Gaelforce Keel

The keel for Gaelforce was designed and built as a MECH 460 project focusing on FEA and CFD.

Length: 180cm

Bulb Weight: ~20kg

Foil: CNC milled aluminum billet, constant chord 9cm

Bulb: Marskeel cast lead, circular cross section, aspect ratio of ~2

Deflection at 90* was predicted (by FEA) to be ~11cm, but measured to be ~65cm.

Initially, the foil was painted with VC Performance Epoxy, but the massive deflection caused the brittle coating to crack and flake off. In an attempt to stiffen the keel, a foam and fiberglass layup was added around the keel. The resulting foil deflected only ~35cm, but had a terrible surface finish and disturbed flow.