Ships – Boats – boat component – or attachment – Hull construction
Patent
1991-09-23
1993-12-21
Huppert, Michael S.
Ships
Boats, boat component, or attachment
Hull construction
114357, 264554, B63B 524
Patent
active
052713520
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to boat construction and in particular the construction of a boat hull utilising thermo-plastic materials.
In the past, formation of boat hulls using thermo-plastic material by vacuum forming methods have been unsuccessful as a result of significant unequal stretching of the material which results in a significant reduction in the thickness of the hull at particular zones in the hull.
It is an object of this invention to provide a method of hull construction which reduces the unequal stretching of the thermo-plastic material during vacuum forming.
In one form the invention resides in a method of boat hull construction comprising mounting a former having an external configuration conforming to the internal configuration of the hull to a vacuum forming bed, heating a sheet of thermo-plastic material, supporting the heated sheet above the former by supporting one side of the sheet material on a first frame member, and supporting the opposed sides of the sheet to each side of the one side from a pair of second frame members which are pivotally mounted to the first frame member about an axis perpendicular to the plane of the sheet material, and lowering the sheet over the former and extracting air from the space between the former and sheet material.
According to a preferred feature of the invention the second frames are resiliently restrained from movement towards each other.
According to a preferred feature of the invention the rear portion of the former engaged by the unsupported side of the sheet forms the transom of the boat and has a transverse concave profile.
According to a preferred feature of the invention of the previous feature the former is provided with a panel member having an edge of complementary profile to the face of the rear portion of the former wherein said panel is moved to overlie the formed sheet material beyond said portion to clamp it to the bed wherein said edge is closely adjacent said rear portion.
In another form the invention results in a vacuum forming apparatus having a vacuum forming bed, a former supported on said bed, said former having the external configuration conforming to the internal configuration of a boat hull, a thermo-plastic sheet support comprising a first frame member and a pair of second frame members pivotally supported from the first frame member to define a substantially square or rectangular planar space having an open side whereby said second frame members are pivotally movable towards each other said first and second frame members are adapted to clampingly support a sheet of thermo-plastic material.
According to a preferred feature of the invention the second frame members are resiliently restrained from pivotable movement towards each other.
According to a preferred feature of the invention the rear portion of the former engaged by the unsupported side of the sheet forms the transom of the boat hull and has a transverse concave profile.
According to a preferred feature of the previous feature the apparatus further comprises a panel member having an edge profile complementary to the profile of the rear portion of the former, said panel being movable to a position overlying the vacuum forming bed with its edge closely adjacent the rear portion of the former.
The invention will be more fully understood in the light of the following description of one specific embodiment. The description is made with reference to the accompanying drawings of which:
FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional elevation of a forming installation according to the embodiments;
FIG. 2 is a schematic isometric view of the former and support frame according to the embodiment prior to application of the sheet material over the former;
FIG. 3 is a schematic isometric view of the former and frame member subsequent to the application of the sheet material over the former;
FIG. 4 is an isometric view of a boat hull according to the embodiment;
FIG. 5 is an inverted plant view of a boat hull according to the embodiment;
FIG. 6 is a plan view of a boat hull according to the emb
REFERENCES:
patent: 2440499 (1948-04-01), Ames et al.
patent: 3153796 (1964-10-01), Stahmer
patent: 3655320 (1972-04-01), Heavener
patent: 4021874 (1977-05-01), Alter et al.
patent: 4975236 (1990-12-01), MacLachlan
Brahan Thomas J.
Critical Sciences, (Australia) Limited
Huppert Michael S.
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