Friends at CFD-Online: I write you because in the last couple of days I've been thinking about the possibility of doing a training course on Computational Fluid Dynamics that could help me to be a better sail designer, once I finish my apprenticeship as sailmaker (I'm a sailmaker from Chile), although not now, but in one to two years time.

As I know that Computational Fluid Dynamics have an integral role on sail design, I thought that doing a training course on CFD will help me to understand better how the air flow passes through the sails when they are hoisted and are working on the rig of a yacht.

For that reason, I have started to look on the internet where can I find an institute who gives this courses on CFD on the US, in case I finally decide to go on with this idea and do a training course on CFD (although at this point is all only to have an idea of what to expect)

As I know that you have a lot of information about CFD and where is CFD imparted, I certainly appreciate if you could recommend me a US university (the ideal would be as near to Milford, Connecticut as possible) where I could learn about Computational Fluid Dynamics in order to become a better sail designer.

1. Could you please recommend me a US university near Milford, CT where I could do a CFD course that could help me in my work as sailmaker, and that also helps me to understand better how the air flow passes through the sails when they are hoisted and are working on the rig of a yacht?

Thanks a lot for your help, Cristian Palau

well, Fluent is located in Lebanon, New Hampshire. They offer courses all the time on CFD stuff, but they are more of a crash course. You didn't mention what kind of background you have - for example, will you understand the calculus involved? You have a multitude of colleges to chose from. Do a search on the web.

You realize I hope that you are tackling a really difficult CFD analysis? The airflow acts on the sail changing its shape (stretching, flapping,) and the altered shape changes the airflow. Its a fluid-structure interaction with highly non-linear, non-uniform solid that goes through large displacements (so both the CFD and the structure part are non-linear equations). Its been tried but its not exactly CFD101 for beginners.