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
  • B63H9/06—Types of sail; Constructional features of sails; Arrangements thereof on vessels
  • B63H9/067—Sails characterised by their construction or manufacturing process
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
  • Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
  • Y10T428/00—Stock material or miscellaneous articles
  • Y10T428/24—Structurally defined web or sheet [e.g., overall dimension, etc.]
  • Y10T428/24752—Laterally noncoextensive components
  • Y10T428/2476—Fabric, cloth or textile component
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
  • Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
  • Y10T442/00—Fabric [woven, knitted, or nonwoven textile or cloth, etc.]
  • Y10T442/20—Coated or impregnated woven, knit, or nonwoven fabric which is not [a] associated with another preformed layer or fiber layer or, [b] with respect to woven and knit, characterized, respectively, by a particular or differential weave or knit, wherein the coating or impregnation is neither a foamed material nor a free metal or alloy layer
  • Y10T442/2139—Coating or impregnation specified as porous or permeable to a specific substance [e.g., water vapor, air, etc.]

Definitions

• the invention relates to a fabric of laminated structure intended for the manufacture of sails for machines with vélique propulsion.
• the invention also extends to sails at least partly made from such a material.
• the performance of wind-powered vehicles, in particular sailing, cruising and deep-sea racing boats, depends largely on the design of their sails, both in terms of the materials used and their structure (overall geometry and geometry of the various panels or widths).
• the three-dimensional sails consist either of assemblies of a plurality of panels (or widths), or of a single panel, possibly molded.
• the panel (s) of modern sails is (are) generally made (s) from a structural material laminated in the general form of a more or less thick sheet, composed of a or of several layers of fibers interposed between flexible sheets of continuous polymeric material.
• a structural material laminated in the general form of a more or less thick sheet composed of a or of several layers of fibers interposed between flexible sheets of continuous polymeric material.
• Such a fabric structure as for example described by EP 1 114 771, EP 0 885 803, US 6 112 689 and US 5 001 003, is called "sandwich”.
• such a material constituting a sail panel is designated by the term "canvas", even if it is not formed from a fabric.
• fiber can denote both a wire, a cable, of natural or synthetic material, in particular twisted fibrous material, or even a strip or a ribbon of woven or nonwoven material.
• the main function of flexible sheets of polymeric continuous material (free from holes) is to give the sail a certain airtightness property.
• Each of these sheets, called sealing sheets can be formed by a single film or a film overlay.
• the fibers used in this type of material in this case fabrics, of sandwich structure, they can be divided into two groups according to the main function that they exercise within the material.
• the so-called structural fibers, woven or non-woven, define the web soul. They are distributed unevenly across the fabric. Generally, their orientation is determined to coincide as much as possible with the lines of the main stresses which develop in the sail during its use, and their density increases in the parts of the sail most exposed to mechanical stresses.
• the main function of these structural fibers is therefore to provide the sail with good resistance to the mechanical stresses ordinarily applied to a sail in operation.
• the continuous films of polymeric material which form the sealing sheets can be coated with a grid or a taffeta of woven fibers, laminated on at least one of their faces.
• These warp and weft fibers which form said grid or said taffeta have for main function, not to reinforce the resistance of the sail with respect to mechanical loads likely to be exerted on the sail, but to improve isotropically some of the mechanical and physical properties of the polymeric film with which they are specifically associated.
• These fibers distributed relatively homogeneously over the entire surface of a continuous film of polymeric material, for example in order to improve the wear resistance and / or the longevity of the film and therefore of the sail, are therefore to be distinguished from so-called structural fibers. In the rest of the text, they will be designated by the term "secondary fibers".
• the invention aims to overcome these various drawbacks by proposing fabrics having a structure different from a so-called sandwich structure and which, while being of particularly simple design, can simultaneously present the following advantages: - that of being able to be produced so simpler and more economical, with structural fibers and sealing sheets, which may be of the same nature as that of the structural fibers and sealing sheets used for making fabrics of known sandwich structure, and - that of presenting characteristics - notably dimensional stability, flatness and lightness - at least similar, or even improved, compared to those of known sandwich structure fabrics.
• the invention aims to provide a fabric of particular structure and whose design allows easy control of its dimensional stability, its flatness and its weight, and allows many perspectives for optimizing these parameters.
• the invention relates to a canvas for sails of vélic propulsion machines, of stratified structure and constituted by an assembly comprising: - at least one sheet, called sealing sheet, flexible and capable of imparting to said canvas air tightness properties; said sealing sheet comprising at least one continuous film of polymeric material, and - at least one layer of fibers, called structural fibers, having the function of reinforcing the resistance of said fabric with respect to mechanical loads liable to be exerted on a part of sail produced with said canvas.
• said fabric is characterized in that it has: - a core which comprises each sealing sheet of said fabric, and - at least two layers of structural fibers all extending outside the core with at least one layer on each side of the core.
• the core of said fabric interposed between layers of structural fibers is itself free of any layer of structural fibers between the sealing sheets.
• this sealing sheet forms the core of the canvas.
• a fabric according to the invention comprises a plurality of sealing sheets
• the opposite external faces of the outermost sealing sheets of the fabric delimit the core of this fabric.
• a fabric according to the invention is thus distinguished from so-called sandwich fabric in that the structural fibers are not bonded between two continuous films of polymeric material constituting the sealing sheets, but are affixed to the faces of a single sealing sheet, or else to the peripheral face of the outermost sealing sheets of the core a canvas according to the invention.
• the invention overcomes the drawbacks encountered with a laminating of structural fibers between two sealing sheets, in particular two continuous films of polymeric material.
• the structural fibers have in particular the advantage of being able to be associated with the sealing sheet with a minimum thickness of adhesive, hence a gain in lightness and flexibility.
• the inventor has found that the arrangement of the structural fibers on the external faces of the fabric, allows better maintenance of their original properties, in particular mechanical and physical, and therefore of reducing the shrinkage and the phenomena of bogging.
• the invention makes it possible to advantageously increase the proportion of structural fibers relative to the quantity of material acting as a sealing sheet and to the quantity of adhesive composition previously used, d '' where fabrics and sails of better dimensional stability and better resistance to elongation under load and this, for a relatively negligible weight increase.
• a structural fabric as defined by the invention can give rise to numerous optimizations in particular by an appropriate choice of the materials constituting the sealing sheets, structural fibers, secondary fibers, adhesive compositions used, etc. as well as by a particular determination of the distribution of structural and secondary fibers.
• the continuous film (s) of constituent polymeric material) of a sealing sheet is (are) advantageously of the polyester, polyamide, polyurethane or polyethylene type. .
• it is polyethylene terephthalate or polyethylene naphthalate.
• the structural fibers are nonwoven and formed from a material chosen from: a polyester, a polyamide, an aramid.
• these are multi-filaments - comprising in particular of the order of 100-2000 units -. Furthermore, it is advantageous to control the twisting of these structural fibers, in order to control the internal wetting of the multi-filaments, during coating (in particular with an adhesive composition) under tension, in order then to stick them flat on the surface. plane of a sealing sheet.
• the dimensional stability and the overall elastic modulus of the material will be all the higher as the filaments that make up each fiber are bonded to each other, within this same fiber, and also with the other fibers juxtaposed or superposed. The section, twisting, sizing, tension, etc.
• parameters relating to the fibers can be adapted as a function of the desired coating and independently at each sail fabric and at each sail panel fabric.
• a fabric with a long service life for example, polyethylene fibers with a high Young modulus will be preferred, with a coating of adhesive composition limited to the periphery of the fibers, without bonding of the central filaments of each fiber.
• flexibility and elasticity will be privileged.
• the structural fibers of the same layer extend continuously and without mutual overlap across the surface of the fabric, from one end to another, with a radially convergent orientation substantially at a point.
• these structural fibers can extend through the fabric in a rectilinear fashion or else in a more or less curved fashion.
• the structural fibers of two separate layers of a fabric according to the invention have the same radially convergent orientation substantially at the same point.
• the radially convergent structural fibers of two separate layers of a fabric according to the invention converge substantially at two different points.
• the continuous film (s) of polymeric material generally have a certain brittleness of their structure, it may prove advantageous to provide them with reinforcing means allowing an isotropic improvement of some of their mechanical properties and / or physical.
• At least one of the continuous films of polymeric material constituting the core of said fabric has at least one face coated with a layer of fibers, called secondary fibers, having the function of isotropically improving some of the mechanical and physical properties.
• secondary fibers cover at least one of the faces of said film with an at least substantially homogeneous distribution and density.
• each layer of secondary fibers is assembled by bonding to one face of at least one continuous film of polymeric material.
• the secondary fibers are made of non-woven fibers. They may possibly be of the same nature as that of the structural fibers.
• At least one of the layers of secondary fibers of a fabric according to the invention consists of a grid, a taffeta, or a nonwoven layer of fibers, continuous or discontinuous.
• the secondary fibers of at least one of these layers form neither a grid nor a taffeta, but extend substantially concentrically through said fabric , substantially around the same central point.
• concentric secondary fibers make it possible, in the same way as the grid or taffeta structures, to limit the deformations in the bias.
• these concentrically arranged secondary fibers have no mutual shearing and allow the overall weight of the fabric to be reduced.
• the density of the secondary fibers decreases as one moves away from said central point.
• the secondary fibers of two different layers extend substantially concentrically and substantially around two distinct central points.
• a fabric according to the invention comprises at least one layer of secondary fibers extending substantially concentrically substantially around a central point, and at least one layer of structural fibers extending with an orientation substantially radially converging in a point, so that the tangents of the arcs of a circle drawn by the secondary fibers form angles substantially of the order of 90 ° with the structural fibers, at the areas of overlap between structural fibers and secondary fibers.
• this layer of secondary fibers and this layer of structural fibers cover the same face with a continuous film of polymeric material, the structural fibers forming the outermost layer.
• the core of a fabric according to the invention is formed of a single sealing sheet comprising a single continuous film of polymeric material.
• at least one of the faces of this continuous film of material polymeric is coated, by lamination, with a layer of secondary fibers, for example secondary fibers forming a taffeta, a grid, or in a nonwoven layer of fibers, continuous or discontinuous.
• the core of the fabric is formed by a single sealing foil formed by the superposition of two continuous films of polymeric material intercalating a layer of secondary fibers , for example curved secondary fibers which extend concentrically through the fabric and around a central point.
• a fabric according to the invention is advantageously covered on the outside, at least in part, with a synthetic composition of varnish type having a role of protecting the sails against wear and / or against aging.
• the invention also extends to a sail - in particular for a vessel with a vélique propulsion, in particular for sailing, cruising and / or deep sea racing boats -, produced with at least one piece of a canvas in accordance with the invention .
• said piece of fabric constituting said veil has structural fibers of the same layer which extend continuously and without mutual overlap across the surface of said piece of canvas, from one end to another , with a substantially radial and convergent orientation at a point.
• this piece of canvas is arranged in the sail so that these structural fibers are substantially oriented towards at least one attachment point of the sail. Furthermore, advantageously and according to the invention, said piece of fabric constituting said veil has secondary fibers of the same layer which extend substantially concentrically through said piece of fabric, substantially around the same central point. . According to this aspect of the invention, this piece of canvas is arranged in the sail so that said central point coincides, at least substantially, with an attachment point of the sail.
• At least one piece of fabric constituting said sail comprises at least one layer of secondary fibers extending substantially concentrically and substantially around a central point, and at least one layer of structural fibers extending with a radially convergent orientation at a point, so that the tangents of the arcs of a circle drawn by the secondary fibers form angles substantially of the order of 90 ° with the structural fibers, at the areas of overlap between structural fibers and secondary fibers.
• this piece of canvas is arranged in the sail so that said central point defined by said secondary fibers and the point of convergence of said structural fibers coincide, at least substantially, with a point of attachment of sailing.
• the invention further relates to a canvas - in particular intended for the manufacture of sails for vélique propulsion machines, in particular sailing boats -, as well as a sail for Vélique propulsion machines, characterized in combination by all or some of the characteristics mentioned above or below.
• FIG. 1A and 1B are schematic representations illustrating the particular structure of two embodiments of a canvas according to the invention
• - Figure 2 is a schematic representation of the particular organization of the structural and secondary fibers of a fabric, according to a particular embodiment of the invention, and of the specific use of this fabric for making different panels of a genoa type sail
• - Figure 3 is a schematic representation illustrating the particular distribution of secondary fibers of the different pieces of canvas shown in Figure 2
• - Figure 4 is a schematic representation illustrating the particular distribution of the structural fibers of the different pieces of canvas shown in FIG. 2
• FIG. 1A and 1B are schematic representations illustrating the particular structure of two embodiments of a canvas according to the invention
• - Figure 2 is a schematic representation of the particular organization of the structural and secondary fibers of a fabric, according to a particular embodiment of the invention, and of the specific use of this fabric for making different panels of a genoa type sail
• - Figure 3 is a schematic representation illustrating the particular distribution of secondary
• FIG. 5 is a schematic representation of a production line illustrating different stages in the manufacture of a canvas according to the invention
• FIG. 6 is a schematic representation illustrating the particular distribution of the structural and secondary fibers of a fabric according to the invention, different from a structural fabric shown in FIGS. 2 to 4.
• Figures 1A and 1B illustrate two embodiments of a fabric according to the invention. These two embodiments are given only by way of nonlimiting examples of the structure of a fabric according to the invention.
• a first embodiment of the invention and as schematically illustrated in FIG.
• a fabric according to the invention comprises a core 250 made up of two continuous films 220 of polymeric material (for example, two films of polyethylene terephthalate ). Between these two continuous films 220 is interposed, by lamination, a layer of secondary fibers 305. The combination of the two continuous films 220 of polymeric material with the layer of secondary fibers 305 constitutes the sealing sheet in the sense of invention.
• the web 250 of the canvas corresponds to this unique sealing sheet.
• layers 503 and 505 of structural fibers 205 are affixed by laminating. The structural fibers 203 and 205 of each of these two layers 503 and 505 are distributed in a manner straight across the canvas.
• a fabric according to the invention consists of a sealing sheet 250 which forms the core of said fabric.
• This core consists of a single continuous film 220 of polymeric material (for example, a polyethylene terephthalate film) associated by bonding, at one of its two faces, to a grid 240 (possibly, it may be a taffeta of warp and weft fibers) formed of secondary fibers.
• Phase 1 The first phase consists of the establishment of the first continuous 601 film of polymeric material, unwound in 610. If a canvas comprising a single film is desired, this will be unwound under tension in 610, and will reach station 660 on a flat surface, without intermediate treatment.
• Phase 2 The film at station 620 can optionally be reinforced with secondary fibers 303, 304 and 305, curved. To do this, the film 601 is coated beforehand with an adhesive film 611, at station 612. The secondary fibers are deposited using a conventional system 620 (for example, similar to those sold in the United States.
• Phase 3 While the curved fibers are maintained by the adhesive film 611, a second film of material can be deposited, if necessary. This second film can be based on a thermoplastic film, a woven or nonwoven material. It is unwound in 630 and / or in 640, then is laminated in 650 on the first film 601, after having been previously adhesive in 645 by a gluing system.
• Phase 4 Then, the next phase consists in making the two layers of structural fibers 503 and 505, under tension at the level of the station 660, on either side of the sealing sheet 601 previously put in place.
• These two layers of fibers 203, 205 are produced using the device for producing materials with non-parallel continuous fibers as described in FR 2 817 883.
• This device makes it possible, thanks to a computer-controlled mechanism, to deposit two layers under tension. fibers, or even more, maintained up to the following coating stations 670, 680.
• this removal is carried out on the upper face which is bonded at 672 in the same way as for the removal of the secondary fibers previously mentioned.
• Phase 5 At station 670, glue removal / coating is carried out, which is followed by placement under two pressurized rollers at 680. It can be sprayed at 671, a synthetic material, called varnish.
• This varnish is fluid at the time of its application. It has a protective role for the final sail, in particular with a view to its normal use. this. Conventionally, this varnish may include additives intended to improve aging on exposure to the open air or to the marine environment.
• Phase 6 The material is then baked in an oven 690 and then wound in 700. It may be advantageous to have a tracing and cutting table 710 in place of the station 700, so each panel can be cut according to the defined shape plan by the master sailor, who will later assemble the panels to make the sail.
• Phase 1 The first layer of material 601 will be composed of several webs in a roll which are unwound in 610, on a flat surface.
• Phase 2 A film of adhesive 611 is applied at station 612, on the sealing sheet and then the fibers are deposited using a conventional system 620, on a flat two-dimensional surface.
• Phase 3 A second ply of material is not laminated at station 650 to keep a destructured sealing sheet, allowing slight subsequent deformation.
• Phase 4 Next, the next phase consists in making the two layers 203, 205 of structural fibers 503 and 505, as before, straight and / or curved, still on a flat surface.
• Phase 5 Glue coating is carried out in 670, as before, followed by the placement station under two pressurized rollers in 680.
• Phase 6 Once the panel has entered the drying oven 680, a shape and a counterform deform the panel while the adhesive is still solvent and flexible. This also makes it possible to pre-constrain all of the fibers, which improves future performance and reduces the baking of the material thus produced. Once the material is completely dry and all the fibers are firmly bonded together, the shape and the counter form are released, and the panel can come out of the oven. According to a similar principle, it can be envisaged to work on a fixed station. Instead of moving the material to different stations, the different devices operate at a single station where all the phases of the manufacturing process are carried out.
• FIGs 2, 3 and 4 illustrate the use of a canvas according to the invention, of very specific structure, specifically imagined for the design of a high performance nautical sail.
• the sails are a set of widths or panels (for example, 160 to 165), assembled together by sewing or gluing their intersection areas. These intersection zones, generally of the order of 15 to 100 mm in width, are called overlaps.
• the widths or panels are cut specifically for each sail, according to a shape plan including orientation of the widths or panels, and integration of clips to create a volume in 3 dimensions.
• the sails are designed by computer and are woven and / or cut by precision machines.
• a sail has attachment points 103 to 106, allowing its attachment and its connections with the boat.
• a sail according to the invention can advantageously be produced by an assembly of panels (or widths), 160 to 165, assembled by gluing or by sewing.
• the different pieces of fabric constituting these different panels are chosen / made so as to present a very particular distribution of structural fibers and secondary fibers, in particular with a view to improving the general longevity of the sail as well as its resistance to mechanical stress s exercising on the sail during use.
• Figures 3 and 4 refer to Figure 2.
• FIG. 3 thus corresponds to a schematic view of the fibrous organization of the core of a fabric according to a particular embodiment of the invention.
• the secondary drawings clearly illustrate each of these layers, and the specific organization of their secondary fibers.
• the secondary fibers of the same layer extend substantially concentrically through said piece of fabric, around the same central point.
• Each piece of canvas includes a superposition of three layers of secondary fibers. Each of these three layers defines a separate central point (different from those defined by the other two layers) around which the fibers are arranged.
• FIG. 4 the main drawing repeats that of FIG. 2.
• Two of the secondary drawings illustrate, in a distinct manner, the two layers of structural fibers which are affixed, by laminating, on either side of the soul of the canvas (represented by the third secondary drawing in FIG. 4).
• the structural fibers of the same layer extend continuously and without mutual overlap across the surface of each piece of fabric, from one end to another. These structural fibers have a radially convergent orientation at a point, and are extended through the fabric in a slightly curved manner.
• the orientation of the structural fibers differs from one layer to another.
• the relative distribution of the structural fibers and the secondary fibers is such that the tangents of the arcs of a circle drawn by the secondary fibers form angles 208 of approximately 90 ° with the structural fibers, at the level of the overlapping zones between structural fibers and fibers.
• secondary see Figure 2.
• the different pieces of canvas are made / chosen, then assembled into a sail, so that a first layer of structural fibers has curved fibers 505 oriented towards the sheet 105 and the halyard 104 of the sail, and that the fibers 503 of a second layer of structural fibers are curved and oriented in the direction of the tack 103 and of the halyard 104 of the sail.
• the different pieces of canvas are made / chosen, then assembled in a sail so that the fibers 303, 304 and 305 of the three layers of secondary fibers of the sail are respectively arranged in a substantially concentric manner, respectively, with respect to the tack 103, halyard 104 and 105 listening to the sail.
• the structural fibers 503, 504, 505 are arranged on the sealing sheet in a straight line, and not curved as in FIGS. 2 to 4.
• the structural fibers 503, 504, 505 also extend advantageously without mutual overlap across the surface of each piece of fabric, from one end to another, with a radially convergent orientation substantially in one point.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Manufacturing & Machinery (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)
• Laminated Bodies (AREA)

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• 2004
  • 2004-04-09 FR FR0403787A patent/FR2868752A1/fr not_active Withdrawn
• 2005
  • 2005-04-08 US US11/547,778 patent/US20070218793A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2005-04-08 EP EP05753702A patent/EP1744877A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2005-04-08 WO PCT/FR2005/000860 patent/WO2005102690A1/fr active Application Filing

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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