• Cavitation
• Control system
• Supercavitating profiles

Hydrofoil boats are emerging as cutting-edge technologies capable of pushing the speed and performance limits of conventional boats.
Their efficient configuration is constrained in terms of speed only by the limit imposed by cavitation. To overcome these limitations, supercavitating profiles have been developed, which, in the presence of a cavitating multiphase flow, enable the development of stationary forces.
The main focus of this work is a preliminary study of the possible control systems that can be adopted for this type of profile. In particular, by narrowing the field of investigation through the introduction of a series of models and hypotheses, an initial phase of design exploration was conducted, starting with an analysis of the principles potentially exploitable to achieve lift variation in these foils.
This approach allowed us to extend the scope of the research beyond conventional solutions from the aeronautical literature, thereby considering unconventional and exotic solutions. A qualitative comparison of these solutions against the introduced requirements identified three promising options. These options underwent a numerical quantitative feasibility analysis following a preliminary characterization of the required actuation systems.
It emerged from this analysis that only the Fowler and Plain Flaps are viable solutions for producing the desired lift variations. For completeness, a hydrodynamic characterization of these options was also conducted based on the numerical results obtained, showing that their performance is strongly constrained by the design point from which the system is actuated.