L’aile rigide navale est le moyen de propulsion qui se substitue à la grande voile souple sur les catamarans de classe Coupe de l’América et Class-C. Ce gréement est similaire à une aile aéronautique, composée de deux éléments, avec le volet séparé de l’élément principal par une fente. Comparée à une voile souple, l’aile rigide permet d’améliorer les performances du bateau en naviguant à des vitesses plus grandes que celle du vent. Cependant, le décrochage brutal qui caractérise l’aile et sa sensibilité à l’instationnarité du vent rendent difficile la correcte maîtrise de l’aile pendant la navigation. La modification des forces aérodynamiques qui agissent sur l’aile, dû à l’action d’une rafale ou au dépassement de la limite du décrochage, peuvent compromettre la stabilité du catamaran avec un possible risque de chavirage. L’aile doit donc être dessinée et réglée correctement pour éviter cette possibilité de chavirage, mais il est nécessaire de connaître l’enveloppe aérodynamique. / Wingsail is a propulsion system substituting the conventional main soft sail on the America’s Cup and C-class catamarans. This rig is similar to a slotted-flap aeronautical wing, made by two elements divided by a slot. With respect to soft sails, the wingsail improves the performance of the yachts allowing navigating faster than the wind in both the upwind and downwind points of sail. However, the abrupt stall characteristics of the wing and its sensitiveness to the wind unsteadiness make difficult its management during the navigation. The modification of the strength of the aerodynamic forces acting on the wingsail, due to a gust or to the achievement of the stall limit, can compromise the stability of the catamaran. Thus, the wingsail has to be designed and trimmed to avoid the possibility of a capsize but, to do this, the aerodynamic envelop of the wingsail must be known. The aim of the Ph.D. project is, hence, to characterize the flow around the wingsail investigating the influence of the geometric and trim parameters on the wing performance.

This diploma thesis focuses on optimization of the flap for the ultralight aircraft Skyleader JA 600, which is produced by the Jihlavan s.r.o. company. Individual types of flaps used in ultralight aircrafts are described in the initial phase of the thesis. In addition, description of the plane of interest Skyleader has been conducted, while along with the basic characteristics the focus is mainly on its wing and flap. The thesis continues with detailed CFD method calibration task, which is mostly focused on the basic turbulent models comparison. The optimization task conducted within this diploma thesis includes CFD calculations to determine aerodynamic characteristics of the flap provided by Jihlavan company, and subsequent determination of its optimal position. An important part of this thesis is also evaluation of the load and strength of the flap in previously determined optimal position. At the end, the strength and fly tests of the flap in the new position are described.

The main objective of this diploma thesis is to optimize the high lift device on the wing of the Phoenix Air U-15 ultralight aircraft, so that it complies with the UL-2 regulation regarding the stalling speed – 65 KPH. This is fulfilled by optimization of the slotted flap position. Methods used include the Response Surface Method and the Computational Fluid Dynamics approach – namely Ansys Fluent v6 software package. Furthermore, the paper deals with take-off flap optimization and construction of the flap deflection mechanism.