Rigid-Panel Sail Transit Part for Low-Friction Hoisting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sailing vessel sails with integral guide rails for dollies experience significant friction during hoisting and lowering maneuvers, leading to potential blocking and increased manufacturing costs.
Innovation Solution
The sail is composed of rigid panels articulated in pairs, with a mast equipped with a guide member and a transit part at its lower end, allowing dollies to automatically transition between the guide member and the transit part during hoisting and lowering, reducing friction and eliminating the need for panel rails.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If each panel is provided with a guide rail for the dolly, then the hoisting and lowering maneuvers are facilitated, but the manufacturing cost increases significantly and considerable friction is generated
Solution Approach 1:
The guide rail is extracted from each individual panel and consolidated into a single guide member mounted on the mast. This eliminates the need for multiple panel rails while maintaining the guiding function for the dollies during sail hoisting and lowering operations.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple separate guide rails (one per panel) are merged into a single common guide member on the mast. This consolidation reduces the total number of components, lowers manufacturing costs, and simplifies the overall structure while still providing guidance for all dollies.
2Productivity
If each dolly remains integral with the guide rail during the entire maneuver, then the sail can be hoisted and lowered, but considerable friction is generated which leads to blocking risks
Solution Approach 1:
The connection between the dolly and guide member is made dynamic rather than permanently integral. The dolly can engage with the guide member during hoisting operations and disengage when not needed, allowing the system to adapt its degree of constraint based on operational requirements and reducing continuous friction.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of maintaining full integral connection throughout the entire maneuver, the guide member provides guidance only when necessary (partial action). The dolly engages with the guide member during critical phases of hoisting and lowering, reducing friction and blocking risks during other phases.
3Ease of operation
If each panel is provided with a guide rail, then the dolly movement is guided, but the friction increases and blocking risks are generated
Solution Approach 1:
The guiding function is extracted from multiple distributed guide rails on panels and centralized into a single guide member on the mast. This maintains the necessary guidance for dolly movement while reducing the total contact surfaces and associated friction.
Solution Approach 2:
The guiding function is segmented into discrete engagement points along the guide member rather than continuous contact with panel rails. This allows the dolly to move freely when not engaged, reducing friction and blocking risks while still providing guidance when needed.
Data Source
AI summary
A vessel is provided with a mast, sail, and halyard for hoisting the sail. The sail includes dollies configured to be movable along the mast. The mast includes a guide member, the guide dollies configured to cooperate with said guide member, wherein:the sail includes rigid panels, articulated two by two;the mast is equipped with a transit part positioned at the end of the guide member, which has a flared lower portion and is open at its opposite ends,wherein during hoisting of the sail, each dolly is received in the transit part and is guided along to leave it through its upper opening and cooperate with the guide member, while during its lowering, each dolly is disengaged from the guide member, is received in the transit part, moves along it, and escapes from it by following the movement of the portion of the sail with which it is integral.