HYDROFOILS

BY
A.ADHIMOOLAM(NA456)
DEFNITION

. A winglike structure attached to the hull of a boat that

raises all or part of the hull out of the water when the boat
is moving forward, thus reducing drag.
. A boat equipped with hydrofoils. Also called hydroplane
HISTORY OF HYDROFOILS

Italian inventor Enrico Forlanini began

working on hydrofoils in 1898, and used
a “ladder” foils system.

In 1909 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 bowfoil and flat stern. The
subsequent Miranda IV was credited
with a speed of 35 knots (65 km/h).[6]
 DEVELOPMENT OF HYDROFOILS
 . On 9 September 1919 the HD-4 developed
by Bell and Baldwin set a world marine speed
record of 114 km/h (70.86 mph), a record
which stood for two decades.

 . In 1952, Supramar launched the first

commercial
hydrofoil, PT10 "Freccia d'Oro" (Golden
Arrow),
in Lake Maggiore, between Switzerland and
Italy.
The PT10 is of surface-piercing type, it can
carry 32 passengers and travel at 35 knots
(65 km/h).
TYPES OF HYDROFOILS
 WORKING PRINCIPLE
 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 equal 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.
LIFTING MECHANISM

As the speed along these streamlines increases,the pressure

drops (this will become important shortly).   The fluid that
moves over the upper surface of the foil moves faster than
the fluid on the bottom
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.(See diagram.)
 USES OF HYDROFOILS
These hydrofoil boats are mostly used for
fishing but given the speed factor, these
hydrofoil boats can be used for a multitude
of purposes in the days to come.
1. The high speed, smooth cruise and better
turns delivered by hydrofoils have been
used in military ships.
Soviet Union built Voskhods are one of the
most successful passenger hydrofoil
designs. It was developed in the Soviet
Union and manufactured in Russia and
Ukraine.
Hydrofoils are used in water sports in many
countries
 DEMERITS OF HYDROFOILS
Hydrofoils are sensitive to impacts with
floating objects and marine animals. If the
hydrofoils hit something the boat will fall off
the foils and this often creates a perception of
increased danger
Hydrofoils are expensive to build. A vessel like
the Boeing Jetfoil nowadays costs about 3 times
the price of an equivalent catamaran passenger
ferry. This prices them out of the market
completely
The second problem is hydrofoils are almost
like sharp knives going through the water,
normally fatally injuring any marine mammal
(e.g. whales) they hit. This is in contrast to
normal hulls which just slide over a whale with
minimal damage to both.
 CONCLUSION
Just like yachts which have revolutionized the shipping
and the boating industry to a great level, the hydrofoil
boats are also capable of doing something equally
great. Right now the usage of a hydrofoil boat is not
much but given the benefits and the efficiency of such
boats, it is quite possible that more and more parties
will take to boats involving the use of hydrofoil as a
successful alternative to the existing ones.
These hydrofoil boats are compact and unlike several
other items which have lots of restrictions imposed on
them because of their compactness, they are free of any
encumbrances, making them even lucrative from the
point of view of any current and potential boat-owner