ULTRA THIN BOAT BODY SUPPORTED BY HYDROFOILS

Description

[0001] The subject of the invention relates to an ultra thin boat body which contains a hull with a nose part, middle part and rear part, and hydrofoil elements connected to the hull by means of a connection unit in such a way so that they can move, and the individual hydrofoil elements have a fixing zone that can be connected to the connection unit, a front hydrofoil part positioned before the fixing zone, and a rear hydrofoil part behind the fixing zone.

[0002] During the development of shipping it has become widely known that the sailing features of boat bodies can be made more favourable by reducing drag. Overly thin hulls, however, do not have the appropriate stability. Because of this the boat bodies of a determined width are supplemented with hydrofoils, positioned on the part that goes under the water, that can have a favourable effect on the sailing characteristics of the boat. The appropriately designed hydrofoils partially raise the boot hull out of the water while it is moving so reducing the drag, and in a given case increase the stability of the boat body. Such solutions can be seen in US patent No. 3,598,076, US patent No. 4,782,779 and US patent No. 4,915,048.

[0003] Such versions also exist in which the hydrofoils can be rotated, so depending on the speed of the boat the person steering the boat is able to change the angle of incidence of the hydrofoils and with this the travelling position of the boat. Examples of these constructions can be found in US patent No. 4,579,076 and US patent No. 3,628,486.

[0004] The deficiency of the constructions that have been published, however, is that the hydrofoils - in the case that they are built in a fixed way - during the movement of the boat body in general only operate appropriately in one speed range, while the experience and skill of the person steering a boat fitted with hydrofoil elements that have been fitted so that they can be moved can have a great effect on the sailing features of the boat, while in the case that they are set badly the existence of hydrofoils can be expressly disadvantageous.

[0005] Another unfavourable feature is that, up until now, hydrofoil elements have been exclusively used on relatively wide hulled single-hull boats, so the favourable joint effect of them could only be felt between certain limits.

[0006] Patent description registration number FR 1,419,584 presents a device that can be mounted on boat hulls which has a bracing unit positioned on the leg-like, supporting part extending under the boat body and a partly rotating hydrofoil attached to it. With the help of the flexible bracing structure restoring torque on the hydrofoil can be created on the effect of which the total upwards pushing force of the hydrofoil surface remains constant during the movement of the boat body.
The advantage of this solution is that it is able to keep the upwards driving force provided by the hydrofoil at a nearly constant value, and so it is able to raise the boat body out of the water to the required degree even in the case of different speed conditions. However, its disadvantage is that the hydrofoil extending transversely under the boat body - similarly to other known solutions - does not make it possible for the boat body to react appropriately to the possibly different water movement on the two sides of the boat body due to the wave-motion. As a result of this the hydrofoil does not promote the increase of the stability of the boat body during movement, which would be a significant requirement in the interest of safe navigation.

[0007] With the solution according to the invention our aim was to overcome the deficiencies of the known boat bodies and create a version that has exceptionally low drag and allows high speed, good water stability and attitude, and that, furthermore, makes good manoeuvring characteristics possible.

[0008] The recognition that led to the solution according to the invention was that if a hull is created that is very long and high as compared to its width, in other words ultra thin, to which hydrofoils are connected in a unique way, by a connection unit that is different to those know of then due to the very small travelling resistance and during the movement of the boat body due to the raising forces originating from the hydrofoil elements the task can be solved.

[0009] In accordance with the set aim the ultra thin boat body with improved sailing features according to the invention, which contains a hull with a nose part, middle part and rear part, and hydrofoil elements connected to the hull by means of a connection unit in such a way so that they can move, and the individual hydrofoil elements have a fixing zone that can be connected to the connection unit, a front hydrofoil part positioned before the fixing zone, and a rear hydrofoil part behind the fixing zone, - is constructed in such a way that the hydrofoil elements are arranged along the two longitudinal sides of the hull, protruding out of the side of the hull, symmetrically with the main plane of the hull, the connection unit has a torsion spring unit, and the hydrofoil element, with the interposition of the torsion spring unit, is fixed to the hull.

[0010] Another criterion of the boat body according to the invention is that the operating surface of the front hydrofoil part and the operating surface of the rear hydrofoil part are of different sizes.

[0011] In a possible constructed form of the boat body the connection unit has an adjustment partial unit connected to the torsion spring unit

[0012] In another version of the invention the connection unit has a seating unit and in the seating unit it has one or more catches, the torsion spring unit is formed by deforming, force-absorbing rubber blocks that are parallel along their longitudinal axis, a part of the deforming, force-absorbing rubber blocks is fitted between the catches, and the hydrofoil unit is held between the deforming, force-absorbing blocks.

[0013] In another different version of the boat body the connection unit has a seating unit and in the seating unit there are one or more catches, the torsion spring unit is formed by coil springs, one end of the coil spring is fixed to the connection unit and the other end is fixed to the fixing zone of the hydrofoil.

[0014] In a further construction of the boat body the connection unit has a seating unit and one or more catches are positioned in the seating unit, the torsion spring unit is formed by one or more spiral springs, one end of the spiral spring is connected to the connection unit and the other end is fixed to the fixing zone of the hydrofoil.

[0015] The boat body according to the invention has numerous advantageous features. The most important of these is that due to the unique combination of the long, thin, arrow-like hull and the hydrofoil units a boat body can be formed that has a continuously, automatically changing, speed-dependent draught, which, as a consequence of its ultra thin construction, and due to the low drag, is fast, is not liable to overturn, and still very manoeuvrable with a good attitude.

[0016] Another advantage is that due to the new type of connection between the hull and the hydrofoil the deck level of the boat body is, when the boat is stationary, close to the water surface, however, when the boat is travelling at its normal speed the deck level rises high above the water. As a result of this unique feature the boat body can be used especially effectively as a rescue boat, as in a stationary, i.e. rescuing position its stable deck close to the water makes getting people out of the water easier, as it rises high out of the water while travelling quickly the waves do not easily break onto the deck of the boat body, even in the case that the gunwales are not too high.

[0017] A further advantage is that the pre-tensioning of the hydrofoil elements, or the spring force resistance characteristics can be changed if necessary, so the sailing features of the boat body - within certain limits - can be changed in accordance with the characteristics of the water being sailed on and the sailing circumstances.

[0018] Another advantage due to the construction different to those known of is that the boat body is significantly less sensitive to the wave motion than the known constructions. Due to the self-setting hydrofoil elements the porpoising, pitching motion occurring in the waves is also reduced, as the water movement caused by the wave motion moves the hydrofoil elements and with this - forcing the boat body in the direction precisely opposite the wave motion - the movement caused by the wave motion is corrected.

[0019] Still another advantage is that as a consequence of the better sailing features, but mainly the significantly reduced drag and the better manoeuvrability, the boat body fitted with a low output engine gives performance like that of traditional boat bodies fitted with larger engines, so the specific operation cost of boats fitted with the boat body according to the invention is significantly lower.

[0020] The invention in connection with the construction examples is presented in detail on the basis of a drawing. On the drawing

Figure 1 is the side view of the boat body in partial cross-section,

Figure 2 is a view from the direction II in figure 1 in partial cross-section,

Figure 3 is the side view of a version of the connection unit in partial cross-section,

Figure 4 is the side view of another version of the connection unit in partial cross-section.

[0021] In figures 1 and 2 a possible version of the boat body 10 according to the invention can be seen. It can be clearly seen that here the boat body 10 consists of a hull 20 and another hull 30 of the same size, which are connected to each other by the connection member 11. Apart from connecting the task of the connection member is to provide a place for the engine (not shown on the diagrams) to be attached and other auxiliary units, and also provide a space for the crew. The hull 20 is constructed of a nose part 21, a middle part 22 and a rear part 23 and made of generally applied materials, e.g. fibre reinforced resin, just like hull 30 and the connection member 11.

[0022] It is important to emphasise that the length and width of the hull 20 can vary between wide limits depending on the water sailed on, so a hull 20 destined for freshwater could have a width of 10-15 cm and a length of 2.5-4 m, a sea-going hull 20 could have a width of 10-25 cm and a length of 4-12 m, while an ocean-going hull could have a width of 20-60 cm and a length of 10-27 m. Obviously in the case of hulls 20 of differing proportions the depth of the position of the hydrofoil elements 50 and so the connection units 40 on the hull 20 also differs between 0.4-3.8 m. However, in every case the selection of favourable proportions takes place in consideration of the purpose and other features.

[0023] As can be seen on figure 2 the hull 20 - and also the hull 30 - is fitted with hydrofoil elements 50. Two hydrofoil elements 50 are placed on the external longitudinal side 24 of the hull and two are placed in the internal longitudinal side 25 symmetrically to the main plane 26 in such a way that the first two hydrofoil elements 50 are fitted to the nose part 21 of the hull 20, while the rear two hydrofoil elements 50 are fitted to the rear part 23 of the hull 20. The hydrofoil elements 50 on the external longitudinal side 24 of the nose part 21 and on the internal longitudinal side 25 of the nose part 21 - in this embodiment - are fitted to a common axle 54, which axle 54 is fitted into the connection unit 40 fixed to the nose part 21 in such a way so that it may rotate.

[0024] Here, however, we have to mention that all the hydrofoil elements 50 positioned on the external longitudinal side 24 and the internal longitudinal side 25 of the hull 20 may have separate axles 54, as a result of which the hydrofoil elements 50 protruding out of the external longitudinal side 24 of the hull 20 and the hydrofoil elements 50 sticking out of the inner longitudinal side 25 of the hull 20 may rotate independently of each other around their own axis 54.

[0025] The hydrofoil element 50 consists of a front hydrofoil member 51, a rear hydrofoil member 53 and a fixing zone 52 situated between them, and the axle 54 is connected to the fixing zone 52.

[0026] It can also be seen that the operating surface 51a of the front hydrofoil part 51 of the hydrofoil part 50 is smaller than the operating surface 53a of the rear hydrofoil part 53. This surface different is a question of dimensioning, and its extent depends on the size of the boat, its planned running speed and the characteristics of the water on which the boat is navigated, so the construction of the hydrofoil elements 50 and the shape of the front hydrofoil part 51 and the rear hydrofoil part 53 is different in the case of the hydrofoil element 50 of a boat body 10 for sea navigation and in the case of the hydrofoil element 50 of a boat body 10 for river or lake navigation.

[0027] The connection unit 40 shown in figure 1 has a seating unit 42 in which there is a torsion spring unit 41, which, in the case of this construction, is formed by four rubber blocks 44. The longitudinal axes 45 of the rubber blocks 44 are parallel to each other and to the axle 54 of the hydrofoil element 50.

[0028] In the seating unit 42 of the connection unit 40 there are catches 43, which are plates butting into the seating unit 42 from the connection unit 40. The rubber blocks 44 serving as torsion spring unit 41 is placed beside these catches 43, so that at the same time they surround the fixing zone 52 of the hydrofoil element 50. The seating unit 42 of the connection unit 40, the catches 43 and the rubber blocks 44 are constructed in a way that there is exactly enough space for the fixing zone 52 of the hydrofoil element 50 and the axle 54 to fit in the area between the rubber blocks 44, that is in the normal position of the hydrofoil element 50 the torsion spring unit 41 does not exert any deviating force on the hydrofoil element 50.

[0029] When using the boat body 10 according to the invention, the hull 20 and the hull 30 of the boat body 10 go into the water in the same way, and the hydrofoil units - as is shown in figure 1 - are positioned turned off the horizontal so the front hydrofoil part 51 is above the horizontal and the rear hydrofoil part 53 is under the horizontal. With the hydrofoil unit in this state the operating surface 51a and the operating surface 53a look slightly towards the front.

[0030] When the boat body 10 sets off the forces having an effect on the operating surface 51a of the front hydrofoil part 51 and on the operating surface 53a of the rear hydrofoil part 53 of the hydrofoil unit 50 the due to the relative speed and acceleration between the water and the boat body 10 cause the hydrofoil unit 50 to turn anticlockwise - with respect to figure 1 - in other words the hydrofoil unit 50 tries to get into a position as close to horizontal as possible. While the hydrofoil unit 50 turns against the torsion spring unit 41, due to the position of the hydrofoil unit 50 the boat body 10 starts to rise and increasing the speed means that an increasingly smaller part of the boat body 10 remains under the water surface. Due to the reduction of liquid-replacement, however, the mass forces from the boat body 10 on the hydrofoil unit 50 grow. Due to the increase of buoyancy, the mass forces and speed during the lifting of the boat body 10 the rotary force on the hydrofoil unit, and, furthermore, the deformation energy stored in the torsion spring unit 41 equalise, at this time the hydrofoil element stays in the given position and the boat body 10 does not rise any further, it just planes through the water. Naturally a change in the speed has an effect on the balance of forces and also on the amount that the boat body 10 rises.

[0031] When reducing the speed of the boat body 10 due to the change of the forces on the hydrofoil units 50 the deformation energy stored in the torsion spring unit 41 of the connection unit 40 changes to a restoring force and tries to turn the axle 54 of the hydrofoil unit 50, and through this rotating the fixing zone 52 backwards so turning the front hydrofoil part 51 and the rear hydrofoil part 53 of the hydrofoil 50 in a clockwise direction - regarding the situation shown in figure 1. On becoming stationary the hydrofoil unit 50 returns to its base position.

[0032] On figure 3 a connection unit 40 can be seen, in which the torsion spring unit 41 placed in the seating unit 42 is formed by three coil springs 47. One end 47a of the individual coil springs is fixed to the catch 43 placed in the seating unit 42 of the connection unit 40, while the other end 47b of the coil spring is connected to the adjustment partial unit 46 fixed to the fixing zone 52 of the hydrofoil unit 50. The task of the adjustment partial unit 46 is to give the coil spring 47 that forms the torsion spring unit 41 the necessary pre-tensioning in accordance with the characteristics of the water being sailed on. It can be seen that the hydrofoil unit 50 is in a position turned off the horizontal, and also that the operating surface 51a of the front hydrofoil part 51 in this case is smaller than the operating surface 53a of the rear hydrofoil part 53.

[0033] Figure 4 differs from the previous only in that here the torsion spring unit 41 positioned in the seating unit 42 of the connection unit 40 is a spiral spring. Here also one end 48a of the spiral spring 48 is connected to the catch 43 of the seating unit 42, while the other end 48b is fixed to the fixing zone 52 of the hydrofoil unit 50.

[0034] It needs to be mentioned here that the pre-tensioning of the hydrofoil unit can not only be changed with the adjustment partial unit 46. This task can also be solves by rubber blocks 44, coil springs 47 and spiral springs with different spring power into the seating unit 42.

[0035] It is also important to emphasise that the hull 20 can not only be used in catamaran-type boat bodies 10, a version may be imagined where the boat body 10 consists of a single hull 20. In the case in order to retain stability the hull 20 needs to be given the necessary keel.

[0036] Naturally constructions can be formed in which the boat body 10 actually consists of three hulls 20.

[0037] The boat body according to the invention can be used well on all types of water, in the case of all types of watercraft, but it is especially good for sailing boats, powered sport and hobby boats, furthermore, rescue and military boats, where good manoeuvrability, resistance to capsizing and speed are basic requirements.

List of references

[0038] 

10

boat body
11  connection member

20

hull
21  nose part
22  middle part
23  rear part
24  external longitudinal side
25  internal longitudinal side
26  main plane

30

hull

40

connection units
41  torsion spring unit
42  seating unit
43  catch
44  rubber block
45  longitudinal axis
46  adjustment partial unit
47  coil springs
47a  one end
47b  other end
48  spiral spring
48a  one end
48b  other end

50

hydrofoil element
51  front hydrofoil member
51 a  operating surface
52  fixing zone
53  rear hydrofoil member
53 a  operating surface
54  axle

Claims

1. Ultra thin boat body with improved sailing features, which contains a hull (20) with a nose part (21), middle part (22) and rear part (23), and hydrofoil elements (50) connected to the hull (20) by means of a connection unit (40) in such a way so that they can move, and the individual hydrofoil elements (50) have a fixing zone (52) that can be connected to the connection unit (40), a front hydrofoil part (51) positioned before the fixing zone (52), and a rear hydrofoil part (53) behind the fixing zone (52), characterised by that the hydrofoil elements (50, 60) are arranged along the two longitudinal sides (24, 25) of the hull (20), protruding out of the side of the hull (20), symmetrically with the main plane (26) of the hull (20), the connection unit (40) has a torsion spring unit (41), and the hydrofoil element (50), with the interposition of the torsion spring unit (41), is fixed to the hull (20).

2. Boat body as in claims 1, characterised by that the operating surface (51a) of the front hydrofoil part (51) and the operating surface (53a) of the rear hydrofoil part (53) are of different sizes.

3. Boat body as in claims 1 or 2, characterised by that the connection unit (40) has an adjustment partial unit (46) connected to the torsion spring unit (41).

4. Boat body as in claims 1 to 3, characterised by that the connection unit (40) has a seating unit (42), and in the seating unit (42) it has one or more catches (43), the torsion spring unit (41) is formed by deforming, force-absorbing rubber blocks (44) that are parallel along their longitudinal axis (45), a part of the deforming, force-absorbing rubber blocks (44) is fitted between the catches (43), and the hydrofoil unit (50) is held between the deforming, force-absorbing rubber blocks (44).

5. Boat body as in claims 1 to 3, characterised by that the connection unit (40) has a seating unit (42), and one or more catches (43) are positioned in the seating unit (42), the torsion spring unit (41) is formed by coil springs (47), one end (47a) of the coil spring (47) is fixed to the connection unit (40), and the other end (47b) is fixed to the fixing zone (52) of the hydrofoil (50).

6. Boat body as in claims 1 to 3, characterised by that the connection unit (40) has a seating unit (42), and one or more catches (43) are positioned in the seating unit (42), the torsion spring unit (41) is formed by one or more spiral springs (48), one end (48a) of the spiral spring (48) is connected to the connection unit (40), and the other end (48b) is fixed to the fixing zone (52) of the hydrofoil (50).

Ansprüche

1. Ultradünner Bootskörper mit verbesserten Segeleigenschaften, welcher einen Rumpf (20) mit einem Bugteil (21), einem mittleren Teil (22) und einem Heckteil (23), und Tragflächenelementen (50) umfasst, die an dem Rumpf (20) mittels einer Anschlusseinheit (40) derart angeschlossen sind, sodass sie sich bewegen können und wobei die individuellen Tragflächenelemente (50) einen Befestigungsbereich (52), der an die Anschlusseinheit (40) angeschlossen werden kann, einen vorderen Tragflächenteil (51), der vor dem Befestigungsbereich (52) angeordnet ist und einen hinteren Tragflächenteil (53) hinter dem Befestigungsbereich (52) aufweisen
dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Tragflächenelemente (50, 60), die symmetrisch zu der Hauptebene (26) des Rumpfs (20) aus den Seiten des Rumpfs (20) vorstehen, entlang den beiden Längsseiten (24, 25) des Rumpfs (20) angeordnet sind, die Anschlusseinheit (40) eine Torsionsfedereinheit (41) aufweist, und das Tragflächenelemente (50) über die Zwischenschaltung der Torsionsfedereinheit (41) an dem Rumpf (20) befestigt ist.

2. Bootskörper gemäß Anspruch 1,
dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Arbeitsfläche (51a) des vorderen Tragflächenteils (51) und die Arbeitsfläche (53a) des hinteren Tragflächenteils (53) von unterschiedlicher Größe sind.

3. Bootskörper gemäß Anspruch 1 oder 2,
dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Anschlusseinheit (40) eine an der Torsionsfedereinheit (41) angeschlossene Justierungs-Teileinheit (46) aufweist.

4. Bootskörper gemäß Anspruch 1 bis 3,
dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Anschlusseinheit (40) eine Aufnahmeeinheit (42) aufweist und wobei die Aufnahmeeinheit (42) eine oder mehrere Arretierungen (43) aufweist, die Torsionsfedereinheit (41) mittels sich deformierenden, kraftabsorbierenden Gummiblöcken (44) ausgebildet ist, welche parallel längs ihrer Längsachse (45) sind, ein Teil der sich deformierenden, kraftabsorbierenden Gummiblöcke (44) zwischen die Arretierungen (43) eingesetzt ist und die Tragflächeneinheit (50) zwischen den sich deformierenden, kraftabsorbierenden Gummiblöcken (44) gehalten ist.

5. Bootskörper gemäß Anspruch 1 bis 3,
dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Anschlusseinheit (40) eine Aufnahmeeinheit (42) aufweist und wobei eine oder mehrere Arretierungen (43) in der Aufnahmeeinheit (42) angeordnet sind, die Torsionsfedereinheit (41) von Schraubenfedern (47) ausgebildet ist, ein Ende (47a) der Schraubenfeder (47) an der Anschlusseinheit (40) befestigt ist und das andere Ende (47b) an dem Befestigungsbereich (52) der Tragfläche (50) befestigt ist.

6. Bootskörper gemäß einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 3,
dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Anschlusseinheit (40) eine Aufnahmeeinheit (42) aufweist und wobei eine oder mehrere Arretierungen (43) in der Aufnahmeeinheit (42) angeordnet sind, die Torsionsfedereinheit (41) von einer oder mehreren Spiralfedern (48) ausgebildet ist, ein Ende (48a) der Spiralfeder (48) an der Anschlusseinheit (40) angeschlossen ist und das andere Ende (48b) an dem Befestigungsbereich (52) der Tragfläche (50) befestigt ist.

Revendications

1. Corps de bateau ultra mince aux caractéristiques de navigation améliorées, qui contient une coque (20) avec une partie proue (21), une partie médiane (22) et une partie arrière (23), et des éléments formant aile portante (50) sont reliés à la coque (20) au moyen d'une unité de liaison (40) de telle sorte qu'ils puissent bouger, les éléments individuels formant aile portante (50) ont une zone de fixation (52) qui peut être reliée à l'unité de liaison (40), une partie avant de l'aile portante (51) étant positionnée avant la zone de fixation (52), et une partie arrière de l'aile portante (53) derrière la zone de fixation (52), caractérisé en ce que les éléments formant aile portante (50, 60) sont disposés le long des deux côtés longitudinaux (24, 25) de la coque (20), faisant saillie du côté de la coque (20), symétriquement avec le plan principal (26) de la coque (20), l'unité de liaison (40) comporte une unité formant ressort de torsion (41), et l'élément formant aile portante (50), avec l'interposition de l'unité formant ressort de torsion (41), est fixé à la coque (20).

2. Corps de bateau selon la revendication 1, caractérisé en ce que la surface d'exploitation (5 la) de la partie avant de l'aile portante (51) et la surface d'exploitation (53a) de la partie arrière de l'aile portante (53) sont de tailles différentes.

3. Corps de bateau selon les revendications 1 ou 2, caractérisé en ce que l'unité de liaison (40) comporte une unité partielle de réglage (46) reliée à l'unité formant ressort de torsion (41).

4. Corps de bateau selon les revendications 1 à 3, caractérisé en ce que l'unité de liaison (40) comporte une unité d'assise (42), et dans l'unité d'assise (42) il comporte un ou plusieurs crans (43), l'unité formant ressort de torsion (41) est formée par des blocs en caoutchouc déformants, absorbant les forces (44) qui sont parallèles le long de leur axe longitudinal (45), une partie des blocs en caoutchouc déformants, absorbant les forces (44) est montée entre les crans (43), et l'aile portante (50) est tenue entre les blocs en caoutchouc déformants, absorbant les forces (44).

5. Corps de bateau selon les revendications 1 à 3, caractérisé en ce que l'unité de liaison (40) comporte une unité d'assise (42), un ou plusieurs crans (43) sont positionnés dans l'unité d'assise (42), l'unité formant ressort de torsion (41) est formée par des ressorts à boudin (47), une extrémité (47a) du ressort à boudin (47) est fixée à l'unité de liaison (40) et l'autre extrémité (47b) est fixée à la zone de fixation (52) de l'aile portante (50).

6. Corps de bateau selon les revendications 1 à 3, caractérisé en ce que l'unité de liaison (40) comporte une unité d'assise (42), un ou plusieurs crans (43) sont positionnés dans l'unité d'assise (42), l'unité formant ressort de torsion (41) est formée par un ou plusieurs ressorts à spirale (48), une extrémité (48a) du ressort spiral (48) est reliée à l'unité de liaison (40), et l'autre extrémité (48b) est fixée à la zone de fixation (52) de l'aile portante (50).

Drawing