EP1476349A1

EP1476349A1 - Improvements to carbon masts

Info

Publication number: EP1476349A1
Application number: EP03717414A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Jean-Marie Finot
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2002-02-20
Filing date: 2003-02-18
Publication date: 2004-11-17
Anticipated expiration: 2023-02-18
Also published as: US20050204984A1; WO2003070558A1; FR2836119A1; FR2836119B1; EP1476349B1; DE60300887D1; AU2003222581A1; ES2244934T3; DE60300887T2

Abstract

The invention relates to a carbon mast comprising a tube which is made from, for example, a pre-impregnated material and which is produced by means of filament winding or pultrusion. The inventive mast is characterised in that said tube (1) remains sealed by gluing the pieces for attaching the different elements that equip the mast thereto, in particular, the mast head piece (15), the fitting (16) for attaching the spinnaker, the fitting (17) for attaching the stay and shrouds, the fitting (18) for attaching the crosstrees, the fitting (19) for attaching the boom and the fittings (20, 21) for, respectively, the mast partner and the mast foot, the aforementioned fittings being made in such a way as to contribute to the sealing of the mast.

Description

"Improvements to carbon masts"

The present invention relates to improvements made to carbon laminated masts intended for sailboats. The invention is particularly applicable to masts made from tubes of prepreg material, manufactured by filament winding or by pultrusion.

The carbon masts currently produced use techniques used with light alloy masts for fixing the various fittings on which the attachment pieces fitted to these masts are mounted. Thus, these fittings, generally made of metal, are attached using rivets on previously manufactured tubes.

On advanced boats, that is to say intended for competition, the attachment pieces, in particular spreaders and shrouds, are made of laminated material, directly on the tube constituting the mast, which constitutes an artisanal technique difficult to implement and very expensive.

The present invention proposes to overcome the drawbacks of the techniques currently used for the manufacture of carbon masts, so as to obtain waterproof masts making it possible to increase the stability of the boat at large heeling angles and therefore safety, while facilitating manufacturing and assembly. According to the technique provided by the invention, the mast tube is not pierced, which makes it possible not to reduce the resistance of the mast (the holes made in the mast tube reduce the resistance of the composite material constituting the tube by 25 to 50%) and the various parts and fittings are designed and fixed on the mast so as to help ensure the waterproofing of the mast.

Consequently, the present invention relates to a carbon mast made from a tube, in particular made of prepreg material, manufactured by filament winding or by pultrusion, which is characterized in that the tube constituting the mast is kept watertight therein. fixing by gluing the attachment pieces of the different elements equipping the mast and in particular the guy wire and the support of the spreaders, and by sealingly making the mast head, the stern part and the mast support, these different attachment pieces being produced so as to contribute to ensuring the watertightness of the mast.

According to a characteristic of the present invention, the various attachment parts comprise a horseshoe fitting designed so as to come to bear against the ^' walls of the tube constituting the mast, by marrying the latter, the positioning of this fitting being carried out using a clamp and its fixing to the profile being ensured by gluing. According to the present invention, the bonding of the attachment pieces on the carbon tube constituting the profile of the mast is carried out by injection of glue through channels provided in said pieces.

Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will emerge from the description given below, with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate exemplary embodiments devoid of any limiting character. In the drawings:

- Figure la is a sectional view through a horizontal plane of a carbon mast tube to which the present invention applies;

- Figures lb to lh are views intended to illustrate the installation in the tube, of the means provided to protect the halyards;

- Figure li is a view similar to the figure showing the mast with its rail on which circulate the carriages of the mainsail and which, moreover, can receive the hardware of mullet; Figure 2 shows, in side elevation, a boat equipped with a mast on which the different fittings have been identified;

- Figures 3a to 3d illustrate the manufacture of the attachment parts;

- Figure 4 is a plan view showing the clamp implemented according to the invention for positioning the attachment parts on the tube constituting the mast;

- Figures 5a to 5d are partial views illustrating an embodiment of a forestay attachment system or spinnaker grip;

- Figures 6a and 6b are respectively side elevation and plan views of the parts produced according to the invention for the attachment of the forestay and the stays;

- Figures 7a and 7b are respectively a side elevation and a plan view of the parts which, according to the invention, carry the shrouds as well as the spreader supports; - Figures 8a to 8c illustrate another embodiment of the part which, according to the invention, supports the spreaders and the shrouds; Figures 9a to 9d illustrate an exemplary embodiment of the waterproof mast head fitted to the mast according to the invention;

- Figures 10a and 10b show an embodiment of a stanchion piece fitted to the mast object of the invention. FIGS. 11a to 11d illustrate a first embodiment of a mast support according to the invention, and

- Figures 12a to 12c illustrate another embodiment of the mast support;

We refer first to Figures la-li and Figure 2.

Figure la shows, in horizontal section, a tube from which is made the mast according to the invention. This carbon tube 1 can be manufactured using the known technique known as pultrusion. It consists of 65 to 75% of unidirectional fibers at 0 °, surrounded by two layers of fibers at more or less 45 °. A layer at 0 ° can also be placed on the outside to promote friction. The profile thus produced comprises a rail 2 for the carriages equipping the mainsail. This rail 2 can be reinforced by abrasion using a preformed sheet of any material having sufficient hardness, such as in particular aluminum, stainless steel or titanium. This preformed sheet can be held on the rail by simple pressure or using a bonding. This rail 2 can also receive the glass of mule supporting the boom. On the rear part of the profile of this tube 1 and inside of it (FIG. 1b), a polyvinyl chloride tube 3 is intended to receive the halyards such as 4, this tube being able to be completed by two tubes of smaller diameter such as 5 for the passage of electrical wires 6 (supply of lights, transmission to instruments of information from the various sensors such as anenometers, etc.). In the variant illustrated in FIG. 1c, these tubes are replaced by a partition 7 also glued to the internal walls of the profile of the mast.

In the variant illustrated in FIG. Id, an external profile 8 is provided attached to the mast 1 to ensure the protection of the halyards 4 and the electric wires 6.

In FIGS. 1 a to 1 h, an example of positioning and fixing of the tube 3 receiving the halyards 4 is shown. On this tube 3 (FIG. 1 a), double-sided adhesive tapes or tapes are placed discontinuously. or glue dots such as 9. The tube 3 (figure le) is placed on a support 10 provided with claws 11 constituting a cradle so as to hold the tube 3, this support 10 (figure lf) is pushed inside the profile of the mast 1, and when this tube is in its correct location, the support 10 is rotated so that the tube 3 comes to be positioned at the appropriate location in the profile of the mast 1, resting on the strips of adhesive or the glue dots 9 (figure lg). A charge 12 is then introduced inside the tube 3 (FIG. 1h) so as to ensure the pressure necessary for the bonding of the tube 3 to take place. As a variant or in addition, the pressure bonding can be ensured using an external load means 13.

On the rail 2, provided for manufacturing on the mast tube 1, the ball trolleys 14 fitted to the mainsail can circulate (FIG. Li), this rail 2 also being able to receive the mule gear fitting.

Referring now to Figure 2 of the accompanying drawings in which there is shown schematically a boat equipped with a mast 1 according to the invention, the latter being provided with all its fittings and hooking parts helping to ensure the tightness and which will be described later.

In this FIG. 2, the mast 1 therefore comprises a mast head piece 15, a fitting 16 for the attachment of the spinnaker, a fitting 17 for the attachment of the forestay and the stays, a fitting 18 for the attachment spreaders, a fitting 19 for the attachment of the terminal and fittings 20 and 21, respectively of stern frame and mast foot. All these parts are prefabricated by hand, either in male and female molds, or on male molds in robotic winding, or in composite, or in draped resin, cast. According to the present invention, these different parts are made so as to contribute to ensuring the tightness of the mast on which they are held by gluing.

We will now describe the manufacture of these attachment parts as well as their method of installation on the mast profile 1. We refer first to Figures 3a to 3d which illustrate the different manufacturing steps in which: Figures 3a and 3c are sectional views horizontal, Figure 3b is a vertical sectional view of Figure 3c and Figure 3d is a schematic plan view illustrating one of the steps.

According to the present invention, one begins by using a real or simulated profile intended to serve as a mold core 22, this core being able to be made of carbon or metal, for example aluminum or steel. On this mold 22, a counter mold 23, preferably made of silicone, is positioned. This counter-mold is reinforced with glass or carbon fibers to maintain a certain rigidity. In the mold thus obtained, drapes exterior and interior multidirectional fabrics such as 24 (FIG. 3d) between which are placed, around lost sockets 25, unidirectional wires intended to distribute the force around the part. The assembly thus constituted by the exterior fabrics, the sockets and the interior fabrics is placed in the silicone mold 23 (FIGS. 3b and 3c). The whole is closed on the mold core 22, the assembly is placed under vacuum and possibly placed in an oven or autoclave. Before closing the counter mold 23 on the mold core 22, a film 26 of ribbed silicone can be placed around the core 22 so as to obtain channels through which the bonding of the part will take place after the latter on the profile of the mast 1 as will be described below.

The attachment pieces produced as described above, have internal dimensions slightly smaller than the external profile of the mast 1. They are placed on this profile using a tool illustrated in Figure 4 which present in the form of a clamp designated as a whole by the reference 27. This clamp 27 rests on the part such as 29 by means of a spoiler 28. The clamp therefore keeps the attachment piece open so as to facilitate its introduction onto the profile of the mast 1 and, when it is positioned in its intended location, it suffices to release the pressure on the grips of the pliers so that the part 29 precisely finds its place on the mast, without moving. After this establishment, it suffices to inject glue through the holes 30 provided for this purpose (these holes being for example obtained by the establishment of the rib silicone film 26 described above).

Reference is now made to FIGS. 5a to 5d which illustrate an embodiment of the forestay attachment piece or spinnaker grip 16 (see FIG. 2).

Figure 5a is a sectional view through a horizontal plane, Figure 5b is a side elevation view, Figure 5c is a sectional view through a vertical axial plane of Figure 5a and Figure 5d illustrates a detail of ^" the Figure 5b, on an enlarged scale.

As can be seen in these figures, this attachment piece 16 consists of a horseshoe-shaped fitting 31 designed so as to be positioned on the mast, by matching the external shape of its profile, as described above . This part is glued to the mast by implementing the technique described above and it receives a stirrup 32 for anchoring the forestay and setting up the halyard pulleys (see FIG. 5d). This stirrup 32 is held on the fitting 31 by means of an axis such as 33, a metal bush 34 being interposed between the axis 33 and support bearings 35 forming an integral part of the fitting 31. This attachment piece 16 consists of unidirectional and multidirectional fibers which take up the forces exerted on the stirrup 32 in order to transfer them to the mast 1. Channels such as 36 are provided for injecting the glue on the mast, the glue being introduced into the channels through the injection holes 37.

Figures 6a and 6b show the fitting 17 (see Figure 2) for the attachment of the forestay and the stays. This part 17, like the part 16 previously described, consists of a horseshoe fitting 38 whose wall matches the external profile of the mast 1 and which has two ribs, respectively high 39 and low 39 ', which receive stirrups stay cables such as 40 and 40 ', these stirrups being held on the fitting 38 by means of articulation pins as can be clearly seen in FIGS. 6a and 6b. The installation is carried out using a clamp 27 (Figure 4) and the fixing is carried out by gluing as described above.

In Figures 7a and 7b, there is shown an embodiment of the part 18 which, according to the invention, allows to support the spreaders and also to carry the shrouds. This part also consists of a horseshoe-shaped fitting 41 which is positioned on the outside profile of the mast by matching the shape thereof. It comprises two ribs 41 and 41 ′ between which is interposed a guy-holder stirrup 42 which rests on a reinforcing tube 43 making it possible to transfer the force of the guy-stay on the stirrup 42 to its lower and upper parts. The arrow bars (in this exemplary embodiment, they consist of two tubes 44, 44 ′) are supported by an ovalized socket 45, by means of a threaded rod 46 welded to the socket and onto which another socket 47 receiving the end of spreader tube 44 or 44 '. The fitting of this fitting 18 on the mast 1 and its fixing by gluing are carried out in the manner described above.

Reference is now made to FIGS. 8a to 8c which illustrate another embodiment of the part supporting the spreaders and the shrouds. In these figures, Figure 8a is a side elevational view of this part, Figure 8b is a sectional view through a horizontal plane and Figure 8c is a partial view in front elevation.

In this embodiment, this part also consists of a horseshoe-shaped fitting, composed of a corrugated and ribbed skin 48. On this skin 48 are threaded rods such as 49 at the end of which a sphere 50 is provided. On this sphere 50, a spherical bearing such as 51 is provided, provided at the end of each spreader bar such as 52. This spherical bearing 51 can be threaded onto the sphere 50 by means of a system says quarter turn. Thus, the spherical bearing surface 51 makes it possible to maintain the tubular spreaders such as 52.

Each guy such as 53 (FIG. 8c) ends with a hemispherical head 54 bearing on a carbon shoulder 55 by means of a friction cup 56, preferably made of stainless steel. The shoulder 55 is extended forwards and backwards so as to receive the support bars arrows 57, as can be seen in FIG. 8b, these supports forming part of the horseshoe-shaped fitting 48.

The method of fitting this fitting and its attachment to the mast profile are carried out in the manner previously described.

Reference is now made to FIGS. 9a to 9d which illustrate an embodiment of the sealed mast head (designated by the reference 15 in FIG. 2). Figure 9a is a section through a horizontal plane of this masthead, Figures 9b, 9c and 9d are views in side elevation, in plan and in front elevation, respectively.

As can be seen in these figures, the mast head has a shaped part 58 which is produced so as to seal it and to come to fit on the upper part of the profile of the mast 1. This form part has a general configuration in "hat" and it has internal and external ribs so as to ensure its maintenance on the mast. It includes a collar 60 surrounding the upper part of the mast to ensure the fitting onto the latter as well as a projecting part 59 for the passage of the halyards. The top of this sealing piece 58 is shaped so as to directly receive either a halyard pulley or a pulley support 61. This support can be produced in the form of a tube or a portion of tube receiving the axes 62 of the pulleys and the pulleys such as 63. The pulley support 61 is held by gluing in the sealing part 58.

A cover can be provided to hide the pulley axes, to house the position lights and the sensors provided at the top of the mast, while ensuring

1 aerodynamics of the masthead.

It can be seen that the halyards 4 descend back inside the tube 3, as described previously with reference to FIG. 1b. Similarly, we see in Figure 9a the tubes 5 which are provided for the passage of electrical wires

(supply of lights, transmission to instruments of information from different sensors such as anenometers, etc.). As already mentioned above, the tubes such as 5 glued inside the mast profile can be replaced by a partition 7, also glued in this profile.

We will now describe the stern piece (designated by the reference 20 in Figure 2) which equips the mast according to the invention and an embodiment of which has been shown in Figures 10a and 10b: Figure 10a being a view in vertical axial section and FIG. 10b being a plan view.

This stanchion piece consists of a circular element 64 which is cut so as to receive the profile of the mast 1. It comes to bear on a socket

65, itself bolted to the deck 66 of the boat. On the profile of the mast, a flange 67 is provided which is glued to the profile, in its part situated above the bridge 66 by covering the sleeve 65, the seal between the collar 67 and the sleeve being ensured by the interposition of a lip seal 68.

Note that thanks to this arrangement, the mast has a certain freedom of movement (of the order of a few centimeters) upward, while maintaining the functions of stern, sealing and support. Reference is now made to FIGS. 11a to 11d, in order to describe a first exemplary embodiment of a mast foot support according to the present invention, this support having been designated by the reference 21 in FIG. 2. In these figures, the FIGS. 11a and 11b are respectively views in vertical axial section, in side and front elevation and FIGS. 11 and 11d are respectively views in plan and in horizontal section. In this first embodiment, the mast support consists of a carbon part designated as a whole by the reference 69. This part is designed so as to close off the lower part of the profile of the mast 1, as can be clearly seen in FIGS. 11a and 11b, as well as the lower part of the tube 3 provided for the passage of the halyards. This part has a general "hat" configuration and it has internal and external ribs so as to maintain it on the mast. At the exit from the tube 3 for passing the halyards, a cage 70 is provided for ^" housing the reas, this cage making it possible to extract the halyards. The efforts of the mast on the boat are transmitted via a support 71 comprising a spherical cavity dimensioned so as to accommodate a sphere 72 mounted at the end of a threaded shaft 73 which is screwed into a support 64 bearing on the bottom of the boat, thus the vertical position of this sphere is thus adjustable. For this purpose, a flat surface is provided on the sphere 72 in order to rotate the latter and allow the mast to be raised and lowered. The closure piece 69 has ribs such as 75 (figure lld) to ensure the holding of the profile.

FIGS. 12a to 12c illustrate an alternative embodiment of the stanchion part. In this variant, we find the constituent elements of the stanchion part described above with reference to Figures 11a to lld, but the spherical support of the mast foot is here replaced by a cylindrical tube 76 which can be made of laminate or cast aluminum onto which the sealing piece 69 fits, this tube supporting the mast as well as the reas box 70.

It appears from the foregoing description that the invention makes it possible to produce carbon masts of which all the fittings contribute to sealing, this manufacture being easy and economical to implement.

It remains to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments described and shown above, but that it encompasses all variants thereof.

Claims

1 - Carbon mast made from a tube, in particular made of prepreg material, manufactured by filament winding or by pultrusion, characterized in that said tube (1) is kept waterproof by fixing the attachment pieces to it by gluing different elements equipping the mast and in particular the mast head piece (15), the fitting (16) for the attachment of the spinnaker, the fitting (17.) for the attachment of the forestay and the shrouds. fitting (18) for the attachment of spreaders, the fitting (19) for attaching the bollard and the fittings (20, 21), respectively of stanchion and mast foot, these different fittings being made of so as to contribute to sealing the mast.

2 - Mast according to claim 1, characterized in that the various attachment parts comprise a horseshoe fitting which is designed so as to come to bear against the wall of the tube (1) constituting the mast, by marrying the profile of the latter, said horseshoe fitting having internal dimensions slightly smaller than the external profile of the mast, and its positioning on this profile being ensured using a clamp (27), which comes s '' press the attachment piece (29) via a spoiler.

3 - Mast according to claim 1, characterized in that the bonding of the attachment pieces on the carbon tube (1) constituting the profile of the mast is effected by injection of glue through channels (36) provided in said pieces .

4 - Mast according to claim 1, characterized in that said attachment parts are made by molding using a mold core (22) in which a counter-mold (23) is positioned, in particular made of silicone reinforced with glass or carbon fibers, multidirectional exterior and interior fabrics (24) between which are placed place unidirectional wires being draped in the mold, the assembly then being placed in the silicone mold (23) then closed on the mold core (22) before being placed under vacuum and then placed in an oven or in an autoclave. 5 - Mast according to claim 4, characterized in that, before closing the counter mold (23) on the mold core (22), a film is placed around the core (22)

(26), in particular in ribbed silicone, in order to obtain the channels through which the injection of the glue is carried out ensuring the attachment of the part to the profile of the mast.

6 - Mast according to claim 1, characterized in that one sticks, to the rear of the profile of the mast (1) and inside of it, a plastic tube (3) intended to receive the halyards (4), smaller diameter tubes (5) can be provided for the passage of electrical wires through the mast.

7 - Mast according to claim 6, characterized in that the establishment and fixing of the tube (3) receiving the halyards is carried out by gluing, by depositing on said tube of adhesive strips (9) and placing the tube on a support (10) provided with claws (11) constituting a cradle on which said tube rests, this support being pushed inside the mast profile, then driven in rotation so that the tube comes to be positioned at the appropriate location in the mast profile, resting on the adhesive strips, a load (12, 13) being provided to ensure the pressure necessary for setting the bond.

8 - Mast according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises an outer profile (8), attached to the profile of the mast (1) in order to ensure the protection of the halyards (4) and the electric wires (6).

9 - Mast according to claim 1, characterized in that the forestay attachment part or spinnaker socket (16) consists of unidirectional and multidirectional fibers and it is composed of a horseshoe-shaped fitting ( 31) coming to be positioned on the mast by marrying the external shape of its profile, this piece glued to the mast receiving a stirrup (32) for anchoring the forestay and setting up the halyard pulleys, this stirrup being held on the fitting (31) by means of a pin (33), a metal sleeve (34) being interposed between said pin and support bearings (35) forming an integral part of the fitting (31).

10 - Mast according to claim 1, characterized in that the part (17) used for the attachment of the forestay and the shrouds consists of a horseshoe fitting (38) whose wall matches the outside profile of the mast and which comprises two ribs (39, 39 ') receiving guy-holder stirrups (40, 40') which are held on the fitting (38) by means of articulation pins.

11 - Mast according to claim 1, characterized in that the part (18) supporting the spreaders and carrying the shrouds consists of a horseshoe-shaped fitting (41) which is positioned on the external profile of the mast by marrying the shape thereof, this fitting comprising ribs (41, 41 ') between which is interposed a cable-holder stirrup (42) pressing on a reinforcement tube (43), the spreader bars (44, 44 ') being supported by means of a bush (45) by means of a threaded rod (46) on which a bush is screwed ( 47) receiving the respective end of the spreaders.

12 - Mast according to claim 1, characterized in that the part (18) supporting the spreaders and carrying the shrouds consists of a horseshoe-shaped fitting (48) which is positioned on the external profile of the mast by marrying its shape, this fitting consisting of a corrugated and ribbed skin on which are screwed threaded rods (49) at the end of which is provided a sphere (50) on which comes to bear a spherical support provided at l end of each spreader bar (52).

13 - Mast according to claim 11, characterized in that each guy (53) ends in a hemispherical head (54) which rests on a carbon shoulder (55) via a friction cup (56) , this shoulder being extended forwards and backwards in order to receive the supports (57) of spreaders, these supports being part of said fitting (48).

14 - Mast according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a sealed mast head (15) which fits onto the upper part of the mast profile (1), this mast head comprising a flange (60) surrounding the upper part of the mast as well as a projecting part (59) for the passage of the halyards. 15 - Mast according to claim 1, characterized in that said stanchion piece (20) consists of a circular element (64) shaped so as to receive the profile of the mast 1, this part resting on a socket (65) fixed to the deck of the boat, a flange (67) being glued to the profile of the mast so as to cover the socket (65), a seal (68) ensuring the seal between said collar and said sleeve.

16 - Mast according to claim 1, characterized in that the mast foot support (21) consists of a carbon part (69) designed so as to close the lower part of the profile of the mast, a cage (70) being provided for the accommodation of reas.

17 - Mast according to claim 16, characterized in that the forces of the mast on the boat are transmitted via a support (71) comprising a spherical cavity in which is housed a sphere (72) mounted at the end of a threaded shaft (73) engaged in a support (64) bearing on the bottom of the boat, the vertical position of said sphere being adjustable.

18 - Mast according to claim 16, characterized in that the forces of the mast on the boat are transmitted by means of a cylindrical tube (76) on which comes to fit the closure part (69), this tube supporting the mast as well as the reas box.