The Hydrofoil Articulation sub-team concentrated on
designing an innovative hydrofoil mounting and
articulation system. To achieve sustained and selfleveling
flight, a system was designed to actively control
the front hydrofoils’ angle-of-attack and consequently,
the boat flying height, with a mechanical feedback
control system. This system consists of independent
variable height follower arms attached to waterfollowing
skis, which control the angle-of-attack of the
front foils. A four-bar linkage system was designed to fit
within the foil mounting strut so the mechanism could
achieve the desired range of angles without disturbing
the fluid flow. The design includes an adjustable rear foil
attachment. In the design process, the focus was to create
a mechanism that was lightweight and adjustable,
allowed precision control, could be disassembled
rapidly, and was relatively simple to manufacture.
The 2012-2013 team’s main contribution to the
Cedarville solar boat legacy was the design and
manufacturing processes used to make a working
hydrofoil system