Boat designs inspired by nature

Discussion in 'Boat Design' started by asmith calif, Nov 21, 2011.

  1. asmith calif
    Joined: Nov 2011
    Posts: 1
    Likes: 0, Points: 0, Legacy Rep: 10
    Location: San Francisco, Calif

    asmith calif New Member

    Hello everyone,

    I work at a science museum in California and we are researching examples of boat design that are inspired by nature for a future exhibit. Any specific examples (famous or not) that you can think of would be very helpful in our research.

    For example, if you know of a keel design inspired by a whale's fins or a boat hull that was shaped to resemble a fish's body, we would love to know about it.

    Any thoughts on this topic would be most appreciated!

    Aaron
     
  2. Leo Lazauskas
    Joined: Jan 2002
    Posts: 2,696
    Likes: 155, Points: 63, Legacy Rep: 2229
    Location: Adelaide, South Australia

    Leo Lazauskas Senior Member

    Spider-cat!
     
    Last edited: Aug 12, 2015
    1 person likes this.
  3. HASYB
    Joined: Jun 2011
    Posts: 310
    Likes: 17, Points: 18, Legacy Rep: 143
    Location: The Netherlands

    HASYB Senior Member

    1 person likes this.
  4. Tiny Turnip
    Joined: Mar 2008
    Posts: 865
    Likes: 274, Points: 63, Legacy Rep: 743
    Location: Huddersfield, UK

    Tiny Turnip Senior Member

  5. Tiny Turnip
    Joined: Mar 2008
    Posts: 865
    Likes: 274, Points: 63, Legacy Rep: 743
    Location: Huddersfield, UK

    Tiny Turnip Senior Member

    Last edited: Nov 22, 2011
  6. liki
    Joined: Nov 2008
    Posts: 221
    Likes: 12, Points: 18, Legacy Rep: 114
    Location: Finland

    liki Senior Member

  7. Leo Lazauskas
    Joined: Jan 2002
    Posts: 2,696
    Likes: 155, Points: 63, Legacy Rep: 2229
    Location: Adelaide, South Australia

    Leo Lazauskas Senior Member

    These might be a little too obscure.

    A Weinblum hull arrangement was named for the famous hydrodynamicist George Weinblum. For the unusual wave pattern created see:
    http://www.cyberiad.net/wakeweinblum.htm

    "Weinblum" is also (I believe, but check!) German for vine flower. These alternate on either side of the stem.

    I found the low wave-making "diamond" tetrahull using Artificial Life methods.
    http://www.cyberiad.net/waketet.htm
    These techniques use analogues of genetics, Darwinian evolution, survival of the fittest, and Baldwinian learning to solve engineering problems.
    A tenuous connection to your project, but they might be of interest.

    Leo.
     
  8. daiquiri
    Joined: May 2004
    Posts: 5,371
    Likes: 258, Points: 93, Legacy Rep: 3380
    Location: Italy (Garda Lake) and Croatia (Istria)

    daiquiri Engineering and Design

    Leo, what would happen if you took a Weinblum arrangement and then perform the following transformations:
    1) mirror the two hulls along some distant longitudinal axis, in order to create a quadrimaran
    2) shift one of the two semi-arrangements longitudinally by half-wavelength, to make the wavetrains from the two semi-arrangements go out of phase by 180°
    Would the resulting quadrimaran wavetrain be completely canceled out?
    Cheers
     
  9. Leo Lazauskas
    Joined: Jan 2002
    Posts: 2,696
    Likes: 155, Points: 63, Legacy Rep: 2229
    Location: Adelaide, South Australia

    Leo Lazauskas Senior Member

    I might be mis-understanding you, but isn't that the same as the diamond tetrahull (or quadrimaran)?
     
  10. daiquiri
    Joined: May 2004
    Posts: 5,371
    Likes: 258, Points: 93, Legacy Rep: 3380
    Location: Italy (Garda Lake) and Croatia (Istria)

    daiquiri Engineering and Design

    Oh yes, you're right! A diamond tetrahull is a particular case of the arrangement. I was talking about something like this:
    Double Weinblum.gif
    Just an academic question, since a diamond tetrahull has a seakeeping and a maneuvering advantage related to longitudinal and lateral symmetry.

    Cheers
     
  11. Leo Lazauskas
    Joined: Jan 2002
    Posts: 2,696
    Likes: 155, Points: 63, Legacy Rep: 2229
    Location: Adelaide, South Australia

    Leo Lazauskas Senior Member

    It's not an arrangement that gives maximum (theoretical) wave cancellation of the diverging waves.

    The diverging waves made by the inner hull on the starboard side and travelling to starboard will be cancelled
    (in part) by the other hull on that side. But the waves travelling to port will not be cancelled as much.
    Similarly, on the port side, there will be waves that are not being cancelled by the hulls on the starboard side.

    Michlet can be used to investigate these sorts of arrangement. A feature that is not used often is the Free Wave Spectrum.
    Examination of this spectrum shows in which directions most wave energy is being shed by a single hull at a particular
    Froude number. The displacement of the other hulls and their location can then be chosen to cancel waves propagating in
    those directions at certain Froude numbers. (Godzilla can be used to minimise waves propagating over ranges of
    wave angles too, but that doesn't always give insights into why a certain arrangement works better than others).

    Examination of the Free Wave Spectrum for a Weinblum is particularly informative because it shows how the unusual
    wave pattern results from cancellation over certain wave angles and not others.
    (There is an example of a Weinblum bundled with the free version of Michlet).

    See also:
    http://www.cyberiad.net/library/pdf/tl98.pdf
    which shows how to arrange individual hulls to get (close to) maximum cancellation.
    (There is an interesting use of Pascal's triangle for the truly nerdy!)


    Leo.
     
    Last edited: Nov 22, 2011
  12. Richard Woods
    Joined: Jun 2006
    Posts: 2,209
    Likes: 175, Points: 63, Legacy Rep: 1244
    Location: Back full time in the UK

    Richard Woods Woods Designs

    Is this the sort of thing you are after??

    http://waylandwordsmith.blogspot.com/2010/03/captain-peacocks-swan.html

    and here

    http://www.syntagmamedia.com/wp-content/Cygnetinexetermaritimemusm1991_450.jpg

    BTW famous designer (Moodys etc) Bill Dixon is the same Dixon family as the Dixons boatyard mentioned in the above link. While Starcross Yacht Club, also on the Exe, was formed in 1772, so recreational sailing has been going on in the area for some years now

    I think it is well known that Ben Lexan, amongst others, used dorsal fin shapes for his keel designs. Later of course he used different keels

    Richard Woods of Woods Designs

    www.sailingcatamarans.com
     
    1 person likes this.
  13. cyclops2
    Joined: Sep 2010
    Posts: 242
    Likes: 8, Points: 0, Legacy Rep: 94
    Location: New Jersy

    cyclops2 Senior Member

    The attack & BM nuclear subs are based on sea life.
     
  14. philSweet
    Joined: May 2008
    Posts: 2,682
    Likes: 451, Points: 83, Legacy Rep: 1082
    Location: Beaufort, SC and H'ville, NC

    philSweet Senior Member

    The corruGator:p I think it was inspired more by beer than by nature though.
     

    Attached Files:


  15. philSweet
    Joined: May 2008
    Posts: 2,682
    Likes: 451, Points: 83, Legacy Rep: 1082
    Location: Beaufort, SC and H'ville, NC

    philSweet Senior Member

Loading...
Forum posts represent the experience, opinion, and view of individual users. Boat Design Net does not necessarily endorse nor share the view of each individual post.
When making potentially dangerous or financial decisions, always employ and consult appropriate professionals. Your circumstances or experience may be different.