Mast Track Headboard Car for Batten Chafing Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Fully battened mainsails on larger yachts face issues with batten chafing through the sail luff, leading to premature wear and increased friction in the mast track, which impedes sail raising and lowering due to the high compressive and torque forces exerted by the wind.
Innovation Solution
The use of luff extrusions with batten guides and channels for headboard cars that reduce chafing by guiding battens along the mast, eliminating the need for sail slides and minimizing friction, allowing for smooth sail movement by aligning the luff rope and headboard car axis with the mast axis.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional sail slides are used in the mast track, then the sail can be raised and lowered, but the battens twist and compress the slides creating friction that locks the sail or breaks the slides
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the traditional sail slide component from the system. Instead of using slides that get twisted and compressed by battens, the invention uses a headboard car with wheels that run in a mast track groove, eliminating the problematic friction and wear issues entirely
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a headboard car as an intermediary mechanism between the sail and the mast track. This headboard car with its wheel system mediates the interaction, allowing smooth movement without direct contact between battens and the tracking mechanism, thus preventing friction-induced locking or breakage
2Ease of operation
If rigid batten end fittings with joints are used to eliminate friction, then friction between slides and mast track is reduced, but the fittings cannot withstand high forces from compressed or torqued battens on larger sails
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates the complex batten end fittings with joints entirely. Instead of modifying the batten ends with fragile joints, the system uses a headboard car that carries the sail head and interacts with the mast track, removing the weak link from the system
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the dimension of the problem by moving from a linear batten-end-to-slide connection to a three-dimensional headboard car system with wheels rotating on an axis perpendicular to the mast track, allowing force distribution in multiple directions and eliminating the strength limitation of rigid jointed fittings
3Adaptability or versatility
If complex rigid mechanical connectors are used to permit three-dimensional rotation, then friction is eliminated, but the connectors require specialized slides and cannot withstand high forces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the complex rigid mechanical connectors with specialized slides from the system. Instead, it uses a headboard car with simple wheels that can handle three-dimensional movements through their rotation and the car's movement along the mast track groove
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the operational parameters by allowing the headboard car to move freely along the mast track groove while the wheels rotate to accommodate angular adjustments. This parameter change enables three-dimensional adaptability without requiring complex rigid connectors, as the system uses the combination of linear movement and rotational movement to achieve versatility
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are luff extrusions that solve problems of batten chafing and friction locking. The inventive luff extrusions provide batten end receptacles with channels for headboard cars. The luff extrusions absorb the wind-generated compressive forces exerted by the battens on the batten pockets and eliminate the need for sail slides.