| Hand in hand with a firm belief in the value of innovation
and stepping outside the square to find solutions, is a commitment to research
and development.
At CLD this has involved the in-house design and build of portable towing
rigs, using numerically controlled towing devices and automatic data logging
to produce resistance data comparable in quality to multi-million dollar
test facilities. In the absence of a local NZ towing tank facility, this
equipment allows the CLD team to evaluate new concepts very rapidly and
at very low cost, considerably reducing the time and money spent on formal
tank testing.
CLD has also recently undertaken a number of self propelled large scale
model tests to evaluate speed and powering requirements, as well as the
sea-keeping attributes of two new hull forms
Research - 'USPT'
|
Research - 'CAT'
|
Hull development work happens almost continuously and
despite the remarkably high efficiency of the Mark I wavepiercer hulls,
four years of research has yielded further gains to be made, putting CLD
at least one step ahead of the rest of the world in long slender catamaran
hull technology.
A high level of expertise in composite structural and production engineering
sees ongoing research work in this field; CLD utilises the well equipped
mechanical testing laboratories at the University of Auckland and quasi-Government
agency, Industrial Research Ltd.
Recent work has included design, analysis and testing of innovative
jointing techniques on wood composite vessels, resulting in substantial
cost and labour hour savings during the subsequent build of the vessel.
With a strong background in composite materials testing, CLD is also able
to constructively co-ordinate and even conduct laminate testing on behalf
of customers and boatyards when classification requirements on a particular
project demand such specialized testing to be performed.
Latest research efforts have involved co-operation between Crown Research
Institute, Industrial Research Limited and Craig Loomes Design Group Limited
on measurements of vessel motions. This work involved the mounting
of accelerometers and data logging devices on board the manned scale model
of an 18m wavepiercer trimaran and a 30' power catamaran - both CLD designs
and comparing the results with those of 6 and 12m planing monohulls in
an effort to quantify the ride quality differences between different hull
types. This work has been the catalyst for ongoing design and research
efforts in the high speed ferry industry; further evidence of the versatility
of the design office. |
RESEARCH
& DEVELOPMENT
