SAILS
United States Patent 3626886
Sailcloth is provided wherein the woof is arranged at a predetermined angle, less than 90°, to the warp. Sail woven in this manner is protected against stretch along its leach and foot.
US Patent References:
Adjustable woven filtering material having angularly disposed guide lines
Helland et al. - May 1968 - 3382979
Adjustable woven filtering material having angularly disposed guide lines
Helland et al. - May 1968 - 3382979
Application Number:
05/006143
Publication Date:
12/14/1971
Filing Date:
01/27/1970
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Export Citation:
Primary Class:
International Classes:
B63H9/06; B63H9/00; B63H9/04
Field of Search:
114/39,103 139/383R
Primary Examiner:
Blix, Trygve M.
Claims:
What is claimed is
1. A sail comprising a plurality of sailcloth panels arranged in parallel relationship to each other, said sailcloth being substantially stretch-free and comprising a plurality of woof yarns having axes disposed at an acute angle to a plurality of warp yarns, a leach edge cutting said panels on a bias and being parallel to said woof yarns, a luff edge square to said panels and a foot edge substantially parallel to said panels.
2. A sail as defined in claim 1 wherein said acute angle is less than 90°.
3. A sail as defined in claim 2 wherein said acute angle is 60°.
4. A one-piece woven sail constructed of sailcloth comprising a plurality of woof yarns having axes disposed at an acute angle to a plurality of warp yarns, a leach edge on said sail parallel to the axes of said woof yarns, a foot edge parallel to the warp of said sailcloth and a luff edge on said sail square to said warp and intersecting said woof on a bias.
5. A one-piece woven sail as defined in claim 4 wherein said acute angle is less than 90°.
6. A one-piece woven sail as defined in claim 5 wherein said acute angle is 60°.
1. A sail comprising a plurality of sailcloth panels arranged in parallel relationship to each other, said sailcloth being substantially stretch-free and comprising a plurality of woof yarns having axes disposed at an acute angle to a plurality of warp yarns, a leach edge cutting said panels on a bias and being parallel to said woof yarns, a luff edge square to said panels and a foot edge substantially parallel to said panels.
2. A sail as defined in claim 1 wherein said acute angle is less than 90°.
3. A sail as defined in claim 2 wherein said acute angle is 60°.
4. A one-piece woven sail constructed of sailcloth comprising a plurality of woof yarns having axes disposed at an acute angle to a plurality of warp yarns, a leach edge on said sail parallel to the axes of said woof yarns, a foot edge parallel to the warp of said sailcloth and a luff edge on said sail square to said warp and intersecting said woof on a bias.
5. A one-piece woven sail as defined in claim 4 wherein said acute angle is less than 90°.
6. A one-piece woven sail as defined in claim 5 wherein said acute angle is 60°.
Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the art of sail making considerable attention is directed to providing a construction by which the sails will not stretch. Such stretching may take place along the leach or the foot of the sail, but, in either case, the correct airfoil is lost. Characteristically, the sails will then exhibit leach futter, excess luff, etc.
To ensure against stretch of this nature, it is common to construct the sail with a plurality of panels of sailcloth. The panels are generally arranged in a crosscut manner wherein they are oriented square to the leach and cut at a bias along the foot. Vertical and diagonal or miter cuts are also known. In a vertical cut the panels are arranged square to the foot of the sail. In the case of a diagonal or miter cut, two areas of sailcloth are provided. The first area comprises a series of panels which are square to the leach. The second portion comprises a plurality of panels square to the foot which meet with the panels of the first area along a bias which generally extends from the clew to midpoint of the luff.
In any case, the seams of the panels are arranged so that they are opposed to the flow of wind in the sails. This condition may affect the speed of the boat. Also, because of the necessity of cutting and stitching the panels together, methods must be employed which are time consuming and expensive.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a sail which does not require the conventional panel constructions and at the same time is substantially stretch-free along its leach and foot.
This and other objects of the present invention are accomplished by providing a sailcloth which is woven so that the woof of the biaxical weave is arranged to form a predetermined angle with the warp. In general, this angle will be less than 90°. Preferably, the angular relationship is 60°. Because of the unique nature of the sailcloth it may be woven in one piece and yet retain its stretch-free characteristics. Alternatively, the sail may be constructed of a plurality of panels oriented parallel to the foot of the sail and cut on a bias at the leach. In such a configuration the seams where the panels are joined together will be aligned with the flow of the wind in the sail. Thus, no resistance from the seam will be encountered and the speed of the boat will not be inhibited.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a sail construction according to the prior art crosscut technique.
FIG. 2 is a side elevation of an embodiment of the present invention showing a panel construction.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged face view of the prior art sail shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is an enlarged face view of the sailcloth shown in FIG. 2, according to this invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In FIG. 1 a conventional crosscut sail is shown to illustrate prior art construction. The sail has a leach 1, foot 2 and a luff 3. The sail comprises a plurality of panels 4 which are square to the leach 1 and are cut along a bias at the foot 2 and luff 3. It can easily be seen that the flow of wind through the sail would meet with resistance from the seams 5 arranged in a diagonal fashion.
FIG. 2 shows a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The sail, generally designated 6, shown is substantially stretch-free yet its construction is entirely different from that of the prior art. The sail 6 has a leach 7, foot 8 and luff 9. It is comprised of a plurality of panels which are square to the luff 9 and cut on a bias at the leach. The seams 10 are parallel to the foot 8 and offer substantially no resistance to the flow of wind in the sail. The sail is stretch-free in such a construction because of the unique weave of the sailcloth which is more clearly illustrated in FIG. 4.
The sail may be woven from any suitable material. It has been found that a close-woven synthetic fabric of polyester fiber provides the most suitable sailcloth. In the most preferred embodiment Dacron polyester fiber is employed.
The sails constructed according to the present invention may be woven in one piece or may be comprised of panels sewn together as illustrated in FIG. 2.
The cloth shown in FIG. 3 is an illustration of a relatively simple woven sailcloth of the prior art. The warp or "a" yarns are woven at a 90° angle to the woof or "b" yarns. In order to avoid stretching of such a sailcloth during use the sails employing the cloth shown must be constructed along the lines illustrated in FIG. 1.
The differences between the prior art weave shown in FIG. 3 and the present invention is clearly illustrated in FIG. 4. The woof or "c" yarns are woven at a 60° angle relative to the warp or "d" yarns. The number 11 designates pores or open spaces in the weave. Although the yarns appear to be loosely woven it should be emphasized that the cloth will usually be closely packed so as to provide a proper airfoil. Different size yarns may be used on each of the two axes of the cloth although in the usual case the yarns will have the same diameter. The sailcloth illustrated will be substantially stretch free whether woven as a single piece or constructed in a plurality of panels which are square to the luff.
Although the sailcloth according to this invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments thereof it will be readily apparent that these disclosures are exemplary and that the invention is capable of variations all within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.
In the art of sail making considerable attention is directed to providing a construction by which the sails will not stretch. Such stretching may take place along the leach or the foot of the sail, but, in either case, the correct airfoil is lost. Characteristically, the sails will then exhibit leach futter, excess luff, etc.
To ensure against stretch of this nature, it is common to construct the sail with a plurality of panels of sailcloth. The panels are generally arranged in a crosscut manner wherein they are oriented square to the leach and cut at a bias along the foot. Vertical and diagonal or miter cuts are also known. In a vertical cut the panels are arranged square to the foot of the sail. In the case of a diagonal or miter cut, two areas of sailcloth are provided. The first area comprises a series of panels which are square to the leach. The second portion comprises a plurality of panels square to the foot which meet with the panels of the first area along a bias which generally extends from the clew to midpoint of the luff.
In any case, the seams of the panels are arranged so that they are opposed to the flow of wind in the sails. This condition may affect the speed of the boat. Also, because of the necessity of cutting and stitching the panels together, methods must be employed which are time consuming and expensive.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a sail which does not require the conventional panel constructions and at the same time is substantially stretch-free along its leach and foot.
This and other objects of the present invention are accomplished by providing a sailcloth which is woven so that the woof of the biaxical weave is arranged to form a predetermined angle with the warp. In general, this angle will be less than 90°. Preferably, the angular relationship is 60°. Because of the unique nature of the sailcloth it may be woven in one piece and yet retain its stretch-free characteristics. Alternatively, the sail may be constructed of a plurality of panels oriented parallel to the foot of the sail and cut on a bias at the leach. In such a configuration the seams where the panels are joined together will be aligned with the flow of the wind in the sail. Thus, no resistance from the seam will be encountered and the speed of the boat will not be inhibited.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a sail construction according to the prior art crosscut technique.
FIG. 2 is a side elevation of an embodiment of the present invention showing a panel construction.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged face view of the prior art sail shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is an enlarged face view of the sailcloth shown in FIG. 2, according to this invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In FIG. 1 a conventional crosscut sail is shown to illustrate prior art construction. The sail has a leach 1, foot 2 and a luff 3. The sail comprises a plurality of panels 4 which are square to the leach 1 and are cut along a bias at the foot 2 and luff 3. It can easily be seen that the flow of wind through the sail would meet with resistance from the seams 5 arranged in a diagonal fashion.
FIG. 2 shows a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The sail, generally designated 6, shown is substantially stretch-free yet its construction is entirely different from that of the prior art. The sail 6 has a leach 7, foot 8 and luff 9. It is comprised of a plurality of panels which are square to the luff 9 and cut on a bias at the leach. The seams 10 are parallel to the foot 8 and offer substantially no resistance to the flow of wind in the sail. The sail is stretch-free in such a construction because of the unique weave of the sailcloth which is more clearly illustrated in FIG. 4.
The sail may be woven from any suitable material. It has been found that a close-woven synthetic fabric of polyester fiber provides the most suitable sailcloth. In the most preferred embodiment Dacron polyester fiber is employed.
The sails constructed according to the present invention may be woven in one piece or may be comprised of panels sewn together as illustrated in FIG. 2.
The cloth shown in FIG. 3 is an illustration of a relatively simple woven sailcloth of the prior art. The warp or "a" yarns are woven at a 90° angle to the woof or "b" yarns. In order to avoid stretching of such a sailcloth during use the sails employing the cloth shown must be constructed along the lines illustrated in FIG. 1.
The differences between the prior art weave shown in FIG. 3 and the present invention is clearly illustrated in FIG. 4. The woof or "c" yarns are woven at a 60° angle relative to the warp or "d" yarns. The number 11 designates pores or open spaces in the weave. Although the yarns appear to be loosely woven it should be emphasized that the cloth will usually be closely packed so as to provide a proper airfoil. Different size yarns may be used on each of the two axes of the cloth although in the usual case the yarns will have the same diameter. The sailcloth illustrated will be substantially stretch free whether woven as a single piece or constructed in a plurality of panels which are square to the luff.
Although the sailcloth according to this invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments thereof it will be readily apparent that these disclosures are exemplary and that the invention is capable of variations all within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.