Nonlinear optimization of strategies: finding an optimal race strategy for the TU Delft Solar Boat

The purpose of this thesis was to find a (near-)optimal long-haul race strategy for the TU Delft Solar Boat, taking into account practical race conditions and very limited computing time. A race strategy details at what speeds the boat should sail throughout the race, and how long (if at all) it should stop to charge. Various methods have been...

Bepalen van het massatraagheidsmoment met behulp van een bifilar pendulum: Determining the moments of inertia using a bifilar pendulum

The aim of this thesis is to investigate the use of a bifilar pendulum for determining the moments of inertia of the TU Delft solar boat and to quantitatively predict the estimates. In the first part, several methods are discussed which can be applied in deriving the equations of motion of the pendulum. A new method, Kane's method, will be...

Eleven cities Solar boat challenge

TU Delft students are participating for the fourth time in the world championship solar boat race in Friesland, which begins on 8 July. Expectations are high because the TU Delft students were world champions in 2006 and 2008. In 2010, the solar boat was equipped with hydrofoils for the first time. Unfortunately, the hydrofoils caused the boat...