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US 6,382,120 B1Granted
Seamed sail and method of manufacture
OwnerFred Aivars Keireinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A seamed sail made from a full size precursor sail of yarn oriented load path specific type which is thereafter cut and seamed; a method for making the sail and an apparatus for it.
Claims15
A method for manufacturing a sail of a plurality of panels, said sail having at least three corners, said method comprised of the steps of:
- a. securing on a flat surface a series of substrate panels corresponding to at least a portion of a sail, wherein a substrate seam between each substrate panel extends from a first edge to a second edge of said substrate panel;
- b. placing a first strip of a two-sided glue release medium on one side of an anticipated seam, said first strip being placed on one side of said anticipated seam on a substrate panel;
- c. laying down with a glue or an adhesive material a plurality of continuous filament yarns on said substrate panels to follow primary and/or secondary load path for said sail when said sail is in use for its intended purpose;
- d. overlaying for each panel a second strip of a two-sided release medium near one edge of said first strip of said two-sided release medium and at top of said continuous filament yarns, wherein said second strip is next to said anticipated seam for a precursor panel contiguous to a precursor panel with a first strip thereon;
- e. securing adhesively a layer of a second film or a second sheet of reinforcement material on top of said plurality of continuous filament yarns thereby obtaining a plurality of precursor panels for said sail;
- f. cutting each of said precursor panels with a broad seam for said precursor panels for said sail along a seam between said first and second strip of said two-sided release medium;
- g. removing said first and second strip of said two-sided release medium;
- h. gluing and broad seaming overlappingly each of said precursor panels to its next contiguous precursor panel to form a sail of a plurality of panels wherein each panel joins the other with an interior seam having yarn to yarn relationship.
5 more elements
An apparatus for the manufacture of yarn-defined structural sails, said apparatus comprising:
- a table including means for a plurality of communicable vacuum passages on a top surface of said table;
- a plurality of continuous conduits in said table for passage of a heating medium therethrough;
- gantry means above said table including a removable gantry turret above said top surface of said table for reciprocal two-dimensional movement of said gantry means above said table;
- means for laterally adjustably dispensing a plurality of yarns from said gantry means on a substrate secured to the top surface of said table by said vacuum passages, said means for laterally adjustably dispensing a plurality of yarns including a glue bath for said plurality of yarns;
- and
- means for glue attachment of said yarns to said substrate on the top surface of said table.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.