Retrofitting leading-edge tubercles onto a sailing dinghy hydrofoil using 3D printing technology

Inspired by the flippers of Humpback whales, many recent engineering studies focus on how lifting foils can benefit from leading-edge tubercles. Contributing to the ongoing research of this biomimetic concept, the study presented investigates if the main lifting foil of a Moth sailing dinghy could benefit from the implementation of a serrated leading-edge. To do so, 3D printed tubercles were retrofitted to the centreboard T-foil of a Moth dinghy that was subsequently tested in the Kelvin Hydrodynamics Laboratory towing tank at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow. The results of these full-scale tests showed improvements for the lower Reynolds number range, but large disadvantages for higher speeds. Despite being generally unable to improve the foil’s performance, it was still successfully shown, how 3D printing can be used as simple, effective, and cost-friendly tool to be used to assess model variations or modifications in tank testing.