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

Definitions

• the invention is in the general field of fittings for sailboats. It relates more particularly to rigging fixing devices, for example along a mast.
• this method requires, on the one hand, to use a halyard capable of supporting the pulling force exerted on the sail, and therefore the force created by the wind on the sail, and, on the other hand, causes the creation with a force in the axis of the mast equal to twice the traction exerted on the sail (fixing the halyard stretched at its two ends).
• halyard length required is at least twice the length of the mast, and in practice almost three times this length.
• the cost of halyards is high, and all the more so when their diameter is large.
• the object of the present invention is to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks, by proposing a new means of fixing the sail at the top of a mast.
• the problem posed in the present application is that the attachment of front sails, in particular in the case of sails stored, that is to say wound on a flexible stay and stored in a bag.
• the device is significantly less more expensive than existing devices.
• the invention proposes a device for attaching a sail to the top of a sailboat mast, so as to allow tensioning of said sail, characterized in that it comprises a fixed part placed permanently at the top of the mast, a mobile part adapted to be fixed in a corner of the sail to be hoisted, a halyard fixed to the mobile part, so as to allow to hoist the mobile part towards the fixed part, the device comprising two support means reversible of the mobile part by the fixed part, determining two offset positions for holding the mobile part relative to the fixed part, adapted to withstand maximum longitudinal forces of different predetermined values, and means for passing from a holding position to another by acting on the halyard or on the sail attached to the mobile part.
• the device comprises means adapted so that a continuous pull on the halyard ultimately leads to blocking in a first holding position, the transition from the first holding position to the second is caused by a pull on the mobile part, and the release of this second holding position is caused by a traction of limited amplitude on the halyard.
• a first reversible support means is adapted to support a force corresponding substantially to the weight of a sail.
• a second support means is adapted to withstand a force corresponding substantially to the maximum tension exerted on the sail.
• FIG. 2 shows a sectional view of a fastening device according to the invention
• FIG. 4 and 5 show cross sections of the core at the pushers, and the guide at the support balls;
• FIG. 6 to 10 show different respective positions of the fixed part and the mobile part of the device during its use.
• the device according to the invention comprises a "fixed" part 1 and a “mobile” part 2.
• the fixed part 1 is intended to be permanently attached at the top of mast 3, at the final attachment point of a sail.
• the movable part 2 is intended to be attached to the upper end 4 of a sail 5 to be rigged.
• This mobile part 2 is therefore mobile thanks to a halyard 6 of small diameter (a few millimeters) which passes through a sheave 7 formed in the fixed part 1.
• the mobile part 2 When the sail 5 is not yet rigged, the mobile part 2 is lowered to the bottom of the mast 3, to be handled by a crew member.
• the mobile part 2 When the sail 5 is being rigged, the mobile part 2 is hoisted with the sail 5 (stored or “socked") which is attached to it along the mast 3 towards the fixed part 1.
• the movable part 2 then comes to nest within the fixed part 1 and is blocked by elastic play at the level of a groove 39 formed in said fixed part 1, this blocking being adapted to support the weight of the sail 5 (at maximum a few tens of kilos), but not its tension, and therefore being adapted to allow the halyard 6 to be released once the mobile part 2 is blocked in the fixed part 1.
• the release of the halyard 6 then causes the installation of a locking element 31, which prevents the release of the mobile part 2 (as long as the halyard 6 is not again urged to raise the locking element 31 and release the moving part again 2).
• the assembly formed by the fixed part 1 and the movable part 2 locked in force is then able to withstand a tension imposed on the sail 5 from the lower end 8 thereof.
• halyard 6 no longer has to support the tension of the sail 5 (several tonnes) but only its weight (a few tens of kilos), is of significantly reduced diameter, and therefore very economical both in cost and in place busy. Its smaller diameter also allows it to pass inside the mat 3, and not outside of it, as is the case in traditional devices.
• the mobile part 2 is organized around a core 9 of mainly hollow cylindrical shape. It is fixed to the sail 5 by a swivel fixed to a ring 10, secured in the lower part of the core 9 by an axis 11.
• the dimensions of the ring 10 and of the axis 11 are conventional, depending on the type of rigging. used.
• the profile of the core 9 is illustrated in FIG. 2.
• the interior of said core 9 comprises coaxially, from bottom to top (according to FIG. 2, which corresponds well to the direction of presentation of the device in practice):
• the core 9 possibly includes two opposite lateral openings to allow the passage of the fixing point 13 of the ring 10.
• the outer profile of the core 9, which is mainly cylindrical as said, comprises substantially at mid-height an annular rim 17, extending by a few millimeters (4 in the present example) towards the outside of the core 9.
• This rim annular 17 is locally reinforced on its lower flank, either by special surface treatment intended to harden it, or by interlocking with a ring 18 of hard material (case-hardened steel for example).
• a ring 18 of hard material case-hardened steel for example.
• the core 9 has a frustoconical oblique shoulder 19 (practically placed in line with the lower limit of the cylindrical channel 15 internal to said core 9).
• the core 9 therefore forms in its lower part a thick skirt, the thickness and material of which are chosen so as to be able to take up the forces of several tonnes exerted by the sail.
• the core 9 can for example be made of aluminum, with a skirt thickness of 10 millimeters and a low external diameter of 5 centimeters.
• the core 9 has a second cylindrical part 20 whose diameter is, in the example described, about 4 centimeters.
• This second cylindrical part 20 is terminated at the top by a second oblique shoulder 21 and a flat 22 of small diameter.
• the second cylindrical part is drilled radially halfway up six cylindrical recesses 23 angularly spaced by 60 ° (FIG. 4).
• each pusher 24 comprising a means (for example spring) of exerting a radial force towards the outside, by means of a ball 25.
• the recess opposite each pusher 24 makes it possible to introduce an adjustment tool of the force exerted by the pusher 24, in a manner known per se.
• These pushers 24 are of a type known per se (and for example marketed by the French company Norelem under the reference 0303_080). It is understood that the balls 25 of these pushers spontaneously tend to project outwards from the second cylindrical part 20 of the core 9, under the effect of a spring in the pushbutton 24, but can be brought back inside of said core 9 by a sufficient radial force.
• a lifting element 16 formed by a hollow rod 26 terminated by a sidewall 27 is disposed inside the core 9. It can slide freely in the small diameter bore 15, and therefore has a length of clearance L1 (FIG.
• the internal diameter of the hollow rod 26 is suitable for the passage of a halyard 6 of predetermined diameter, for example 5 millimeters
• a knot on the halyard 6 is enough to prevent it from happening in the hollow rod 26
• the fixed part 1 it comprises a support
• the guide 30 is a part with a cylindrical external surface closed at its upper part, and with an internal profile substantially complementary to that of the core 9
• this interior profile comprises from top to bottom
• the narrow cy ndnque zone 33 has a groove 39 deep about 2 millimeters, adapted to receive the balls 25 of the pushers 24, when the core 9 is completely inserted in the guide 30
• This groove 39 has slightly oblique edges, so as to allow retraction of the balls 25 in the core 9, when a force greater than a predetermined value (for example a few tens of kilos) is applied in the direction of the axis of the device. An adjustment of the pushers 24 will make it possible to fix this predetermined force value
• the wide cylindrical zone 35 extends longitudinally over a distance corresponding approximately to half the length of the part of the core 9 situated below said rim 17.
• the thickness of the guide 30 is in its lower part of about 5 millimeters. This value depends on the material chosen (for example aluminum here), it is suitable for the recovery of longitudinal forces due to the tension exerted by the sail, these forces being transmitted from the core 9 to the guide 30 at the level of the wide cylindrical zone 35 , by means of six balls 36 (only three of which are shown in FIG. 5). To this end, the guide 30 comprises at the level of the wide cylindrical zone 35
• the material forming the guide 30 is treated locally at the level of the housings 37 by hardening the metal if it is made of metal, or by adding a piece 38 of high hardness around said housing 37.
• the guide 30 has three tapped bores 40, suitable for fixing three screws 29 securing the guide 30 to the support 28, and thereby to the mast 3 of the sailboat.
• the bell 31, movable in translation along these screws 29, is a skirt thin cylindrical (for example 3 millimeters made of aluminum or plastic of the so-called ABS type) closed in its upper part by a surface 41 comprising three bores intended for the passage of the screws 29, and a central bore 42 intended for the passage of the halyard 6, but adapted to block the vertical movement of the lifting means 16. It is understood that this arrangement allows the lifting means 16 to drive the bell 31 upwards in its vertical movement, when the movable part 2 enters the fixed part 1.
• a return spring 47 is arranged around each support screw 29, so as to exert a force tending to bring down the bell 31.
• the cylindrical skirt proper comprises from the top down a narrow zone 43 ( said blocking area) and a wide area 44 (said release area).
• the narrow zone 43 has an internal diameter just greater than the external diameter of the guide 30. It has a length suitable for that, when the bell 31 is placed in abutment on the upper surface of the guide 30, this narrow zone 43 comes to block the balls 36 in a position projecting inwards from the guide 30.
• the wide area 44 has an internal diameter just sufficient for the balls 36 to be able to move in their housing 37 until they are no longer flush with the interior of the guide 30, thus allowing the core 9 and more generally the mobile part 2 to pass.
• the wide area 44 has a length substantially equal to the length of travel of the pusher 16 (hollow pull tab 26 through which the halyard 6 has passed).
• An oblique shoulder 45 is formed between the narrow zone 43 and the wide zone 44, so as to cause, under the effect of the weight of the bell 31 and the action of the return springs 47, the re-entry of the balls 36 into the housings
• the fixed part 1 already being permanently fixed to the top of a mast 3, when rigging a sail 5, the swivel fixing ring 10 of the mobile part 2 is attached to the high point 4 of said sail 5 (which is then stored or "stocked up", so as not to undergo any force related to the thrust of the wind) by a swivel of conventional type, and the halyard 6 is pulled while supporting only the weight of the sail during this traction, by means of the hollow rod 26 supported on the lower face 48 of the core 9.
• the balls 36 are extended as far as possible towards the interior of the guide 30.
• the halyard 6 can then be released, causing by the effect of the springs 47, the descent of the bell 31 and the locking of the balls 36 inside their housing 37 towards the core 9 (FIG. 10).
• the mobile part remains locked in this position as long as a tension force of the sail greater than a threshold determined by the adjustment of the pushers 24 is not applied.
• a tension force of the sail greater than a threshold determined by the adjustment of the pushers 24 is not applied.
• the device In this second position for holding the movable part 2 relatively at the fixed part 1, the device is able to withstand a maximum force determined by the structural resistance of the balls 36, of the guide 30 at the level of the balls 36, of the flange 17 of the core 9, and of the bearing zone 46 of the balls 36 on the bell 31.
• a dimensioning of these parts known to those skilled in the art, allows a force of several tonnes to be taken up, corresponding to the forces created by the wind on the sail 5.
• the ring 10 can be replaced by a swivel directly integrated into the movable part 2, which reduces the total weight of the device for attaching the sail.
• the invention allows the rigging of a sail, without an external guide element (with the exception of the halyard which is used to hoist the sail), unlike all the previous devices in the field, for which, either a fixed forestay already tensioned serves as a guide for the sail (in the case of a forward sail), or a mast serves as a guide rail (in the case of a mainsail).
• the sail rigging device is guided by the fixed stay and is movable along it.
• the present invention is therefore particularly suitable for a head sail. It allows you to rig a sail without having a fixed forestay previously installed, and also allows you to rig a flying forestay (free), which then allows you to attach a sail in the conventional way (with carabiner etc.).
• an axially symmetrical guide device (device mainly cylindrical) is also due to the fact that the guiding and centering is carried out directly by the halyard, and not by another forestay already stretched, and along which the sail would run.
• the present invention allows remote unlocking of the hooking device, unlike a number of devices known in the prior art, for which a locking ring must be unscrewed for example.
• this device is particularly well suited in the case of stored sails, in so far as, once the sail is hoisted to the top of the mast, the maneuver can then be carried out from the cockpit, by two sheets, which is very interesting and less dangerous in heavy seas.
• the present device is removable and can be simply removed from the mat, as opposed to a large number of previous devices for which the locking device is bolted to the top of the mat, and therefore difficult to dismantle.
• the present invention is not limited to the details of the embodiments described here by way of example, but on the contrary extends to modifications within the reach of ordinary skill in the art.

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

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• 1999
  • 1999-05-31 FR FR9906836A patent/FR2794100B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2000
  • 2000-05-30 EP EP00936975A patent/EP1183180B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2000-05-30 ES ES00936975T patent/ES2208337T3/es not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2000-05-30 AU AU52281/00A patent/AU5228100A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2000-05-30 WO PCT/FR2000/001476 patent/WO2000073138A1/fr active IP Right Grant
  • 2000-05-30 DE DE60005948T patent/DE60005948D1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2000-05-30 AT AT00936975T patent/ATE252015T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation

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