Wind tunnel tests on aerodynamic loads and structural responses of crescent-shaped wingsails

Wind tunnel tests on aerodynamic loads and structural responses of crescent-shaped wingsails | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Wind tunnel tests on aerodynamic loads and structural responses of crescent-shaped wingsails Heng Zhu, Valery Chernoray, Jonas W. Ringsberg, Bengt Ramne, Hua-Dong Yao This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4481348/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Wingsails as a classical means for wind-assisted ship propulsion is booming today. Crescent-shaped wingsails have shown great potential considering their aerodynamics in thrust generation. However, there have been few studies on its structural responses exposed to unsteady aerodynamic loads. In this study, a crescent-shaped wingsail at a \(1:100\) scale is investigated by using wind tunnel tests. The wingsail with aspect ratios of \(0.19\) and \(0.33\) , which are derived from practical wingsail design, are measured at the angle of attack ( \(\alpha\) ) from \(0^\circ\) to \(90^\circ\) , and at the wind speed from \(20 m/s\) to \(40 m/s\) . The wind loads, pressure distribution, and wingsail tip displacements are measured and discussed. A study of the Reynolds number sensitivity indicates that the trends of the force coefficients and critical \(\alpha\) are changed when the Reynolds number ( \(Re\) ) is above \(3.1\times {10}^{5}\) . Besides, at \(Re=3.1\times {10}^{5}\) a lift crisis is found for \(\alpha\) below \(10^\circ\) , and a drag crisis happens for \(\alpha =0^\circ\) at \(Re=3.6\times {10}^{5}\) . Structural response analysis is conducted based on the wingsail tip displacement in the direction perpendicular to the chord line. The fundamental eigenfrequency of the structure, instead of the flow-induced frequencies, is found to dominate the fluid-structure interaction measured in the tests. Furthermore, the aerodynamic performance of a three-wingsail system is analyzed based on experiments. Notable interactions are found among the three wingsails. Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-4481348","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":308127666,"identity":"02954f85-602e-4c37-a7d2-30d4ebd6e2cf","order_by":0,"name":"Heng Zhu","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA5UlEQVRIie2QsQrCMBCGDwRdDlzjIH2Fg0BVEJ+lh9Cp6Cu4dVFcfQxByBzJ4FKdOwjqog4OdXMQNOLkEnUTzLckB/fl/wmAx/OD0PPQUAUE2H6l1AZWib5SSH+qNCojc4TrmmeL5bzgpN0PBpWds2BruIqbgHtWWa8rWMWtqUZJzmJ5EhIIwypHsoohAiwLp7I5WYUMzyYoL6xuZIsdLu4UlFuIDE8FhjZFk/2K0GUAZUkIkTZyYi9NVl0ig9JdbJHJoria+jjNZH5WHQrSdFc4YwDKInqZS2/2Hyvv3vR4PJ5/5w7PMk5r5BswgwAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"","institution":"Chalmers University of Technology","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Heng","middleName":"","lastName":"Zhu","suffix":""},{"id":308127667,"identity":"60f778f7-3c5a-42c2-aece-18695f45ef05","order_by":1,"name":"Valery Chernoray","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Chalmers University of Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Valery","middleName":"","lastName":"Chernoray","suffix":""},{"id":308127668,"identity":"e8959163-4549-49c1-920f-300867033bd9","order_by":2,"name":"Jonas W. Ringsberg","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Chalmers University of Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Jonas","middleName":"W.","lastName":"Ringsberg","suffix":""},{"id":308127669,"identity":"286a062a-fb5b-459a-9b76-97005638a00c","order_by":3,"name":"Bengt Ramne","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"ScandiNAOS AB","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Bengt","middleName":"","lastName":"Ramne","suffix":""},{"id":308127670,"identity":"d5593098-d498-45de-8cb5-987dcbe305c8","order_by":4,"name":"Hua-Dong Yao","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Chalmers University of Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Hua-Dong","middleName":"","lastName":"Yao","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2024-05-26 20:53:24","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4481348/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4481348/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":59133215,"identity":"ef7f40e4-56a9-40b3-b8a7-2d33d915b8ad","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-06-26 17:27:06","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1038827,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"WindTunnelTestsofCrescentShapedWingsailsv5.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4481348/v1_covered_23e5f720-10f5-48e0-a745-b63f480ec32c.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Wind tunnel tests on aerodynamic loads and structural responses of crescent-shaped wingsails","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4481348/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4481348/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eWingsails as a classical means for wind-assisted ship propulsion is booming today. Crescent-shaped wingsails have shown great potential considering their aerodynamics in thrust generation. However, there have been few studies on its structural responses exposed to unsteady aerodynamic loads. In this study, a crescent-shaped wingsail at a \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(1:100\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e scale is investigated by using wind tunnel tests. The wingsail with aspect ratios of \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(0.19\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e and \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(0.33\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e, which are derived from practical wingsail design, are measured at the angle of attack (\u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\alpha\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e) from \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(0^\\circ\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e to \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(90^\\circ\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e, and at the wind speed from \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(20 m/s\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e to \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(40 m/s\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e. The wind loads, pressure distribution, and wingsail tip displacements are measured and discussed. A study of the Reynolds number sensitivity indicates that the trends of the force coefficients and critical \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\alpha\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e are changed when the Reynolds number (\u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(Re\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e) is above \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(3.1\\times {10}^{5}\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e. Besides, at \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(Re=3.1\\times {10}^{5}\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e a lift crisis is found for \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\alpha\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e below \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(10^\\circ\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e, and a drag crisis happens for \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\alpha =0^\\circ\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e at \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(Re=3.6\\times {10}^{5}\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e. Structural response analysis is conducted based on the wingsail tip displacement in the direction perpendicular to the chord line. The fundamental eigenfrequency of the structure, instead of the flow-induced frequencies, is found to dominate the fluid-structure interaction measured in the tests. Furthermore, the aerodynamic performance of a three-wingsail system is analyzed based on experiments. Notable interactions are found among the three wingsails.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Wind tunnel tests on aerodynamic loads and structural responses of crescent-shaped wingsails","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2024-06-07 17:11:29","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4481348/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"12f54bb7-be36-4368-9735-7c632b84585c","owner":[],"postedDate":"June 7th, 2024","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2024-06-26T17:18:56+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2024-06-07 17:11:29","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-4481348","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-4481348","identity":"rs-4481348","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"qtupq5eGEP_6zYnWcrvyt","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}