MSc Individual Project

1) The document describes a proposed design for a free-standing wing mast for a recreational catboat made of composite materials. 2) A free-standing wing mast would have no columns and instead use wing-like structures, providing more room on board and easier maintenance than traditional masted designs. 3) Finite element modeling was used to optimize the mast design, testing different cross-sections, materials, and layups to minimize weight while maintaining strength. 4) The design process showed that a free-standing composite wing mast could be cheaper to produce than traditional designs using vacuum bagging and lower-temperature curing, though a physical prototype is still needed to validate the manufacturing process and structural models.