Author: Heinrich Grümmer
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Towing tank resistance test
By the end of last week, we managed to take the finished hull to the towing tank facilities at TU Berlin to conduct our experiments on the resistance vs. speed. The aXatlantic made her very first contact with water and also did a very good job as the test results and the below pictures and videos…
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Finishing the hull
During the last weeks, we managed to finish the hull to a stage where we could take it to the towing tank for the resistance test. First step was to remove the laminated hull from the mould which was quite a challenge – resulting in the near destruction of the mold an a lot of brutal…
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Vacuum laminating the hull
Here comes the exciting part of the building process: After laying four dry layers of carbon fabric on the mold, we started the timer and the mixing of epoxy resin. All layers are throughly wet out and the wet laminate is covered in perforated film and absorber material before closing the vacuum film. We…
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CFD simulation of the thruster
Although the optimization of a thruster for our vessel has not started jet, here are some pictures of the reference design I already investigated. The propeller is a four-bladed Ka4-70 in a nozzle 19A by MARIN – a combination for which a lot of reliable experimental data can be found. The aim of the reference…
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Sponsoring of hull building materials and more
A couple of month ago I was trying to join this project with my study at the TU Berlin, as this allows me to put more time and energy into our work without letting my degree slide. Prof. Dr.-Ing. Cura Hochbaum, leader of the research group for Dynamics of Maritime Systems, got interested in our…
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Finishing the mold
After a lot of sanding and filling, the mold was ready to receive paint. More putty was used after the first paint job, to get rid of the ribs structure and the finished mold is covered in wax to make sure the hull does not stick to the surface.
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Smoothing the inner Deck
The first steps of the smoothing were done today including the trimming of the edges and a first light sanding of the surface.
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Planking the Inner Deck
Another day of patience and a lot of precise work using a block plane and a thin Japanese saw.
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Smoothing the Hull
First step in the process was to trim of the excess wood at the edges using a Japanese saw and planing them flush using a small block plane.
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Inserting the Keel
The keel was CNC milled in 3D and therefore just needs to be inserted into the planked hull. An opening was cut and the remaining gaps will be taken care of during the upcoming smoothing of the hull.