Dubai Victory Team Boats Fly with SolidWorks

2008 Class 1 World Powerboat Champions Design Faster Boats Using SolidWorks 3D CAD and Simulation Software

CONCORD, Mass. - Dubai Victory Team is using SolidWorks® 3D CAD and SolidWorks Simulation design validation software to develop high-speed powerboats that will sustain the team’s reign as world champions. Fresh off of its 2008 Class 1 World Powerboat Championship win, the team is now preparing for the rigorous 2009 season by using SolidWorks to improve hydro- and aerodynamics. Dubai Victory Team hopes the newly redesigned boats will continue to rocket at 160 miles per hour or more to new championships and speed records.

“At top speed, these boats are airborne except for the propeller. A gust of wind or a surprise cross-wave could flip the boat. That’s why it’s imperative that the drivers have complete confidence in the boat’s design. SolidWorks gives us new options we wouldn’t try in 2D, so we can explore different ways to push the envelope for better performance and safety,” says Edmond Husseini, Head of Technical Office, Dubai Victory Team.

Key facts
* The Class 1 World Powerboat Championship features international teams competing in a series of races held around the world. One driver and one throttle person operate each boat.
* Each boat is 42 feet long, with twin 900 horsepower engines powered by propellers with five blades.
* Victory standardized on SolidWorks to transition from 2D drawings to 3D modeling to wring more performance from the boats.
* Optimizing hydro- and aerodynamics is paramount since only one propeller blade is in the water pushing the 4,800-kilogram boat at any time.
* Engineers redesigned the propeller in SolidWorks, using lighter and stronger material to deliver better weight/performance ratio.
* SolidWorks’ surfacing helps Victory Team engineer gaps out of the boat’s hull, deck and cockpit designs, ensuring the boat is completely water tight – especially after integrating vendors’ designs.
* SolidWorks’ large assembly and collision detection features save time while enabling engineers to optimize the propeller and power train design.
* Victory Team uses SolidWorks Simulation software to study how different parts of the boat’s assembly will stand up to the rigors of powerboat racing.
* SolidWorks Motion enables the team to conduct torque and acceleration analysis of one of its gear boxes.
* In the future, Victory engineers will use SolidWorks to more accurately calculate the boat’s center of gravity to create more options for reducing weight (via material thickness analyses) and delivering more power.

Images: http://www.victoryteam.ae/?dom=1&rub=29

Video: http://www.victoryteam.ae/?dom=1&rub=31

Podcast: http://blogs.solidworks.com/mediapodcasts/

In 1992, the Dubai Victory Team entered the World of Class 1 Powerboating as exhibition entries, claiming an impressive first and second in the final two rounds of the championship. Since then, the Victory Team name has gone on to become one of the most successful in the history of powerboat racing. For more information, visit the Web site (www.victoryteam.ae) and (www.class-1.com).