Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
  • B63H—MARINE PROPULSION OR STEERING
  • B63H9/00—Marine propulsion provided directly by wind power
  • B63H9/04—Marine propulsion provided directly by wind power using sails or like wind-catching surfaces
  • B63H9/08—Connections of sails to masts, spars, or the like
  • B63H9/10—Running rigging, e.g. reefing equipment
  • B63H9/1021—Reefing
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
  • B63H—MARINE PROPULSION OR STEERING
  • B63H9/00—Marine propulsion provided directly by wind power
  • B63H9/04—Marine propulsion provided directly by wind power using sails or like wind-catching surfaces
  • B63H9/06—Types of sail; Constructional features of sails; Arrangements thereof on vessels
  • B63H9/061—Rigid sails; Aerofoil sails
  • B63H9/0615—Inflatable aerofoil sails

Definitions

• Sail structure with inflatable boxes and maneuvering device on a boat fitted with a mast Sail structure with inflatable boxes and maneuvering device on a boat fitted with a mast.
• the present invention relates to a sail structure for a ship and a device for operating this sail on a boat provided with a mast.
• Known typa sailboats generally use sails guided either by the mast or by sets of ropes between certain parts of the ship and the mast. Adjustable sheets allow to more or less border these sails and to orient them.
• Another type of sails is also used, known as spinnaker when sailing at certain particular gaits. This very hollow sail receives the wind substantially perpendicular to its vertical center line. Its attachment to the ship is generally carried out at three points, the first in the upper part in the vertical median plane and the other two on either side of this median plane at the lower ends of the sail.
• This sail is very difficult to handle because on the one hand the swelling is delicate, and on the other hand its orientation must be kept perfectly perpendicular to the wind under penalty of a sudden deflation, which leads to frequent and numerous adjustments.
• Such a sail can only be used for certain particular so-called bearing gaits during which the wind blows from the rear to the front of the boat.
• French patent application No. 2,564,618 discloses boat sails with an automatic bearing plane, the angle of incidence of which remains constant relative to the axis of its displacement relative to the fluid whatever the variations in displacement of the fluid. In this case, it is a rigid sail such as an airplane wing pivotally mounted around the mast.
• the English patent application No. 2 151 199 describes a thick waterproof veil inflated by the introduction of a volume of air at constant pressure with a symmetrical or hollow profile of known triangular shape and fixed on a terminal. The profile of the sail is modified by variation of internal pressure.
• the subject of the present invention is a sail structure which is self-orientating with respect to the wind, which does not require any adjustment as a function of the force of the wind, which is easy to implement on boats of known type.
• the sail structure according to the invention in particular used for the traction of a ship provided with a mast, is characterized in that it comprises a wing comprising juxtaposed inflatable boxes provided with air intake and connected to each other by their lateral faces, at least two ropes, the first ends of which are the attachment points on the wing behind the leading edge and on a single line, the second ends of which are fixed respectively at the head of the mast and at deck height, the incidence of the wing being self-orientating with respect to the apparent wind.
• the leading edge of the wing is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the mast.
• the sail structure comprises a halyard coming from the upper end of the mast and fixed to one of the lateral ends of the wing and an adjustable itaque fixed to the other lateral end.
• the sail structure also includes a trailing edge raised from the lower surface towards the upper surface.
• the canopy of the structure according to the invention is symmetri ⁇ u ⁇ so as to allow the pivoting of the canopy 180 ° relative to the horizontal median plane perpendicular to the leading edge by inversely fixing points of the halyard and the adjustable itague .
• Such a sail structure poses maneuvering problems when it is desired to hoist it or else lower it and more particularly when it is desired to partially lower it in order to take reefs.
• These thick sail structures like all sails of known type, include two attachment points at their two ends, fixed to the two upper and lower boxes, the lower point being intended to be fixed to the hull of the boat, while the upper point is attached to the end of the mast halyard. When it is desired to hoist this thick sail, it suffices to exert traction on the mast halyard, which causes the sail to rise.
• the present invention therefore also aims to overcome these drawbacks and to provide a device for operating this thick sail which allows the reefing without deflation of the caissons, the adjustment of the hollow of the sail, which avoids any beating of the rope at the exterior of the sail, whose inflation is facilitated during hoisting and lowering operations and which limits the drag which could be detrimental to the lift.
• the device is characterized in that the halyard passes also t rave rs ies holes these ribs parallel to the end.
• the device is characterized in that the ribs each comprise two additional holes for the passage of each of the two strands of the halyard.
• the pulley means at the ends of the end, are eyes in which the halyard slides.
• each box comprises an inextensible member of a length less than the height of a box fixed to the two ribs delimiting this box.
• FIG. 1 represents a view of the rear of a ship sailing on the drop with a sail structure according to the invention
• FIG. 2 represents a top view of the ship represented in FIG. 1,
• FIG. 3 is a view of the ship sailing as close as possible
• FIG. 4 is a view of the vessel sailing downwind provided with two sail structures according to the invention.
• FIG. 5 represents a schematic view of a boat provided with a mast and equipped with the device for operating the sail structure according to the invention
• FIG. 6 represents a perspective view of the operating device according to the invention
• - Figure 7 shows a sectional view through a vertical plane parallel to the openings of the boxes.
• FIG. 1 represents a ship 10 comprising a mast 12, an airfoil 14, a halyard 16 and an adjustable itague 1S.
• the ship 10 of the sailboat type comprises a hull 20, a keel 22, and a deck 24.
• attachment points for the stays 26 of the mast 12 are provided on the deck 24.
• the halyard 16 is also adjustable in length to from deck 24.
• the airfoil 14 comprises inflatable boxes 28 provided with air inlet 30, juxtaposed with one another by their lateral faces so as to constitute the same bearing surface.
• two attachment points 32 and 34 are provided for fixing the halyard 16 and the adjustable halyard respectively 18. These attachment points 32 and 34 are arranged on the same line parallel to the leading edge, behind it in the area of greatest lift and are adjustable in position between the leading edge and the trailing edge.
• the shape of the airfoil 14 is substantially rectangular, the length of the leading edge corresponding substantially to the height of the mast.
• the profile of the airfoil is particular since its trailing edge is raised from the lower surface to the upper surface as shown in more detail in FIG. 2. This curvature of the trailing edge is obtained by cutting the lateral faces of the boxes or of the ribs. Furthermore, the length of the upper surface measured in the longitudinal direction of the boxes is greater than the length of the lower surface.
• the profile of the wing makes it self-orientable by relative to the apparent wind. The wing is therefore oriented relative to the wind with a constant angle. In FIG. 2, the ship is moving in the direction of arrow 36, while the wind comes to it from the left side perpendicularly along arrow 38, which corresponds to the large drop shape.
• the plane passing through the adjustable itague 18 and the halyard 16 makes an angle with the direction of the wind, this angle therefore being a function of the profile of the wing, the tensile force is exerted according to arrow 40.
• FIG. 3 the ship is shown sailing at a different speed, said as close as possible, that is to say when the direction of movement 36 of the ship makes an acute angle with the direction 38 of the wind.
• the tensile force is then exerted according to arrow 40 since the airfoil has a constant position relative to the wind direction.
• the inflation of the sail structure according to the invention is carried out simply by hoisting the sail by means of the halyard 16, the caissons then gradually inflating as they rise until the leading edge is substantially parallel to the mast.
• the caissons Depending on the strength of the wind and the inclination of the mast, it is possible to adjust ia voilutre by means of the adjustable itague 18, so that the leading edge remains substantially perpendicular to the wind direction.
• Such an adjustment makes it possible to optimize the operation of the wing, the latter nevertheless being able to withstand significant shifts in the orientation of the leading edge while continuing to operate.
• the ship can be provided with two sail structures according to the invention on either side of its direction of displacement and arranged symmetrically with respect thereto .
• Variants can be provided for the wing 14, this is how its rectangular sail plan can take a V shape, the attachment points 32 and 34 then being situated at the ends of the branches of the V or else a ⁇ shape. .
• the boxes are closed but it is possible to provide an air outlet whose section would be smaller than the air inlet section of the boxes.
• a useful precaution for this type of wing consists of having grids on the air inlets so as to prevent any penetration of solid foreign bodies into said boxes.
• FIG. 5 there is shown a boat 110 with a hull 112 provided with a keel 114 and a mast 116.
• the mast 116 comprises in known manner a mast halyard 118 intended to hoist or lower the sails.
• the operating device 120 of a thick sail 122 is shown diagrammatically in this same FIG. 5.
• the operating device 120 is shown in detail in FIG. 6.
• This operating device comprises a tip 124 provided with two upper eyes 126 and lower 128 as well as a halyard 130 with two strands 131 and 133, in closed loop, the splice 132 of the ends of this halyard forming an eye 134.
• the thick sail 122 comprises several boxes 136 juxtaposed to each other and separated by ribs 138.
• the profile of the sail shown is said to be self-planing, that is to say self- orientable with respect to the wind as described above.
• each box comprises a front opening 142 more particularly provided on the leading edge of the thick sail.
• Each of the boxes 136 located at the upper and lower ends of the sail comprises a carabiner 144 and 146, more particularly fixed on the ribs 138.
• Each of the ribs 138 comprises three holes 148, 150 and 152 through which the strands 131 and 133 of the halyard 130 and the end 124 pass respectively.
• the assembly is completed by two carabiners 154 and 156 intended to fix the ends of the end on the hull 112 on the one hand and on the mast halyard 118 on the other hand.
• the sail 122 is completed by an inextensible member 158 of the unidirectional fabric type disposed over the entire height of the sail and fixed on each of the ribs.
• This member 158 has a length equal to the length of the cord which underlies the curved portion 160 of the lower surface of each of the inflated caissons.
• the eye 126 of the upper end of the end is fixed to the carabiner 156 of the halyard of mSt 118.
• This halyard is maneuvered so as to hoist the end 124 by causing its tension, the eye 128 in the lower part of the end having been fixed beforehand to the carabiner 154 secured to the hull 112 of the boat.
• the sail 122 is therefore folded in an accordion along the end 124 at the foot thereof.
• the lower carabiner 146 secured to the lower box of the sail 122 is also fixed to the boat either directly in the carabiner 154, or by means of an additional rope as shown in FIG. 6 so as to adjust the position in height swollen sail.
• the carabiner 144 secured to the upper end box of the sail 122 is attached to the eye 134 provided on the halyard 130.
• the user By exerting a traction in the direction of the arrow 122 on the strand 131 of the halyard 130, the user causes the displacement in opposite direction of the strand 133.
• the eye 134 placed on this strand 133, drives up by the intermediate the carabiner 144, the first box of the sail 122.
• the inextensible member 158 between the first two ribs of the first box, is stretched.
• the part of the inextensible member 158 of the second box then undergoes traction until it is also tender, which allows the second box to swell. This maneuver is thus repeated until all of the cais sounds are fully inflated and the sail is fully hoisted.
• the inextensible member 158 is then fully tensioned and the tensile forces exerted on the carabiners 144 and 146 are transferred directly to this member.
• the user then has the possibility of adjusting the hollow of the sail by exerting a more or less significant traction on the halyard 118.
• each box remains perfectly inflated since the openings 142 are not pinched due to the tensile forces, these being taken up by the inextensible member 158.
• This maneuvering device can be adapted whatever the height of the mast since it allows reefing on the sail, that the tip 124 can be reduced in length at any time and that it can be shorter than the height. mast, because the halyard compensates for the lack of length.
• the device that maneuvers as a sail structure according to the invention can have numerous variants.
• the tip 124 includes, fixed at each of its two ends, a pulley, to facilitate the circulation of the halyard 130.
• the pulley device can reduce friction and facilitate hoisting and lowering operations.
• the two strands 131 and 133 of the halyard 130 can pass parallel to the end 124 in a single hole made in each of the ribs 138 of the boxes 136.
• the halyard can be external to the sail and each box can provide a hooking means fixed on the lower surface so as to facilitate reefing.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Sustainable Development (AREA)
• Sustainable Energy (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Ocean & Marine Engineering (AREA)
• Toys (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Publications (1)

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ID=26227005

Family Applications (1)

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• 1989
  • 1989-11-22 NZ NZ231490A patent/NZ231490A/en unknown
  • 1989-11-23 WO PCT/FR1989/000606 patent/WO1990005661A1/fr not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1989-11-23 AU AU46699/89A patent/AU4669989A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1989-11-23 EP EP90900909A patent/EP0445217A1/de not_active Withdrawn

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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