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
calledhydroplane

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 (6.7m) long boat, Miranda III.

Driven by a 60hp (45kW) engine, it
rode on a bowfoil and flat stern. The
subsequent Miranda IV was credited
with a speed of 35 knots (65km/h). [6]

DEVELOPMENT OF HYDROFOILS
. On 9 September 1919 the HD-4 developed

by Bell and Baldwin set a world marine speed

record of 114km/h (70.86mph), 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
(65km/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 boats speed increases, the hydrofoils create lift.
At a certain speed, the lift produced by the hydrofoils

equal
thesum of the boat and cargo weights. Therefore the hull
comes out of the water.

Instead of having an increaseindrag with increasing

speedbecause 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 speedalong these streamlines

increases,the pressure drops(this will become

important shortly). Thefluidthat moves over the
upper surface of the foil moves faster than
thefluidon 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