Composite products, methods and apparatus

• US 6,265,047 B1
• Filed: 10/16/1998
• Issued: 07/24/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: North Sails Group, LLC (North Technology Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: Tensile Composite Research
• Inventors: Baudet, Jean-Pierre, Bruegger, Marc A., Chapuis, Laurent, Ainlay, Thomas M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cole, Elizabeth M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): RUDDOCK, ULA CORINNA
• Application Number:
  US09/173,917
• Time in Patent Office: 1,012 Days
• Field of Search: 428/105, 428/107, 428/109, 428/110, 428/111, 428/113, 428/114
• US Class Current: 428/111
• CPC Class Codes: B63H 9/06 Types of sail; Constructional features of sails; Arrangements thereof on vessels
• CPC Class Codes: B63H 9/0678 Laminated sails
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1089 of discrete laminae to single face of additional lamina
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/17 Three or more coplanar interfitted sections with securing means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/183 Next to unitary sheet of equal or greater extent
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/195 Beveled, stepped, or skived in thickness
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24058 including grain, strips, or filamentary elements in respective layers or components in angular relation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24074 Strand or strand-portions
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24091 with additional layer[s]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24099 On each side of strands or strand-portions
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24107 including mechanically interengaged strands, strand-portions or strand-like strips
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24124 Fibers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24132 including grain, strips, or filamentary elements in different layers or components parallel

Abstract

A low-stretch, flexible composite, made of one or several sections, particularly useful for making a sail (2), includes first and second polymer films (52, 62) with discontinuous, stretch-resistant segments (16) therebetween. The segments extend generally along the load lines (17) for the sail. The segments have lengths which are substantially shorter than corresponding lengths of the load lines within each section. The ends of the segments are laterally staggered relative to one another. Mats (20) of generally parallel mat elements can be used as the segments. The mat elements typically include discrete multifiber yarns (24, 26) and/or a fiber array (22), typically created by pneumatically laterally spreading apart the fibers of an untwisted multifiber yarn (32). A laminating assembly includes first and second flexible pressure sheets (66, 68), defining a sealable lamination interior (82) containing the material stack (64) to be laminated, housed within an enclosure (90). A partial vacuum is created within the lamination interior and heated fluid is circulated in contact with the pressure sheets to quickly and uniformly heat the pressure sheets and the material stack being laminated.

Claims

1. A low-stretch, flexible composite comprising:

a sheet of material; and

the sheet comprising at least one section having expected load lines extending over the section, each section comprising;

a first layer of material; and

a plurality of discontinuous, stretch-resistant segments adhering to the first layer of material and extending generally along the expected load lines, a majority of the segments having lengths substantially shorter than corresponding lengths of the expected load lines within the section.

2. The composite according to claim 1 wherein said section comprises a corner.

3. The composite according to claim 2 wherein a majority of the load lines extend from the corner.

4. The composite according to claim 1 wherein the number and placement of the segments generally correspond to the expected load lines so to help create a constant-strain composite under a chosen loading of the composite.

5. The composite according to claim 1 wherein the sheet has three corners.

6. The composite according to claim 1 wherein the sheet comprises a plurality of the sections.

7. The composite according to claim 1 wherein the sheet comprises only one said section.

8. The composite according to claim 1 wherein the sheet is a generally two-dimensional, flat sheet.

9. The composite according to claim 1 wherein the sheet is a three-dimensional sheet.

10. The composite according to claim 1 wherein the sheet comprises a second layer of material adhered to the first layer of material with the segments captured therebetween.

11. The composite according to claim 1 wherein the first layer of material is at least substantially imperforate.

12. The composite according to claim 1 wherein the segments are oriented to within about 6°

of the expected load lines.

13. The composite according to claim 1 wherein the segments comprise fibers.

14. The composite according to claim 13 wherein the fibers comprise laterally dispersed fibers.

15. The composite according to claim 14 wherein the laterally dispersed fibers comprise generally single-layer fibers.

16. The composite according to claim 1 wherein said segments comprise yarns.

17. The composite according to claim 16 wherein said yarns comprise multiple fiber yarns.

18. The composite according to claim 17 wherein the multiple fiber yarns comprise untwisted fibers.

19. The composite according to claim 1 wherein the segments comprise mats of stretch-resistant mat elements, at least most of the mat elements in each mat being generally parallel.

20. The composite according to claim 19 wherein the mat elements are oriented at angles of from about 0 °

to 3°

relative to one another.

21. The composite according to claim 19 wherein the mat elements are oriented at angles of from about 0 °

to 6°

relative to one another.

22. The composite according to claim 19 wherein said mat elements comprise laterally spaced-apart mat elements.

23. The composite according to claim 19 wherein the mat elements of at least one of the mats are of generally equal length.

24. The composite according to claim 23 wherein the mat elements of the at least one of the mats have ends which are generally aligned with one another.

25. The composite according to claim 1 wherein the segments comprise segment ends, said segment ends being laterally-staggered.

26. The composite according to claim 1 wherein the sheet of material is in the form of a sail having a plurality of corners with expected load lines extending from the corners.

27. The composite according to claim 26 wherein the at least one section is a flat, two-dimensional section.

28. The composite according to claim 26 wherein the at least one section is a three-dimensional section.

29. The composite according to claim 1 wherein at least some of the segments are mounted to a flexible central strand to form a belt of segments extending generally perpendicular to said central strand.

30. A low-stretch, flexible composite comprising:

a sheet of material; and

the sheet comprising a section, the section comprising;

a first layer of material;

a plurality of discontinuous, stretch-resistant segments adhering to the first layer of material; and

said segments having segment ends, at least most of said segment ends being laterally-staggered.

31. The composite according to claim 30 further comprising:

a second layer of material adhered to the first layer of material with the segments captured therebetween; and

wherein;

the segments comprise mats of stretch-resistant mat elements, at least most of the mat elements in each mat being generally parallel.

32. The composite according to claim 31 wherein:

the sheet comprises expected load lines extending over the section when the sheet is to be used as an air foil of a sailcraft sail under a chosen loading;

the mat elements extend generally along the expected load lines within the section; and

the mat elements comprise mat fibers, said mat fibers of each said mat element oriented over a range of angles from about 0°

to 6°

relative to the orientation of said mat element.

33. A low-stretch, flexible composite comprising:

a sheet of material; and

the sheet comprising at least one section having expected load lines extending over the section, each section comprising;

a first layer of material;

a plurality of discontinuous, stretch-resistant segments adhering to the first layer of material and extending generally along the expected load lines, a majority of the segments having lengths substantially shorter than corresponding lengths of the expected load lines within the section; and

at least a majority of the mat elements cross other mat elements.

34. A low-stretch, flexible composite comprising:

a sheet of material; and

the sheet comprising at least one section having expected load lines extending over the section, each section comprising;

a first layer of material;

a plurality of discontinuous, stretch-resistant segments adhering to the first layer of material and extending generally along the expected load lines, a majority of the segments having lengths substantially shorter than corresponding lengths of the expected load lines within the section; and

said mat elements comprising a layer of laterally-arranged mat elements.

35. The composite according to claim 34 wherein the laterally-arranged mat elements comprise laterally-arranged mat fibers.

36. The composite according to claim 35 wherein the mat fibers of each mat are oriented relative to one another over a range of angles from about 0°

to 6°

so that at least a majority of the mat fibers cross other mat fibers.

37. A low-stretch, flexible composite comprising:

a sheet of material; and

the sheet comprising at least one section having expected load lines extending over the section, each section comprising;

a first layer of material;

a plurality of discontinuous, stretch-resistant segments adhering to the first layer of material and extending generally along the expected load lines, a majority of the segments having lengths substantially shorter than corresponding lengths of the expected load lines within the section; and

at least some of the mats comprising cross-elements extending transverse to the generally parallel mat elements.

38. The composite according to claim 37 wherein said mat elements comprise:

laterally spaced-apart mat elements; and

a layer of laterally-arranged mat elements.

39. The composite according to claim 38 wherein said laterally spaced-apart mat elements comprise multi-fiber yarns and the layer of laterally-arranged mat elements comprise a layer of laterally-arranged fibers which are generally parallel and in contact with adjacent fibers.

40. A low-stretch, flexible composite comprising:

a sheet of material; and

the sheet comprising at least one section having expected load lines extending over the section, each section comprising;

a first layer of material;

a plurality of discontinuous, stretch-resistant segments adhering to the first layer of material and extending generally along the expected load lines, a majority of the segments having lengths substantially shorter than corresponding lengths of the expected load lines within the section; and

at least some of the mats overlap an adjacent mat.