EP0445217A1

EP0445217A1 - Sail structure with inflatable compartment and manoeuvring device on a boat provided with a mast

Info

Publication number: EP0445217A1
Application number: EP90900909A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Sylvain Berthomme
Original assignee: VOILE SYSTEME
Current assignee: VOILE SYSTEME
Priority date: 1988-11-24
Filing date: 1989-11-23
Publication date: 1991-09-11
Also published as: WO1990005661A1; AU4669989A; NZ231490A

Abstract

Structure de voile notamment utilisée pour la traction d'un navire muni d'un mât (12) caractérisée en ce qu'elle comprend une voilure (14) comportant des caissons gonflables (28) juxtaposés avec entrée d'air et reliés entre eux par leurs faces latérales, au moins deux cordages (16, 18) dont les premières extrémités sont fixées sur ladite voilure en arrière de son bord d'attaque sur une seule ligne et dont les secondes extrémités sont fixées respectivement en tête de mât et à hauteur du pont, l'incidence de la voilure étant auto-orientable par rapport au vent et dispositif de manoeuvre de cette voile sur le mât comprenant un bout dont les deux extrémités font poulie, une drisse en boucle fermée et deux brins passant dans ces extrémités et solidaire d'une extrémité de la voile tandis que l'autre extrémité est reliée au bateau.Sail structure in particular used for the traction of a ship provided with a mast (12) characterized in that it comprises a wing (14) comprising inflatable boxes (28) juxtaposed with air intake and connected together by their lateral faces, at least two ropes (16, 18), the first ends of which are fixed to said blade behind its leading edge in a single line and the second ends of which are fixed respectively at the head of the mast and at the height of the deck, the incidence of the wing being self-orientable relative to the wind and device for maneuvering this sail on the mast comprising a tip whose two ends form a pulley, a halyard in closed loop and two strands passing through these ends and integral from one end of the sail while the other end is connected to the boat.

Description

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.

To this end, 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. In addition, according to another characteristic, the leading edge of the wing is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the mast. According to another characteristic, 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.

According to a particular characteristic of the invention, 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 symmetriαuε 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.

In contrast to traditional sails, during this maneuver, it is essential that the openings of the boxes are facing the wind and open in order to allow the inflation of the boxes. However, if a pull is exerted on the upper part of the sail on the end box by means of the halyard, the weight of the sail itself exerts a pull down which tends to pinch the opening and prevent the swelling of the boxes. In addition, if the sail is completely hoisted, a gust of wind can cause a significant dip in the sail, which results in traction at the two fixing points, on the mast halyard and on the boat, dui again leads to a pinching of the boxes and possibly to partial deflation thereof. Such deflation is detrimental to the stiffness of the sail and to its proper functioning. 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.

To this end, the maneuvering device on a boat provided with a mast and a mast halyard, according to the invention, applicable to this thick sail of the type with juxtaposed inflatable boxes separated by ribs comprises first means of attachment secured to the two end boxes and is characterized in that it comprises an end of a length greater than that of the height of the sail and provided at its two ends with a means forming a pulley, a halyard with closed loop , with two strands, passing through each of the pulley means and provided with a second attachment means, intended to cooperate with the first attachment means, fixed on the upper end box and in that the ribs each comprise at least one hole through which the end passes so that the sail hoisted or lowered using the halyard slides on this end.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the device is characterized in that the halyard passes also t rave rs ies holes these ribs parallel to the end.

According to a variant, 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.

According to another characteristic of the device, the pulley means, at the ends of the end, are eyes in which the halyard slides.

In addition, according to another characteristic of the invention, each box comprises an inextensible member of a length less than the height of a box fixed to the two ribs delimiting this box.

The invention will be described according to a particular embodiment with reference to the appended drawings in which:

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, and - 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. In known manner, 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. On the lateral faces of the lateral boxes, 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.

In 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.

In the case of a wind blowing on the right side of the ship, it is necessary to bring the blade onto the deck to make it undergo a 180 ° pivoting, this time connecting the halyard 16 to the attachment point 34 while the sheet 18 is connected to the attachment point 32. The wing can thus function in the same way as that which has just been described above with a wind blowing on the other tack.

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. 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.

In the case of the tailwind as shown in FIG. 4, 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 Δ shape. . Similarly at the trailing edge 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.

In Figure 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.

In this FIG. 6, the sail is being hoisted or lowered and the part 140 corresponds to the folded part of the sail. 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.

As shown in FIG. 7, 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 operation of this operating device is described below.

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.

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. When the first box 136 is inflated, 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.

Similarly, it is possible to adjust the sail area exposed to the wind by taking reefs in the same way as on a conventional type sail. In this case, it suffices to lower the sail by the number of boxes desired, to ensure the connection of the last lower inflated box with the carabiner 154 or more generally with the shell 112 so as to be able to exert a tension by means of the strand 131 halyard 130, force which is taken up by the part of the inextensible member 158 corresponding to the length of sail deployed. For this purpose, it is possible to provide a loop on the inextensible member in each of the boxes.

This maneuvering device leaves any possibility of self-orientation of the sail according to its profile and according to the wind direction. In addition, 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.

Thus according to a first variant, the tip 124 includes, fixed at each of its two ends, a pulley, to facilitate the circulation of the halyard 130. In certain types of large sail, the pulley device can reduce friction and facilitate hoisting and lowering operations.

Similarly, according to another variant, 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.

According to yet another variant, 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.

Claims

1. Sail structure used in particular for the traction of a ship provided with a mast (12) characterized in that it comprises a wing (14) comprising inflatable boxes (23) juxtaposed with air intake and connected between them by their lateral faces, at least two ropes (16, 18), the first ends of which are fixed on said blade behind the leading edge in a single line and the second ends of which are fixed respectively at the head of the mast and at height of the bridge, the incidence of the wing being self-orientable with respect to the wind.

2 sail structure according to claim 1 characterized in that one (16) of the two ropes is the mast halyard allowing the lifting of the wing and the other an adjustable itague.

3. Sail structure according to claim 1 or 2 characterized in that the length of the leading edge of the wing (14) is substantially equal to the height of the mast.

4. Structure according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the airfoil (14) is fixed to the halyard (16) and to the adjustable halyard (18) near the lateral faces of the lateral boxes (28) of said airfoil. .

5. Structure according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the adjustable ring (18) is provided so as to adjust its length and to keep the leading edge of the blade (14) substantially perpendicular to the direction of the wind.

6. Structure according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that along the longitudinal axis of the boxes the lower surface is shorter than the upper surface.

7. Structure according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the trailing edge is raised from the lower surface to the upper surface.

8. Structure according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the airfoil (14) is symmetrical.

9. Structure according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the profile is V-shaped.

10. Structure according to any one of claims 1 to 8 characterized in that the airfoil is in Δ.

11. Structure according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the boxes (28) are provided with air outlets arranged at the height of the trailing edge, the outlet section being less than the inlet section.

12. Maneuvering device (120) on a boat (112) of a thick sail structure (122) with inflatable boxes (136) separated by ribs (138) according to any one of the preceding claims comprising a mast halyard (118) and first attachment means (144 and 146) integral with the two end boxes characterized in that it comprises an end (124) of a length greater than that of the height of the sail and provided with its two ends of a pulley means, a halyard (130) in a closed loop with two strands (131 and 133) passing through each of the pulley means and provided with a second hooking means (134) intended to cooperate with it's the father misr hooking means (144) fixed on the upper end box and in that the ribs (138) each comprise at least one hole (152) through which the end passes so that the sail hoisted or slumped at the using the halyard slides on this end.

13. Device according to claim 12 characterized in that the halyard (130) passes through the holes (152) of the ribs parallel to the end.

14. Device according to claim 12 characterized in that the ribs (138) each comprise two additional holes (148 and 150) for the passage of each of the two strands (131 and 133) of the halyard (130).

15. Device according to any one of claims 12 to 14, characterized in that the first attachment means (134 and 146) are carabiners and the second attachment means (134) is an eye provided at the splice ends of the halyard.

16. Device according to any one of claims 12 to 15, characterized in that the means forming a pulley at the ends of the end (124) are eyes in which the halyard slides.

17. Device according to any one of claims 12 to 16, characterized in that each box (136) comprises an inextensible member (158), of a length equal to the length of the cord which underlies the lower surface ( 160) of an inflated box, fixed to the two ribs delimiting this box.

18. Device according to claim 17 characterized in that the inextensible member (158) is a strip of fabric with unidirectional resistance.

19. Di spos iti f according to any one of claims 12 to 18, characterized in that the inextensible member (158) is fixed at its ends to the first attachment means (144 and 146) of the sail.

20. Device according to any one of claims 12 to 19, characterized in that the upper and lower ends of the end (124) are respectively hooked to the mast halyard (116) and on the hull (112) of the boat so to be able to stretch this end.