HYDROFOIL

ABSTRACT

A hydrofoil is a lifting surface, or foil, that operates in water. They generally are similar
in appearance and purpose to aerofoils used by aeroplanes. Boats that use hydrofoil
technology are also termed hydrofoils. Hydrofoil boats actually incorporating the use
of hydrofoil to help them really propel much faster on the water are an attraction that
has held the shipping industry for quite some time now.
The hydrofoil usually consists of a wing like structure mounted
on struts below the hull, as the hydrofoil-equipped watercraft increases its speed, the
hydrofoil elements below the hull develop enough lift to raise the hull out of the water,
greatly reduces hull drag. This provides corresponding increase in speed and fuel
efficiency, which is quite significant.
Hydrofoils particularly are more expensive than conventional watercraft above
the definitely certain displacement, so most hydrofoil craft are relatively small, and are
mainly used as high speed passenger ferries. Hydrofoils are not only usefulness on
gravy boat, especially interest on seaplanes. The main reason for putting foils on the
plane was to make the landings very smoother and make take offs generally much
quicker. This literally is useful when taking off of short lakes or in definitely rough
water.

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CHAPTER – 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1 GENERAL
A hydrofoil is a lifting surface, or foil, that operates in water. They are similar in
appearance and purpose to aerofoils used by aeroplanes. Boats that use hydrofoil
technology are also simply termed hydrofoils. As a hydrofoil craft gains speed, the
hydrofoils lift the boat's hull out of the water, decreasing drag and allowing greater
speeds. The hydrofoil usually consists of a wing like structure mounted on struts below
the hull, or across the keels of a catamaran in a variety of boats. As a hydrofoil equipped
watercraft increases in speed, the hydrofoil elements below the hull(s) develop enough
lift to raise the hull out of the water, which greatly reduces hull drag. This provides a
corresponding increase in speed and fuel efficiency. Wider adoption of hydrofoils is
prevented by the increased complexity of building and maintaining them. Hydrofoils
are generally prohibitively more expensive than conventional watercraft above the
certain displacement, so most hydrofoil craft are relatively small, and are mainly used
as high-speed passenger ferries, where the relatively high passenger fees can offset the
high cost of the craft itself. However, the design is simple enough that there are many
human-powered hydrofoil designs.
A hydrofoil is classified as any vessel that harnesses the lift forces generated
when water flows over a wing-like surface. Originally, hydrofoils were affixed to small
hulls in simple stacked designs. Most vessels were one of a kind and used only for
experimental purposes. The US Navy embraced hydrofoils in the 1970’s with some
success, although no vessels presently remain in service. Today, a number of large
hydrofoil equipped passenger ferries operate all around the world, gaining particular
popularity in Europe, Canada and Russia. These modern designs are very efficient, have
excellent sea keeping characteristics, and are used in a number of commercial
operations.

1.2 HYDROFOIL CONCEPT

The fundamental concept of a hydrofoil ship is, through efficient lifting
surfaces, to raise the hull of the ship above the water surface and thereby eliminate the
hull friction and wave making drag which limits the maximum speed of conventional
ships which depend on buoyancy for sustention. A second, but very important
advantage to raising the hull above the water surface is that seaway induced forces and

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motions on the hull can be essentially eliminated, allowing the ship to proceed at high
speed even in relatively heavy seas.

Fig.1.1 Hydrofoil
At low speeds, before wave drag becomes dominant, buoyant lift is very
efficient, and a hydrofoil operates on its hull much as a conventional ship. As speed is
increased, however, the efficiency of the lifting surfaces (foils) increases to a point
where they are more efficient lift producers than the hull,, and start to sustain a higher
and higher portion of the ship displacement until a speed is reached (designated take-
off speed) where the whole weight of the ship is carried by the dynamic and buoyant
lift of the foil system, and the hull is completely free of the water. Since the foils are
considerably more efficient lift producers than the hull above take-off speed, the
hydrofoil ship can sustain much higher speeds for the same specific power than
conventional ships.

1.3 THEORY

The main reason to use hydrofoils is the reduction in drag that is created. When
the boat is at speed, the hull is out of the water. This reaction reduces the
amount of surface area the water can push against, therefore lowering drag.
Higher speeds with less power are the primary advantage of using hydrofoils.
Hydrofoils reduce the effects of waves, as the boat does not pound into waves,
but rather flows smoothly up and down them. Also, a vessel’s maneuvering
ability is greatly increased. A hydrofoil can turn at a rate of two to four times that

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of a conventional boat There are two main forces acting on the hydrofoil itself,
lift and drag. Lift is the force that makes an airplane fly and a boat rise out of
the water. Drag opposes the motion of the vessel, and is much less than the
vessel’s drag force and therefore reduces the amount of power needed at the
design speed. This relationship is shown in fig. 1.

Fig.1.2 Drag of a bare planning hull and a hydrofoil craft.

The two main types of hydrofoil shapes are the symmetrical foil and the
asymmetrical foil. A symmetrical foil is one that is identical on both sides. This type of
hydrofoil requires the user to set an angle of attack in order to achieve lift. The
asymmetrical foils are flat on one side. This allows them to provide lift without adding
an angle of attack on the foil. Asymmetrical foils are easier to build and easier to install
as they are designed for a certain vessel. For our project, we are using symmetrical foils.
These foils are the only ones that would function properly with an adjustable angle of
attack system.

Fig1.3 AOA Plotting

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The above figure displays typical surface area requirements for a symmetrical
foil at varying velocities and angles of attack (to produce approximately 500 lbs of
lifting force, which is within the range of lift requirements for our stern foils). It is clear
that low angles of attack require larger foil surface areas to achieve the appropriate lift.
When the required surface area is converted to a length of linear foil and a length of
foil mounted at 45 degrees to the horizontal, the above plot results. Low angles of attack
clearly require foil lengths that are impractical for a vessel of our size. These plots
provide a good foundation for identifying the angles of attack we can expect to use with
our foils.

1.4 HYDROFOIL HISTORY

A hydrofoil, in its most basic definition is essentially a submerged wing. Hydrofoil
equipped vessels have the potential to achieve high velocities (relative to VHulls) as
the hull lifts out of the water and drag decreases. As the foils lift the hull out of the
water, only the foil drag remains, which greatly reduces the power required to drive the
boat (Holden, 1991). Hydrofoil wing sections are generally smaller than aviation wings
(although they are closely related) due to the fact that water is approximately 1000 times
denser than air. In this higher density fluid, high levels of lift can be generated at low
velocities to raise the hull out of the water (IHS, 2006).
There are two general hydrofoil configurations that have been used
historically, commercially and experimentally: the surface piercing foil and the fully
submerged foil (there are also many subdivisions of each type). Surface piercing foils
are self-stabilizing foils, and are designed so that a portion of the foil extends through
the air/sea interface when foil borne. The foils are connected to the hull with metal
struts with sufficient length to support the hull above 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. This causes the ship to rise and the
submerged area of the foils to decrease. The other foil configuration is known as the
fully submerged or T-foil. They operate at all times below the water surface, and are
not self-stabilizing. This lack of stability is caused by the nature of the metal struts that
connect the foils with the hull. These struts do not contribute any lifting forces to the
system and only impart drag and vibrations. The surface-piercing configuration does
not require an automatic control system since they are self-stabilized in both pitch and
roll. When designing a hydrofoil, engineers must be extremely conscious of weight.
The hull must have the strength to resist wave impact at high speed as well as distribute

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concentrated loads at the strut attachment points. Additionally, a major consideration

in hydrofoil design (especially in large commercial vessels) is fulfilling sea-keeping
requirements in a heavy sea (Holden, 1991).
The first use of the foils on a boat is generally attributed to a British patent in
1869. It was granted to Emmanuel Denis Farcot, a Parisian, who claimed that “adapting
to the sides and the bottom of the vessel a series or inclined planes or wedge formed
pieces, which as the vessel is driven forward will have the effect of lifting it in the water
and reducing the draught.” Alexander Graham Bell and Casey Baldwin built a 60 ft
long craft and achieved a speed of 70.85 miles per hour in 1919. They started their work
in 1906 based on hydrofoil theory that was published in a Scientific American article
by an American hydrofoil pioneer William E. Meacham. Bell described his vessel as a
“heavier than water machine, as well as lighter than water” (IHS, 2006).
The vessel was considered a significant engineering achievement. Testing
began in 1908 and after several tests; Baldwin designed a ladder-like set off hydrofoil
blades, which were slanted so that the lower end of one was on a level with the upper
end of another. As a result, there was a smooth transition from one foil to another as
the vessel rose out of the water. More then 10 years later the design was perfected and
a marine speed record of 70.86 miles per hour was set (the record stood for ten years).
“At fifteen knots you feel the machine rising bodily out of the water,” wrote one visitor,
“ and once up and clear of the drag she drives ahead with an acceleration that makes
you grip your seat to keep from being left behind. The wind on your face is like the
pressure of a giant hand, and an occasional dash of fine spray stings like birdshot ….
She doesn’t seem to heel a degree as she makes the turn. It’s unbelievable, it defines
the law of physics, but it’s true.” The United States Navy determined the vessel to be
too fragile did not see fit to an order (IHS, 2006).

Fig.1.4 A simple hydrofoil sketch circa 1869.

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CHAPTER – 2

LITERATURE SURVEY
2.1 REVIEW OF LITERATURE

 Acosta A J : The successful achievements of hydrofoil craft to date and the possibility
of high speeds at sea are due to the greatly increased understanding in recent years of
the flow past hydrofoils and to the development of foil configurations and control
systems for coping with the roughness of the sea surface. It seems appropriate,
therefore, to link the discussion of hydrofoils with that of progress in the craft. The
general characteristics of hydrofoil craft are reviewed together with some representative
modern examples. Some physical aspects of the flow past hydrofoils are described,
followed by a resume of some of the recent methods used in design and analysis of
hydrofoils.

 Chatteroy and Gaithersburg MD : Describes eleven of the most prominent firms in

the design and construction of commercial high speed watercraft (HSW) craft, both
domestic and international. The objective of this report is to identify and present data
on the significant HSW vehicles currently available and their builders. For a number of
vehicles currently in production and in operation, data is presented on the engineering
and economic characteristics, energy efficiency, maintainability, reliability, ride
quality, safety, comfort, accessibility to handicapped persons, and capital and operating
costs. Engineering and economic comparison of these high speed vessels are also made
with other modes of transportation.

 Ball, Edgar Scott J R : “The PHM Project began as a major NATO acquisition
program consisting of 60 or more ships for international purchase. Today the program
cosists of just six ships for the United States alone. This thesis reviews the history of
the program, the design considerations and the current problems experienced by the
Program Manager. An analysis of the rationale behind the decisions which led to the
reduction in scope of the program suggests that factors inherent to the current systems
acquisition process cause the cut back in the program and that these were independent
of the Program manager’s efforts. The results of the analysis suggest that these factors
have the potential to affect the outcome of any acquisition program, no matter how well
the hardware performs.” Approved for Public Release.

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 Bovee, E.C : The Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME) has
published the technical bulletin Blade and Hydrofoil Section Design. This bulletin
includes the Blade and Hydrofoil Section Design Codes with a 29 page Owner’s Guide,
and a 184 page Technical Report. It updates and complements T&R Bulletin 1-17. The
Design Codes and Owner’s Guide provide tools for the design and performance
evaluation of blade and hydrofoil sections. The programs are provided in both DOS and
Mac formats and will run on most personal computers. The Technical Report provides
analytical background information and is of interest primarily to those who wish to
adapt or enhance the programs.

 Brown, DK, JP Catchpole, and AM Shand, : “The Evaluation of the Hydrofoil HMS
SPEEDY,” Royal Institution of Naval Architects Transactions, Volume: 126, 1984,
16p., ISSN: 0035-8967. HMS SPEEDY was procured in 1979 to provide the Royal
Navy with an opportunity to gain practical experience in the operation and support of a
modern hydrofoil, to establish technical and performance characteristics, and to assess
the capability of a hydrofoil in the UK ‘Offshore Tapestry’ role. The present paper
describes the operational and technical evaluation of HMS SPEEDY undertaken in
1980-82, and outlines the results obtained. Supplemental Information: Transactions
paper; Also in Naval Architect, January 1984 issue.

 Peat, Marwick and Mitchell : One of seven reports written under this contract to
describe high speed waterborne passenger transportation, review its applicability in the
US, and document its development in the free world. This report presents a
comprehensive listing of available literature (in English) on the subject of High speed
waterborne passenger transportation. Each reference in the bibliography indicates the
source of the document, and whether the document contains information in the
following categories: vehicle characteristics (e.g., craft features, performance and
human factors); design consideration’; and economic/financial analysis of such
services.

 Grimm, Martin : “Transverse Stability of Surface Piercing Hydrofoils,” International

Hydrofoil Society Newsletter, Summer 1998, pp. 7-9. The stability criteria presented in
the IMCO Code of Safety for Dynamically Supported Craft, now superseded by the
International Maritime Association (IMO) High Speed Craft Code, provides an
equation for assessing foilborne metacentric height (GM) of surface-piercing hydrofoils
in the design stage. An alternative method which addresses several limitations of this

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equation has been implemented in a short computer program, and representative results
for typical foil designs are presented. A more extensive assessment of the results, a
source code listing, and example input files are available from the author to those
willing to examine this subject in further detail and share their findings.

 Steven John Salani : He describes a multihull hydrofoil watercraft, sensing and control
mechanism for the hydrofoils. A multihull hydrofoil watercraft incorporates a
stabilization system wherein the buoyancy of the hulls is used as a sensing and control
mechanism for the hydrofoils. The use of hull buoyancy to adjust the hydrofoil lift
provides for automatic control of altitude, pitch and roll, and allows the craft to
accommodate varying weather and sea conditions while providing a smooth ride for
passengers.

 Teguh Putranto and Aries Sulisetyono : They introduce the basics of hydrofoils and
proposed the best NACA (National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics) foil type
which is appropriate to be applied in a ship using hydrofoil. At the result they found
that, the NACA 4712 foil with the angle of attack 15 degrees is the best foil to be applied
in hydrofoil.

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CHAPTER – 3
IMPLEMENTATION
3.1 GENERAL
Hydrofoils create lift using the same science that gets planes to fly. It’s all to do
with differences in pressure on either side of the wing – or in this case foil. Foils create
lift when the water travelling over the top surface of the foil goes faster than the water
travelling over the bottom and is happens because the top of the foil is either curved or
angled. They can give even tiny boats a power boost. Because there is less surface area
“rubbing” on the water to slow the boat down. This means that even with gentle winds,
a small boat can really get moving.
At low speeds the hull (body of ship) sits in the water and the hydrofoils are
totally submerged in the water. As the boat’s speed increases, the hydrofoils create lift.
At a certain speed, the lift produced by the hydrofoils equals the sum of the boat and
cargo weights. Therefore the hull comes out of the water. 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.

The use of a single lifting foil (unifoil) has been used with a certain amount of
success in the past. For the case of a large amount of loading on the foils however, the
boat becomes unstable (like a seasaw) it is therefore advantageous in terms of pitch
stability (especially for sailing craft), to support the boat with two or more foils. Since
two foils provide the least amount of interference between foils and are the simplest,
configurations of this sort are fairly common. The two foil configuration can be
subdivided into three further categories, based on loading of the foil.

3.2 PROTOTYPES
Italian inventor Enrico Forlanini began work on hydrofoils in 1898 and used
a "ladder" foil system. Between 1899 and 1901, British boat designer John Thornycroft
worked on a series of models with a stepped hull and single bow foil. In 1909 his
company built the full scale 22- foot (6.7 m) long boat, Miranda III. Driven by a 60 hp
(45 kW) engine, it rode on a bow foil and flat stern. The subsequent Miranda IV was

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credited with a speed of 35 kn (knots) (65 km/h; 40 mph). On March 1906 Scientific
American article by American hydrofoil pioneer William E. Meacham explained the
basic principle of hydrofoils. Alexander Graham Bell considered the invention of the
hydroplane a very significant achievement, and after reading the article began to sketch
concepts of what is now called a hydrofoil boat. In the early 1950s an English couple
built the White Hawk, a jet-powered hydrofoil water craft, in an attempt to beat the
absolute water speed record. However, in tests, White Hawk could barely top the record
breaking speed of the 1919 HD-4.

3.3 LIFTING MECHANISM

As the speed along these streamlines increases, the pressure
drops. 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.

Fig.3.1 Lifting of Hydrofoils

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 (illustrated on figure 3.2). 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. The difference between the pressure on the top surface
and the ambient pressure at the bottom surface will produce a net pressure that will
cause the lift.

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Fig.3.2 Foil along the Stream lines

3.4 ANGLE OF ATTACK

The angle of attack is defined as the angle the chord line of a wing section
makes relative to the direction of flow, where the chord line is a straight line drawn
from the leading edge of the wing section to the trailing edge, Lift on the hydrofoils
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.

Fig.3.3 Foil Breakdown

The goal of this angle is to optimize the lift to drag ratio. This ratio depends on the
shape of the foil. Considered 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.

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Fig3.4 Angle of Attack

For a wing section that is symmetrical about the chord line the lift
generated is directly related to the angle of attack, for instance, a zero angle of attack
generates zero lift. For non-symmetrical wing sections, a zero angle of attack will still
result in some lift being generated. Increasing the angle of attack will increase the lift
produced up to a certain angle, but also will increase the drag being generated (Note:
lift and drag increase exponentially with velocity). Thus it is advantageous to generate
only the minimum amount of lift at a given speed in order to create as little induced
drag as possible. Once the angle of attack becomes too large, flow separation will occur
causing the foil to stall resulting in zero lift being generated (Abbott, 1959).

Fig.3.5 Adjustable AOA

The symmetrical foil mounted on an adjustable pivoting system. This will allow
to adjust the angle of attack to produce the lift needed to meet our requirements while
minimizing drag. The pivoting system will consist of hinged attachments between the
foil and mounting struts and an adjustment rod to control the angle of attack; see Figure
3.5 The adjustment rod will move the trailing edge of the foil up or down effectively
changing the angle of attack.

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3.5 FOIL ARRANGEMENT

The use of a single lifting foil (unifoil) has been used with a
certain amount of success in the past. For the case of a large amount of loading on the
foils however, the boat becomes unstable (like a seasaw) it is therefore advantageous
in terms of pitch stability (especially for sailing craft), to support the boat with two or
more foils. Since two foils provide the least amount of interference between foils and
are the simplest, configurations of this sort are fairly common. The two foil
configuration can be subdivided into three further categories, based on loading of the
foil

Fig.3.6 Foil Arrangement

 The Canard Configuration has a main foil just aft of the COG (Centre of Gravity) and
thus provides most of the lift. A front or canard foil is situated near the bow and provides
balance and pitch stability.
 The Aircraft Configuration is almost the opposite of the canard and the main foil is
situated just in front of the COG (Centre of Gravity) with the rear foil providing the
pitch stability.
 The Tandem Configuration has two foils which support the boat fairly evenly in terms
of lift and distance from the COG (Centre of Gravity).

3.6 SURFACE PIERCING AND FULLY SUBMERGED FOILS

Surface piercing foils are foils which have their root at the free surface and
are characterised by a reduction in wetted area as the foil rises out of the water. This is
achieved by angling the foils down when moving abeam towards the centreline along

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the horizontal plane and this angle is known as the dihedral angle. An added advantage
is that due to this angle, the foil will provide additional natural heave, pitch and roll
stability.

Fig.3.7 Types of Hydrofoils

Fully submerged foils are almost exclusively found in a horizontal

plane. Typically they are T foil in nature but for large foils, multiple struts are used and
their placement affects the aspect ratio. The submerged foil system derives its stability
from the lift control of the hydrofoils which function completely below the surface of
the water. This submergence decouples the hydrofoil ship from the water surface. Lift
control can be achieved by moving the entire foil surface, which is called incidence
control, by having most of the foil surface fixed and using trailing edge flaps to achieve
lift variations, called flap control, or by using Z a combination of incidence, flaps and
tabs. A sensing system is required to measure the ships roll, pitch, acceleration, and
height above the water surface. This information is supplied to a computer which relays
signals to hydraulic actuators which control the lifting surfaces. The entire system is
called an automatic control system (ACS).

3.7 HYDROFOIL PROPOSITION AND POSITIONING

PROPOSITION
A multipurpose hydrofoil is recommended, as it could lessen the trimming and
heeling moments of the craft by maintaining the vessel in an upright position and by
lessening the resistance, thus stabilizing the ship. The design of the hydrofoil was
inspired from observations of dolphin movement, particularly how dolphin’s balance

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their body using their fins in different wave conditions. Inspiration also came from
observing the relationship between the rudder force and center of gravity force on the
ship.

POSITIONING THE HYDROFOIL

A pair of hydrofoil fins are attached to the craft, a National Advisory
Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) profile 4412 (4% Max camber, maximum
thickness at the midpoint & maximum thickness 12% of the chord). These two fins are
accommodated along the side wall of the boat. The center pressure of these two
hydrofoils must be in line with the boat’s center of gravity. For each hydrofoil, two
supports are provided. The first support has a rotating axis, while the second axis is
movable and the movable axis is used to create an angle of attack for the foils.

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CHAPTER – 4
MERITS AND LIMITATIONS OF HYDROFOIL

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
attractive ratio of power to displacement in the 30 to 50 knot speed range permitting
economical operation at these higher speeds. The submerged-foil ship can maintain its
speed and manoeuvrability in heavy seas while simultaneously providing a comfortable
working environment for the crews.

4.1 COMPARISON OF VARIOUS FAST SEABORNE TRAVEL

(SPEED REDUCTION COMPARISON)

Speed, comfort and safety are the most important criteria one considers while choosing
a HSMV (High speed marine vehicle). But, speed can vary depending upon the sea
conditions, therefore in rough seas it can be noted that the speed reduces distinctively
to a certain amount as shown in the table.

Table 4.1 Speed reduction comparison

4.2 COMPARISON OF VARIOUS MODES OF TRAVEL

Overland: The popular circuits where the hydrofoils operate do not have a viable
option for operating overland transport due to its geography. Typically these are
between islands or one end is an island, around a bay or a creek.

Cruise ships: The cruise ships are usually larger in size, have cabin accommodation
and able to withstand a higher wave and swell condition due to their size. The hydrofoils
on the other hand are generally smaller in size and very sensitive to sea state. The

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hydrofoil usually has only seating arrangement and very few have cabins. This makes
it suitable for shorter circuits ranging from 5 minutes to 2 hours. Hence for longer
distances i.e. > 150NM, or in exposed waters, the operator’s preference gradually
moves towards larger cruise ships.

Flights: The flights are definitely an option for the users of hydrofoils if there is an
airport on both ends. However the usual turnaround time for flying including airport
transit time may make it unattractive to fly over short circuits.

Table 4.2 Comparison of various modes of travel

4.3 MERITS OF HYDROFOIL

 Increased top speed with existing engines by 20 – 40%.

 Smaller engines can be fitted to reach the desired top speed.
 Reduced fuel consumption by 15 – 30%.
 Increased travelling Rance by 25 – 40%.
 Improved sea keeping in rough seas and drier ride in choppy seas.
 Increased payload carrying capacity with less speed loss.
 Increased hull strength. (keel being bolted together by the main foil).
 Banks at speed more like mono – hull.

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4.4 LIMITATIONS OF HYDROFOIL

A fundamental limitation of hydrofoils, so-called as “square-cube’’ law,

which impacts the growth potential of these ships. Because the lift developed by the
foils is proportional to their wing area (the square of a linear dimension), whereas the
weight to be supported is proportional to volume (the cube of a linear dimension), it
follows that as size is increased, the foils tend to outgrow the hull.

Another weakness of hydrofoils are its sensitive to impacts with floating objects
and if the hydrofoils hit something, the boat will fall off the foils and this often creates
a perception of increased danger. Even though hydrofoils have lots of advantages, they
are very expensive to build and to maintain it. A vessel like the Boeing Jetfoil now a
days costs about 3 times the price of an equivalent catamaran passenger ferry.

Hydrofoils are almost like as a sharp knives going through the water, normally
fatally injuring any marine mammals (e.g. whales) when they hit. This is in contrast to
normal hulls which just slide over a whale body with minimal damages to both.

4.5 APPLICATIONS
Hydrofoils 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.
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. Hydrofoils can also be used on planes, as hydrofoils are used to
increase maximum speed and to decrease the drag, they are used to help water planes
take off in shorter distances.

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CHAPTER – 5
CONCLUSION AND FUTURE TRENDS

5.1 CONCLUSION
Hydrofoil technology has reached that stage of maturity where it is possible to
define attributes and limitations with confidence, and where designs can be optimized
for a given requirement. The current regime of the naval hydrofoil ship lies in sizes up
to about 1,000 tons, and in maximum rough water design speeds of 35-50 knots. The
capability to design a new ship to meet new or varied requirements based on proven
technology are ongoing processes. Most importantly, the techniques have been
established to produce hydrofoils efficiently and at lower cost. Furthermore, the
reliability of hydrofoils has been demonstrated along with the determination of support
systems to insure low-cost maintainability.
As to the future of hydrofoil development, the basic technology is in hand to
produce larger and even more capable vehicles. Promising designs have been carried to
the model phase and are awaiting the mission requirements to justify proceeding to
fruition. Hydrofoils do and will continue to provide effective transportation and to
operate effectively in military missions. The future is now dependent upon the
imagination of the planners and the technologies are available to meet their visions.

5.2 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH

From the above conclusions the following is recommended for future research.
 The design of a retractable hydrofoil system could be investigated. Since the speed of
sailing craft is dependent on wind speed, there will often be conditions of relatively low
boat speed (below displacement Froude number of 2). From the results it was therefore
concluded that it would not be desirable to have a fixed (permanently submerged)
hydrofoil system as it would not be beneficial in terms of total resistance for a
significant portion of the speed range.

 The HYSUCAT type configuration is reinvestigated but the main foil is moved forward
suggested. This could form part of a more complete design and optimisation. Since the

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canard foil disturbed the flow over the main foil (which provides most of the lift), an
improvement in performance is expected. Judging by the experimental results, there
would need to be a significant shift forward of the COP of the main foil to provide
independent strut adequate stability so sweeping it forward is not likely to be practical.

 An system is therefore recommended which would provide much more freedom in

terms of design. The balance of the system would be affected by the addition of the
struts on the main foil so this would need to be compensated for.

 If the canard configuration is investigated further, the main foil should be swept back
to provide better pitch stability. It would also be more practical to have two canard foils,
one under each demi hull bow as heel tends to lift the canard out of the water, thus
making it less effective at providing pitch stability. Due to the significant pitch
instability of sailing catamarans, it is suggested that a trim control system is included
in a full hydrofoil system design. A significant reduction in the hump speed was
achieved by varying the main foil AOA. It is therefore suggested that a ride height
control system is also included in such a design.

 The incorporation of a dihedral main foil. Since initially, little was known with regard
to the dynamics of a hydrofoil supported sailing catamaran, the configuration
investigated was kept very simple. Since roll and heave stability are important for
sailing catamarans, and a dihedral angle is known to improve this, it is suggested that
this aspect is investigated The design of a retractable hydrofoil system could be
investigated. Since the speed of sailing craft is dependent on wind speed, there will
often be conditions of relatively low boat speed (below displacement Froude number
of 2).

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REFERENCES

 Steven John Salani, “Multihull Hydrofoil Watercraft”, U.S. Patent 7 743 720 B, Jun.
29, 2010.
 Teguh Putranto, Aries Sulisetyono,” Lift-Drag Coefficient and Form Factor Analyses
of Hydrofoil due to The Shape and Angle of Attack”, International Journal of Applied
Engineering Research, vol.12, Number 21, pp. 11152-11156, 2017.
 Hydrofoil Society. (1970). The International Hydrofoil Society [Online]. Available:
http://www.foils.org
 R. Johnston, W. O’neill, D. Clark, Hydrofoil (U), vol 1. David Taylor Naval S Hip
Research & Development Center, 1976.
 MI News Network. (2015, Dec. 24). What are Hydrofoil Boats [online]. Available:
https://www.marineinsight.com/boating-yachting/what-are-hydrofoil-boats
 Rosado, Tina (1999). "Hydrofoils". Reports on How Things Work. Massachusetts
Institute of Technology. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
 SRI International (1961). "The Economic Feasibility of Passenger Hydrofoil Craft in
U.S. Domestic and Foreign Commerce". Archived from the original on 1 March 2012.
Retrieved 9 September 2009.
 Dixon, Malin. "Forlanini". The Hydrofoil Resource Site. International Hydrofoil
Society. Archived from the original on 18 January 2017. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
 George Jenkins (1 November 2000). "Patrol Combatant Missile (Hydrofoil): PHM
History 1973–1995" (PDF). Foils.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 August
2017. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
 "Early Hydrofoils". www.histarmar.com.ar. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
 "Italian Hydroplane of Curious Type." Popular Mechanics, December 1911, p. 927.
 hovercraft-museum.org. "Musthorn1". Archived from the original on 24 June 2009.
Retrieved 9 September 2009.

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