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
  • B63H9/10—Running rigging, e.g. reefing equipment
  • B63H9/1021—Reefing
  • B63H9/1028—Reefing by furling around stays

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a furling device.
• the present invention relates to a furling device for furling the sails of a boat.
• furling devices In the field of medium-large boats the use of furling devices is well known continuously to vary the surface of the headsails exposed to wind in downwind sailing. These devices usually comprise a furler, stably coupled with the boat deck, and a stay, tensioned between a rotating terminal of the furler and a swivel carried by the halyard in a head position of the respective mast. While the headsails are being rolled, this stay is taken into rotation by the furler and acts as a drum, around which the sail is rolled.
• a furling device for flying asymmetric headsails such as spinnakers or gennakers
• RLG-RollGen of the Italian firm A.R.TE. Sri
• IT' 764 of the same Applicant, whose text shall be considered embodied in the present description for the sake of conciseness.
• a furling device for furling sails according to this utility model is provided with a stay "comprising an outer profile 4 wounded around an inner profile 3, designed to transmit the necessary torque for furling a sail 9".
• This stay further comprises a profile sheath 7 outside the profiles 3 and 4.
• the inner profile 3 is constituted, for instance, by a sheet or line and the outer profile 4 is constituted, for instance , by a flexible web wound around the sheet and integral with it.” (IT' 764, from page 6, row 22 to page 7, row 6).
• IT'764 specifies that "The profile sheath 7 is joined with the inner profile 3, integral with the outer profile 4, only at the head point 77. " In this way, when furling the sail 9 it is sufficient to rotate the stay by means of the furler 6 to bring the sheath 7 into rotation, thus making the sail be rolled around this sheath 7.
• the furling operation is progressively completed from top to bottom; firstly, the head of the sail is wound, then the central part until the rotating tack 51 of the sail base is drawn" (IT'764 page 8, rows 18-21).
• a sail when a sail is partially wound around the sheath during furling/unfurling operations and is exposed to the wind, it exerts a radial compression on the sheath. This radial compression is stronger on the lower part of the sheath, around which the sail portion presenting greater surface exposed to the wind is wound, and progressively decreases going up along the axis of the stay.
• the sheath is produced in a deformable material, for instance foam rubber; with strong wind, the radial compression exerted by a partially wound sail may therefore deform this sheath and reduce the inner clearance thereof, lastly clamping the profiles forming the stay.
• some sheath portions for instance the lower portion, are therefore temporarily coupled integrally to the outer profile of the stay and may be brought into rotation by it. Consequently, during furling operations the various longitudinal portions of the sheath do not rotate at a common angular speed; the head portion, rigidly connected with the stay profiles, and the lower portion, made temporarily integral with the stay profiles due to the compression exerted by the sail, tend to rotate with greater angular speed than the intermediate portion.
• sails are usually designed to support membrane stresses with normal action; they are not optimized to resist stretches and shear stresses, that can therefore cause tears that shall be avoided.
• the operating situation illustrated in figure B is due to the fact that, as the lower portion of the sail has been completely unrolled, ends the radial compression that made the lower portion of the sheath integral with the stay and that, generating the different angular speeds of the various longitudinal portions of the sheath, caused a torsion deformation of this sheath.
• this compression ends the sheath consequently tends to detach itself radially from the stay and to return, in a substantially elastic manner, in a respective balance position through a sudden rotation of its intermediate and lower portions in the same direction as the direction of rotation causing the sail unfurling .
• the present invention relates to a furling device.
• the present invention relates to a furling device for furling the sails of a boat.
• An object of the present invention is to provide a sheath usable in a furling device designed to furl and alternatively unfurl a sail of a boat, preventing the sail from being subjected to stretches and shear stresses that could damage it or jeopardize the furling or unfurling thereof.
• a stay is provided for furling sails of a boat and the main features of this stay will be described in at least one of the following claims .
• a further object of the present invention is a furling group comprising a stay and said sheath designed to be used in a furling device able to furl and alternatively unfurl a sail of a boat, preventing this sail from being subjected to stretches and shear stresses.
• a furling group is provided for furling sails of a boat and the main features of this group will be described in at least one of the following claims.
• a further object of the present invention is to provide a furling device usable to adjust the surface exposed to the wind of the sails, for instance the headsails .
• a furling device for furling sails of a boat and the main features of this furling device will be described in at least one of the following claims.
• a further object of the preset invention is to provide a method validly usable to arrange a furling group inside a furling device for furling the headsails of a boat.
• a method is also provided to prepare a furling group usable to furl a sail of a boat and the main features of this method will be described in at least one of the following claims.
• FIG. 1 - figures A and B illustrate an embodiment of a prior art furling device for furling headsails
• figure 1 is a side elevation view of a first preferred embodiment of a furling device according to the present invention
• figure 2 illustrates, in enlarged scale, a first detail extracted from figure 1;
• figure 3 is a schematic perspective view of a second detail extracted from figure 1, in enlarged scale and with some parts removed for the sake of clarity;
• figure 4 illustrates, in enlarged scale, two different cross sections, respectively according to the lines IVA and IVB, of the second detail of figure 3;
• figure 5 illustrates a second preferred embodiment of figure 3.
• figure 6 illustrates a third preferred embodiment of figure 2.
• number 1 indicates, in its entirety, a furling device for furling the sails of a boat, usable for hoisting and hauling a headsail 9, preferably a sail not attached to the stay, furling or unfurling it around a respective stay 11; the device comprises a flexible and substantially non extendable elongated body that hereafter will be indicated with the same reference number 11 for the sake of simplicity.
• This elongated body 11 is preferably, although without limitation, produced according to the teachings of the utility model IT 1 764 of the Applicant; it therefore comprises an inner core 3, presenting high tensile strength, and an outer sock 4 designed to transmit, in use, the necessary torque for furling the sail 9.
• This outer sock 4 surrounds the inner core 3 and is coupled with it in an integral manner along all the respective length.
• the inner core 3 may preferably comprise a sheet or rope, whilst the outer sock 4 may preferably comprise at least one flexible web wound around the inner core 3 and integral with it thanks to adequate thermal treatments .
• the device 1 comprises a furler 6 provided with a basement 62 coupled in an axially fixed manner with the bow of a boat, known and therefore only partially illustrated.
• This basement 62 presents a first connection terminal 67 carried by the basement 62 in a selectively rotary manner and designed to be coupled to a first clamp terminal 32 rigidly coupled to the lower end portion of the stay 11.
• This furler 6 may be manual, comprising for instance a continuous furling system 63 provided with a line system 64 controlled from the cockpit, like that of figure 1, or it may be provided with a motorized actuator for the rotary motion, without however varying the general scope of the present invention.
• the basement 62 may be rigidly joined to the deck of the boat or it may be connected with it by means of a second connection terminal 61, without however varying the operation of the furling device 1 and therefore the general scope of the present invention .
• the basement 62 of the furler 6 also carries in a freely rotating manner a third connection terminal 66, preferably, although without limitation, of the shackle type, for the tack pennant 51 of the sail 9.
• This third connection terminal 66 can freely rotate independently of the first connecting terminal 67 so as to follow the tractions exerted by the tack pennant 51 and therefore, in use, it is not suitable to exert torsion on the sail 9.
• the furling device 1 further comprises the stay 11 which, in use, is maintained tensioned between the first connection terminal 67 of the furler 6 and a swivel 2 carried by the halyard 75 in a head position of the mast with which the sail 9 is associated.
• the swivel 2 comprises an upper first portion 25, maintained in an axially fixed position relative to the halyard 75 by means of a lock 24, and a lower second portion 26, coupled to the upper first portion 25 in a freely rotating manner around a cylindrical symmetry axis of the swivel 2.
• the lock 24 allows to prevent the torque exerted, in use, by the furler 6 through the stay 11 from being transmitted to the halyard 75.
• the upper first portion 25 presents a fourth terminal 21 for the connection to the halyard 75
• the lower second portion 26 presents a fifth connection terminal 22 for a second clamp terminal 31 carried rigidly by the upper end portion of the stay 11, and a sixth connection terminal 23, preferably provided with a respective rotating shackle for the head of the sail 9.
• the sixth connection terminal 23 is brought into rotation by the stay 11 substantially at the same time as the second clamp terminal 31 and the fifth connection terminal 22.
• the furling device 1 comprises a tubular sheath 7 that houses the stay 11 and is coupled to it in an integral manner only at a respective head portion, indicated by number 77 in figure 1.
• each connecting member 16 comprises a tubular body 17 preferably presenting cylindrical symmetry, for instance a sleeve that hereinafter will be indicated with the same number 17 for the sake of simplicity.
• This sleeve 17 delimits an inner space 18, which presents preferably cylindrical shape, houses, in use, a portion of the stay 11, and presents an inner diameter/cross section of greater extension than the diameter/cross section of the elongated body 11.
• the intermediate portion of the sleeve 17 presents an annular element 19 with increased thickness extending preferably according to a transverse median plane of the same sleeve 17.
• the sleeve 17 furthermore presents two side portions 13 extending at opposite sides from the annular element 19 and presenting preferably, although without limitation, equal longitudinal extension.
• each tubular segment 71 of the sheath 7 presents a respective inner diameter greater than the outer diameter of each side portion 13 of a respective connecting member 16.
• Each tubular segment 71 is therefore coupled to each respective connecting member 16 in a freely rotating manner.
• the furling device 1 preferably comprises a blocking member 72 for the sheath 7; this blocking member is carried by the stay 11 in a position interposed between the lower end of the sheath 7 and the first clamp terminal 32, and therefore at opposite side from the head portion 77 of the sheath 7.
• This blocking member 72 is coupled to the elongated body 11 in a stable and longitudinally fixed manner, to prevent at least one of the tubular segments 71 of the sheath 7 from being uncoupled from the respective connecting member 16. Therefore, in view of the above description, the sheath 7 substantially presents a modular structure comprising a plurality of aligned tubular segments 71 mainly coaxial with the stay 11.
• tubular segments 71 are longitudinally held between the blocking member 72 and a first tubular segment 71', associated with the head portion 77 and integrally coupled to the elongated body 11. It should be also noted that, thanks to the interposition of the connecting member 16, each tubular segment 71 can freely rotate axially not only relative to the stay 11 but also to any tubular segment 71 of the sheath 7.
• the set of the stay 11 and of the sheath 7 may be interpreted as a furling group 10 able, in use, to act as a winding drum for furling the sail 9 in the device 1. It is also clearly apparent that the set of all the connecting member 16 associated with the sheath 7 may be interpreted as a connecting group 15 for the tubular segments 71.
• each connecting member 16 is made preferably, although without limitation, of a semi-rigid material, for instance plastic like low-density polyethylene, which cannot be compressed or, anyway, can be only poorly compressed/deformed due to the radial compression exerted by the sail 9 on the sheath 7 during furling/unfurling operations performed when the sail 9 is working and exposed to the wind action.
• the longitudinal extension of each side portion 13 of a connecting member 16 is comprised between 1/20 and 1/3 of the longitudinal extension of the respective tubular segment 71, and preferably between 1/5 and 1/3 of the longitudinal extension of this tubular segment 71.
• the stay 11 is not able, in use, to transmit a torque to the tubular segments 71, that are therefore still able to rotate independently of one another and freely around the elongated body 11. It is clearly apparent that this prevents, in use, the prior art problem of the so-called "counter-rotation” that avoids the free unfurling of the sails, i.e. this prevents portions of the sail 9 from being partially furled again.
• the sheath 7 allows therefore correctly to furl/unfurl the sail 9, preventing this sail from being subjected to shear stresses that could damage it. Moreover, the modular sheath 7, as it presents tubular segments 71 free to rotate independently from one another, is not subjected to torsion deformations that could jeopardize its functionality and decrease its operating life.
• the modular sheath 7 presents the advantage of being flexible and of allowing to stowing the sail 9 also in limited spaces, and at the same time it presents a resistance against radial compression due to the presence, at regular distances, of the connecting members 16, and this allows to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art.
• each connecting member 16 may be provided at both the sides with respective conical portions 19' for facilitating insertion and alignment of the tubular segments 71 of the sheath 7 on the respective connections 16.
• the furling device 1 may be provided with a regulating device 50 for adjusting the position of the tack point of the sail 9 to vary the shape of the sail and adapt it to the directions of the apparent wind.
• This regulating device 50 is commonly called “downhaul” and is interposed between the first terminal 32 of the stay 11 and the blocking member 72.
• the regulating device 50 comprises a cursor 52 carried by the stay 11 and designed to slide longitudinally in a free manner between the first terminal 32 and the blocking member 72.
• This cursor 52 preferably comprises a first and a second parts 521 and 522 that can freely rotate relative to each other and to the elongated body 11.
• the upper first part 521 is provided with a seventh connection terminal 56 for the tack pennant 51 of the sail 9, while the lower second part 522 is provided with an eighth connection terminal 53 connected, in use, with a rope 54 associated with a respective circuit usable to adjust the longitudinal position of the cursor 52 along the stay 11.
• This rope 54 is preferably controlled from the deck, and therefore the cockpit', through at least one return member 55 that is preferably, although without limitation, connected to the third connection terminal 66 carried in a freely rotating manner by the basement 62 of the furler 6.
• the operating principle of the second variant of the furling device 1 illustrated in figure 6 is substantially similar to that of the furling device described in the document IT' 674.
• the torque is generated by the furler 6 and transmitted by it to the first clamp terminal 32 of the stay 11.
• the torque is then transmitted by the elongated body 11, tensioned by the halyard 75, to the swivel 2 and to the head portion 77 of the sheath 7.
• the tack pennant 51 is free from the rotation of the lower portion of the stay 11, as it is connected to the upper first part 521 of the cursor 52 able freely to rotate around the same elongated body 11.
• the rope 54 is free from the furling motion of the stay 11, as it is integral with the lower second part 522 of the cursor 52 designed freely to rotate around the stay/elongated body 11.
• the present invention also relates to a method for arranging the furling group 10 inside the furling device 1.
• This method comprises a step of housing the flexible elongated body 11 inside the tubular sheath 7, followed by a step of coupling integrally at least one portion 77 of the sheath 7 to the elongated body 11.
• the present method comprises a step of arranging the tubular sheath 7 by longitudinally coupling two by two a plurality of tubular segments 71 by means of respective connecting members 16.
• the step of arranging the sheath 7 comprises a sub-step of inserting longitudinally at least one pair of tubular segments 71 in respective side portions 13 of a respective connecting member 16.

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Citations (7)

• 2012
  • 2012-03-07 IT IT000002A patent/ITRA20120002A1/it unknown
• 2013
  • 2013-03-06 WO PCT/IB2013/000304 patent/WO2013132302A1/en not_active Ceased

Patent Citations (7)

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