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Home > News Bits

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World's Biggest Wing Designed

February 08, 2010

On February 8th 2010, in the picturesque Spanish port of Valencia, BMW ORACLE Racing’s skipper Russell Coutts will take command of one of the most technologically advanced – and hopefully fastest – boats ever built, in a bid to capture the 33rd America’s Cup. The most remarkable feature of the trimaran – named “USA” – is that it will be powered not by a conventional sail, but rather by an enormous wing, bigger by far than an aircraft wing. Mike Drummond, BMW Oracle’s Racing Design Director explains: “A wing of this scale has never been built for a boat. In terms of size, it dwarfs those on modern aircraft. Towering nearly 190ft (57m) above the deck, it is 80 per cent bigger than a wing on a 747 airplane.”

The boat and wing were designed in just a few months by heavily leveraging engineering simulation technology at the expense of traditional experimental techniques such as wind tunnel and tow tank testing.

For more information on how engineering simulation increases innovation and reduces costs in the Marine Industry, including a webinar presentation by Mario Caponnetto and a Downloadable Marine Special Report, please visit www.cd-adapco.com/applications/marine.

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