This thesis deals with the modelling and simulation of an electric hydrofoil board. Due
to the complexity of such a system, the model is limited to the foiling phase, where
the board is already lifted above the water surface. The model takes into account the
mass of the system, gravitational force, motor thrust, hydrodynamic drag, hydrofoil
lift, vertical damping, pitch moments, and the movement of the user’s centre of gravity
as a method of controlling the foiling height. Other riding regimes, the influence of the
hull in the water, hull buoyancy, roll and yaw dynamics, and the influence of waves are
neglected.
The simulation results show that, with properly selected controller parameters, the
system stabilizes close to the desired height. The response mainly depends on vertical
velocity damping and the speed of the rider’s centre of gravity movement. These two
parameters determine how strongly the system oscillates and how quickly it settles
after a change in the desired height. The sensitivity analysis shows that hydrodynamic
parameters, such as the hydrofoil lift coefficient slope and vertical damping, affect the
board pitch angle, the deviation from the reference height, and the physical realism of
the model response. The developed model therefore provides a good insight into the
relationships between lift, drag, pitch dynamics, and height control of the board.
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