Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
  • B63B—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPPING 
  • B63B17/00—Vessels parts, details, or accessories, not otherwise provided for
  • B63B17/04—Stanchions; Guard-rails ; Bulwarks or the like
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
  • B63B—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPPING 
  • B63B15/00—Superstructures, deckhouses, wheelhouses or the like; Arrangements or adaptations of masts or spars, e.g. bowsprits
  • B63B15/0083—Masts for sailing ships or boats

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a spacer which is essen ⁇ tially in the form of a wheel and which is intended to be fitted to a wire-like or cord-like rigging element of a sail-rigged vessel, such as to a shroud, a guard rail or manrope, and to prevent direct contact between a sail and the like and said rigging, and also between the sail and other rigging details.
• spacers are known to the art.
• a spacer construction which includes two disc-shaped com ⁇ ponents which are intended to be joined together while em ⁇ bracing a rigging element of the aforesaid kind.
• This kind of spacer is encumbered with a plurality of drawbacks. For instance, it is necessary to manipulate separately several parts of the spacer when fitting the spacer to a piece of rigging.
• a spacer of this known kind must be manufactured to high tolerances and with great precision, which results in relatively high manufacturing costs and high material consumption.
• the present invention provides a spacer which is not en ⁇ cumbered with the drawbacks inherent with known spacers of the kind intended.
• the present invention relates to a spacer which is intended to be fitted to a preferably wire-like or cord-like rigging element of a sail-rigged vessel, such as a shroud, guard rail, manrope, such as to prevent di ⁇ rect contact between a sail or like device and said rig ⁇ ging element and, when applicable, also with other rigging details, and which has essentially the form of a wheel which incorporates a substantially centrally located hole which extends axially through the spacer and which is in- tended to receive said rigging element.
• a sail-rigged vessel such as a shroud, guard rail, manrope
• the inventive spacer is mainly characterized in that it consists of a single-piece structure, and in that it has 5 provided therein a slot which extends from said hole to the outer peripheral surface of the spacer and which en ⁇ ables the rigging element to be passed into said centrally located hole, the arrangement being such as to enable the slot to widen ' essentially in the circumferential direction 0 of the spacer against the action of a spring bias, such that the slot returns to its non-widened state.
• Figure 1 illustrates a first embodiment of a spacer con ⁇ structed in accordance with the invention, seen in the di ⁇ rection of the spacer axis;
• Figure 2 is a view of the spacer of Figure 1, seen from below in said Figure;
• Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line A-A in Fig- 5 ure 1;
• Figure 4 illustrates closure parts located adjacent one peripheral part of the spacer and intended for closing the mouth of the slot in its relaxed state.
• Figure 1 illustrates a spacer 1 which is preferably made of a plastics material and which is intended for use pre ⁇ ferably with a wire-like or cord-like element 2, such as a shroud 2 or a guard rail 2.
• the spacer 1 has essentially the form of a wheel and has located substantially in the centre thereof a hole or a bore 3 which extends axially through the spacer and which is intended to accommodate the rigging element 2.
• the spacer is preferably a single-piece structure and is intended to be produced in one single molding operation.
• a slot 4 Extending from the periphery 5 of the spacer 1 to the 10 centrally located hole 3 is a slot 4 by means of which the rigging element 2 is inserted into the hole 3.
• the spacer is constructed in a manner which will enable the slot to be widened in the directions of arrows 6 in Figure 1. Widen- 15 ing of the slot 4 is intended to occur essentially in the circumferential direction of the spacer against the force of a spring bias, so that the slot will return to its original non-widened state, shown in Figure 1, in the absence of the rigging element 2.
• the slot 4 will prefer- 20 ably extend radially across and axially through the spacer 1, in accordance with the illustrated embodiment.
• the illus ⁇ trated spacer has a peripheral annulus 7 of rectangular 25 cross-section which is joined to a central hub part 8 in ⁇ corporating the hole 3, through the medium of mutually spaced spoke-like parts 9, the spaces between mutually ad ⁇ jacent spokes being referenced 10 in Figure 1.
• the slot 4 is preferably formed in one of the spokes 9, as shown in Figure 1, which Figure illustrates a preferred embodiment in which the spokes are substantially in the
• the illustrated spacer has 5 three sector-shaped spokes 9 which are essentially equal to one another and which include a centre angle of ca 60
• the central, hub part 8 of the illustrated spacer com ⁇ prises a substantially cylindrical sleeve which extends axially therethrough.
• the reference 11 identifies stiffen ⁇ ing members which adjoin the hub part 8 and also that part 9' of the slot-embodying spoke 9 which adjoins the hub part 8, these stiffening members having a radial and an axial extension.
• the provision of a stiffening member on the upper side of the slot and the under side thereof can be beneficial.
• Figure 4 illustrates a preferred form of the slot 4, where each of the portions of the spoke 9 that define the outer peripheral end 4 1 of the slot has formed thereon a promon ⁇ tory 12, said promontories facing towards one another and having extensions such as to essentially close the entrance to the slot in its non-widened state.
• the spacer is thus fitted to a rigging element, such as a shroud of a sailing vessel, by passing the cable element along the widenable slot 4, which returns to its non- widened state when the rigging element enters the hub part 8 of the spacer, said spacer therewith preventing contact of a sail with the rigging element 2 and, when applicable, with devices used in conjunction with said rigging element.
• a rigging element such as a shroud of a sailing vessel
• the inventive spacer affords essential advantages over prior art spacers.
• One of these advantages resides in the fact that the spacer can be manufactured at relatively low costs, and also that it can be fitted and manipulated easily.
• the number of spokes 9 incorporated in the spacer may be greater or fewer than three.
• the annulus 7 may have a cross-sectional shape other than a substantially rectangular shape, e.g. a circular shape.
• the slot 4 need not extend axially through the spacer 1, but may form an angle of, e.g., 45° with said axial direction, in which case the slot may be opened by displacing the slot-defining spoke portion axially away from one another.
• the wall of the central hub part 8 may be given, during manufacture, a thickness which will enable the hole 3 to be enlargened or modified in some other way, so as to enable the spacer to be fitted to coarser or thicker rigging.
• the spacer is preferably made from a plastics ma- terial, more specifically a hard plastics material, the spacer may of course, also be made of other materials, - such as aluminium for instance.
• each limb 15 of the bifurcate locking device 14 had a widening 16 which is compressed somewhat when forced through respective hole 13, and which subsequently expands so as to form a stop.
• the positions of the holes 13 may also be vaired. When the stresses created by the rigging for which the spacer is intended are expected to be high, it may be more beneficial to position the holes 13 closer to the outer periphery of the spacer.
• the locking devices 14, in the illustrated case the bifurcate device 14, are preferably one-piece structures which are produced simul ⁇ taneously with respective spacers, such as to provide a connecting piece 17.
• the promontories 12 may also be placed at other locations than shown.

Landscapes

• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Ocean & Marine Engineering (AREA)
• Insulating Bodies (AREA)
• Suspension Of Electric Lines Or Cables (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=20366625

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (6)

Family Cites Families (1)

• 1986
  • 1986-12-12 SE SE8605364A patent/SE458997B/sv not_active IP Right Cessation
• 1987
  • 1987-11-27 JP JP88500610A patent/JPH01501699A/ja active Pending
  • 1987-11-27 AU AU10508/88A patent/AU1050888A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1987-11-27 WO PCT/SE1987/000565 patent/WO1988004255A1/en active IP Right Grant
  • 1987-11-27 DE DE8888900257T patent/DE3761368D1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1987-11-27 EP EP19880900257 patent/EP0294422B1/de not_active Expired

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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