information and data can be stored in a single rig project file.
Some of the new features introduced are: EASIER Sail Loads setting: via a quick wizard, the designer can set sailing and rig settings in one single operation Load cases: it is now possible to create multiple load cases, by varying tuning settings and sailing conditions. Ability to add Deflectors and Jumpers Final Tension Tuning: the user can set the tension on cables that should be achieved at the end of the tuning analysis
DYNAMIC developed in collaboration with RINA Service S.p.a. It evaluates the impact of inertial loads on the rig .
MULTIMAST It aids the design of complex rig models for yachts with multiple masts.
GAFF –RIG It allows defining mast bend, gaff spar bend and rigging dimensions.
ADVANCED AERODYNAMIC ANALYSIS It generates sail coefficients for VPPs.
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Discuss with the R&D team of SMAR Azure anyRig rig-sailplan Analysis questions you have.
Taking into account dock tuning conditions and sailing loads on rigs, SMAR Azure can measure: Rig global strength, by assessing: Strength of running and standing rigging Stress in the mast tube Chain-plates loads Rig Natural Frequencies
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If needed SMAR Azure can also: Analyse the impact of dynamic loads, including compliance with the RINA guidelines for Sailing Rigs certification, under MCA LY3 code; Design and analyze Gaff rig and Multi-mast rig configurations
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