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A professional windsurfer is being given the edge using pioneering analysis techniques developed by engineering students and staff at the University of Southampton . Sam Sills, a former junior world champion who finished fifth when competing for Team GB in the Paris Olympics, had his windsurfing kit examined by the university’s cutting-edge towing tank and X-ray Computed Tomography (X-CT) scanning facilities to examine and test windsurfing kit belonging to Sam Sills, who represents Great Britain in windsurfing. Sam competes in iQFOiL class windsurfing, or ‘windfoiling’, where the board elevates above the water.
Riders can race at speeds of up to 30 knots (56 kilometres per hour). (Image: University of Southampton) READ MORE: The fledgling footballers who took on a coastal trek for a great cause Tests at the university assessed the hydrofoil’s performance in water, and 3D X-CT scans analysed the overall geometry, structural integrity, and variability between foils. Dr Joe Banks, Lecturer in Maritime Engineering, supervised a third-year Maritime Engineering student project that tested the foils in the university’s 140-metre-long towing tank, which has a moving platform that can tow structures through the water at up to 10 metres per second (36kph).
Dr Banks said: “We have a long-standing relationship with the UK Sports Institute, which funds research projects here to help improve athlete performance. It’s really exciting for us to be working with Sam, and for our undergraduate students’ research to help support him, and it’s thanks to our involvement in sports research over several decades that we were connected to him.” (Image: University of Southampton) Student Jamie Cook measured the lift and drag forces of the foils through water at a range of speeds.
The university’s μ-VIS X-CT Imaging Centre houses the two largest high-energy micro-focus X-CT systems within the UK academic sector – one of which was used to inspect the structure and make-up of four sets of foils belonging to Sam. He said: “Being able to assess and test the foils using the university’s facilities and knowledgeable staff and students is really reassuring, has given us deep insights into the kit’s performance and make-up.” The work is being highlighted to mark National Engineering Day, which aims to celebrate the UK’s engineers and how they shape the world around us.
(Image: University of Southampton).
