Integral Sail with Thermofusible Glue Bonding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sails for nautical and regatta vessels suffer from performance losses due to overlap lines, material discontinuities, and high production costs, which affect their strength and efficiency, especially in varying wind conditions.
Innovation Solution
A sail with a smooth, integral design featuring thin continuous films and parallel layers of reinforcing fibers, bonded with thermofusible glue, is created to eliminate overlap lines and ensure continuous surface integrity, using a method that involves pressing and heating a multilayer sandwich structure within a vacuum-sealed environment to achieve a lightweight, flexible sail.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If sails are constructed using multiple sailcloths joined together at overlap lines, then the sail can be made with sufficient strength and structural integrity, but the overlap lines create surface discontinuities that generate vortexes and reduce aerodynamic performance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple sailcloths into a single integral sail structure by bonding them together at overlap lines using adhesive compositions. This combining approach maintains the structural benefits of multiple layers while eliminating the harmful surface discontinuities that cause vortexes, thereby resolving the contradiction between strength and aerodynamic performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite material construction with multiple bonded sailcloths, where each layer contributes to structural integrity while the adhesive bonding creates a unified surface. This composite approach allows the sail to achieve both the strength of multiple layers and the aerodynamic smoothness of a single continuous surface.
2Strength
If complex machines and manual assembly are used to construct sails with multiple overlapping segments, then the sail can achieve desired strength and conformation, but the construction process becomes costly and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies adhesive compositions to the overlap lines before final assembly, allowing the sailcloths to be bonded in a predetermined sequence. This preliminary action simplifies the manufacturing process by reducing the need for complex machinery and extensive manual adjustment, thereby lowering production costs while maintaining structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The adhesive composition is designed to self-level and self-bond the sailcloths together without requiring complex bonding machinery. The adhesive's flow properties and curing characteristics allow it to automatically create strong bonds between layers, reducing the need for expensive equipment and skilled manual labor.
3Strength
If adhesive compositions are applied to bond sailcloths at overlap lines, then the structural integrity is improved, but air bubbles trapped in the adhesive create surface discontinuities that harm aerodynamic performance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the physical parameters of the adhesive composition, specifically its viscosity and flow characteristics, to allow air bubbles to rise and escape during the bonding process. By controlling the adhesive's rheological properties, the patent achieves both strong bonding and surface continuity, eliminating the contradiction between bonding strength and surface smoothness.
4Strength
If multiple layers of sailcloth are used to increase strength and durability, then the sail can withstand varying wind conditions, but the multi-layer construction creates overlap lines that reduce overall performance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a dynamic balance between the need for multiple layers to withstand wind forces and the need for a smooth surface for aerodynamic efficiency. By using adhesive bonding to integrate multiple layers into a unified structure, the sail dynamically responds to wind loads while maintaining surface continuity, thereby achieving both strength and aerodynamic performance.
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 solution results in a sail with improved strength, resistance to atmospheric agents, and enhanced performance across a range of wind conditions, reducing production costs and ensuring a seamless surface for efficient wind flow.
Implementation Method 1
The heating operation is intended to melt the layer or layers of thermofusible glue, so as to bind together the components comprised between the two external sheets or layers
Implementation Method 2
bonded with thermofusible glue, is created to eliminate overlap lines and ensure continuous surface integrity, using a method that involves pressing and heating a multilayer sandwich structure
Implementation Method 3
using a method that involves pressing and heating a multilayer sandwich structure within a vacuum-sealed environment to achieve a lightweight, flexible sail
Data Source
AI summary
An integral sail to generate a propulsion following a thrust from the wind has an integral layered structure delimited externally by a first external layer and by a second external layer, both made with a smooth layer of thin and continuous film of flexible material. Furthermore, to each of said first external layer and second external layer at least a layer of parallel fibers, adjacent to each other, is associated internally with respect to the layered structure. The whole is made solid by means of at least a layer of thermofusible glue, disposed inside the external layers and in coordination with the corresponding layers of parallel fibers.