FORT WORTH, TX (4 April 2017) – Pointwise and CRAFT Tech will host a joint webinar entitled “Big Wave Surfboard Optimization Using Pointwise & CRUNCH CFD” on 25 April 2017 at 10 a.m. CST (UTC-5)

For more information or to register, go to www.pointwise.com/webinar.

In the extreme sport of Big Wave Surfing, surfers ride specially-designed surfboards known as “Rhino Chasers”. Designed for speed and stability, Rhino Chasers allow the surfer to drop down the face of the tube and generate enough speed to stay ahead of the crest. These waves can reach upwards of 80-100 feet, and the surfers riding them can reach speeds of 50 mph. To these elite surfers, speed and stability are crucial, allowing them to catch that monster wave, ride it, and ultimately survive it.

Big wave surfboard designs tend to concentrate on hydrodynamics, focusing primarily where the board comes in contact with the water. In contrast, the aerodynamics of the board above the water line are often disregarded. By optimizing the aerodynamic performance of a surfboard, higher speeds and improved stability can be realized. Working with one of the world’s top big wave board shapers, engineers at CRAFT Tech have applied computational fluid dynamics (CFD) within a design optimization process, employing a genetic algorithm to evolve the design of a big wave surfboard. By using the meshing tools provided by Pointwise, and automating the process using Glyph scripting, a large design space was explored to aerodynamically optimize the board’s leading edge design. In this webinar, we will examine the tools and the framework that allowed over 100 designs to be explored, resulting in a higher speed, lower drag big wave surfboard design.

Topics covered in this webinar:
• Characterization of big wave surfing and the aerodynamics of surfboards
• Defining an optimization framework that leverages CFD to improve surfboard speed and stability
• Automatic generation of CFD-ready hybrid viscous meshes using Pointwise and Glyph scripting
• Analysis and testing of the optimized board design for speed and stability

Presenters will be Travis Carrigan and Stephen Barr from CRAFT Tech.

Stephen Barr joined CRAFT Tech as a Research Scientist, after graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Aerospace Engineering from Penn State University in 2012. Mr. Barr is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering at Lehigh University. Since joining CRAFT Tech, Mr. Barr has been involved in a variety of problems, including LES simulations of cavity flows and dynamic store releases. Stephen has also been involved in optimization studies regarding the efficiency of supersonic inlets, mitigation of dynamic stall for rotorcraft airfoils, and reduction of drag and radar cross-section for a body.

Pointwise, Inc. is solving the top problem facing computational fluid dynamics today – reliably generating high-fidelity meshes. The company's Pointwise software generates structured, unstructured, overset and hybrid meshes; interfaces with CFD solvers such as ANSYS FLUENT®, STAR-CCM+®, OpenFOAM®, and SU2 as well as many neutral formats, such as CGNS; runs on Windows, Linux, and Mac, and has a scripting language, Glyph, that can automate CFD meshing. Large manufacturing firms and research organizations worldwide have relied on Pointwise as their complete CFD preprocessing solution since 1994.

CRAFT Tech specializes in high-fidelity computational fluid dynamics simulation of complex flow and combustion problems. We provide consulting and on-site services, licensing of simulation software tools, and perform fundamental research in CFD, grid adaptation, aeroacoustics, turbulence, combustion, and multi-phase flow.

More information about Pointwise is available at www.pointwise.com.

Pointwise is a registered trademark of Pointwise, Inc. in the USA and the EU. Pointwise Glyph, T-Rex and Let's Talk Meshing are trademarks of Pointwise, Inc. All other trademarks are property of their respective owner.

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For more information:
Andrea Alvarado
817-377-2807
news@pointwise.com