Computer technology in modern sailing boat design and construction

¶ … Computer Technology Best Used in the Design Process?

The Design Process of a Forty-Five Foot Sailing Boat'

Computers are now being used in a growing number of applications. Computers have become a part of almost every academic discipline and area of expertise that anyone can imagine. Computer programs can perform many tasks more quickly and in some cases better than a human can. Computers allow us to see objects from all angles and create hypothetical situations to determine have the object will react in certain situations such as a crash or in a wind tunnel to test aerodynamics. Computers allow engineers to analyze projects quickly and efficiently.

Shipbuilding has been around for thousands of years and the early boat builders did not have the convenience of using high tech equipment. Since these first boats were built, there has been a driving force to make the better, bigger, faster, and more useful for human beings. Now computers aid ship builders in many ways. The following research will explore the use of computers in modern boat design.

The following research will investigate the development of sailing boat design and construction, providing a selective study of the history of sailing boats including their use, design and construction, and evolution. Secondly, an investigation of the development of computer technology for design purposes will show how the accessibility of computer hardware and the availability of software are major factors that enable their use as tools to aid the design process. Third, a summary will be provided as to when, where and how computer technology has been used in the design process of the case study, and evaluate previously discussed information regarding the application of computer technology in the design process. This research will support the thesis that computers are an essential element to modern ship design.

Chapter 1

Development of Sailing Boat Design and Construction'

In order to understand the needs of modern boat designers one must have a thorough understanding of how it developed from its very beginnings. The following will give an overview of the basics of boat design and will track the major changes through time to present. The basic idea and concept of the boat has not changed. However, there have been many advances in hull design, propulsion systems, stability, and other features that are important consideration in modern boat design.

Boats are a tool that must be of use to human beings. Boats were first developed in response to certain social needs and as these needs changed so did boats, their design and usage. Boats are primarily for the purpose of transportation of people and goods, no matter what the final intent of the people, the role of the boat is always transportation. The following overview will examine how the use of ships has changed over time and how the design of ships have changed in reopens to changing needs. New technology has undoubtedly had an impact on the design of ships. It is the combination of these factors that have led to the advances in shipbuilding that embody the art as is today.

History of Sailing Boats

The Vikings were one of the earliest, if not perhaps the earliest group of people known to build boats. Viking boats were primarily used for war or trading purposes. There was no distinction in design for war ships or trading ships (Greenhill, 1976). The boats were propelled by eight oarsmen and were kept afloat by ballasts to balance the load. These boats were cumbersome and not very stable, particularly given the fierce storms to which the North Sea can sometimes fall victims.

These boats served the purposes of the Vikings for quite some time. However, the population grew and soon the Vikings had to travel further to find the items to meet their basic needs. Boats needed to be able to travel further distances. This caused the Vikings to redesign their boats and they soon became one of he greatest seafaring cultures in the world. They could engage on trade and wage war in far away lands. Boats had to be able to withstand deep water sailing in the open sea. (Greenhill, 1976). These later ships appear to have been designed to be warships rather than trading vessels. All of these boats lacked the ability to sail. Early Scandinavia was characterized by a low level of economic activity. It primarily needed ships for short-range coastal raiding. It later needed to develop long-range ships for exploration purposes, raiding and trade. These required some sailing capability (Greenhill, 1976).

During the beginning of the sixteenth century the principle vessel for both war and trade was the Carrack. The development of the Carrack occurred in response to the development of better artillery. In the beginning war ships were simply merchant ships with artillery attached. Combat was at close quarters and was usually hand to hand. As artillery got better and could cover longer distances, the design of the ship changed in response and began to resemble floating castles with embattlements and holes cut into the hull to expose artillery (Kemp, 1978). Now a decision had to be made when building a ship as to whether the hull would carry cargo or whether it would be primarily for war. The decision effected the hull design and it was difficult to house both artillery and cargo at the same time.

Trade routes were opening all over the world and technology advanced at an alarming rate due to the free and easy exchange of ideas. Designing for space efficiency also had to be taken into account. All of this artillery required a crew to use it and they needed certain things such as food, fresh water, and space and had weight. Therefore shipbuilding had to begin considering these things as well. In many cases there was a trade off depending on the final usage of the ship. These ships were both a result of and in response to a changing economy in which ships could mean the success of failure of an economy. Ships brought the world to a single location and an economic class called the merchant class developed in many countries, particularly Portugal, Spain and the Dutch. The merchant class did not have all of he riches afforded to the aristocracy; however, they were not as poor as the peasants were either. They were considered to be wealthy and advances in shipbuilding played an important role in the development of this middle class.

Throughout the next several hundred years shipbuilding advances occurred in response to better propulsion system. Steam engines allowed faster crossings and passenger ships were developed. This allowed for the mass migration of people when they did not agree with the conditions in their own country. Advances in shipbuilding gave people the right to choose their own destiny and played an important part in the development of the world as it is today. Ships made travel faster, and more affordable. A trip across the Atlantic the used to take 1-2 months now only took 2 weeks.

Today shipbuilding is a highly specialized field. The choice is not as simple as whether to build a war ship or whether to build a merchant ship. Boats have a variety of uses from war to cargo, to passenger and cruise ships to sailing and fishing boats. All of these boats require a highly specialized design. Some prefer the elegance of the yacht and prefer to engage in sailing as a sport. Even within the specific areas of shipbuilding, there is even more specialization. Shipbuilding caters to the individual now winning the race does not occur entirely in the water. Raves are won in the design and building of the boat, not just the sailing itself. This research will focus primarily on sailing boats and yachts, as we know them today.

Developments in Boat Construction, Techniques and Materials

The deign of the hull, sails and other components saw ore rapid advancement in the early days and in recent times, has seen a slow down in improvement. However, in the area of construction materials and techniques the opposite has been true.. However, in the development of materials, the opposite has been true and in the beginning, most boats were made of whatever local wood was available. Now there have been many advances in boat building materials and this is the area that has seen the most improvement in recent years. Building material is becoming more lightweight and sturdier, Polymer technology is the key to building lighter and stronger boats.

Once the maximum keel design, hull design, and sail design were realized, the only way to improve the speed, strength and stability of the boat was to make improvements in construction materials. More lightweight material has added speed to modern boats. Now the bulk of the effort goes into designing the best materials for he boats and the basic shape and design remain essentially the same.

Viking ships were made of heavy materials, primarily locally available hardwoods. Oak was a preferred wood due to its hardness and durability. Wood was fastened together with iron nails and other forged metal pieces. Iron rivets were used as well. The frames of he ships were made of grown timbers and the other components were made of sprung haze saplings (Greenhill, 1976). Previously hulls have been carved from a single tree.

Throughout the 1600s the materials for shipbuilding remained virtually the same as in the earlier days, primarily consisting of wood and forged iron parts. The greatest improvement during this time period consisted of improvements in forging and carpenter techniques. The material, they, however, remained the same. Ships became more lavish involving ornate carvings for a time period. This tended to make the boats heavier and eventually this concept was abandoned for the sake of functionality. Lavish ornaments were abandoned in an attempt to gain speed and allow for more essential items (Goodenough, 1981). Shipbuilding placed an incredible strain on natural resources at the time and this was one of the industries that led to the destruction of millions of acres of forest in Europe.

With maximum efficiency in hull and sail design, the only way modern ship builder had to make a faster ship was through improvements in materials. Ships are now made of fiberglass, plastics and other materials that greatly improve the speed and performance of the ship. These new advances would not have been possible without modern manufacturing techniques. Sails are no longer made of wool, linen and cotton, but are made of new fibers such as nylon, polyester, liquid crystal fiber and vectran (Larsson and Eliasson, 2000). These materials are strong, lightweight and waterproof. Ropes are also made of these newer stronger materials. New materials have changed the face of shipbuilding and it is from future developments in materials that any further future improvements must come.

Chapter 2

Developments in Computer Technology for Design Purposes'

Shipwrights have always had to wear many hats. Earlier shipbuilders had to have knowledge of sailing, weaponry and warfare, carpentry, metal smithing and many other areas of science and engineering. Early shipbuilder did not know it yet, but they also had a rudimentary understanding of aerodynamics and physics as well. Now shipbuilding is even more complex and ship builder must have a background in hydrodynamics, aerodynamics, and marine engineering, while working with a variety of materials including woods, aluminum, and composite fibers. Modern shipbuilders have greater demands placed on them than almost any other design field today. In addition, they must also be artists, inventors, and innovators as well. They must have a thorough understanding of computer hardware, CNC programming, FEA regulations, and must keep up with new developments that are occurring at an alarming rate. The modern shipbuilder must be a Renaissance man in the most pure definition of the term.

Computer Hardware

Computers are a relatively new development, especially when compared to the long history of shipbuilding. Computers were first developed to aid government agencies and other big businesses in their daily routine calculations. From their crude beginnings, computers went through many developmental changes in a relatively rapid period of time. The first personal computers were introduced in the early 1980s and gradually came into common usage. By the mid 1980s nearly every business had a computer and by the 1990s they had become a household item as familiar as the toaster. When first introduced, PCs were limited in function and this is where the greatest advances have taken place. Computers are now an integral part of our world and are used in almost every part of our society.

The development of computers paralleled a pattern seen in the development of ships. In the early stages of ship building the emphasis was on functionality. The main accomplishment was that they worked at all. As time progressed, this wan not enough and they began to design them faster and lighter. As this happened they began to see greater usage for a large number of applications. The same thing happened in the development of the computer. The first models worked but were big, slow and clunky. Punch cards were difficult to store and data storage required large amounts of space and effort. Eventually, the trend focused on developing smaller and more compact computers. Computers became easier to afford and did not require large amounts of space. This allowed for computer technology to increase at a rapid pace.

Computer users have changed over the years as well. Computer users used to consist of a few select persons who worked for the government or large businesses. Now computer literacy is as important in the schools as reading, writing, and math. Computers are no longer only used by an elite portion of the society and computer users encompass people from every social class. By contrast, shipbuilding still remains a highly specialized field and is only practiced by a select few. However, computers have had an effect on this as well. Computers have allowed many people to try their hand at ship design and yacht building. This hobby has grown to include a wider variety of people. Yachting and sailing used to be a realm of the wealthy, but now with less expensive materials and computer technology has made it possible for a growing number of people to enjoy this hobby and test their engineering skills.

There are now thousands of software packages available for use in engineering and design processes for a number of projects. Shipbuilding and sailing have not avoided this wave and there are a number of software packages available to both professional design firms and hobbyists who wish to try their hand at the craft. There are packages available for a variety of platforms and for a variety of operating systems. Some are available through retail dealers and others are available for download via the Internet. Professional packages tend to be much more expensive than home versions, but allow for more integrated activities and more precision in design.

As with any new technology or advancement in technology, the software first becomes available for professional use and later versions are developed for the general public. This is true in almost any technology, and it has been true for sailing software as well. Over a period of time, the software available for home use becomes more sophisticated as does that intended for professional use. Now there are a number of highly sophisticated software packages available for the hobbyist.

It would seem as if advances in computer technology would eventually lead to the professional designer becoming obsolete due to the sophistication of software packages available for home use. It would seem as if anyone with a computer could become a design professional. These statements may be true in theory, but it all depends on the purpose for which the boat will be used. Some people are satisfied with trying their hand at boat design and building. They sail in a few regattas and that is the end of their interest. These people are usually do-it-yourselfer types and are doing it for the sheer joy of participation. Others however wish to engage in sailing for a more professional career. They will engage in sailing in regattas for the sheer purpose of collecting the cash prize in the end. They may also need boats for the travel and tourism industry, using sailing boats for the entertainment of tourists. These people cannot waste time with poor or even unsafe designs and will benefit from the experience of a design professional.

Sailing is expensive and whether one is a hobbyist or a professional, the design professional can save time and money. For the hobbyist, the professional can save them many years of mistakes and failed attempts due to their experience. The hobbyist can still design their boat, but a design professional may be able to spot trouble that hobbyist overlooked and in this sense the professional will save the hobbyist may hours of wasted effort and thousands of wasted dollars. For the professional sailor, sailing involves a great amount of capital outlay and the professional cannot afford to make mistakes in design. In this instance the design professional cannot be replaced. The computer is a useful tool for crunching numbers and performing mathematical calculations faster and more accurately than a human. However, the computer is missing one key element, common sense. The computer can be an incredible time saving tool and may allow the person the ability to see design flaws that may have otherwise been missed. However, it is unlikely that computers will actually replace the seasoned design professional.

There are a variety of computer software packages available for use in ship design. Software packages are developed to aid with aerodynamics and sails, general 3D modeling, CFD-Flow simulation, velocity prediction, and other elements of ship design. A few of the more popular programs include Auto CAD, which is also used in a number of other fields such as architecture and automobile design. Auto ship is a version of Auto CAD adapted especially for the ship design industry. Word and Photoshop are used to help with the more artistic elements of ship design. Word is a word processing program. Photoshop is a photo editing software package and is useful in visualizing what the final product will look like. This group of programs was not tailored to the ship building industry and were first used in other areas. These are very common programs and have many capabilities. This demonstrates how software developed for other applications can be used and adapted for use in shipbuilding.

The above-mentioned group of software represented software that was originally designed for another application. It was adapted for use in the ship design industry and has undoubtedly been of use in this endeavor. This can be considered to be a software classification group in itself. Now let us look at another group of software products that were originally designed specifically for the shipbuilding industry. There are many application out there and they are available in a wide range of prices and capabilities. The selection of the software will depend on many factors such as budget, intended purpose of the final project and the ease of use.

A person thinking of choosing shipbuilding software would be wise to examine all of the possibilities before making a decision. They should consider their budget, intended use, and must choose software that matches their technical level. A less advanced computer use may need to choose a program that allows drag and drop or point and click methods. These types of programs may limit the design capabilities, but will be easy to use of the novice. A more technically advanced user may wish to have more freedom of choices and choose a package that involves more programming ability. No matter which package is chosen in the end, the person using it must be able to use it and must be happy with the final product.

Great care should go into the choice of software. One must remember that the focus should not be on the software itself, but should be on the final product, the boat. Choosing the right software for the job will have a definitive effect on the final outcome of the project. The software chosen will have an effect on the project budget and this is an individual decision that must be made by each team member. A higher priced software package will take away resources from another area. However, it may be decided that the benefits of the package will outweigh the expense. Or it may be decided that the software should be functional and inexpensive, allowing more funds for other phases of the project. This is a personal decision and must be made by team members.

In the selection of appropriate software for the project, cost should not be considered to be the only factor in the purchasing decision. Many people make the mistake of assuming that the most expensive software will give them the best design in the end. However, one must remember that it is the final project that counts and that many inexpensive programs will do the job just as well as more expensive programs. The key to making the correct software decision is to keep the final result in mind and not to get caught up in the bells and whistles of the software. Many of the best programs have the fewest bells and whistles. One must think of the software as just another tool such as a hammer or screwdriver. If one manager to keep this perspective, then they will be more likely to make a software decision with which they will be happy.

We will now examine some of the software packages now available on the market for ship design and discuss their various characteristics. This is by no means a comprehensive list and should not be considered as the only authoritative source on software, but will give a few examples on which to begin a search for appropriate software.

Friendship Systems is a complete parmetric hull design tool suitable for designing sailing yachts and commercial vessels. It was developed to assist in initial design and shape optimization. The results obtained by this program are exportable to other programs such as CAD, CFD analysis tools and hydrostatic programs (http://www.friendship-systems.com).The most attractive feature about Friendship Systems software its ability to be imported into other software packages. This allows one to analyze their final design concept and make any necessary changes. Importability is an important feature for software that does not include all of the necessary elements in one package. The primary reason for developing a segmented package such as this is the expense involved in the purchase of an all-in-one package.

ARL - Alabacore research has developed a system that includes everything one needs into one package. ShipConstructor is an integrated package of ship production software including CAD-Link structural modeling, ShipCAM fairing and lofting, NC-Pyros, and ShipReport. It will run inside AutoCad 2000 (http://www.albacoreresearch.com/).This is an example of a more professional program and may be too much for the hobbyist, both in price and in capabilities. However, it is presented as a contrast to the Friendship System in which one does not have a complete analysis kit included.

Some software packages are specifically designed for one type of ship. For instance, Aeromarine Research has a package specifically designed for tunnel boat design (http://www.aeromarineresearch.com/).Auto Yacht is specifically tailored for sailboat design (http://www.autoship.com/).CATIA software is designed for AEC ship hull design (http://www-1.ibm.com/industries/plm/doc/content/news/announcement/390797113.html).Most of these packages are CAD/CAM compatible. In addition to these specialized software packages, there are a number of general design packages that can be used in a large number of applications.

SeaSolution is one example of a highly adaptable CAD program (http://www.seasolution.com/).Sea solution has a wide variety of tools and is import capable to other systems. It has highly advanced graphics systems that allows one to rotate their design and view it from different angles. It contains a graphics editor including an unlimited viewport, working views, perspective views, named views, 3D-graphics, customizable toolbars, shaded, sections visualization, block and layer operations, blocks tree, surface intersections, and 3D volume clipping (http://www.seasolution.com/).It has standard tools such as delete, duplicates, move, rotate, mirror, scale, array, trim, split, explode, extend, fillet, chamfer, offset, smooth, project, object properties, approximation and deviation control. (http://www.seasolution.com/).In addition it has import/export capabilities with DXF, ASF, IDF, SRF (FastShip), DBG (Intergraph), IGES, STC, VDA-FS, Foran (FORMF), Autokon (DFREG), Autokon (TRACUR), AutoHydro (gf1). (http://www.seasolution.com/)..

This example is used as a prime example of the feature that can be available on a number of software packages. This package contain a lot of extras and in making a software decision, one must consider just how much they will use these bells and whistles. This package is comprehensive when compared to the Friendship System discussed earlier that has only a fraction of the capabilities of the Sea Solution package. This was presented to Illustrate the range and possible capabilities of current state of the art shipbuilding software.

The software presented thus far has included comprehensive hull design software, both specialized and non-specific. There are a number of software programs available to perform only one specific function in the ship design process. Some examples include Hullform by Blue Peter Marine Systems (includes lines fairing and hydrostatics) (http://boatdesign.net/Directory/Software/).One might mention that hydrostatics will determine if the boat will actually float, an important issue in hull design. Other specialized software includes Powersea (Time-Domain Simulation of Planing Hull MotionsSplash (Flow simulation and performance prediction for yachts and ships); Calcualtion and Analyze of Propellers (Calculates Diameter and Pitch of propellers); DESP (predicts the resistance and propulsion characteristics of displacement ships.); and MacSail (Aerodynamic simulation of sails on Macintosh computers). There are many more available and this only serves as an example of what is currently available (http://boatdesign.net/Directory/Software/)..

Chapter 3

The Design Process of a Sailing Boat'

There are a number of commercial templates available on the market. However, most of them are not available for free use without purchasing the package. Therefore we will examine the process as it may be using design process. The first and most important component that needs to be considered is the hull design of the boat. The hull design depends heavily on he end use of the boat. It must take into consideration these factors previously discussed as for as hydrostatics, stability and aerodynamics. The amount of water displacement must also be considered. Once all of these factors have been considered it is time to get out the CAD program and run a few ideas. Then these ideas must be tested to make sure that the desired results will be likely to be obtained. A preliminary hull design may look similar to this example. The image can be manipulated and viewed from a variety of angles.

Image Source: http://mypage.direct.ca/a/adynamic/advanced.html

This rendition will be tested using a variety of processes and other software packages. Some software packages even allow the designer to put in different materials to determine how they will react under certain conditions. After the designer is satisfied with the hull design it is now time to add the other systems such as sails, steerage, equipment placement, etc. The designer will then come up with a final concept and may produce a picture similar to the following.

Image Source: http://mypage.direct.ca/a/adynamic/yacht.html

Using a variety of software packages, the design can be tested and re-tested before any construction begins. Computers can save valuable time and money in providing analysis and allowing the designer to see the project from all angles. This is sometimes only possible using computers, especially when the ship is large. Without computers, problems may not be spotted until the piece is already constructed and this can spell disaster.

Sail boat designers have come to depend on computers in their work There are not many out there who do not use computers and computer simulation in their design work. It has become state of the art and would not even be considered in this day and age. Not using a computer could mean costly mistakes and with the availability of software this is simply not tolerated in today's engineering field. If hypothetically, computers suddenly went out of existence, designers could still build boats, as they did for thousands of years before computers. However, there would be many disadvantages and the product would suffer. Computers are a necessary part of modern ship design and there are no excuses in today's society for mistakes due to a lack of technology. However, computers still cannot replace the common sense and reasoning of the human and computers cannot design alone. So for now it seems as if they are stuck with one another.

Conclusion

Any project manager knows that planning is the key to success, no matter what the project. Like any other project, successful shipbuilding depends on proper planning. This is where computers are essential to the final outcome of the project. Computers are useful from every step in the design process from the initial concept to final testing and building specifications. There is not one phase of the design process where computers are not used. Prior to computers, designers would hand design the model and try to test every element, only there were some things that simply could not be tested until the final model was completed. Then the designer had to hope and fret that they had not missed anything in their design. The moment of truth would come and the designer would have to face success or failure. Failure could mean the loss of thousands of dollars. Simulators help to alleviate the tension involved when the baby finally hits the water.

Now the moment of truth is less stressful thanks to the use of computers. Problems can be found in the design stage, rather than after the building of the boat. Ship builders still rely on their experience and skill to produce a final product, only computers help to add a troubleshooting step to the design process. It is much better project management to attempt to foresee and correct problems before the final implementation of the plan. This is where computers and designers become inseparable partners. Computers are essential to ship design, no matter what type of ship is being built. Computer and software may be initially expensive, but they make up for it in fewer mistakes, rework, or failed projects altogether. Computers are not only a nice extra for ship designers, they are a necessary part of the planning process and can mean the difference between ultimate success or failure.