EP0375111A1 - Segel - Google Patents

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Publication number
EP0375111A1
EP0375111A1 EP89309131A EP89309131A EP0375111A1 EP 0375111 A1 EP0375111 A1 EP 0375111A1 EP 89309131 A EP89309131 A EP 89309131A EP 89309131 A EP89309131 A EP 89309131A EP 0375111 A1 EP0375111 A1 EP 0375111A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
sail
further characterized
sheet material
roach
luff
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP89309131A
Other languages
English (en)
French (fr)
Inventor
Christopher Ralph Campion
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
GAASTRA INTERNATIONAL LICENSING NV
Original Assignee
GAASTRA INTERNATIONAL LICENSING NV
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by GAASTRA INTERNATIONAL LICENSING NV filed Critical GAASTRA INTERNATIONAL LICENSING NV
Publication of EP0375111A1 publication Critical patent/EP0375111A1/de
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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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

Definitions

  • This invention relates to sails for wind-driven sailing craft such as those referred to as windsurfers.
  • sails have been made from woven material made up of a number of panels of such material to enable curvature or fullness to be built into such sails so that they can then adopt, in use, the required aerofoil shape.
  • Many modern sail making materials include woven fabrics which are laminated to thin films of continuous synthetic plastics materials which function to seal the woven material to thereby make it impermeable to air and minimize stretch of the woven fabric.
  • European Patent Application No. 0056657 discloses a sail which has a preformed three dimensional shape as a result of thermoforming a plastics sheet over a caul or mold.
  • the plastics sheet may be laminated to a woven material to impart strength and flexibility to the sail.
  • the teaching of No. 0056657 makes the important acknowledgement that there is only a limited class of commercial materials suitable for making sails, which must normally be flexible, stretch resistant and light-weight.
  • the sail assumes the required shape without the need to rely on tensioning of the luff, leech and foot of the sail in order to give it fullness, the necessary three-dimensional curved shape to give it thrust under sailing conditions. Battens may be bonded to the sail either during or after the thermoforming process in order to support the areas of roach.
  • the present invention aims at a simplification and improvement in sails in these various respects and to that end is based upon the realization that it is possible to make sails having areas of roach which do not necessarily have to conform to the elaborate and technically complex designs as heretofore known.
  • the invention discloses that similar objectives can be realized by an appropriate selection of those materials which would not otherwise be considered suitable for sailmaking and such materials can in fact be used to construct a sail which will perform adequately and cost substantially less than conventional sails.
  • a sail having one or more areas of roach, the sail being made wholly or primarily of sheet material, which material is adapted to assume in use a curved shape to provide draft or camber for the sail, but which material resists significant simultaneous generally transverse curvature of the sail such that the one or more areas of roach are supported wholly or primarily by the sheet material when it curves during use of the sail.
  • the invention uses the concept of the sheet material of the sail being of such a character in the sense that it is relatively stiff or rigid as compared to conventional sail making materials, that when the sail curves in use it will provide its own inherent support for the or each area of roach.
  • the sheet material is a synthetic plastics film having the characteristic that it resists simultaneous bending about two planes which are each transverse to the other. Materials of this kind are generally quite rigid or stiff so that they would not normally be considered suitable for sail making.
  • the present invention provides a sail made from a sheet material having a tensile modulus of at least 100kg/mm2 (as measured by ASTM D882 ) the material being of synthetic plastics.
  • Tensile modulus (TM) may be defined as : More importantly, however, the sheet material must have the characteristic that it is less "floppy" than conventional sail making material and behaves like a sheet of paper when curved i.e. it tends to resist curvature in a direction transverse to the first direction of curvature.
  • the present invention has significant advantages over conventional sails in that it eliminates the need for individual battens and batten pockets to support areas of roach, thereby providing a substantial saving in the weight of the sail. Accordingly, even if the sheet material, such as synthetic plastics film material, used to make the sail according to the present invention is heavier and/or stiffer than conventional sail making material, nevertheless the net effect of eliminating the requirement for separate battens and batten pockets can even be a reduction in the overall weight of the sail. This can be particularly important with respect to sails for windsurfers where the user of the sail often has to some extent to support the weight of the sail and minimal weight is a primary performance objective.
  • a further very significant advantage lies in the fact that a suitable material for the sail or at least the major portion of the sail may be entirely transparent such as a transparent polyester film and this further obviates the necessity otherwise to construct a window area in, for example, a windsurfer sail in order for the user of the sail to see where he is going.
  • a still further advantage of the present invention is that it eliminates the need for battens to be used to remove wrinkles in the sail, because such wrinkles are not normally present.
  • the sheet material typically synthetic plastics film, used in the sail according to the invention is used in at least the areas of the sail which have roach and adjacent areas, such as in the leech.
  • the sheet material can be used to constitute the whole of the sail and in many instances it may not even be necessary to provide separate panels and the like which would otherwise have to be joined together by sewing or bonding, so that effectively the sail can be made of one piece of material without having joints.
  • a luff sleeve for receiving a mast, the luff sleeve being made from conventional sailmaking material having a high degree of flexibility as compared to the sheet material used in the areas of roach, and the luff sleeve is joined to the sheet material either directly or via an intermediate edging strip.
  • the sheet material is preferably a synthetic plastics film material such as a polyester film having a thickness of at least 100 microns and, desirably, a thickness from between 100 and 300 microns.
  • a synthetic plastics film material such as a polyester film having a thickness of at least 100 microns and, desirably, a thickness from between 100 and 300 microns.
  • materials other than polyester can be used without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.
  • the thickness of the material chosen is important since it is a necessary characteristic of the invention that the material should be of sufficient thickness that in the practical limits within which a sail is used, the material can be easily bent or curved to provide draft or camber but, at the same time, resists bending at right angles to the axis of curvature, at least to the extent necessary to support areas of roach.
  • the optimum thickness is therefore dependent on the mechanical characteristics of the material chosen, particularly the tensile modulus when used as a measure of relative stiffness.
  • the invention is particularly applicable to sails which are used as main sails, i.e. are attached to a mast in sailing craft of all kinds. Additionally, in view of the mass market for windsurfer sails, the invention has special applicability in such sails where a significant saving in cost can be envisaged, since the usual requirement to provide battens and batten pockets collectively constitute a major component of the total cost of manufacturing such sails.
  • a sail according to the invention is that it is relatively easy to rig.
  • the luff can be substantially straight and so it is very simple to insert the mast into that luff.
  • a relatively small amount of downhaul tension is only then necessary to spread the sail and thus the rigging load such that the rigging load is not concentrated in particular localized regions as, for example, the line between the head and the clew.
  • the invention can also be applied to providing roach in the foot of the sail between the tack and the clew.
  • roach in this area is of less importance than roach provided on the leech of the sail and because of the relatively shorter distance between the tack and the clew than as between the head and the clew, the amount of roach which can be provided and supported in the manner according to the invention tends to be less than for roach provided between the head and the clew.
  • the sail of the present invention can generally be rigged with relatively low downhaul tension it is possible that there may be some twisting of the top of the sail in the area towards the head, particularly in heavy winds and when going windward. Even so, this may well be advantageous since in this way it may be possible to spill excess wind without an overwhelming heeling effect being apparent on the sail craft.
  • the present invention constitutes a fundamental departure from the conventional sail making art in that instead of choosing the lightest and most flexible material available which is then subjected to elaborate and often technologically complex manufacturing processes, the present invention instead stems from the realization that by approaching the problem from a different angle, by positively utilizing the stiffness and rigidity associated with materials such as polyester films, it is still possible to achieve the same overall objectives but at much lower cost and greater simplicity.
  • the sail 10 shown in Figures 1 and 2 is composed of a front panel 12 and a rear one piece panel 14.
  • the front panel is made of flexible polyester cloth with a polyethylene film laminated to it.
  • the panel 12 is in the form of a luff sleeve which includes a pocket 16 for a mast (not shown).
  • the rear one piece panel is made of a polyester sheet having a thickness of from 100 to 300 microns and the two panels are joined to one another along a line 20.
  • FIG. 5 is a more detailed drawing showing a sail/mast assembly for use in a wind-surfer.
  • a sail shown generally at 30 is comprised of a main panel 31 of a relatively stiff clear ployester sheet material.
  • a luff panel 32 is provided adjacent the main panel 31 and each panel 31, 32 is connected to the other by means of a stitched reinforcing strip 33 in conventional manner.
  • the luff panel 32 is comprised of a laminate of a woven material and a plastics sheet material of conventional construction such that the luff panel 32 has all of the characteristics of conventional sail making material in that it is impervious to air, is very flexible, strong and relatively light-weight.
  • the luff panel 32 is attached to a luff sleeve 34 which is adapted to enclose a mast 35 in a conventional manner.
  • a wishbone boom 36 is pivotally fixed to a mid-portion of the mast 35 and extends generally outwards and away therefrom.
  • the wishbone boom is generally symmetrical and has a left-hand side boom handle 36a and a right-hand side boom handle 36b.
  • the main panel 31 of the sail 30 is provided with a reinforcing gusset 37 which carries a metal eye (not shown) by which the free-end of the main panel 31 may be attached by a rope (not shown) to an outhaul 38 on the free end of the boom 36 and by which the camber or draft of the sail 30 can be adjusted.
  • An edging strip 39 is sewn onto the free edges of the main panel 31 and functions to prevent or inhibit tearing of the sail from the edges.
  • the area of roach extending beyond the straight line from the head to the clew is supported as a consequence solely of the relatively stiff characteristics of the material of the main panel 31. It will be appreciated that if a relatively floppy material were chosen for the main panel 31 then the area of roach would not be supported and would tend to flop-off to leeward of the sail 30.
  • FIG. 5 there is also shown an area of roach which extends beyond a straight line between the clew and the tack and which is also, in part, supported by the characteristics of the sheet material chosen for the main panel 31.
  • the area of roach is small compared to the area of roach beyond the straight line between the head and the clew it will be understood that the beneficial effects of using a relatively stiff or rigid material for the main panel 31 are less significant.
  • the invention thus provides a relatively simple but elegant solution to the problem of constructing a sail in which areas of roach are necessary or desirable.

Landscapes

  • 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)
EP89309131A 1988-12-22 1989-09-08 Segel Withdrawn EP0375111A1 (de)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB8829939 1988-12-22
GB888829939A GB8829939D0 (en) 1988-12-22 1988-12-22 Improvements in sails

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0375111A1 true EP0375111A1 (de) 1990-06-27

Family

ID=10648947

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP89309131A Withdrawn EP0375111A1 (de) 1988-12-22 1989-09-08 Segel

Country Status (2)

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EP (1) EP0375111A1 (de)
GB (1) GB8829939D0 (de)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6732670B2 (en) 2000-06-13 2004-05-11 William Richards Rayner Sailing craft
WO2022130349A1 (en) * 2020-12-17 2022-06-23 Collie Stephen James Sail structure

Citations (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR1149799A (fr) * 1956-05-17 1957-12-31 Volie pour bateau
US2909142A (en) * 1957-02-07 1959-10-20 Frederick E Hood Spinnaker sails
DE2501326A1 (de) * 1975-01-15 1976-07-22 Schefferling Fa Ernst Formstabiles segel
EP0056657A2 (de) * 1981-01-21 1982-07-28 North Sails Surf Antilles N.V. Segel für Segelschiffe und Verfahren zu dessen Herstellung
DE3531121A1 (de) * 1985-08-30 1987-03-12 Peter Brockhaus Marketing Gmbh Segel
EP0224729A1 (de) * 1985-11-27 1987-06-10 Bainbridge/Aquabatten, Inc. Segel
EP0249427A1 (de) * 1986-06-11 1987-12-16 Sobstad Sailmakers, Inc. Verbundsegel, mit Fäden verkleidet

Patent Citations (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR1149799A (fr) * 1956-05-17 1957-12-31 Volie pour bateau
US2909142A (en) * 1957-02-07 1959-10-20 Frederick E Hood Spinnaker sails
DE2501326A1 (de) * 1975-01-15 1976-07-22 Schefferling Fa Ernst Formstabiles segel
EP0056657A2 (de) * 1981-01-21 1982-07-28 North Sails Surf Antilles N.V. Segel für Segelschiffe und Verfahren zu dessen Herstellung
DE3531121A1 (de) * 1985-08-30 1987-03-12 Peter Brockhaus Marketing Gmbh Segel
EP0224729A1 (de) * 1985-11-27 1987-06-10 Bainbridge/Aquabatten, Inc. Segel
EP0249427A1 (de) * 1986-06-11 1987-12-16 Sobstad Sailmakers, Inc. Verbundsegel, mit Fäden verkleidet

Cited By (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6732670B2 (en) 2000-06-13 2004-05-11 William Richards Rayner Sailing craft
WO2022130349A1 (en) * 2020-12-17 2022-06-23 Collie Stephen James Sail structure
US12110089B2 (en) 2020-12-17 2024-10-08 Team New Zealand Limited Sail structure
EP4277841A4 (de) * 2020-12-17 2025-01-08 New Zealand Limited Team Segelstruktur
EP4671114A3 (de) * 2020-12-17 2026-03-11 Team New Zealand Limited Segelstruktur

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB8829939D0 (en) 1989-02-15

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