Angled Rib Composite Watercraft Hull Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing watercraft hulls made of composite materials, such as glass fibers with unsaturated polyester, face challenges in achieving sufficient rigidity, are labor-intensive to manufacture, and have space and weight inefficiencies due to foam pieces, leading to increased costs and weight.
Innovation Solution
A watercraft hull design featuring ribs extending at angles to the longitudinal centerline, made of a mixture of cut glass fibers and urethane resin, with alternating port and starboard ribs that are integrally formed and provide additional attachment points, enhancing rigidity and reducing material usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If foam pieces are used to increase hull rigidity, then the hull rigidity is improved, but the hull weight increases and space is consumed
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes foam pieces from the hull construction entirely, replacing them with an integrated rib structure formed directly from the composite material. This extraction eliminates the weight penalty and space consumption associated with foam while maintaining rigidity through the rib design.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses composite material ribs (glass fibers mixed with resin) integrated into the hull structure to provide rigidity without foam. The composite ribs achieve the necessary structural strength while being lighter and more space-efficient than foam pieces.
2Strength
If foam pieces are used to increase hull rigidity, then the hull rigidity is improved, but the manufacturing complexity and labor intensity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the rib structure with the hull body by forming them as a single integrated composite structure. This eliminates the separate steps of placing and coating foam pieces, simplifying the manufacturing process while maintaining rigidity.
Solution Approach 2:
The rib structure is formed preliminarily as part of the mold design, with recesses pre-configured to create the ribs during a single curing cycle. This preliminary action eliminates subsequent manual operations for adding rigidity elements.
3Ease of manufacture
If traditional hull construction methods are used, then the manufacturing process is simpler, but the production time and labor requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The mold is pre-configured with recesses that define the rib structures, allowing ribs to be formed automatically during the single curing cycle. This preliminary mold preparation maintains process simplicity while dramatically improving productivity by eliminating multiple manual operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The composite material mixture automatically forms the rib structures within the mold recesses during curing, without requiring manual placement or separate coating operations. The material self-organizes into the desired rib configuration, improving production efficiency while keeping the process simple.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The angled rib design increases the hull's rigidity and reduces weight and material usage, improving performance and manufacturing efficiency while maintaining structural integrity.
Implementation Method 1
the hull body, the at least one port rib, and the at least one starboard rib are made of a mixture of cut glass fibers and urethane resin
Data Source
AI summary
A watercraft hull has a hull body defining a bow, a transom, and a longitudinal centerline extending from the bow to the transom along a center of the hull body. The hull body has an inner surface and an outer surface. A plurality of ribs extends at an angle to the longitudinal centerline on the inner surface.