Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Java programming language

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Java programming language  
  • Java SE 8.0 - released Mar 2014
  • Just In Time compiler
    • only compiles a section of code when it is needed
    • does not recompile something if already in memory
    • has a warm up cycle so the first time of a compute is a little slower
  • speed
    • 25 times faster than scripting languages like Python, Ruby, Perl, R
    • within 20% of the speed of C, or C++
  • variables have to be declared first
  • Open source - but is controlled by Oracle Corp.
  • easy to distribute
  • runs on all kinds of platforms
  • tons of librarys to ease the coding burden
  • do not have to manage memory (garbage collection)
  • no pointers to complicate issues
  • comparable to C# which is the Microsoft equivalent to Java
  • Java on Wikipedia
  • Java Homepage

Netbeans Integrated Development Environment


  • NetBeans 8.0 IDE - released Mar 2014
  • eases the effort of program development
    • identifies unused variables
    • auto-completion of code
    • set debugging check points
    • output console to read output variables
    • facilitates projects that involve many source files all relating to the samp project
    • automatic compilation of executable .jar files
    • NetBeans on Wikipedia
    • NetBeans Homepage

      Tuesday, September 9, 2014

      air flow in steamlines

      .

      air flowing around objects in streamlines




      streamlined flow is also called laminar flow
      • laminar flow links
      • occurs when a fluid flows in parallel layers, with no disruption between the layers
      • the fluid (air in this case) is comprised of an immense numbers of molecules
      • the molecules are jittering back and forth colliding with themselves at 1100 miles per hour in very short distances (.000001 inches)
      • air velocity (or apparent wind in the case of an iceboat) is less than 10 percent of the molecular speed
      • you must consider the whole streaming flow in a realistic mathematical model of the corresponding lift and drag elements
      • examine the differences between the streamlines in the top diagram where the resistance goes from 100% down to 5%
        • the greater the resistance, the greater the spoiled streamlines at the rear of the wing
        • the roiled air is caused by flow separation of the streamline
        • flow separation happens when the flow streamline exceeds a large curvature within a short distance
      • the more you can reduce of eliminate the eddies (i.e. roiled or turbulent air flow), the better will be the performance

      Sunday, September 7, 2014

      laws of motion


      Issac Newton discovered the three laws of motion


      • 1st law of motion
        • if the net force (the vector sum of all forces acting on an object) is zero, then the velocity of the object is constant
          • thought experiment A
            • a stationary iceboat is resting on the ice angled at 70 degrees away from true north
            • there is no wind
            • in this situation there are no forces acting on the boat, thus the boat will remain at rest with a constant velocity of zero
          • thought experiment B
            • an iceboat is sailing angled at 70 degrees away from true north
            • wind is blowing at 12 mph from the true north
            • skipper has sheeted to a certain tension on the boom and placed the sheet line in the jam cleat
            • eventually on the 70 degree course the iceboat reaches steady state and is neither speeding up or slowing down
            • the boat is not hiking or side slipping on its runners
          • both experiments A and B are examples of the 1st law of motion
      • 2nd law of motion
        • force = mass * acceleration
      • 3rd law of motion

      Friday, September 5, 2014

      air properties


      physical properties of air


      air molecules

      • nitrogen (N2) - 78.1%
      • oxygen (O2)- 20.9%
      • argon (Ar)- .9%
      • carbon dioxide (CO2)- trace
      • water vapor (H2O) - approx 1%

      air pressure
      • force exerted on an object  at a certain elevation by its surrounding air molecules
      • air molecules at a certain level are compressed by the weight of the air molecules above itself
      • air molecules travel at an average speed of 1160 miles per hour
      • this speed directly correlates with the speed of sound
      • 1 cubic foot of air at sea level contains 7.6 x 10**23 molecules


      air pressure by altitude
      • sea level - 14.7 psi
      • 5,000 feet - 12.2 psi
      • 10,000 feet - 10.1 psi
      • 18,000 feet - 7.3 psi
      • Mount Everest - 
      • 50,000 feet - 1.6 psi

      mean free path
      • defined as the average distance any air molecule travels before colliding with another molecule
      • mean free path at sea level = .3 /(10**6) feet
      • this very short distance bounds how air molecules might react with moving objects

      wind
      • movement of air from a high pressure region to a low pressure region
      • at a microscopic level the air molecules are still jittering about as they collide with each other
      • differing pressure regions are primarily caused on earth by:
        • differential heating between the equator and the poles
          • causes air to move from the equator to the pole
        • Coriolis effect of the earth rotating on its axis
          • causes air to move from west to east
        • in northern hemisphere at the 45th parallel, the combination of the above two effects leads to wind on average to blow from the southwest
      • local effects
        • heating and cooling at shorelines of oceans and lakes
        • mountain valleys and large hills
      temperature
      • an increase in air temperature causes an increase in the average air molecule speed
      • as the molecular speed increases, the volume expands in the direction of decreasing pressure which is upwards
      • the expansion causes a corresponding wind vector towards the low pressure area

      Tuesday, September 2, 2014

      Why so fast? detail

      Aerodynamiclow runner friction; minimum drag wing 



      • low runner friction
        • long runner blade
        • extremely smooth and straight runner tip
        • minimum amount of rocker to only enable essential steering
        • runner tip sharpened to match ice and wind conditions
        • must less drag of the iceboat runner over the ice than a typical sailboat would have in sailing in and over the water

      • minimum drag wing
        • sail (ie. wing) is designed to provide maximum driving coefficient: which means the lowest drag possible for the apparent wind angle of the wing
        • low drag is achieved by:
          • small coef. of wing drag
            • camber of sail only matches typical apparent wind angle and no more - much flatter sail than a sailboat
            • rotating mast to align with apparent wind
            • jib or genoa is not used as would cause added drag
          • small induced drag of wing
            • tall rig with short boom
            • boom is very close to deck of fuselage
      • aerodynamic
        • components are streamlined with minimal frontal area
          • slender runner plank
          • tear shaped mast
          • body suits (some classes)
          • oval fully enclosed fuselage (some classes)
      • discussion
        • all of the above combine to produce a boat that travels at 4 to 5 times the speed of the wind
        • such speed multiples means the iceboat operates at apparent wind angles of less than 11 degrees (class dependent)

      Monday, September 1, 2014

      Runner comparison by type



      activities with runners or other materials sliding on ice/snow
      • iceboat
        • 85 degree to 105 degree face
        • tip stoned to sharp point
        • usually hardened to 47 to 57 Rockwell
        • very low rocker or crown
      • skates
        • hockey skate
        • goalie skate
          • squared off bottom
        • squared off bottom
          • sharp stones edges
        • speed skating
        • figure skating
          • hollow ground
          • large rocker
          • very sharp
      • ice track on closed course downhill 
      • downhill ski
      • cross country ski
      • dog sled
      • radio flier sled
      • horse drawn sleigh
      • curling stone

      Sunday, August 31, 2014

      ice

      • properties
        • compression strength
          • 300 psi to 1800 psi
        • coef. of friction
          • .0050 to .015 -- pounds of drag per pound of load
          • with snow cover it is much higher
        • density
      • types
        • hard black ice
          • 8 deg F to 20 deg F
          • 20 deg F to 33 deg F
          • 34 deg F to 36 deg F
        • snow ice
          • 8 deg F to 20 deg F
          • 20 deg F to 32 deg F
          • 33 deg F to 38 deg F

        • shell ice
        • slush ice
        • snow cover
          • light fluff - less than .2 inches
          • light density snow less than .5 inches
          • light density snow - .5 inches to 2.0 inches
          • moderate density snow - .5 inches to 1.5 inches
        • hoar frost or rime ice

      Sunday, August 24, 2014

      model of friction on ice with runner

      runner tip ice contact

      • assume for this discussion that the ice is hard, smooth, and black at 28 degree F
      • an extremely sharp "v" shaped tip
      • face angle is between 105 degrees and 85 degrees
      • sharpened and smoothly sanded up to 600+ grit sandpaper
      • runner is held in chock or pillow blocks so that under normal sailing conditions it is perpendicular to the ice
      • the crown along the profile allow a smooth entry into the ice while the tip is sliding forward
      • with a sharp tip like this the pressure on the ice is always sufficient to dig into the ice
      • in the digging process the extreme tip of the runner tears apart the chemical bonds of the crystalline structure in the ice
      • little chucks of torn out ice get trapped under the face of the runner
      • a groove is formed in the ice at the face of the runner
      • some chucks are ground into a smooth dust and melt under the runner face
      • larger chucks are moved out of the groove as spoil outside of the groove
      • depth of the groove increases with
        • weight of (boat, skipper, induced wing lift)
        • shorter runner
        • smaller face angle
        • sharper runner tip

      simplistic theory of friction between two different materials

      • consult a table that lists the known coefficient of friction between the two materials
      • for example copper on steel
        • static coefficient - 
        • dynamic coefficient

      marble packing model of friction (theoretical)

      • hypothetical composite surface
        • base of the surface
          • perfectly flat steel plate 1.5 miles square
          • steel plate is very thick and does not flex
        • small steel marbles
          • marbles are machines perfectly round
          • diameter of a marble is .001 inches
        • layer 1 construction
          • one row of steel balls lined up perfectly straight across the back edge of the flat steel plate
          • number of balls in row: 1000 * 12 * 5280 * 1.5 = 95,040,000 balls
          • the next row of balls is offset by .0005 inches and placed tight against the preceding row
          • the process is repeated row by row until the whole layer of the base is filled with balls
          • the top surface of the layer is totally flat
          • a magical welding process welds each ball to its neighbors at their point of contact
        • layer 2 construction
          • the same process as layer one except each row of balls lays in the groove created by layer 1
          • a magical welding process is used to weld the balls in layer 2 to each other
          • the same magical welding process welds layer 2 balls to layer 1 balls
        • layers 3 through layer 1000
          • same process as layer 2
        • lubrication of balls
          • a mysterious process applies a very slippery viscous material to the surface of all balls
          • the lubricated surface maintains under the sliding load of a steel runner
        • hexagonal close packing
          • the above layout of marbles is called hexagonal close packing
          • each marble in a layer touches 6 adjacent marbles in the same layer
          • each marble in a layer touches 3 marbles in the above layer and 3 marbles in the below layer
          • in total each marble touches 12 other marbles
          • Close packing of equal spheres on Wikipedia
          • depth of 1000 layers is approx .74 inches

      • experiment A:
        • a steel plate of 36 inches long by 3/8" wide rides on the top surface of the marbles
        • the steel plate is lightly loaded with weight
        • plate is pulled in a forward direction at 40 mph
      • experiment A: results
        • plate will slide smoothly over the marble surface as it contacts the slippery material on a certain number of surface marbles
        • as the plate contacts the marbles they will bend slightly but not deform
        • in this bending process there is some energy lost which is called hysteresis loss
        • the hysteresis loss is a direct function of the weight on the runner and is caused by the heat generated in the flexing process
        • a second loss is encountered which is skin friction
        • skin friction can be thought of as the capillary attraction between the slippery fluid on the marble and the steel plate as it dragged forward
        • skin friction is strictly a function of the area of the plate with the weight on the plate having no impact
        • in this case the area is: 36 in. x .375 in. = 13.5 square in.
      • experiment B:
        • now assume the weight on the steel plate is slowly increased
      • experiment B: results
        • at some point the weight on the marbles will great enough that the glue joint between the marbles will fracture and some marbles will be dislodged
        • when the joint is broken, energy is lost, with this friction called fracture loss
        • after the fracture loss, there are dislodged marbles which must moved out of the path of the runner - this loss is called transport loss
      • runner friction is a sum of:
        • hysteresis loss
          • friction loss caused when an object rides over the surface of hard ice without digging into the ice
          • the flex in the ice crystals generates heat which translates into energy loss
          • think of a friction less bearing on a large steel wheeled vehicles that is pulled along over a thick steel plate
          • here the steel wheel does not dig into the steel plate, but there is still friction from the plate have to flex ever so slightly as the wheel moves above
        • skin friction loss
          • friction loss caused by molecules of (water/water vapor) which are dragged along between the ice and the runner
        • fracture loss
          • friction loss caused by the fracture of the chemical bonds between ice crystals
        • transport loss
          • energy consumed in moving fractured particles of ice away from the runner groove

      Wednesday, August 20, 2014

      dummy post1

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      optimize parameters

      call to solution algorithms to optimize on various parameters



      • runner_tip_radius (grid)
        • weight (parm1) [fibbo]
          • side_slop (parm2) [fibbo]
            • lap_time
              • upwind_vmg [fibbo] (35 deg to 85 deg)
                • zero force [fibbo] (1.25*wind to 3.5*wind)
              • downwind_vmg [fibbo] (95 deg to 165 deg
                • zero force [fibbo] (1.25*wind to 4.5*wind)


      Monday, August 18, 2014

      Introduction to mathematical model

        • aerodynamic wing forces
          • lift from the wing
          • drag from the wing
          • induced drag from wing
          • factors that influence aero wing forces
            • apparent wind angle
            • area of the wing
            • aspect ratio of wing
            • camber of the wing
            • bending of the mast
            • mast thickness
            • batten thickness and shape
            • wing rake
            • wing side slop
            • boom angle to boat centerline
            • tip shape wing top
            • gap between boom and fuselage
        •  aerodynamic drag of boat components
          • fuselage, plank, springboard, skipper, runners, rigging
          • factors that influence aero drag of components
            • frontal area of component that sees the apparent wind
            • streamlining of component
        • runner friction
          • forward sliding friction
          • lateral resistance friction
            • excess resistance caused by
              • torque mismatch
              • steering runner actions initiated by skipper
              • ice surface not strong enough for given side pressure
          • factors that influence runner friction
            • weight of boat and skipper
            • lift from wing
            • coef. of friction of ice
            • snow cover
            • runner length
            • runner width
            • facet angle
            • tip sharpness
            • smoothness of runner tip
            • straightness of the runner tip grind
            • lack of hollows in runner tip grind
            • runner camber
            • lead in front profile
            • lead out rear profile
            • thermal conductivity of runner
            • air temperature
            • roughness of ice
            • looseness in steering system
            • wobble in chocks or pillow blocks
            • tightness of runners in chocks
            • misalignment of runners
            • runner plank crown
            • stiffness of runner plank
        • constraints in the model
          • hiking limit
            • maximum lift that the boat can tolerate
            • when this limit is exceeded the boat will hike up about the front runner and the leeward runner
            • factors influencing hiking limit
              • height of wing
              • plank length
              • fuselage length
              • springboard length
              • attachment position of plank to fuselage
              • side slop
              • rake
              • sail hoist
          • runner side force limit
            •  maximum lateral side force that the runners can tolerate
            • when this limit is exceeded the runner(s) will side sideways at right angles to line of boat travel 
            • factors influencing runner side force limit
              • weight on rear runners
              • weight on front runner
              • runner facet angle
              • runner tip sharpness
              • hardness of ice

      Saturday, August 16, 2014

      model variables

      variables used in the mathematical model
      • boat
        • boatVel  //boat speed (MPH)
        • boatAng  //angle of boat to true wind (DEG) ie. beam reach = 90.
      • wind
        • windVel   //wind speed (mph)
        • massDensityAir  //density (.0023 pounds/cf)
        • appWindAng  //apparent wind angle (degrees)
        • appWindVel  //apparend wind speed (mph)
      • ice
      • race course
      • wing
      • runners
      • platform
      • skipper
      • parasitic aero drag
      • weight
      • performance measures
      • specialty analysis

      Thursday, August 14, 2014

      Golden rectangle search

      solve for one variable

      • golden rectangle search
        • fastest search algorithm to find the minimum of unimodal function
        • assume the function is:  y = f(x)
        • tau = (1. + sqrt(5.))/2 ; golden rectangle constant of 1.61803
        • lower bound = x1
        • higher bound = x4
        • minimum lies between x1 and x4
        • one interation
          • set x3 = (x4 - x1) * tau 
          • set x2 = x1 + (x4 - x3)
          • evaluate y1 = f(x1), y2 = f(x2), y3 = f(x3), y4 = f(x4)
          • eliminate x1 if
            • y3 gt y2
          • eliminate x4 if
            • y2 gt y3
        • each iteration reduces the interval to 61.8 % of its original interval
        • reduction factor after n intervals
          • 1 = 61.8 %
          • 5 = 9.0 %
          • 10 = .81 %
          • 15 = .073 %
          • 20 = .006 %
          • 25 = .00059 %
          • 30 = .000053 %
        • 15 intervals is OK for most solutions
        • 10 intervals is sufficient for rough solutions
        • 20 intervals is plausible for precise solutions
        • number of function calls = (number of intervals + 3)
        • nested golden rectangle search
          • nesting of the search is needed to solve multiple things at once
          • for example: solve for
            • weight between 450 pounds and 600 pounds
            • mast side slop between 5 degrees and 20 degrees
            • lap time for the optimum VMG courses (upwind and downwind)
              • boat angle between 10 degrees and 80 degrees upwind
              • boat angle between 100 degrees and 170 degrees downwind
              • boat speed between (.5 * TrueWindSpeed) and (5 * TrueWindSpeed)
          • total function calls = (10 + 3){weight} * (10 * 3){slop} * 2{Upwind-Downwind} * (12 + 3){VMG} * (15 *3){SPEED}
          • total function calls = 76,050 for above solution  
      .

      Tuesday, August 12, 2014

      runner length thought experiment

      Thought Experiments:
      • a thought experiment involves thinking about a hypothetical situation which has a tangential relationship to iceboating
      • by thinking about the situation you gain valuable insight into a technical matter
      • for example:  we are trying to analyze why sharp longer runners have better lateral resistance than sharp shorter runners
        • constants for both long and short runners
          • hard black ice at 30 deg F
          • 90 degree face angle
          • runners are stoned to very smooth straight edge with a 600 grit
          • 500 pounds of weight on special sled (runners plus sled)
          • two runners on the sled mounted in friction less pillow blocks
          • runners are separated by 20 inches on the sled
          • a wizard is pulling the slid forward at 50 MPH
        • think about Runner A:
          • traits
            • runner that is 40" long
            • very little crown
            • 90 deg facet
            • stoned to a very sharp tip
            • smooth hard black ice with temp of 30 deg F
            • weight on the runners = 550 pounds
          • the runner digs a groove into the hard black ice
            • the depth of this groove is a function of the runner length and the hardness of the ice
          • friction force of runner acting in opposite direction to boat travel is about (.01 * weight) on the runners, or 5.5 pounds
            • the .01 is called coef. friction of steel on ice
          • friction force at right angles to the runners is about (.75 * weight), or about 412 pounds of lateral resistance
            • this force is much higher than forward resistance because the tip of the runner is tearing up the ice along the whole runner edge as it is pulled sideways
            • in this tearing up process the tip is slicing into the bonds of the ice crystals and separating the chemical bonds
            • most of the tearing up process is going on at the extreme tip of the runner
            • once a little bit of ice is torn up at the extreme tip it is easily pushed up the face of the groove in the ice
            • the 412 pounds of side bite amounts to 10.3 pounds per inch of runner length (i.e. 412/40 = 10.3)
        • now think about Runner B:
          • traits
            • everything is the same as Runner A:, except the length is only 20" long
          • the coef. of lateral resistance is going to be similar to the longer runner
            • the runner tip is digging in twice as deep because there is twice as much weight per inch on the runner tip
            • each inch of the shorter runner must dig up twice as much ice as each inch of the longer runner
            • if we assume the side bite of the shorter runner is 412 pounds then the side bite per inch of runner length = 412/20 = 20.6 pounds
            • as it gouges out a portion of the ice the whole ice structure higher up is weakened 

      runner goals

      Goals of the runner
      • forward sliding friction
        • want minimum forward sliding resistance on the ice
      • lateral resistance
        • desire sufficient lateral resistance to prevent slipping sideways out of runner groove on the ice
      • turning ability
        • ability of runner(s) to easily turn out of groove during tacking, rounding, or normal steering maneuvers by the skipper

      design parameters of the runner
      • face angle (approx. 90 deg)
      • tip sharpness (expressed as a very small radius of the very tip)
      • runner length
      • runner crown
      • thickness of the runner
      • height of runner (dist. up to the lowest portion of any stiffening element)
      • thermal conductivity
      • hardness of the metal
      • grain in the metal

      minimum forward sliding resistance
      • low thermal conductivity
      • minimum hardness
      • minimum tip sharpness
      • maximum face angle
      • quality of sharpening and stoning at the tip (no hollows, or burrs)
      • long runner length
      • minimum crown in runner
      • if snow cover
        • want minimum thickness
        • may want shorter runner length
        • appropriate temperature wax on sides of runner

      maximum lateral resistance
      • maximum tip sharpness
      • minimum face angle
      • long runner length
      • minimum crown in runner

      turning ability
      • minimum runner length
      • maximum runner crown

      counter acting goals
      • sliding resistance, lateral resistance, and turning ability all counter act each other in the appropriate design parameters
        • lateral resistance
          • goal: only have sufficient resistance to cover most points of sailing -- but not to excess
            • if you try to cover 100% of all sailing situations then your forward sliding resistance will be too high in general
            • for example a hollow ground runner would do the trick on lateral resistance, but it would increase forward sliding resistance to intolerable levels
            • the skipper can adjust their sailing strategy and tuning to somewhat deal with with low lateral resistance
              • pinch up the middle of the course
              • take wide hitch at leeward mark
              • add side slop to mast
          • too little lateral resistance and you will side slip
          • too much lateral resistance will increase sliding resistance
        • turning ability
          • goal: only have sufficient crown to provide adequate turning ability
          • too little crown creates excess drag while turning
          • too much crown reduces lateral resistance and increases sliding resistance
        • forward sliding friction
          • goal: given that you have covered lateral resistance and turning ability, then go all out to minimize sliding resistance with what is left



      Monday, August 11, 2014

      Lift vs. Drag

      Forces

      Forward forces
      • lift from the wing
      Rearward forces
      • form drag from the wing
      • skin drag from the wing
      • induced drag from the wing
      • runner friction due to regular weight of boat
      • added runner friction due to wing lift
      • parasitic aero drag due to boat compents

      Performance measures


      • Boat speed
      • boat angle
      • VMG
      • jump start speed
      • optimum upwind boat angle
      • upwind time
      • downwind time
      • tacking loss
      • downwind hitch gain
      • percent time while at hiking limit
      • intermediate lap times
      • starting lap time
      • finish lap time

      Sunday, August 10, 2014

      Outline1

      column 1  column 2  column 3 column 3
      components  velocity made good apparent wind wind
      apparent wind iceboat vs. sailboat racing rules acceleration
      static vs. dynamic runners aero drag ice
      hiking points of sailing forces snow

      wing lift

      side slip stern steer





      solution techniques grid search binary search fibbonacci search

      parallel tangents (PARTAN)

      components platform wing runners
      skipper steering rigging fuselage
      plank springboard mast boom
      sail blocks sheet line fore stay
      side stay framing stay diamond stay hound
      MasterOutline


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