has been another area that crews have been working hard on (and is also the subject of much scrutiny from rivals). This division of uses in turn determines
the positioning of the switches that control the multitude of hydraulic functions, be it buttons on the cockpit sole for the grinders to operate with their feet or the complex array located on and around the wheel for the helmsman to punch. These latter controls usually include ride
height and fore and aft trim, which on the AC50s are much improved compared to the AC72s, now that rudder rake can be adjusted to play a part. This welcome addi- tion should not only improve the stability with which the AC50 foils both upwind and downwind but should also prove valu- able for safety, through reduced likelihood of a pitchpole or capsize. Unlike the more familiar cockpit sole- mounted buttons that control winch speed, the switches for the hydraulic func- tions are electrical rather than mechanical, operating electric hydraulic valves as well as the winch disconnect (in other words, when the pedestals are only powering the hydraulics). Of course the controls for the hydraulic functions are not merely in/out or up/down, but some such as the rake and cant of the boards require different switches that permit continuous trimming. Aside from ye olde rope wing sheet, the
other controls in the wing are also all operated by hydraulics. According to Wiss, these typically comprise at least two rams controlling the camber of the wing (ie
Harken’s latest Air Winch, like the original Polo Mint… makes perfect sense when you think about the engineering. Larger bearing surfaces are usually preferable so replacing a heavy-centre spindle by light ‘outer’ bearings delivers a double benefit
the relative angle between the front and rear elements) and the twist (the relative angle of the flaps up the height of the wing’s trailing edge). All these rams are housed within the
bottom of the wing to keep weight low. Of course, while just one cable ultimately attaches to each of these rams, further up the wing they divide and sub-divide, fanning out to control different parts of the wing. This, combined with the necessity of the wing to be able to flop on to the exact same settings between tacks, means the complexity of the wing’s innards makes it end up resembling the insides of a piano. Again exactly how these cables control
the wing is a closely guarded secret between teams and hidden from prying eyes by the Clysar membrane that covers the wing’s inner skeleton along with its workings. While hydraulic operation may be necessary due to the small crew, the speed of the AC50 and the pace at which manoeuvres occur, a downside is that crew must now rely almost entirely on displays, rather than feel, to determine the loads for many key components; although funda- mental aspects such as the fore and aft trim and ride height can still be determined by the helmsman based on feel or observation. There is of course the continued drive
to maintain an athletic aspect to racing AC50s through the grinding team. How- ever, it doesn’t take a massive leap of imagination to see a future iteration of the boat becoming rope free, entirely operated by hydraulics, and for the human engine to be replaced by a mechanical one – as was the case with the giant multihulls in the Deed of Gift match of 2010. It would easily be possible to log settings for all the hydraulics for different wind strengths, points of sail and so on, and from there to be able to ‘auto-tack’ or for fore and aft trim to be auto-levelling through the use of high-speed gyroscopic sensors. As an academic exercise, the prospect of
a boat like this being fitted with the ultimate fly-by-wire system, turning it into a doublehander, is technically fascinating, but apparently not a development for which the sport is ready…
WWW.MAR L OWRO P ES . C OM
CONTROL QUANTUM R ACING MARLOW,
Photo credit: Photo by Keith Brash © Quantum Racing
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