Sail and method of manufacture

• US 6,260,497 B1
• Filed: 03/07/2000
• Issued: 07/17/2001
• 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:
  US09/520,246
• Time in Patent Office: 497 Days
• Field of Search: 114/102.29, 114/102.31, 114/102.33, 428/109, 428/113, 428/295.1, 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: Y10S 428/902 High modulus filament or fiber
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24091 with additional layer[s]
• 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.

Claims

1. A sail comprised of a shape defined by a boundary between each points of attachment of said shape, said points of attachment comprised of a clew, a tack, and a head, said sail when in use defining a three-dimensional body of complex curves in each vertical and horizontal cross section of said body, said sail when in use having a plurality of primary, curved load paths between each point of attachment and a plurality of secondary load paths within said body intersecting with said primary load path, said body comprised of at least one panel of woven stretch resistant primary warp yarns of continuous filaments wherein said warp yarns follow said load paths in said panels, and wherein said warp yarns in at least one panel is uninterrupted by seams between said points of attachment.

2. The sail as defined in claim 1 wherein said primary yarns have woven secondary yarns from one edge of said panel to another edge of said panel.

3. The sail as defined in claim 1 wherein a panel extends uninterrupted between two points of attachment consisting of a clew and a head.

4. The sail as defined in claim 1 wherein the panel extends between two points of attachment consisting of a tack and a clew.

5. The sail as defined in claim 1 wherein the sail includes other panels of conventionally woven sail material along with panels with woven yarns following uninterrupted primary load paths.

6. The sail as defined in claim 1 wherein the sail includes a further panel with said primary load path disposed along warp yarns for a panel when said sail is in use and said further panel is between a point of attachment and an intersection of a panel disposed between two points of attachment consisting of a clew and a head.

7. The sail as defined in claim 6 wherein said further panel is between a tack and towards a head of a sail and intersects with a panel from clew to leech and head.

8. As an article of manufacture, a sail comprised of a shape defined by a boundary between a clew, tack, and a head, said sail comprised of panels wherein:

a first panel is between a clew and a head and has a top outer edge and a bottom inner edge, a second panel between a tack and a clew with a bottom outer edge and a upper inner edge therefore, wherein for said second panel said upper inner edge thereof intersects and follows said bottom inner edge of said first panel between said clew and said head; and

, a third panel between a tack and said first panel with a forward outer luff edge and a aft edge wherein said aft edge of said third panel overlaps and terminates at said bottom inner edge of said first panel and said upper inner edge of said second panel and wherein overlaps are adhesively secured to said first and second panels and wherein in each first, second, and third panels the warp yarns in each are about along said primary load path in said panel and wherein in each said first, second and third panels transverse secondary load path are defined by fill yarns in each of the first, second, and third panel.

9. The article of manufacture as defined in claim 8 wherein a forward edge of said first panel terminates at a forward edge of a sail between a tack and a head for said sail;

and said first panel is joined to the head with a panel comprised of a plurality of gores of a woven material; and

, wherein said woven material is of yarns of high modulus and tenacity.

10. The article of manufacture as defined in claim 8 wherein the yarns in the first panel are of continuous aramid filament fibers and the yarns in the second panel are a mixture of continuous filament polyaramid and continuous filament polyester yarns and the yarns in the third panel are of continuous filament polyester yarns.

11. In a process for manufacturing a sail, the steps comprising of:

(a) weaving a plurality of panels for said sail of spaced apart warp yarns and spaced apart fill yarns of high modulus continuous filament fibers wherein said warp yarns follow a predetermined, curved path replicating a load path in a sail for said panel when said sail is in use; and

wherein said spaced apart fill yarn are transverse to said warp yarns at varying angles to said warp yarns;

(b) laminating between a first film and a second film, said panels of step (a) with a heat activatable adhesive disposed on said film whereby said woven panels are disposed there—

between; and

(c) adhesively attaching each woven and laminated panel of steps (a) and (b) to another laminated panel of steps (a) and (b) to construct a sail with warp yarns along principal load path of said sail in each of said panels in said sail.

12. The process as defined in claim 11 wherein the warp and fill yarns are polyaramid continuous filament yarns in each of said woven panels.

13. The process as defined in claim 11 wherein the warp yarns are polyaramid continuous filament yarns and the fill yarns are continuous filament yarns of polyester, polyamide, or polyolefin yarns.

14. The process as defined in claim 13 wherein the fill yarns are polyester continuous filament yarns.

15. The process as defined in claim 11 wherein the laminating is with a first film of a polyester polymer and a second film of a polyvinyledene chloride polymer.

16. The process as defined in claim 11 wherein a laminating step comprises laminating said sail material with a film of polyester polymer and an X-Ply scrim material on the bottom of said woven sail material.

17. The process as defined in claim 11 wherein a laminating step comprises heat curing of said laminate.

18. The process as defined in claim 11 wherein a weaving step comprises weaving a scrim of warp yarns and fill yarns of a configuration of a spacing between warp and warp and fill and fill yarns from about 2.5 to 20 mm.