HIGH STRENGTH THERMOPLASTIC POLYMER FILMS FOR STRENGTH AND DURABILITY AND RELATED METHODS

Abstract

A high strength filament reinforced thermoplastic polymer film is provided for use in various applications with properties that are stronger than rip-stop nylon or polyester woven fabric. As disclosed, a sailboat spinnaker is provided made from high strength filament reinforced thermoplastic polymer film. The sailboat spinnaker may he bonded or thermo welded together along seams to form a finished spinnaker. The seams, being welded or bonded, can have enhanced performance over conventional rip-stop nylon or polyester fabric spinnakers that are sewn together. The spinnaker clews (attach) points can also be reinforced with one or more thermoplastic polymer film layers and/or adhesive backed woven fabric reinforcements with loops in lieu of conventional metal rings and webbing sewn in place.

Description

FIELD OF ART

The present disclosure is directed to high strength thermoplastic polymer films for use in various land, sea, and air applications with particular discussions directed to high strength reinforced thermoplastic polymer films for use as sails for sail boats.

BACKGROUND

Spinnakers for sailboats are typically used for downwind and reaching across the wind sailing modes and can be found in just about all racing sailboats. Historically, the majority of spinnakers have been made from rip-stop nylon or polyester woven fabric assembled by sewing fabric broadgoods together to achieve the desired spinnaker size and shape. Spinnakers typically have three corners where the halyard, guy, and sheet control lines attach to hoist, trim (manage) or retrieve the spinnaker thereby harnessing the wind to propel the sailboat. Traditional spinnaker corners are reinforced with additional layers of rip-stop woven fabric that are sewn in-place to make them adequately strong. High strength webbing straps, made from materials such as nylon, DACRON or KEVLAR) are also sewn to the corners of the spinnaker sail to enable affixing metal rings to the spinnaker sail or grommets are installed to serve as the handling attach points for the halyard, guy and sheet control lines.

When used, rip-stop nylon or polyester woven fabrics generally must be oriented in the direction of the material fibers along the various load paths of the spinnaker to the greatest degree possible in order to carry forces induced by the wind and hold the designed shape of the spinnaker. The maximum strength of conventional woven fabric materials is in the warp and fill direction of the fabric. Rip-stop nylon or polyester fabrics are subject to excessive stretch on the bias direction relative to the woven fabric fibers. Loads sailing or handling in the bias direction of the fabric can adversely distort the material and affect the shape and performance of the spinnaker. Since primary strength of woven fabrics is only in two directions, this characteristic must be factored into the design and construction of a conventional spinnaker and results in added weight, complexity and cost.

Rip-stop nylon or polyester fabrics are also naturally somewhat porous since they are a woven fabric material. Current rip-stop fabrics used for spinnakers are typically treated with a resin coating to partially seal the fabric porosity. However, the lightest weight spinnaker fabrics are still somewhat porous even with the resin coating. The resin coating is also intended to help stabilize the fabric from distortion somewhat in the bias direction relative to the weave. After normal repeated sailing use, the resin coating quickly breaks down and the material becomes more and more porous and more subject to stretch in the bias direction. Any spinnaker sailing forces that are not acting along the axis of the woven fibers stretches the sail material and further breaks down the resin coating. A porous fabric adversely affects the performance of the spinnaker since wind passes through the fabric rather than being redirected along the surface of the spinnaker. These combined factors result in a relatively limited useful life of the sail. However, considering the investment cost for conventional rip-stop nylon or polyester fabric spinnakers, particularly for racing sailboats, any increase in service life will yield substantial savings. Additionally, while sail-makers and sailboat racers would like to have lighter weight spinnakers for certain conditions, the lightest fabrics are also the most porous and the most susceptible to structural failures at the sewn seams and loss of shape due to distortion. Thus, sailboat racers typically have to compromise among lighter weight, durability, longevity and performance.

Rip-stop nylon or polyester fabric spinnakers often fail in service when used in racing sailboats and facing significant wind. A common failure is to tear along the sewn seams of the spinnaker. The zigzag stitching that joins the seams of the spinnaker together is usually not as strong as the base fabric itself especially for the lightest weight rip-stop nylon fabrics. Double-backed tape is often used to adhere rip-stop nylon spinnakers together to facilitate ease of sewing the seams, such as to temporarily hold the fabric along the seam, but the double-backed tape does not carry load or the forces of flying the spinnaker and rapidly degrades due to environmental effects leaving an undesirable yellow powder in the sewn seams of the spinnaker.

The corner reinforcements of conventional rip-stop nylon spinnakers are relatively heavy since numerous rip-stop nylon or polyester fabric doublers are required to transition the sailing, forces from the body of the sail into the corner reinforcements and control line attachment points which are typically metal rings or large metal grommets.

Pigmenting rip stop nylon or polyester fabrics with various colors is a popular option for spinnaker products. However, the pigmentation process changes the fabric mechanical properties and different color fabrics have different stretch properties. These factors affect the useful life of a racing spinnaker and the sailing performance of the spinnaker. For this reason, the most serious racing sailboats often use all white rip-stop nylon spinnakers.

A new generation of spinnaker sails has been made from two thin layers of a thermoset polymer film (PoBET) commonly known as Mylar with fiber filaments, typically UHM-PE (Dyneema or Spectra) laminated between the film layers using thermosetting adhesive. These sails can be used for traditional spinnakers and specialized reaching sails commonly called Gennakers or Code 0 sails. A Code 0 sail is a specialized hybrid spinnaker that is half spinnaker and half jib sail design used for close reaching and lighter wind upwind sailing in certain conditions. These sails are sewn together by conventional methods or adhesively glued together using thermosetting adhesives. “Cuben” fiber is a commonly known example of a material in this form used for spinnakers, specialized reaching sails, Code 0 sails and in other weight and strength critical industrial and aerospace applications. However, these materials are subject to delaminating and moisture degradation of the adhesive that bonds the film and fibers together.

SUMMARY

Aspects of the present disclosure include a sailboat spinnaker made of one or more layers of a non-porous high strength thermoplastic polymer film. In other examples, the high strength thermoplastic polymer film is used for non-sea hearing applications.

A further aspect of the present disclosure is a sailboat spinnaker made of one or more layers of a non-porous high strength thermoplastic polymer film reinforced with high strength filaments in 0/90 or a combination of 0/90 and +/−45 degree orientation or other angular variations and/or variations in filament reinforcement types and/or spacing.

The reinforced thermoplastic film spinnaker, wherein the film is made by thermo-fusing the reinforcing filament fibers into the thermoplastic film using heated pinch rollers or opposed belt laminator without adhesive is also contemplated.

A further feature is a sailboat spinnaker made from thermoplastic PEEK film, PEI film, PI film, or other engineering thermoplastic films or combinations thereof. The film can be used with or without thread, scrim or fiber reinforcement and different film sections are attached along seams without sewing.

A sailboat spinnaker is further provided made from a high strength thermoplastic polymer film comprising a plurality of seams, and wherein the plurality of seams comprises adhesive bonding or thermo-welding.

A still yet further aspect of the present invention and disclosure is a sailboat spinnaker made from high strength thermoplastic polymer film wherein the seams are ultrasonically welded.

As described herein, a sailboat spinnaker made from high strength thermoplastic polymer film is provided wherein the seams for joining different film sections together are heat fused together with either a single heated blade passed along the film seam supported by a tool surface or by a heated roller with one or more fins of the roller contacting the film supported by a tool surface.

Another feature of the present disclosure is a sailboat spinnaker comprising a plurality of corners with at least one corner comprising braided and covered fiber rope loops. In some examples, the fiber rope loops are splayed out into the at least one corner and adhesively bonded or thermo-formed between reinforcing layers of a film.

A sailboat spinnaker made from a thermoplastic polymer-based material is also provided wherein the thermoplastic polymer-based material is a single layer polymer film or a multi-layer polymer film adhesively bonded or heat fused together with or without one or more layers of high strength reinforcing filaments of Kuralon (PVA) nylon, aramid or carbon fibers.

Another feature of the present disclosure is a method of manufacturing a sailboat spinnaker comprising bonding or thermo-fusing two or more film sheets made from a thermoplastic polymer-based film together along a plurality of seams in one or more assembly operations on a tool configured to the desired shape of the spinnaker sail locally at the seams.

Another method of manufacturing a sailboat spinnaker is disclosed comprising providing at least two thermoplastic film sheets, and bonding or thermo-welding the at least two thermoplastic film sheets together along a seam.

The present application further describes a sailboat spinnaker made from a thermoplastic polymer film, wherein the film is laminated with one or more plies and any intermittent filament reinforcement or scrim layer incorporated is equal or has a lower tensile modulus than the film plies such that the scrim does not enhance the isotropic stretch characteristics of the spinnaker film laminate in any direction.

A sailboat spinnaker made from a multi-layer thermoplastic polymer film with or without filament reinforcement is further described. Wherein the film has enhanced tensile strength in one direction that is 90 degrees or opposed to the adjacent film ply with regards to the enhanced strength direction in order to better optimize the film laminate mechanical properties.

Yet, another feature of the present disclosure is a sailboat spinnaker made from a multi-layer thermoplastic film of at least two different polymer film types bonded or thermo-fused together such that the properties of the composite laminate are enhanced in terms of tensile strength, modulus, elongation, tenacity and/or tear strength.

In some embodiments, the different thermoplastic polymer film types can have different thicknesses.

A still further feature is a sailboat spinnaker comprising a plurality of corners having reinforcements made from a different thermoplastic polymer film than the at least two different thermoplastic polymer film types forming the substrate.

A sailboat spinnaker made of various panels of reinforced thermoplastic film with various spacing of the filament reinforcement and orientations of the filament reinforcement in the panels to optimize the strength and shape holding characteristics of the spinnaker is also provided.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features and advantages of the present device, system, and method will become appreciated as the same becomes better understood with reference to the specification, claims and appended drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a sail boat having two sails.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing a joined substrate consisting of two or more thermoplastic polymer films.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing a corner of a working or joined substrate comprising a loop and splayed fibers.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing a section of a thermoplastic polymer film having reinforced threads, fibers, or scrims.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing another section of a thermoplastic polymer film having reinforced threads, fibers, or scrims.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional end view of a multi-laminate thermoplastic polymer film having reinforced threads, scrims or fibers positioned between the layers.

FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing two thermoplastic polymer film sections joined together along a seam using an over-lap joint.

FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing clevis type (one ply between two plies) lap shear seam.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing a two roller system for joining two or more thermoplastic polymer film sheets together.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of the presently preferred embodiments of high strength thermoplastic polymer films and reinforced thermoplastic polymer films provided in accordance with aspects of the present device, system, and method and is not intended to represent the only forms in which the present device, system, and method may be constructed or utilized. The description sets forth the features and the steps for constructing and using the embodiments of the present device, system, and method in connection with the illustrated embodiments. It is to be understood, however, that the same or equivalent functions and structures may be accomplished by different embodiments that are also intended to be encompassed within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. As denoted elsewhere herein, like element numbers are intended to indicate like or similar elements or features.

FIG. 1 depicts a sail boat 100 comprising a jib 102 and a spinnaker sail 104, which is unfurled for sailing off the wind from reaching course to a downwind. The spinnaker 104 is held at its two lower corners by guy lines 106, 108 and at the upper corner 112 to the mast 110. As further discussed below, the spinnaker 104 of the present disclosure is sized, shaped, and configured to carry high wind forces yet remain relatively light weight and durable over comparable prior art spinnakers.

Aspects of the present disclosure include a fundamentally different material, assembly concept, and method for making and manufacturing spinnakers and specialized reaching sails. Instead of woven rip-stop nylon or polyester fabrics, high strength filament reinforced thermoplastic polymer film is used for the base spinnaker material. In one example, polymer films, in rolls, sheets, or sections, and reinforcing fibers are thermo-fused together with heat and pressure to form high strength filament reinforced thermoplastic polymer films, rolls or sheets. The films, rolls, or sheets and then formed into, such as cut into, reinforced thermoplastic film sections that are then thermo-welded together at the seams to form the desired shape and size, such as a desired spinnaker size for a certain size sail boat. In other examples, the reinforced thermoplastic film sections may be adhesively bonded along the seams. In still yet other examples, the reinforced thermoplastic film sections are joined by both adhesive bonding and thermo-welding. The joined reinforced thermoplastic film sections may be referred to as a joined reinforced thermoplastic polymer film substrate or joined substrate ready for use, such as for sailing as a spinnaker sail.

FIG. 2 shows an exemplary joined substrate 114, which has a plurality of reinforced thermoplastic film sections 116 joined together along several seams 118, such as by thermo-welding or adhesive bonding or both, to form a final shaped or contoured substrate. The joined substrate 114 has three corners 120 and resembles a triangle. In other examples, the joined substrate has a different shape and a different number of corners. In still yet other examples, a single reinforced thermoplastic film sheet cut to final shape is used for the working substrate.

At the corners 120 of the joined substrate 114, corner reinforcements can be bonded or thermo-welded in place in lieu of fabric doublers, sewn webbing and/or metal rings, which are more costly and timely to make. Corner control line attachment features 122 can be implemented by making a loop 124 of braided high strength line, for example from Dyneema, Vectran, Technora or similar commercially available line with the fiber ends 126 of the loop unbraided and splayed out into the corner of the reinforced film section 116 of the joined substrate 114 and bonded in place between the corner reinforcement layers. In some examples, no heavy metal rings or metal grommets are used for attach points to the spinnaker with this approach. Wear resistant braided material coverings may be provided to protect the corner attachment rope loop 124 from chafe induced by control lines.

Filament reinforced high strength thermoplastic polymer film is usable in the present device, system, and method in lieu of woven rip-stop nylon, polyester fabric or thermoset film materials, such as BoPET (Mylar) or combinations thereof. Exemplary materials for making the present device and assembly include PEEK (polyetheretherketone) film, PEI (polyetherimide) film, thermoplastic PI (polyimide) film, or other similar high strength thermoplastic polymer films with carbon fiber, Kuralon (PVA fiber), aramid, polyester fiber or other high strength filament based materials are usable for forming the disclosed joined substrate 114. Scrim, such as woven material, or thread reinforcements thermally fused to one or more sides of the film without adhesive provide the reinforcement contemplated for forming the disclosed reinforced thermoplastic polymer film. For example, widely spread and/or spaced filaments or a loosely woven scrim of high strength yarns or filaments, of carbon, Kuralon (PVA fibers) or aramid may be used to reinforce the thermoplastic polymer film.

While advantageous for sailboat spinnakers and other sails, such as specialized reaching sails, the manufacturing method disclosed herein for forming the resultant material is understood to be usable in other weight and strength sensitive applications, such as satellite flexible solar panel substrates, architectural canopies, or various aerospace applications. Preferably, the selected film polymers combined with filaments thermo-fused in place have higher tensile strength and less stretch than conventional spinnaker nylon or polyester fabrics in all directions. The preferred thermoplastic polymer films are stronger not only because of their enhanced mechanical properties compared to nylon or polyester but also because there is more cross-sectional area to the material compared to fabric of the same thickness. In other words, for the same thickness as a prior art rip-stop nylon, the present disclosed polymer film is more compact or dense and therefore has a greater cross-sectional area. Alternately, the film can be made thinner than a conventional woven rip-stop fabric for spinnakers but yield the same cross-sectional area. While a filament reinforced engineering thermoplastic polymer film, such as PEEK, is a high strength material for spinnaker applications, other less high strength polymer films are usable in making the present device and system and include PEI or thermoplastic PI film with reinforcing filaments fused in place. The reinforcing filaments improve the strength, tear resistance and damage resistance for the spinnaker material.

In one example, a lightweight spinnaker for light winds made of thermoplastic polymer film, such as from PEEK, PEI, or PI, without reinforcing filaments is provided. In an alternative example, the same thermoplastic polymer film is reinforced but with widely spaced reinforcing filaments as opposed to closely packed threads or scrim. In the noted lightweight spinnaker, the thermoplastic polymer film is non-porous to the wind as compared to rip-stop nylon or polyester fabric. In each case, the thermoplastic polymer film has mechanical properties that are generally equivalent in all directions along the film plane.

In one embodiment, a spinnaker 104 is made from a single or uniform filament reinforced film or unreinforced ply of sufficient thickness. In another embodiment, the spinnaker 104 is made from more than one thermoplastic polymer film types, for example, e.g., from a PEEK film and a PEI film, that are bonded or welded together along one or more seams. The different films can also have different thicknesses. The reinforcing filaments can include evenly spread filaments or narrowly spaced discrete fiber strands, yarns or threads in either a 0/90 degree orientation, +/−45 degree orientation or combined 0/90 and +/−45 degree orientation as required by the design of the spinnaker although other reinforcing filament orientations are contemplated, such as 15/65 degrees, among others. The spacing and density per unit area of the reinforcing filaments is also optimized for the specific spinnaker or end product requirements. Uniformly spread filaments or discrete filament threads spaced from 1 mm to 3 mm apart appears to be optimal for most spinnaker applications that will provide both added strength and tear resistance, although other spacing dimensions are possible. Additionally, reinforcing filament strand density and spacing dimensions and angular orientations can be varied for different portions of the spinnaker to optimize the strength and shape holding characteristics of the spinnaker. In other words, the thread or scrim reinforcement can vary from section to section of the joined substrate 114 or of the working substrate, which can also be made from a one piece without any seam. For example, the center section of a joined or working substrate as well as the corners may have more reinforcement than the other parts or sections of the substrate.

FIG. 4 shows a section of a filament reinforced high strength thermoplastic polymer film section 116. The reinforced film section 116 comprises a high strength thermoplastic polymer film 130 that is reinforced by scrims or threads 132. The threads 132 are shown spaced from one another and all spanning generally along the same direction, which can be horizontal, vertical, or diagonal depending on the viewing angle of the reinforced film 116. FIG. 5 discloses a section of a filament reinforced high strength thermoplastic polymer film section 116 that is reinforced in the X-Y direction, or in the +/−45 degree direction, with spaced apart threads 132 forming a plurality of square, rectangles or diamond shaped reinforced web. Depending on the desired strengths, the threads 132 can be spaced by degree or distance, such as being more or less dense per unit area and can vary in placement and density within the same working substrate.

In the case of a PEEK film or film section, opaque clear, pigmented black or metallized silver or gold coated film or film sections are available. In some examples, colors or color patterns and designs can be printed on the substrate. Thus, another aspect of the present polymer film, reinforced thermoplastic polymer film substrate, or spinnaker is one made from one or more polymer films or film sections with various indicia either printed on the one or more films or film sections or wherein the various indicia are included in the one or more films.

Film thickness for the present reinforced thermoplastic polymer film-based spinnaker can range from 0.25 mils, 0.5 mils, 1 mil, 2 mils or more, such as 3.3 mils to 5 mils or higher, as required for the specific spinnaker design. Most sailboat spinnaker applications can have films in the thickness range of 1.0 to 3.0 mils thickness. A film spinnaker made from carbon or Kuralon (PVA fiber) filament reinforced PEEK or PEI film with a thickness and/or weight equivalent to conventional rip-stop nylon fabric spinnaker exhibits superior strength and significantly improved stiffness in all planar directions. Alternatively, a filament reinforced thermoplastic polymer-based film spinnaker can be thinner, i.e., not as thick, and lighter weight than a conventional rip-stop nylon fabric spinnaker but still offers the same or superior strength, which results in better sailing characteristics.

While PEEK or PEI films are particularly suitable for making and using the present device, assembly, and system, they are not the only materials that can be used. Other thermoplastic polymer films are contemplated for making high strength reinforced films provided they have appropriate combinations of film tensile strength, elongation and tear resistance. For example, if the reinforced film is used as a tent, an awning, a satellite flexible solar panel substrate, an architectural canopy or a sailboat spinnaker, the thermoplastic polymer film selection, the reinforced scrim and thread type as well as density, location, and orientation are factored into the manufacturing and selection.

In an exemplary embodiment, two or more layers of the same or different thermoplastic films, such as a first film and a second film, may be bonded together to produce a multi-layer film having suitable properties for making sailboat spinnakers. For example, one thermoplastic polymer film may have excellent tensile strength but less tear resistance than a second thermoplastic polymer film that is bonded or thermo-fused to the first polymer film to provide an overall multi-layer film property with sufficient tear resistance and tensile strength. The reinforcing filaments can be thermo-fused to one layer or thermo-laminated between film layers of the same or different types. The composite combination of the two or more films can be tailored to suit specific requirements of any desired spinnaker or to a specific area of a spinnaker. In another embodiment, the multi-layer film is made from more than two distinct films. For example, two highly UV resistant thin films may be added over a higher strength but less UV resistant film to optimize the performance properties. In another example, more damage resistant films can be added over another film to optimize overall spinnaker performance characteristics. In a third example, color or printed film can be added over a translucent film. In a fourth example, a very thin film is sandwiched between two layers of spread filaments at opposing angles (say +/−90 degrees) with an outer film layer on each side of the overall laminate, all thermo-fused together without adhesive.

FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional end view of a multi-layer film 140 provided in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. As shown, the multi-layer film 140 comprises a first film 142 bonded, thermo-fused, or thermo-laminated to a second film 144 to form a sufficient tear resistance and tensile strength capable multi-layer film. Also shown are threads or scrims 132 laid between the two layers to further reinforce the multi-layer film. However, a third film 146 and optionally a fourth film 148, shown in dashed-lines, may be bonded, thermo-fused, or thermo-laminated to the first and second films 142, 144. For example, two highly UV resistant thin films may be added over a higher strength but less UV resistant film to optimize the performance properties.

High strength thermoplastic films are typically available in 24 inch wide to 57 inch wide sheet rolls. Other sizes, for example custom-requested sizes, are usable in the present device, system, and method. To make a spinnaker from a filament reinforced thermoplastic polymer film, such as from a single layer or a multi-layer film, with smaller dimensions than the completed spinnaker, multiple sheets (often called panels) of the polymer film must be bonded or thermo-welded together along a plurality of seams to form a joined film or substrate 114. These seams serve the purpose to not only make the spinnaker large enough but to build the desired contour or shape of the spinnaker. Contour is built into the spinnaker by trimming some or the entire panel edges with a slight convex curve or concave curve so that shape is built into the sail when the panel edges are joined together along the seams. Preferably, a completed spinnaker has zero sewn components or has sewn components, measured in assembled or joined lengths, which make less than 10% of all joined lengths.

PEEK or PEI films can be treated for adhesive bonding or heat fused to other PEEK or PEI films, other thermoplastic films or to other treated films or to other substrates. Large spinnakers requiring thicker films can be made from a single monolithic layer of film at the desired thickness or laminated from multiple film layers. Bonding film to film can be accomplished using thermosetting adhesives well known by the sail making industry such as polyester, epoxy, urethane or cyranoacrylate (CA) adhesive or other suitable adhesive. However, thermoplastic film such as PEEK or PEI can be thermo-welded to attach one panel to another. In one example, the joining of one film panel to another is simply with an over-lap, i.e., lap shear, bond with an overlap of roughly 0.25 inches to 0.5 inches in width. FIG. 7 depicts a first panel 150 joined to a second panel 152 along a seam 154 using an over-lap joint of roughly 0.25 inches to about 0.5 inches. In less preferred ranges, less than 0.25 inches and up to about 3 inches in width may be used.

A clevis type (one ply between two plies) lap shear seam 156 is shown in FIG. 8, which can be created when three or more film layers 158, 160, 162 are joined. A preferred method of joining filament reinforced thermoplastic polymer film such as PEEK or PEI (with reinforcing filaments) is to heat fuse the seam 156 by ultrasonic welding, or hot seaming. The ultrasonic welding pattern can be straight or mirror that of a zigzag sewing stitch along the lapped seam. While a heated blade can be used, a preferable method of hot seaming is to use a heated roller with one or more fins. The fins of the hot roller contact the film material with localized heat and pressure creating several continuous and parallel seam welds along the width of the seam. A narrow seam might only have one seam weld whereas a wider seam might have several parallel seam welds. The heated finned roller is particularly suitable for filament reinforced thermoplastic film. A curved metal form tool can also be used as a backing to press the heated roller or ultrasonic welding horn against with the layers of thermoplastic film between to accomplish the welding. It is also possible to introduce one or more thin thermoplastic film strips in the lap joint to provide added polymer to melt and flow with heat and pressure to create the joint. This added strip is similar to adding adhesive to a bonded joint except that the film is melted to create the adhesive bond.

Since PEEK or PEI films are available in relatively thin sheets (down to 0.25 mils thickness), it is possible to laminate these materials together or with other materials to improve the mechanical properties of the overall filament reinforced membrane used for spinnakers and still be equal or lighter than rip-stop nylon or polyester fabric. For example, widely spread and/or spaced filaments or a loosely woven scrim of high strength yarns or filaments, of carbon, Kuralon (PVA fibers) or aramid can be laminated between two film layers or to only one side of a single film layer in order to enhance the overall strength and/or tear resistance beyond the properties of a single film layer. This is especially useful for spinnakers for large sailboats.

The reinforcing filaments can be oriented uni-axially, bi-axially or tri-axially as required for the spinnaker application, or for other applications requiring high strength or other properties of reinforced thermoplastic polymer films. The reinforcing filaments can be lower tensile modulus than the polymer film so they add strength but not stiffness or the reinforcing filaments can be higher tensile modulus than the film but this makes the laminate properties quasi-isotropic. The preferred method to assemble the reinforcing filaments to the thermoplastic film is to heat fuse the two materials together between two heated pinch rollers or using an opposed belt laminator that is as wide as the film and reinforcements. Ideally, the reinforcing filaments, spread rovings, spread carbon tow or yarns are slightly impressed into the thermoplastic film such that the two materials stay together without a secondary adhesive. Heat and pressure between the rollers or belt fuses the reinforcing filaments and the thermoplastic film together. FIG. 9 shows a first roll of film 164 and a second roll of film 166 running between two rollers 168 to join the two films together to produce a multi-laminate film. The first roll of film 164, the second roll of film 166, or both rolls may already include reinforced threads or scrims already applied thereon.

The selected fiber must have adequate heat resistance so it does not get degraded by the hot semi-molten film, which is why fibers such as carbon, Kuralon, and aramid have been selected. The film and the reinforcing filament layers are continuously fed into the pinch rollers or opposed belt laminator. A take-up spool collects the scrim reinforced film downstream of the pinch rollers. In an alternative embodiment, the reinforcing threads, scrims, or fibers are applied during the joining process. Uni-axial reinforcing filaments can be introduced to the pinch roller or opposed belt laminator along the axis of its operation. Off-axis reinforcing filaments should be placed at the appropriate bias angle on the film prior to running the material through the pinch roller or opposed belt laminator. The fiber and the film are pre-heated prior to being brought together and touching the heated pinch rollers or opposed belt laminator. The combination of heat and pressure laminates the filaments and film together.

The corner reinforcements for the Halyard, Guy and Sheet attach points for the present spinnaker can be loops of braided high strength line preferably Kuralon (PVA) UHMPE, Vectran or Technora. Each loop can be made in the line using a Brummel splice to make the loop secure. Free ends of the braided line beyond the Brummel Splice can then be combed out to be individual un-braided fibers and the individual fibers are splayed out and laminated between film doublers to make the corner attach point adequately strong. A braided covering can be applied over the line loop to provide extra wear resistance against Snap Shackles that are commonly used on the ends of Halyards, Guys and Sheets for attachment purposes. Alternatively, a metal grommet can be inserted into the Brummel Splice Loop to provide wear resistance against metal shackles.

In another example, sheets or panels of filament or scrim reinforced thermoplastic film can be pre-cut to the desired size and shape with the necessary overlap material to join one panel to another. These panels can then be adhesively bonded or preferably thermo-welded at the seams on a flat or curved working surface. Thermo-welding the seams of thermoplastic polymer film can be accomplished with a hot knife or finned (multiple blade) roller that heats and local fuses the two film plies together or by ultrasonic welding the two plies together. Again, a strip of thin film can be placed into the lap joint to provide additional thermoplastic resin for thermo-welding the materials together if necessary. Adhesive bonding two film plies together can be accomplished by applying the thermosetting adhesive, pressing the two film plies together (treated side for bonding to treated side for bonding) and allowing the adhesive to cure.

Corner reinforcements can be made as reinforced film “doubler” plies bonded or heat laminated to the parent spinnaker laminate. Thermo-welded or alternatively conventional adhesive backed woven fiber reinforcements of KEVLAR or DACRON fibers or other similar materials can be used for the corners. Conventional adhesive backed fabric can structurally adhere to film whereas it may not structurally adhere to rip-stop nylon fabric as well. This provides more structural options for the fabricator to make a spinnaker.

Although limited embodiments of high strength thermoplastic polymer films and filament reinforced thermoplastic polymer films and assemblies and their components have been specifically described and illustrated herein, many modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, the reinforced thermoplastic polymer films may be used for applications other than as described. Furthermore, it is understood and contemplated that features specifically discussed for one high strength filament reinforced thermoplastic polymer film embodiment may be adopted for inclusion with another high strength filament reinforced thermoplastic polymer film embodiment, provided the functions are compatible. In other examples, the high strength thermoplastic polymer films and filament reinforced thermoplastic polymer films are used to make other types of sails for sail boats, such as for making the jib and the mainsail. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the high strength filament reinforced thermoplastic polymer film assemblies and their components constructed according to principles of the disclosed device, system, and method may be embodied other than as specifically described herein. The disclosure is also defined in the following claims.

Claims

1. A sailboat spinnaker comprising at least one spinnaker clew made of one or more layers of a non-porous high strength thermoplastic polymer film.

2. The sailboat spinnaker of claim 1, wherein the thermoplastic polymer film is reinforced with high strength filaments.

3. The sailboat spinnaker of claim 2, wherein the filaments are oriented in 0/90 degree orientation, a +/−45 degree orientation, a combination of 0/90 degree orientation and +/−45 degree orientation.

4. The sailboat spinnaker of claim 2, wherein the fibers are orientated an angular position from an edge of the sailboat spinnaker and have strands that are spaced from one another.

5. The sailboat spinnaker of claim 2, wherein the thermoplastic polymer film is made by thermo-fusing reinforcing filament fibers into the thermoplastic polymer film without adhesive.

6. The sailboat spinnaker of claim 2, wherein the thermoplastic polymer film is made by thermo-fusing reinforcing filament fibers into the thermoplastic polymer film using heated pinch rollers or opposed belt laminator.

7. The sailboat spinnaker of claim 1, wherein the thermoplastic polymer film is made from thermoplastic PEEK film, PEI film, PI film, or combinations thereof.

8. The sailboat spinnaker of claim 1, wherein the thermoplastic polymer film comprises a plurality of adhesive bonding or thermo-welding seams.

9. The sailboat spinnaker of claim 1, wherein the thermoplastic polymer film comprises a plurality of ultrasonically welded seams.

10. The sailboat spinnaker of claim 1, wherein the thermoplastic polymer film comprises seams heat fused together with either a single heated blade passed along the film seam supported by a tool surface or by a heated roller with one or more fins of the roller contacting the film supported by a tool surface.

11. The sailboat spinnaker of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of corners with at least one corner comprising braided and covered fiber rope loops.

12. The sailboat spinnaker of claim 11, wherein the fiber rope loops are splayed out into the at least one corner and adhesively bonded or thermo-formed between reinforcing film layers.

13. The sailboat spinnaker of claim 1, wherein the thermoplastic polymer film is a single layer polymer film or a multi-layer polymer film adhesively bonded or heat fused together with or without one or more layers of high strength reinforcing filaments of Kuralon (PVA) nylon, aramid or carbon fibers.

14. The sailboat spinnaker of claim 1, wherein the film is laminated with one or more plies and any intermittent filament reinforcement or scrim layer does not enhance the isotropic stretch characteristics of the spinnaker film laminate in any direction.

15. The sailboat spinnaker of claim 1, wherein at least two different polymer film types are bonded or thermo-fused together to form a joined substrate and wherein the joined substrate has properties that are enhanced in terms of tensile strength, modulus, elongation, tenacity, tear strength, or combinations thereof.

16. The sailboat spinnaker of claim 15, wherein the at least two different thermoplastic polymer film types have different thicknesses.

17. The sailboat spinnaker of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of corners with each comprising reinforcements made from a different thermoplastic polymer film than the one or more layers of a non-porous high strength thermoplastic polymer film.

18. A method of manufacturing a sailboat spinnaker comprising bonding or thermo-fusing two sheets made from a thermoplastic polymer-based film together along at least one seam in one or more assembly operations on a tool configured to bond or thermo-weld the two or more sheets together.

19. The method of manufacturing of claim 18, further comprising:

over-lapping a third sheet with one of the two sheets and joining the third sheet to the two sheets without sewing.

20. A sailboat spinnaker made of various panels of reinforced thermoplastic film with various spacing of the filament reinforcement and orientations of the filament reinforcement in the panels to optimize the strength and shape holding characteristics of the spinnaker.