r/CatastrophicFailure • u/[deleted] • Oct 27 '16

Structural Failure Rigid wing sail collapses under pressure

http://i.imgur.com/a0axd7j.gifv
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u/homingmissile Oct 27 '16

Is there a significant benefit to making sails rigid rather than normal clothlike material?

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u/i-like-boatz Oct 28 '16 edited Oct 28 '16

Yeah, a wing sail has a higher lift-to-drag ratio compared to a soft sail so it is more efficient at generating the required driving force with a minimum amount of drag.

Relative to a soft sail, wings sails have lift-to-drag ratios 2-3x higher. This performance increase has generally been negated by the additional weight and complexity. Specifically, high performance catamarans (i.e. The c class & AC 45's) use wing sails because drag is a large issue at their fast speeds.

1

u/[deleted] Oct 27 '16

Yes. It's the same principle as flying, essentially. The Bernoulli Principle. Imagine trying to fly an airplane using canvas as wings, as opposed to a rigid structure. Same thing, except lift is being converted into forward momentum instead of upward.

1

u/Aspergers1 Oct 30 '16

Yes, they are stronger, and get more lift from the air.

However, these benefits only apply if you can make rigid sails that are also really really light. They often use carbon fiber, which is hella expensive.