Biomimic design stabilizing fin or keel for surface planing or submerged watercraft

Abstract

A stabilizing fin or keel utilizing biomimic design features for use on surface planing or submerged watercraft to provide increased dimensional stability, control and efficiency.

Claims

1. A stabilizing fin or keel utilizing biomimic design for surface planing or submerged watercraft comprised of a flat base extending from a frontal leading edge end point to a trailing edge rear end point and providing an area for attachment to a watercraft surface by either mechanical means or permanent bonding; a vertical rigid convex foil leading edge element having a leading edge curving from said frontal leading edge end point of said fin or keel base to a fin or keel tip, first and second surfaces extending from the leading edge and terminating at a trailing edge curving from said fin or keel tip to said trailing edge rear end point of said fin or keel base, wherein both leading edge and trailing edge intersect at said fin or keel tip; said rigid convex foil leading edge element comprising 50-60% of a total area of said fin or keel, a vertical trailing edge element comprising a thin flexible material of constant cross sectional thickness extending from said trailing edge of said rigid convex foil leading edge element and curving from said fin or keel tip to said trailing edge rear end point of said base; said vertical trailing edge element comprising 40-50% of said total area of said fin or keel, wherein, during use, said flexible trailing edge element is configured to react to increasing water pressure or hydrodynamic pressure on an inner radius surface of said fin or keel during a directional change (turn, tack) by flexing laterally and reducing disproportionate water pressure or hydrodynamic pressure on fin or keel surfaces and decreasing the development of a low pressure core and subsequent cavitation flow in the laminar flow boundary of outer radius side of said fin or keel, thus improving dimensional stability and control of a watercraft to which the fin or keel is attached.

2. The stabilizing fin or keel of claim 1 whereas the leading edge rigid convex foil element and the thin flexible trailing edge element are formed during manufacture to produce one unitary piece.

3. The fin or keel of claim 2, further comprising an incurvate inflection point at which said trailing edge of rigid convex leading edge element terminates and said vertical trailing edge element extends to said trailing edge of said fin or keel, said trailing edge of said fin or keel curving from said fin or keel tip to said trailing edge rear end point of said fin or keel base, wherein both leading edge and trailing edge intersect at said fin or keel tip, whereas said incurvate inflection point of said fin or keel provides efficient laminar flow across said fin or keel surface at area of transition of said fin or keel rigid convex leading edge element to trailing edge element of constant cross sectional thickness.

4. The fin or keel of claim 3 is made of a fiber reinforced composite material or plastic.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 Is a side perspective view of stabilizing fin of present invention

(2) FIG. 2 Is a side perspective view of stabilizing fin illustrating surface contours of the present invention

(3) FIG. 3 Is a front perspective view of stabilizing fin of the present invention FIG. 4 Is a rear perspective view of stabilizing fin of the present invention showing rigid element #14 and flexible element #18

(4) FIG. 5 Is a cross sectional perspective view of stabilizing fin of the present invention taken along lines 11-11 showing the rigid element of the stabilizing fin at fin base

(5) FIG. 6 Is a cross sectional perspective view of stabilizing fin of the present invention taken along lines 10-10 showing rigid element #14 and flexible element #18

(6) FIG. 7 Is a cross sectional view of a surfboard taken along lines 22-22 of FIG. 7 showing the location of the stabilizing fins of the present invention's attachment to the bottom surface of a surfboard

(7) FIG. 8 Is a side perspective view of surfboard showing location of stabilizing fins of the present invention attached to bottom surface of surfboard at rear area of surfboard

(8) FIG. 9 Is a bottom perspective view of surfboard showing center line #25 and stabilizing fins location in rear area of surfboard illustrating flexible component of stabilizing fins of the present invention by dotted lines

REFERENCES CITED

(9) TABLE-US-00001 5,306,188 Skedeleski Apr. 26, 1994 5,480,331 Lewis Jan. 2, 1996

(10) Reference for term biomimicry Janine BenyusBiomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature1997

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

(11) 10. cross sectional view taken along lines 10-10 of FIG. 1 11. cross sectional view taken along lines 11-11 of FIG. 1 12. fin (center) 13. fin tip 14. rigid convex foil element 15. rigid convex foil element fin base 16. leading edge rigid convex foil elementFIG. 1 17. trailing edge rigid convex foil elementFIG. 1 18. thin flexible elementFIG. 1 19. trailing edge thin flexible elementFIG. 1 20. leading edge rigid convex foil element fin baseFIG. 1 21. trailing edge rigid convex foil elementFIG. 1 22. cross section of rear area of surfboard taken along lines 22-22 FIG. 1 23. surfboard top surfaceFIG. 7 24. surfboard bottom surfaceFIG. 7 25. center line of surfboardFIG. 9 26. rear or tail section of surfboardFIG. 9 27. left side fin and right side fin