Team

The main goal of the team is a practical training of the future engineer: to design means to compromise between an idea and what is actually buildable (atchievable). To this purpose, the theoretical background is not enough. In this view, the sport team improves from year to year optimizing manifacture processes, experimenting different sandwich combinations, modelling hull and sails geometry according to marine conditions expected during the regatta. The training occurs during the first months of academic year, from October do December, after the reqruitment of new members. It is possible to gain knowledge about materials and production of elements through interaction with the existing boats. These initial months are useful to understand bureaucracy inside Politecnico and confront the first projects: it is the period of boat refitting, modelling programs studying and regulation consultino about material testing, model validation in DOFs simulation, renewal of contracts with sailing clubs and sponsors. Refitting of skiff boats does not only involve worksite activity: Project area is required to solve the problems merged during regatta, implementing replaceable components and consider eventual replacement of appendixes. From January to February the team deals with the project for the new boat, that is planned to be produced from May to June. Which geometry will be most appropriate for regatta site conditions? Which materials are better to experiment? Do we have sufficient knowledge and skills to make our project efficient? Hull, deck and appendixes lamination is entirely held inside Politecnico laboratories and done by team members. Internal structure components are stamped and provided by external producers (companies); laying and bonding are performed by us. Terraces are one of the components produced by external company. From March, after sailing clubs return in service, it is possible to start athletic training. Sailors gather data that will be useful for new validations of models and outline the path for next year’s project. The sport group begins to advertise the team taking part in competitions inside sailing clubs. The new prototype will be tested in marine environment from August to September, during 1001 Velacup regatta competition. In this regatta are allowed to sail only non professional athletes, regularly enrolled as students of their representing University.

Promotion and advertising are activities that our team performs during the whole academic year, from social media contents, Politecnico internal events (conferences and exhibitions), to external events (nautical or composites fairs, exhibitions etc.)

Such a complex and diversified work requires the cooperation between different areas:

AREAS

Executive: Working with the different areas, it has the task of designing, analyzing and drawing using software (e.g. CAD) the components needed by the boats, creating a bridge between the final project and its construction on the shipyard

Structures: PST Structures area deals with selecting the materials and dimensioning the structures of our prototypes.
This is possible thanks to simulation software and testing sessions, which together allow to reach an optimal result.

Fluid-dynamics: Physical analysis of the boat in order to implement a mathematical model and write a VPP (Velocity Prediction Program) with the goal to simulate the behaviour of the boat and evaluate its performances. Validation of the numerical model through experimental tests. Analysis and project of control systems studying the interactions between sailor and boat.

CFD analysis of attachements (drift, rudder and foil), hull and sails. Validation of numerical models with tank tests and experimental data

Construction and Maintenance: shipyard maintenance and shipbuilding.

Sailors: study of the equipping and boat adjustments, team training in preparation for the two annual regattas 1001vela cup and sumoth Challenge

Sensoristics: creating data capture systems, obtaining these and postprocesing experimental values with the aim of validating numerical models; telemetry devices to be included in our skiffs

Management: Team management, social media and website, event organization, intermediary with sponsors, companies and Politecnico

Sustainability: study and verify the sustainability of our boats with LCAs and research on the chemical and/or mechanical recycling methods for epoxy matrix composites in order to completely recycle one of our boats.
The work is divided in three phases: bibliographic research, study of new recycling methods and lab experiments