Ny kölkonstruktion på segelbåtar

Sammanfattning: This Master Thesis is a product development project that has been carried out in cooperation with Svea Teknik AB. The company has developed an apparatus for attachment of a keel to a hull base of a boat. The purpose for this thesis has been to compare a new concept of keel attachment in composite material to the traditional design solution. This new keel attachment minimizes the damages that may arise on the keel and the hull of the boat in shape of stresses impacts at grounding. Today it is a problem, relating to keel attachment on sailing boats having a fin keel or a bulbous keel. The manufacture focus on developing larger draught and shorter keel blades. The overall purpose is to increase performance of the sailing boat. The task for this thesis was to develop a concept of keel blade in composite material and investigate attachment to a sheet-shaped element. The new design solution has been to compare a sailing boat called Albin express. The comparison has a focus on price, performance, manufacturing and maintenance work. During the thesis work three main concepts have been developed in composite material. The final concept is based on integration of keel with sheet-shaped element. The main reason for this concept solution is the advantage in manufacturing. An Albin express with this new concept will be at least 15 % lighter than the old design. With this new design the force impact on keel attachment will be reduced by a factor of 6 if you compare to the old design. One of the main drawbacks with the new concept is the cost of manufacturing. The new design costs twice as much as the old design. The conclusion of this work is that it is possible to reduce the total weight of a sailing boat if the draught increases with the new concept. This feasibility study shows advantages to develop an attachment of keel to the hull in composite material.