EP0284014A1 - Construction system for heeling the mast of sailing boats to windward - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a structural system with which the mast of a sailboat can be forced against the wind and inclined to windward. This is accomplished with a new sailing element, a so-called "dolphin". The invention makes it possible to sail a sailboat using the same technique employed in windsurfing with a sailboard.

Description

The present invention relates to a construction system by means of which the mast can be pushed upward towards the wind, i.e., against the wind, in the case of sailing ships. The invention makes it possible to sail a sailing ship in the sense of a wind surfing board.

In conventional sailing ships, be it dinghies or yachts, the wind pressure when sailing "on the wind" causes the mast to lean, i.e. the side facing away from the wind. The rigid connection between mast and boat hull makes the boat heel. The torque caused by the wind power on the mast and thus on the hull of small ships, such as dinghies, is shifted by shifting the load, ie the ship's crew to windward, and on large ships, such as yachts, by their keel, by the corresponding torque in the opposite direction.

The present invention consists on the one hand in that the mast foot is mounted in a joint which can be freely rotated in all directions (for example a ball or universal joint). Thereby can be avoided that a torque that acts on the mast is transmitted directly to the hull.

However, the freely movable mast must somehow be held upright or in the wind so that it can fulfill its function as the mast and carrier of the rigging. The requirement is therefore to attach the mast so that it can be optimally placed in the wind and kept in balance with the wind power without transferring its torque to the hull. With a wind surf board, this function of holding the mast correctly and optimally in the wind is performed artistically by the surfing people. Since both the resulting force acting on the sail and the gravity of the athlete above the fulcrum of the mast, i.e. the system of windsurfing is an unstable equilibrium. For larger hulls and larger sails there is a mismatch between the forces acting on the sail and the weight of the surfing athlete. Man is too easy. In addition, an unstable equilibrium system is too great a risk for sailing a ship.

In the sense of the present invention, however, the mast can be achieved instead of a surfing athlete by using a new, additional sail element, which is hereby designated and defined as "dolphin". A "dolphin" is used here to refer to a weight in a streamlined form, which is attached to a suspension system in the water. The suspension system and "dolphin" are basically a pendulum. The mast is fixed to this pendulum, but its inclination can be adjusted as required. Since the "dolphin" is usually lower than the fulcrum of the mast base, it is a stable balance in contrast to windsurfing.

The weight of the "dolphin", the pendulum length of the suspension system and the pivot point of the pendulum must be selected and arranged so that the mast can be held and the forces acting on the mast can be compensated. The connections between the "dolphin" and mast on the one hand and between the "dolphin" and the hull are to be designed in such a way that little or no force is transmitted to the hull, which causes a torque and leads to a heeling of the hull. The decisive factor is the mutual position of the three pivot points, 1st mast pivot point, 2nd dolphin pivot point and 3rd trunk pivot point.

The position of the dolphin can not only be changed in the sense of a pendulum movement around the boat's longitudinal axis, but can also be moved forwards or backwards. According to the position of the mast, which in the arrangement proposed here can not only be swiveled sideways but also put back, the "dolphin" must also be moved back.

Figure 1 shows schematically how the mast is supported on a ball joint (B) on the wing α and a suspension on which the pendulum weight, the "dolphin" (C), hangs. The suspension, in the present illustration, is a rope, is freely movable thanks to the rollers at D, E, F and G and does not transmit any torque to the wing α.

Figure 2 shows how the mast can be swung out sideways in the imaginary plane β, which is perpendicular to the wing α and the longitudinal axis FG. For this purpose, the distance between Aʹ and Cʹ, ie the mast top and the "dolphin", must be shortened and the distance from Aʹ via E to Cʹ extended accordingly. This will lift the "dolphin" sideways. This change of position of mast and "dolphin" is in direct dependency. It can also be defined as a decrease in the angle AʹBCʹ. It goes without saying that the "dolphin" can also be pulled up on the opposite side and the mast tilted to the other side.

Figure 3 shows how the mast can not only be swung out to the side, but also, for example, placed backwards with the mast tip towards Aʺ (F be the bow and G the rear of the wing α). This requires a shortening of the rope length Aʺ G Cʺ and a corresponding extension of the distance from Aʺ via F to Cʺ. This will move the "dolphin" back.

Figure 4 shows the wing α as the deck of a floating body. The "dolphin" is no longer represented symbolically as a pendulum ball, but as an elongated, cylindrical body. As a new, additional element, there is a "cantilever arm" with which the rope, which leads from Aʺ to Cʹ, can be pushed away from the boat hull to Dʹ. This means that the "dolphin" can be swung out to the side and the torque on the mast can be increased. The cantilever arm can move freely at point Dʹ (open eyelet) or be fixed to the rope Aʺ Cʺ by a clamping device. The extension arm is fixed in the longitudinal direction so that the angle DʹBG can be fixed.

The "dolphin" means additional driving resistance. Its shape should be as streamlined as possible and should be as small as possible using materials with a high specific weight. Since there are no or only small torques acting on the hull, the keel of the boat can be constructed correspondingly lighter than usual. The keel now only has to stabilize the boat hull and, as a function of a sword, the drift during a downwind course counteract. For this reason, a keel or a sword cannot be dispensed with.

The "dolphin" can and should be hung up in such a way that it can be pulled open and water shallows can be used.

In strong winds and sporty sailing, the "dolphin" can be raised sideways so that it emerges from the water. However, as with windsurfing, an unstable equilibrium position is achieved. However, there is an additional increase in torque when the "dolphin" appears, because the "dolphin" in the air outweighs the buoyancy force without water displacement.

• a) Bessere Segelstellung und dadurch bessere Ausnützung der Windkraft. Daraus resultieren höhere Geschwindig­keiten des Schiffes.
• b) Beim Segeln am Wind ist die auf das Segel wirkende, resultierende Kraft nach "seitlich-vorne-oben" gerich­tet. Dadurch wirkt das Segel neben dem Vortrieb gleich­zeitig auch als tragender Flügel und reduziert den Tief­gang und die Wasserverdrängung des Bootrumpfes.
• c) Der Bootsrumpf krängt nicht. Dadurch kann die optimale, strömungsgünstigste Lage des Rumpfes beibehalten werden. Daraus resultieren einerseits eine höhere Geschwindig­keit des Schiffes und andererseits ein höherer Komfort für die Passagiere.

The advantages of sailing a ship like a wind surf board are:

• a) Better sail position and thus better use of wind power. This results in higher ship speeds.
• b) When sailing on the wind, the resulting force acting on the sail is directed "sideways-front-up". In addition to the propulsion, the sail also acts as a load-bearing wing and reduces the draft and the water displacement of the boat hull.
• c) The hull is not crooked. This allows the fuselage to maintain its optimal, most aerodynamic position. On the one hand, this results in a higher speed of the ship and, on the other hand, greater comfort for the passengers.

Current state of the art

It is a well-known endeavor to counter the heeling of a sailing ship with various measures. One of these measures is a heavy keel, which is firmly attached to the hull and the weight of which reduces the heel of the ship. Devices are also known which can be used to move the boat load or extra weights carried inside the hull laterally to the windward side. The general practice of sailing includes the natural positioning of the crew on the windward side of the ship. The weight of the team can be exploited even better by leaning out on trapezoids. In catamarans, the torque that acts on the mast can be countered by positioning the crew on the windward side due to the larger lever arm.

U.S. Patent 3,985,106 describes a system in which the mast can be tilted a few degrees from the vertical about the longitudinal axis of the boat to a limited angle. In accordance with this tilting movement, the keel is swung out to the opposite side, the windward side. As a result, the heel of the boat hull can be counteracted somewhat more than usual.

U.S. Patent 4,094,263 describes a similar system. Again, the mast can be pivoted about a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the boat. The maximum possible angle of inclination of the mast towards the leeward side is greater than in US Pat. No. 3,985,106 but is still limited because of the connection to the movable keel. With this system, the keel also swivels to windward in order to increase the returning torque on the mast, which is forced to windward by Lee.

U.S. Patent 4,117,797 is largely analogous to U.S. Patent 4,094,263. In addition to a mechanical cable connection between the swiveling mast and the swiveling keel, however, a hydraulic system for mast and keel movement is also proposed. However, the system still pursues the purpose of moving the keel to windward when sailing on the wind, i.e. swing out opposite the mast, thereby reducing the heel of the boat hull.

French patent 2,323,574 again describes a similar system with which the mast can be rotated in a plane which is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the hull. Again, the specified mechanism pursues the goal of swinging the keel out in the opposite direction to the mast.

All of the previously mentioned constructions are based on the conventional sailing technique, namely to let the sail and mast tilt away at the upwind course according to Lee. Accordingly, the crew, load weights and keel weight are moved as far as possible to windward to hold up the mast. Some constructions use a mast that can be inclined sideways at a limited angle in the plane that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the boat. No patent specification points to a mounting of the mast foot that can be freely rotated in all directions.

In addition to this state of the art in shipbuilding, there is also the state of the art for the construction of wind surf boards. Here, a mast foot that can be freely rotated on all sides is a well-known design feature. However, this rotatable mast foot is mounted on a surfboard and not on a ship's hull. The principle of surfing is not on sailing devices in the sense of ships with larger sails can be transferred because the human body weight is too small for larger sails.

Description of the new findings

Contrary to the traditional sailing technique described, in which mast and sail tend to lee due to wind power, the technique of windsurfing shows that an opposite way of sailing is also possible. When windsurfing, the sail mast and the sail are pulled towards the wind, upwind. This results in advantages over the old sailing technology. It is the intention of the present invention to transfer these advantages of windsurfing mast and sail position to a sailing ship (dinghy or yacht) and to construct a system with which the mast of a sailing ship can be directed and held upwind. Surprisingly, it had to be found that such systems did not exist.

What is new is that the mast is also stored in a mast base that can move freely on all sides, even on a sailing ship like a windsurf board. It is not enough to just fix the mast to a simple joint. Contrary to the previous systems with rotating masts, which can only pivot the mast in a plane that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the boat hull, a mast that is freely movable in all directions is now required for dinghies and yachts.

Another new feature is that, in contrast to windsurfing equipment, a weight, a so-called "dolphin", is also used. This "dolphin" is a new element, which has never been used on sailing ships or wind surf boards. The dolphin is not a keel or a ship's sword. A keel or sword must still be attached to the hull.

What is new is that a sailing ship according to this new system consists of three parts, namely: 1. From a boat hull with a keel or sword; 2. From a mast that can move freely on all sides; and 3. From a moving "dolphin".

What is new is that the counterforce to the wind force acting on the sail is largely generated by the "dolphin" and that the hull is therefore not affected by the rotation of the sail mast.

Finally, what is new is that this system makes it possible to sail a larger boat hull (a ship) than a surf board in the manner of windsurfing.

Ways of Carrying Out the Invention example 1

Figure 5 shows a sailboat with a "dolphin" suspended from the mast top. The four suspension ropes are firmly anchored to the dolphin. The desired lifting or relocation of the "dolphin", which is required due to the wind force on the sail, is done by tightening or releasing the corresponding suspension cables via the four rollers on the mast top and the four rollers on the side of the mast below. The 4 ropes can be pulled over winches with cranks or released will. On the windward side, the hanging rope is pushed away from the hull by a cantilever arm. The extension arm is pivoted in a laterally displaceable foot. The extension arm is anchored to the hull of the boat by a pull rope. The boat hull has a role at the front and rear, on which the bow and aft stays can run freely. No rollers are provided for the side suspension ropes (shrouds) and the hull is to be protected from abrasion with suitable material or the ropes have to be covered with a protective hose.

Example 2

Figure 6 shows a sailboat in which the "dolphin" is threaded on a slack rope attached to the bow and stern of the hull. The "dolphin" can be pulled back and forth along this rope. Bow and backstays are firmly anchored to the mast top, but can be shortened or extended at the bow or stern using pulling systems. This makes the mast tilt forward or backward regardless of the position of the "dolphin". The mast is tilted to the side by lifting and raising the "dolphin". The side suspension cables can be shortened or extended accordingly using rollers on the mast top and laterally on the bottom of the mast using pulling devices. The extension arm is rotatable and laterally displaceable. It is fastened backwards by a pull rope. The mast foot is mounted in a ball joint, which can be moved forwards and backwards and locked along a guide rail.

Example 3

Figure 7 shows a sailing ship, in which the "dolphin" is suspended from a side with a free swing. The "dolphin" can be moved back and forth along this linkage. The pivot point of the boom can be set at different heights depending on the requirements. For example, it can coincide with the point of rotation of the boat hull. The pivot point of the mast base is higher in the example shown than the pivot point of the "dolphin" suspension.

Figure 8 shows a cross section through the hull of the construction according to Fig.7. B = mast foot ball joint; H = pivot point of the "dolphin"suspension; Cʹ = swung out "dolphin"; J = pivot point of the hull. The pivot point H can also be lower than the pivot point J; to counteract the torso rotation. The "dolphin" (C) can swing under the keel (K).

The mast has a mast cross that carries the roles for the "Delphin" elevator ropes. The elevator ropes can be tightened or released using a winch. The mast can be tilted forward or backward by shortening or lengthening the bow or backstage length. In this construction variant, the movement of the mast takes place without the involvement of the "dolphin".

Example 4

Figure 9 shows a sailing ship in which the "dolphin" is suspended on two poles to the side as well as swiveling back and forth. The rods are on universal joints below attached to the hull, one in front of the other behind the keel. The "dolphin" is raised by ropes that run over rollers attached to the mast. The dolphin is moved forwards and backwards using an extension rod which can be swiveled up and down as well as forwards and backwards. The mast foot is mounted in a ball or universal joint, which can be pushed back and forth and locked on a rail. The mast is tilted forwards and backwards by pulling or letting go on the bow or back day.

Example 5

Figure 10 shows a sailing ship, whose "dolphin" is attached to the bottom of the keel with two swivel rods. The attachment is done via a universal joint on the keel and a simple joint on the "dolphin". This means that the "dolphin" can be swung out sideways and moved back and forth. The "dolphin" is pulled up to the left and right using a pull rope that runs over rollers on the mast. The dolphin can also be pulled up at rest, ie if it hangs vertically and directly under the keel, to the rear or to the front to navigate shallows.

Figure 11 shows a cross section through the fuselage of a construction according to Fig.10. The three pivot points: mast pivot point (B), boat hull pivot point (J) and "Delphin" suspension pivot point (H) are at different heights in this construction. This means that torques are transferred to the hull, which must be taken into account in the design.

Example 6

In order to switch off torques and a heeling of the boat hull around the longitudinal axis as far as possible, it is advantageous if the fulcrum of the mast (B) and the fulcrum of the "dolphin" (H) coincide with the point of rotation of the hull (J) (Fig .8 and Fig.11). However, not only the torques that arise from the distances between the pivot points B and H of J act on the boat hull, but also the torque that occurs due to the force acting on the keel (or sword), the drift resistance, and finally also the torque , which takes place through asymmetrical loading of the ship.

Figure 12 shows a sailing ship in which the pivot point of the mast and the pivot point of the dolphin lie on a common axis. This axis can coincide with the axis of rotation of the boat hull. However, it can also be set a little higher to counteract the torque caused by the drift resistance on the keel.

The mast can be swung out sideways until it rests on the upper deck. By means of a mast foot joint (N), which is attached to the rotating wheel of the mast, the mast can also be pivoted back and forth by pulling or releasing the bow and back days.

The "dolphin" is suspended from the axis of rotation via an angled linkage. The "dolphin" can be moved back and forth on this linkage, for example using pulling devices that run inside the linkage (in this case the linkage is a tube). These traction ropes for moving the "dolphin" back and forth can be connected to the ropes of the bow and back tag, so that the "Dolphin" moves backwards according to the mast's reserve. The "dolphin" can be swung out sideways as high as the hull is sawn out below.

Figure 13 shows a cross section through the hull of a sailing ship according to Fig.12. The boat hull is practically sawn into two parts, which are watertight at the interface. These two fuselage parts are firmly connected to each other on the left and right by continuous, supporting box profiles (M). In the incision created by this construction in the lower part of the fuselage, the arm of the angled "dolphin" linkage can freely swing sideways up to the stop on the box section (M).

The fulcrum of the mast (B) and the fulcrum of the "dolphin" suspension (H) coincide and lie in a gear housing which is firmly connected to the boat hull. Via a gear construction, e.g. As indicated in Fig.13 an outer wheel, which carries the mast and an inner wheel, which carries the "dolphin" suspension, the angle between mast and "dolphin" can be adjusted and fixed. The mast and "dolphin" form a unit that is freely rotatable in the gear housing without transmitting torque to the hull.

Example 7

Figure 14 shows a catamaran. According to example 6, the mast rotation point and "dolphin" rotation point are combined on the same hub. The "two" boat hulls are completely sawn through and represent four closed floats. The "dolphin" arm can swing freely up to the surface of the water. The mast can also be completely folded over on the side. The "dolphin" can be moved back and forth on the angled suspension arm. A second mast foot joint allows the mast to be adjusted forwards and backwards via the bow and backstays.

Example 8

Figure 15 shows a sailing ship, in which the rotating wheel, which carries the mast and the rotating wheel, which carries the "dolphin" both correspond in diameter to the diameter of the hull and are integrated into the wall of the hull. The ring shape of these wheels allows free passage. On larger yachts with a cabin, these rotating rings can be integrated into the rounded roof of the cabin.

A rotation ring or a double ring carries a yoke (P) at the ends of which the shrouds (W) are attached ( Figure 16 ). The support arm of the "dolphin" is attached to another rotation ring. The rings run on outer rollers and are independent and freely rotatable relative to the boat hull. Figure 16 shows a cross section through this type of construction. Mast rotation ring and "Delphin" rotation ring are adjustable and fixable against each other via a gear transmission. The angle between the mast and the "dolphin" arm can be freely selected and locked according to the wind conditions.

As with the construction according to example 6, the boat hull is cut in on the outside. In this case, however, the incision is all-round and both the "dolphin" arm and the mast can be rotated against each other until they touch each other. The tunnel-like support profile (0) serves as the load-bearing connection between the front and the rear fuselage part. The incision in the outer shape of the hull can be closed by sliding slats (L), making the surface relatively smooth.

Example 9

Figure 17 shows a sailing ship with two ring systems that enclose the hull. The cylindrical middle section between the two ring systems supports the mast and is freely rotatable around the hull. The "dolphin" is hung on two arms. These two "dolphin" arms are each attached to a ring of the ring systems analogous to Ex. 8, which are also freely rotatable relative to the boat hull and are adjustable and lockable relative to the cylindrical middle section. The "dolphin" can thus be freely rotated around the ship's longitudinal axis and fixed at any angle. The mast and dolphin can be swiveled back and forth via joints on the mast foot or on the "dolphin" arms. The mast foot can also be moved back and forth on a rail on the cylindrical center piece and locked in a suitable place.

Example 10

The constructions according to Examples 8 and 9 are also suitable for ships that carry more than one mast. The number of ring systems can be chosen according to the number of masts.

Example 11

So far, construction systems have been discussed that either work with wire rope hoists and winches or with gear drives. It is essential that both the mast and the "dolphin" can rotate about the longitudinal axis of the boat, and that the angle between the mast and the "dolphin" can be adjusted and fixed as required. The force or forces required to adjust this angle between the mast and the dolphin can be provided by man power or by motor power. Instead of mechanical power transmission via cable winches and deflection rollers or via gear systems, hydraulic systems for adjusting this angle are also possible. Furthermore, the mast inclination forwards and backwards as well as the displacement of the "dolphin" forwards and backwards can be done mechanically or hydraulically by motors.

The control and definition of the most suitable angle and the optimal mast inclination and "dolphin" position can be done via wind power sensors and electronic control systems (microprocessors).

Claims (10)

1. Sailing ship characterized in that it has a so-called "dolphin" as an additional, new sailing element. The "dolphin" is a free-flowing pendulum weight under water that is free to move relative to the hull. The "dolphin" is not available instead of a keel; it does not replace a keel or a sword. 2. Sailing ship characterized in that the mast foot is designed as a joint that can move freely on all sides (universal joint, ball joint) and the mast is held by connection to the "dolphin" and can be placed in the wind. 3. Sailing system consisting of a mast that can be freely swiveled on all sides and a "dolphin" that can be freely rotated about the longitudinal axis of the ship and that can be moved forwards and backwards, characterized in that the angle between the mast tip, mast foot and dolphin is arbitrary and chosen according to the wind forces , can be set and fixed. 4. Sailing ship characterized in that the "dolphin" is attached to the boat hull by a movable suspension device. 5. Sailing ship characterized in that the "dolphin" can be pushed and held laterally and / or forwards and backwards via an extension arm. The boom is attached to the mast or to the mast foot or to the boat hull and serves both to position the "dolphin" and to transmit power. 6. Sailing ship characterized in that the mast base pivot point, the hull rotation point and the "dolphin" rotation point are selected in such a way that there is no or only a slight heel of the boat hull at the upwind course. By folding or suitably arranging the pivot points, torque forces on the boat hull are avoided or eliminated. 7. Multi-hull sailing ship (e.g. catamaran) characterized in that it is equipped with a "dolphin" sailing device. 8. Sailing equipment moving or gliding on firm ground characterized in that it is equipped with a "dolphin" sailing device. 9. Sailing ship characterized in that the mast and the dolphin are attached to different rings on a double or multiple ring system, which is integrated in the boat wall or encompasses the ship's hull, and are adjusted against each other by different rotation of the rings and in desired position (angle) can be locked. 10. Sailing ship with "dolphin" control device characterized in that the force to adjust the mutual position of mast and "dolphin" by man power and / or by motor power is provided either via winches and pulleys or via gear systems or hydraulic systems, and that this mutual position of mast and "dolphin" is determined and determined either based on human judgment or by force sensors and electronic control systems.

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