Ben
The change in shape would be preset and built in. It would reduce the pressure difference across the top of the wing thereby improving span efficiency, which reduces induced drag. So there is an improvement in L/D as well as making the CoE lower.
I have ideas for a symmetrical soft wing that could be adjustable thickness and camber but I will play with a rigid wing first to see how difficult it is to manage.
Rick
On 20/07/2011, at 3:00 AM, bjarthur123 wrote:
the section changes at the top being static, or adjustable on the water?
the goal should be not to reduce the lift coefficient up there so much as to keep the L/D maximized for the larger AOA, no? at least for upwind work, which is what counts IMO...
ben
> My thought is to reduce the thickness and camber of the wing near the
> top. This will reduce the lift coefficient even when the apparent
> wind at the top has a higher angle of attack than the bottom of the
> wing experiences. A constraint would be not to increase the feathered
> drag markedly so there could be some fiddling with the edge radius to
> find the best result.
Rick Willoughby
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