Embark on the Finn project to discover how the 3DEXPERIENCE platform enhances high performance sailing

PM 2020-04-30

Hello CATIA lovers,

I am excited to introduce this original project we started in September 2017. Let’s talk about sailing and more specifically about the FINN. FINN is a single-handed dinghy boat used in Olympic Games since 1956.

On such a boat, many parts of the geometry (hull, rudder, daggerboard and boom) are strictly limited by the rules of the FINN class. However, the mast and the sail are open for shape and material optimization. Both are propulsive and contribute to the speed of the boat.

At Dassault-Systèmes, we launched an original project in September of 2017 with the FFV (French National Sailing team) with Jonathan Lobert – Sailor, HEOL Composites (mast builder), and the WB-Sails company (Sailmaker).

All together, we want to achieve the goal of designing a new mast to win the gold medal at the Olympics Games in Tokyo 2020. At DS, we are in charge of the structural & aerodynamic design of the mast. The CATIA & SIMULIA R&D teams have to the opportunity to challenge together the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform on a real-world design scenario in an industrial and short time project.

You said FINN? what is that?

We will try to share you through couple of episodes the content of this incredible project using the 3DEXPERIENCE platform to contribute to success of France’s sportsmen.

In this first video, we had the opportunity to meet Jonathan Lobert (Sailor), Paul Iashkine (Performance Engineer) and Laurent Tournier (Mast builder). All together we have created various versions of the FINN mast to find the best configuration!

What is a mast?

A mast is an aero shape resulting from fluid simulation to reduce the drag of the profile. A changing composite layup is used along the height of the mast in order to achieve a target stiffness matched to the sail geometry in various wind conditions (from 5 to 25 knots) and various sailing direction (upwind to downwind).

Our challenge is to find the optimal shape and the associated composite layup to improve the behavior of the mast in a short period of time to the road of Olympic Games. Jonathan is then using the masts to validate (or invalidate) the improvements we can see on the computers.

Jonathan is an efficient sensor who provides us tinny variations of behaviour of the mast. But Jonathan is not providing us mm, forces … but feelings, emotions. We have to translate this information into quantitative values for our simulations.

Various steps to achieve

First of all, we have to create a design model with parametric shape & composite layup. We used the CATIA applications (Generative Shape Design and Composite Design) to define a range of parameters to optimize. The parameters are useful to create an optimization. We will talk about that in further episode!

Then, we run the static & dynamic simulations. We will have the opportunity to discuss more about that in couple of weeks!