Importance

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Abstract

A composite sail (mainsail, jib, spinmaker) is provided which is fabricated from a series of panels each of which is joined to an adjacent panel. The individual panels comprise laminates of two outer layers between which is an inner layer comprising a weft-free warp of strands of a stretch resistant polymer aligned substantially in the direction of the longitudinal dimension of the panel. One of the outer layers can itself be a laminate of at least two layers of material between which is disposed a non-woven, force-bearing thread material aligned along the principal stress lines experienced by the panel when incorporated in the sail. In a particular embodiment one outer layer is comprised of a plurality of individual segments joined together along abutting edges, each of the segments being formed from a reinforced sheet having a layer of weft-free warp of strands of a stretch resistant polymer. The individual segments in the panel may have differing strand denier density the segments in the leech of the sail having greater such density than those in the luff.

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First Claim