America's Hopes Sail on Ford-Built Racing Keel
21 January 2000
America's Hopes Sail on Ford-Built Racing Keel
AUCKLAND, New Zealand, Jan. 21 -- A two-ton keel -- machined
at a 60-year-old Ford plant in Michigan -- was center stage today at a
traditional ceremony for international sailing media and fans to kick off the
America's Cup semi-finals. The keel was unwrapped by the Ford-supported
AmericaOne challenger after being carefully protected from view of the public
and competitors during the first three rounds of racing.
The design of the keel is one of the most closely protected secrets of the
early rounds of the ultra competitive America's Cup challenge, widely
acknowledged as the most high-tech series in sailing. A hydrodynamically
superior keel can give a team a significant advantage in a sport where nuances
in computer-aided designs can make the difference between winning and going
home early.
Ford Motor Company machined the 2,000-pound stainless steel keel
at the Rouge Tool & Die Plant last fall. The team equipped its second boat,
USA 61, with the keel and advanced to the semifinals with a series-best 8-2
record in Round Robin Three racing action. The team declared it will race USA
61 against the Italian Prada challenger in a best-of-nine series for the right
to face the America's Cup defender, Team New Zealand.
Ford is the first automaker to take an America's Cup keel from concept to
finished product. Ford designed and tested the keel, in a series of computer
simulations. Ford worked closely with AmericaOne to optimize the keel's
hydrodynamic design with advanced computer modeling applications.
"We are fortunate to have the technical resources to assist AmericaOne in
so many ways," said Paul Stewart, senior technical specialist at Ford's
Scientific Research Laboratory. "We are taking this opportunity to challenge
our engineering skills, and our technologies, in non-traditional ways through
the highly competitive world of sail boat racing."
The keel started as a 6,000-pound slab of stainless steel and was
meticulously whittled down to under 2,000 pounds with an advanced milling
tool.
"Stainless steel is an extremely complex metal to mill and we've certainly
learned a lot from machining the AmericaOne keel," said Ron Lavack, a machine
operator at Rouge Tool & Die. "This project has really generated excitement
around the plant. People are always stopping by and asking about the team. I
stamped my name inside one of the holes so the team knows they have our
support back here in Detroit."
The team employed a two-boat strategy to keep the best performing yacht in
top condition for later rounds. Each boat has a unique design suited for
certain weather conditions.
Ford also designed and manufactured an extremely strong yet lightweight
eight-pound titanium lifting eye for AmericaOne. The lifting eye allows a
crane to raise the team's 24-ton racing yacht to and from the water. Titanium
is approximately half the weight of comparable strength steel and offers
additional benefits because it is more corrosion resistant.
"There was a bit of anxiety when we realized the boat would be raised for
the first time at the christening in front of hundreds of guests," said
Stewart. "The titanium lifting eye is just another example of the many ways
Ford is using and enhancing its technical expertise in sail boat racing."
Ford also produced several pairs of winglets (keel fins), stainless steel
pintle hinges and bronze bushings for the keel. Ford is contributing other
technologies to AmericaOne including; computational fluid dynamics, computer-
aided engineering surface design, advanced computer modeling performance
optimization and telemetry.
Eleven teams from around the world entered qualifying competition to vie
for the opportunity to challenge Team New Zealand which will attempt to defend
its 1995 cup championship in February 2000. Please go to
http://media.ford.com for more information on how Ford is adapting and
improving these technologies in America's Cup racing.