Abstract
Due to the limitation of size of the test section, blockage effects could not be avoided in the model test of yacht sails for common wind tunnels. In this paper, a numerical analysis is performed to investigate the blockage effects on the lift and drag forces measured from wind tunnel experiments for a 30 feet sloop yacht sail. Complex airflows around the jib and main sails including three-dimensional flow separations are calculated for various close-hauled conditions. It is found that the blockage of a wind tunnel changes the flow separation and consequently the lift and drag forces of the sails, especially the main sail, reduce and increase, respectively, due to the blockage effects.
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