Sail of woven material and method of manufacture

• US 6,257,160 B1
• Filed: 03/07/2000
• Issued: 07/10/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fred Aivars Keire
• Original Assignee: Fred Aivars Keire
• Inventors: Keire, Fred Aivars
• Primary Examiner(s): Sotelo, Jesus D.
• Application Number:
  US09/521,446
• Time in Patent Office: 490 Days
• Field of Search: 114/102.29, 428/295, 428/297, 428/902, 442/2-4
• US Class Current: 114/102.29
• CPC Class Codes: B63H 9/067 Sails characterised by their construction or manufacturing process
• CPC Class Codes: B63H 9/0678 Laminated sails
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/102 Woven scrim

Abstract

Fiber oriented sails made of woven panels of scrim type weave wherein warp yarns in the panels follow primary load paths in a sail and a method for making woven panels and sails.

Claims

1. In a process of manufacturing sail components for a triangularly shaped sail in the form of panels, wherein said panels, when incorporated in said sail, have warp yarns oriented along principal load paths in said panel comprising the steps of:

(a) weaving a panel wherein in said panel woven warp yarns are being spaced apart and are at varying angles of said warp yarns with respect to fill yarns in sail woven panel and wherein said warp yarns follow load paths for said sail panel;

(b) weaving further panels by changing said angle in said spaced apart warp yarns with respect to fill yarns and wherein warp yarns in said further panels follow load paths in said further woven panels; and

(c) laminating woven panels of step (a) and (b); and

(d) incorporating said panels of steps (a), (b), and (c) including additional panels, in said triangularly shaped sail.

2. In the process as defined in claim 1 wherein each woven panel of steps (a) and (b) is for the same sail.

3. The process as defined in claim 1 wherein each woven panel of steps (a) and (b) is for a different sail and, as woven panels are opposite images of each other along said warp yarns.

4. The process as defined in claim 1 wherein each panel for said sail is woven with its successive complimentary panel for said sail.

5. The process as defined in claim 1 wherein each panel is woven of polyaramid polymer warp yarns and a polyaramid polymer fill yarns.

6. The process as defined in claim 1 wherein each panel is woven of polyaramid polymer warp yarns and polyester polymer fill yarns and wherein the polyaramid polymer warp yarns are from 150 to 1500 deniers in size and the polyester fill yarns are from 100 to 1,000 deniers in size.

7. The process as defined in claim 1 wherein said warp yarns in a panel are spaced apart from 1 yarn/in to 5 yarns/in and are incrementally and progressively adjusted to follow load paths in said panel and wherein said fill yarns are spaced apart at about one fill yarn per two inches to three fill yarns per inch in said woven panel.

8. The process as defined in claim 1 wherein during weaving of said warp yarns, a segment of warp yarns is independently adjustable vis-á

-vis adjacent segments of warp yarns on each side of said segment of warp yarns and said segment of warp yarns is adjustable with respect to warp yarns on the opposite sides of said panel.

9. The process as defined in claim 1 wherein during weaving of a panel, a segment of warp yarns is independently and incrementally divergently or convergently adjusted synchronously vis-a-vis an adjacent segment of warp yarns.

10. The process as defined in claim 1 including a further step of laminating each woven panel, said laminating being two sided, and at least one side of said woven panel is laminated with a polyester polymer film.

11. The process as defined in claim 10 including a step of laminating each woven panel on at least a bottom side thereof, said laminating being with a pre-coated film having an adhesive thereon activatable upon application of heat.

12. The process as defined in claim 10 wherein said laminating is of both surfaces of said woven panel and wherein a surface of said panel is laminated with a polyester film and includes an X-Ply insertion between said film and woven panel and said film further includes a heat curable adhesive to attach to said woven panel.

13. The process as defined in claim 10 wherein said laminating is with a polyester polymer film and an X-ply material of polyaramid polymer yarns between said film and said panel on the bottom of a woven panel.

14. The process as defined in claim 10 wherein a further step of laminating of said panel is with a polyester taffeta material on one surface of said panel.

15. As an article of manufacture, a sail of a panel construction of an approximately triangular shape which in use and for an intended purpose has principal load paths in said sail between a tack and a clew, a tack and a head, and a clew and a head, said sail comprising at least one panel of a woven material of spaced apart warp yarns wherein said warp yarns in said woven material are disposed along said principal load paths in said sail and include fill yarns in said woven material at varying angles vis-á

-vis said warp yarns for said woven material, and said woven warp yarns pre-determinately disposed along said load paths from said clew, tack, and head in each panel of said sail.

16. The sail as defined in claim 15 wherein said sail is comprised of a plurality of panels of woven materials of warp and fill yarns wherein in each panel warp yarns substantially follow principal load paths in said panel along the lines of said load paths in said sail from clew to head when said sail is in use and wherein in said woven material fill yarns are at varying angles to said warp yarns along said load paths from panel to panel and said warp and fill yarns are spaced apart from each other from 1 yarn/in to 16 yarns/in.

17. The sail as defined in claim 15 wherein said sail panels of woven material warp yarns in said panels are disposed along said load paths in said panel and wherein a panel has at least one sub panel.

18. The sail as defined in claim 15 wherein said warp yarns consist of a bundle of filament fiber yarns of polyaramid, polyester, polyolofin, polyphenylene para benzo bisoxazole, carbon fibers or mixtures of same.

19. The sail as defined in claim 18 wherein filament fiber yarns of carbon have a sheath of polyester polymer on a surface thereof.

20. The sail as defined in claim 15 wherein said fill yarns are of filament fiber yarns of polyester, polyaramid, polyolefin, carbon, poly phenylen para benzo bis oxazole, or polyamide and wherein each warp yarn and fill yarn is spaced apart from their respective adjacent yarns from about {fraction (1/16)} in. to 1 in.