EP0042582B1 - Radeau pneumatique comportant une cellule gonflable continue formée d'une feuille unique - Google Patents

Radeau pneumatique comportant une cellule gonflable continue formée d'une feuille unique Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0042582B1
EP0042582B1 EP81104649A EP81104649A EP0042582B1 EP 0042582 B1 EP0042582 B1 EP 0042582B1 EP 81104649 A EP81104649 A EP 81104649A EP 81104649 A EP81104649 A EP 81104649A EP 0042582 B1 EP0042582 B1 EP 0042582B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
raft
gas cell
angulation
flexible
patch
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired
Application number
EP81104649A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Other versions
EP0042582A1 (fr
Inventor
Akiyoshi Higuchi
Hiromitsu Tayama
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Mitsubishi Electric Corp
Original Assignee
Mitsubishi Electric Corp
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from JP8504180A external-priority patent/JPS564719A/ja
Priority claimed from JP13319980U external-priority patent/JPS6113434Y2/ja
Application filed by Mitsubishi Electric Corp filed Critical Mitsubishi Electric Corp
Publication of EP0042582A1 publication Critical patent/EP0042582A1/fr
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0042582B1 publication Critical patent/EP0042582B1/fr
Expired legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
    • B63B—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPPING 
    • B63B7/00—Collapsible, foldable, inflatable or like vessels
    • B63B7/06—Collapsible, foldable, inflatable or like vessels having parts of non-rigid material
    • B63B7/08—Inflatable

Definitions

  • This invention relates to an inflatable raft made of rubberized cloth or the like, and which may be stored on ships or airplanes for rescue use in an emergency, or which may be used for recreational purposes.
  • FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a continuous gas cell of the raft
  • Fig. 2 shows a horizontal section taken on line A-A of Fig. 1
  • Fig. 3 shows a flat blank from which a single gas cell is made.
  • the polygonal gas cell 1 is made of impermeable sheets of rubberized cloth which are formed into tubular units and adhesively connected to each other.
  • sheets 1 a, 1 b, 1c, etc. with S-curved edges at both ends are cut out on a floor surface such that each sheet is offset by a certain length from an adjacent sheet, and has an overlapping edge margin for adhesion.
  • the sheets are then coated with adhesive at the margins, and formed into tubular units.
  • a predetermined number of such units, two for example, are connected together at their ends as shown in Fig. 2, and the connected units are then similarly joined with other connected units to arrive at the final gas cell configuration shown in Fig. 1.
  • this conventional raft necessitates connecting a plurality of gas cell units together, an operation which inevitably requires specialized manual skills; the sequence is very difficult and the reliability of the completed is generally poor.
  • the complex shapes of the various gas cell blanks make the work very tedious, and since it is carried out on the floor level the workers must be constantly bent over.
  • the large quantity of adhesives involved contain dangerous and harmful substances, which have harmful effects on the operator's health.
  • a raft of the type described in the precharacterizing part of claims 1 and 5 is disclosed in the US-A-2 456 086 is designed intricately in the corner areas and therefore requires specialized manual skills.
  • This invention according to claims l'and 5 provides an inflatable raft which can be constructed in a short time and which eliminates the troublesome operation of adhering together a plurality of separate sections.
  • a single, elongated continuous tubular gas cell is formed from a rectangular sheet, and is then bent into a polygonal shape and secured by simple angulation members at the corners.
  • the efficiency of the angulation assembly operation is increased in one embodiment according to claim 1 by using a pair of patches fixed to the walls of the gas cell and a joining member connected at its ends between the patches; the joining member can also be used as a handle.
  • the rafts can be made easily without requiring special assembly skills by simply connecting one end of the tubular gas cell to the other end to form a continuous circular cell, and then, in another embodiment according to claim 5 inserting angulation members with projecting tabs into predetermined corner portions of the cell to bend it into a polygonal shape.
  • a projection on the angulation members supports a grab or safety rope extending around the inside of the raft.
  • a continuous gas cell 1 is in the form of a hollow polygonal tube made of a nonpermeable sheet material.
  • Flexible patches 2 are fixed to the outer wall of the gas cell on the inner side of the tube.
  • a joining member 3 is connected between adjacent patches 2 to draw them towards each other to thereby angulate the gas cell 1.
  • a pair of patches 2 and a joining member 3 constitute an angulation member.
  • a flexible and impermeable sheet such as rubber or resin coated cloth, is cut into an elongated belt-like strip of sufficient length to form the polygonal gas cell 1 and sufficient width to allow an overlapping margin for an adhesive tube joint at the edge of the rectangular strip.
  • One longitudinal edge of the strip is joined to the other longitudinal edge to form an elongated linear tube, and subsequently one end of the tube is joined to the other end to form a continuous circular tube.
  • a joining member 3 made of a synthetic cloth, a belt or the like is connected to a pair of adjacent patches 2 by sewing at both ends to form an angulation member.
  • the patches are made of rubber cloth or the like, and may be round, elliptical or quadrilateral in shape.
  • the angulation members are adhered to the inside wall 1A of the raft such that they traverse the angles of the bent portions of the gas cell 1, and thus tension the cell to form corners and thereby define a polygonal gas cell.
  • a bottom sheet 4 and other additional devices may be attached to the cell to make up a complete raft.
  • the raft is usually folded for storage in a suitable place, and is inflated by gas in cases of emergency or as desired when the raft is to be used recreationally.
  • angulation members are not restricted to those described above, with various other configurations being adoptable.
  • a joining member 31 made of a synthetic cloth, a belt or the like has one end sewn to a patch 21.
  • the complete angulation member is thus composed of two sets of joining members 31 and patches 21, and is applied by adhering each half at a predetermined position on the gas cell 11 and then drawing together and connecting the free ends of the joining members by sewing, gluing or tying to form a suitable angle in the gas cell 11.
  • the patches 22, 22 are each provided with a plurality of holes with eyelets.
  • a cord or cords 32 are stretched across the gap between the patches 22 and drawn tight to give the gas cell a suitable angle.
  • the patches may be fixed to the gas cell either manually or automatically, using a pressure fixing machine, in accordance with the wishes and requirements of the manufacturer.
  • the joining members of the angulation members are spaced from the wall of the gas cell. This is very convenient as, accordingly, they can be utilized as handles for carrying the raft, or when actually riding in it.
  • Figs. 7A and 7B the gas cell 12 is tucked inwardly at the angled corner portions 12a.
  • the patch-like angulation member 23 shown in Fig. 7A is adhered to the bent corner portion with its interior surface directly affixed to and covering the portion 12a to angulate the gas cell 12 at a number of positions 12b to form a polygonal shape.
  • the gas cell 12 in Fig. 7B has two vertically arranged chambers. There is no substantial difference in the angulation members of the two independent chambers, although obviously the corner bends must be vertically aligned to prevent distortions in the inflated raft.
  • the tucked portions 12a be smeared with adhesive to stick the folded layers together in order to reliably maintain the connection and angulation.
  • Figs. 7A and 7B prevent the outside wall of the gas cell from being excessively stretched when inflated. Accordingly, the tensions in the inside and outside wall of the gas cell when inflated are substantially uniform, enabling the raft to withstand long-term use.
  • the angulation member 24 has a projecting portion 24a which is inserted into the folded tuck portion 13a and adhesively adhered thereto to provide a rigid and inseparable connection.
  • the angulation member is made of a flexible material which is folded into a T-shape having a planar portion 241 a and a projecting insertion tab 241.
  • the contacting surfaces proximate the central fold line are sewn together at 242.
  • Fig. 10 the flexible angulation member is folded into a T-shape in the same manner as shown in Fig. 9 to define an insertion tab 243, and a flexible patch 244 is adhered to the planar portion thereof.
  • the angulation member 245 is molded of plastic as a single, integral, flexible unit, which is ideally suited for mass production.
  • planar portion 25 is given a curvature to provide an untensioned, snug fit against the wall of the inflated gas cell, and to enable its easy adhesive attachment.
  • the gas cell 14 has angulation members 26 each having a first projection 26a which is inserted into a corner tuck and an apertured, outwardly extending projection 26b through which a grab rope 40 is threaded.
  • a plug 41 prevents the inflation gas, such as CO 2 , from leaking out of the gas chamber, and a bottom sheet 42 is adhesively attached to the bottom of the gas cell 14. Since the angulation members are also used to support the grab rope, separate attachments therefor are not needed. This reduces the number of parts needed to assemble a complete raft, and thereby lowers the production time and cost.
  • the rafts of this invention are usually folded for storage when not in use, and it is therefore important that the angulation members be flexible. If they are rigid they will obstruct the folding of the rafts, and cause unwanted frictional wear and rubbing of the raft tube material.
  • a synthetic rubber adhesive which hardens at normal room temperatures may be used to form the gas cells, and to fix the angulation and other members thereto.
  • an epoxy or a phenolic adhesive which is hardened by heating may be used, as well as a hot-melt type adhesive such as an ethylenevinyl acetate copolymer.

Landscapes

  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Ocean & Marine Engineering (AREA)
  • Air Bags (AREA)

Claims (10)

1. Radeau polygonal gonflable qui comprend une cellule à gaz tubulaire continue (12; 13; 14) ayant, au moins, une chambre et faite d'une simple feuille d'une matière imperméable flexible, un certain nombre d'éléments d'angulation flexible fixés individuellement, à un certain nombre de positions prédéterminées, à ladite cellule à gaz afin de former et de maintenir un certain nombre de coins coudés (12a; 12b) lors du gonflage, en établissant ainsi ladite forme polygonal, et une feuille de fond (42) fixée à la surface de base de ladite cellule à gaz afin de former le fond dudit radeau, caractérisé en ce que chaque élément d'angulation est constitué par deux pièces flexibles (21 ; 22) fixées à des côtés opposés espacés de la paroi de ladite cellule à gaz à un coin coudé, et un élément de liaison (31; 32) dont les deux extrémités opposées sont reliées auxdites pièces afin de tirer ces dernières l'une vers l'autre et pour maintenir un coude audit coin.
2. Radeau selon la revendication 1, caractérisé en ce que ledit élément de liaison (31; 32) est espacé de la paroi de ladite cellule à gaz et peut aussi servir de poignée.
3. Radeau selon la revendication 1 ou 2, caractérisé en ce que ledit élément de liaison comprend deux lanières (31), ayant chacune une extrémité reliée à l'une des pièces (21), tandis que les autres extrémités de ces lanières (31 qui sont libres, sont reliées l'une à l'autre à mi-distance entre lesdites pièces.
4. Radeau selon l'une quelconque des revendications 1 à 3, caractérisé en ce que ledit élément de liaison est un cordon (32) s'étendant entre deux pièces (22).
5. Radeau polygonal gonflable qui comprend une cellule à gaz tubulaire continue (12; 13; 14) ayant, au moins, une chambre et faite d'une simple feuille d'une matière imperméable flexible, un certain nombre d'éléments d'angulation flexibles (23; 24; 26) fixés individuellement, à ladite cellule à gaz, en un certain nombre de positions prédéterminées afin de former et de maintenir un certain nombre de coins coudés (12a; 12b) après le gonflage, en établissant ainsi ladite forme polygonale, et une feuille de fond (42) fixée à la surface de base de ladite cellule à gaz afin de former le fond dudit radeau, caractérisé en ce que chaque élément d'angulation est constitué par une pièce (24) ayant une forme en Y définie par une première patte saillante (24a) engagée dans et collée à la pliure intérieure (13a) des coins.
6. Radeau selon la revendication 5, caractérisé en ce que chaque pièce (24) est faite d'une matière flexible pliée au centre pour lui donner ladite forme en Y.
7. Radeau selon la revendication 6, caractérisée en ce que les surfaces de contact de ladite matière flexible sont cousues ensemble près de la pliure centrale (figure 9).
8. Radeau selon l'une quelconque des revendications 5 à 7, caractérisé en ce que chaque pièce (24) est faite d'une matière plastique flexible (figure 1 A).
9. Radeau selon l'une quelconque des revendications 5 à 8, caractérisé en ce qu'une partie adhésive (25) de chaque pièce (24) a une courbure qui épouse la courbure de la paroi de la cellule à gaz gonflée.
10. Radeau selon la revendication 5, caractérisé en ce que chaque pièce (26) a une seconde patte saillante (26b) s'étendant à l'opposée de ladite première patte (26a), et en ce qu'un cordage (40) pour se tenir est supporté par et s'étend entre lesdites secondes pattes.
EP81104649A 1980-06-18 1981-06-16 Radeau pneumatique comportant une cellule gonflable continue formée d'une feuille unique Expired EP0042582B1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
JP85041/80 1980-06-18
JP8504180A JPS564719A (en) 1979-06-23 1980-06-23 Spindle frame for double twisting machine
JP13319980U JPS6113434Y2 (fr) 1980-09-19 1980-09-19
JP133199/80 1980-09-19

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0042582A1 EP0042582A1 (fr) 1981-12-30
EP0042582B1 true EP0042582B1 (fr) 1984-06-13

Family

ID=26426074

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP81104649A Expired EP0042582B1 (fr) 1980-06-18 1981-06-16 Radeau pneumatique comportant une cellule gonflable continue formée d'une feuille unique

Country Status (2)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0042582B1 (fr)
DE (1) DE3164134D1 (fr)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US11753124B2 (en) 2020-01-20 2023-09-12 Goodrich Corporation Inflatable toroidal polyhedron buoyancy tube for a life raft

Families Citing this family (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CA2195058A1 (fr) * 1996-02-02 1997-08-02 William Sydney Merchant Tube gonflable
WO2014163564A1 (fr) * 2013-04-02 2014-10-09 Forsstrom High Frequency Ab (Publ.) Structure à tube gonflable pour une construction de ferme de toit et procédé pour courber une telle structure
SK8853Y1 (sk) * 2018-06-08 2020-09-03 Zepelin S R O Oblúkový vysokotlakový nafukovací nosník

Family Cites Families (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2456086A (en) * 1945-05-17 1948-12-14 Gen Tire & Rubber Co Collapsible boat and method of making the same
GB1224186A (en) * 1968-04-09 1971-03-03 Rfd Co Ltd Inflatable tubular structures and method of producing same
GB1506819A (en) * 1976-04-05 1978-04-12 Rfd Inflatables Ltd Inflatable liferafts
IT1115680B (it) * 1977-10-19 1986-02-03 Pirelli Elemento galleggiante gonfiabile e suo procedimento di fabbricazione
GB2036655B (en) * 1978-12-09 1982-11-24 Dunlop Ltd Inflatable tube
BR5900729U (pt) * 1978-12-09 1980-11-25 Dunlop Ltd Pneumatico

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US11753124B2 (en) 2020-01-20 2023-09-12 Goodrich Corporation Inflatable toroidal polyhedron buoyancy tube for a life raft

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
EP0042582A1 (fr) 1981-12-30
DE3164134D1 (en) 1984-07-19

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