GB2181956A

GB2181956A - Protective helmet face seal

Info

Publication number: GB2181956A
Application number: GB08522714A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Robert Edwin Lowrie; Adrian Leonard Scott
Original assignee: TOTAL INERT MAINTENANCE AND EN
Current assignee: TOTAL INERT MAINTENANCE AND EN
Priority date: 1985-09-13
Filing date: 1985-09-13
Publication date: 1987-05-07
Also published as: GB8522714D0

Abstract

A face seal for a protective helmet comprises a cuff (3) Fig. 1, (not shown) of resilient material, and a mounting member (5), Fig. 2, (not shown) for securing the cuff to the interior of the helmet. The mounting member (5) is in the form of a closed frame conforming generally to the cross-sectional shape of the cuff (3) and the cuff (3) is formed with a margin (7) which is flexed over and sealed to the frame around the entire periphery thereof to form a seal between the frame and the cuff (3).

Description

SPECIFICATION Protective Helmet Face Seal The present invention relates to a face seal for a protective helmet of the kind that totally encloses the wearer's head and provides for the supply of air to the helmet interior from a cylinder so that the wearer can breathe independently of the ambient atmosphere.

Such helmets comprises a seal secured to the inside of the helmet to act as a seal around the wearer's face so that air introduced into the helmet is confined to the space in front of the wearer's face.

In the circumstances of the use of such helmets, each helmet may be worn by different people; and with existing face seals, one that is effective and comfortable for one wearer of a helmet may be ineffective or uncomfortable for another wearer of that helmet. This is due to the structure of the face seal, which comprises a rigid cuff covered with a resilient material. The rigid cuff considerably limits the extent to which the seal can be deflected or distorted to fit against the face of the wearer of the helmet and therefore very largely determines the configuration the seal may assume.

An object of the present invention is to provide a face seal of a more efficacious form than heretofor.

There is provided by the present invention a face seal for a protective helmet, comprising a cuff consisting of resilient material, and a mounting member for securing the cuff to the interior of the heimet; the mounting member being in the form of a closed frame conforming generally to the crosssectional shape of the cuff and the cuff being formed with a margin which is flexed over and sealed to the frame around the entire periphery thereof to form a seal between the frame and the cuff.

Preferably, the margin is sealed to the surface of the frame to face the surface of the helmet interior to which the face seal is to be fixed, whereby it also forms a seal between that surface of the helmet and the frame.

A presently preferred resilient material is a closed cell Neoprene.

The present invention also provides a method of forming a face seal for a protective helmet, which comprises configuring a strip of resilient material to a pattern such that the cuff can be formed by folding over the strip to leave an uncovered margin, adhering the folded over portions together, joining the end edges of the strip, and then flexing over the margin and securing itto the mounting member.

The end edges of the strip may be joined by depositing adhesive on the edges and butting them up against one another, but the strip could be formed to provide overlapping parts at the end edges so that the overlapping parts respectively at the two end edges may be adhered together face to face.

The present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of part of a face seal according to the present invention being the cuff thereof; Figure 2 is a front elevation of another part of said face seal of the present invention; Figure 3 is a front elevation of the complete face seal, and Figure 4 is a plan view of one half of a pattern for use in forming the face seal of Figure 3.

Referring now to Figures 1-3 of the drawings, the face seal, generally indicated at 1, comprises a cuff 3 (see in particular Figure 1) consisting of a resilient material, and a mounting member 5 for securing the cuff to the interior of a protective helmet of the kind described; the mounting member being in the form of a closed frame conforming generally to the cross sectional shape of the cuff and the cuff being formed with a margin 7 (see Figure 1) which is flexed over and sealed to the frame around the entire periphery thereof to form a seal between the frame and the cuff.

The frame, shown in Figure 2, is formed of a rightangled section and is moulded from a rigid plastics material. It comprises a peripheral flange 9 having holes 11 to permit the face seal to be fixed to the interior of the protective helmet by suitable fastening means. The margin 7 of the cuff, in this instance, is flexed over the surface 13 of flange 9 from the interior of the frame and sealed to that surface. The height "h" of the margin of the cuff as seen in Figure 1 is such as substantially to equal the width of the flange 13 of the frame plus an amount to allow for the bend formed in the margin on flexing over surface 13 so that when the margin is flexed over and sealed to surface 13 of flange 9, the flange 15 of the frame lies immediately below the bottommost edge (as seen in Figure 1) of the margin 7. The flange 15 is sealed to and acts to support the cuff.

The cuff itself is formed from a strip 17 (see Figure 4) of resilient material. The strip is cut from a larger piece of the material in accordance with the pattern shown in Figure 4. Figure 4 represents only one half of the strip being the left-hand part as viewed in Figure 4; the right-hand half being identical to the left-hand half. Except for the margin 7, the strip is symmetrical about a fold line 19 and the cuff is formed from the strip by folding over the strip on itself about the fold line, adhering the folded over portions together, and then joining the end edges of the strip together. The resilient material is faced on one side with fabric and it is folded over so that it is the fabric surfaces of the folded over portions which are adhered together. This results in the cuff as shown in Figure 1.

The resilient material, in this instance, is 5 mm closed cell Neoprene; and with this material in order to adhere the flange 15 of the frame to the cuff, the relevant part of the cuff needs to be cleaned with a solvent e.g. Ketone.

When the cuff has been sealed to the frame, holes are punched in the cuff to correspond with holes 11 of the frame; and it may be necessary to trim the edge of the margin of the cuff so that it uniformly lies in alignment with edge 21 of the frame.

Claims

1. A face seal for a protective helmet comprising a cuff of resilient material, and a mounting member for securing the cuff to the interior of the helmet; the mounting member being in the form of a closed frame conforming generally to the cross-sectional shape of the cuff and the cuff being formed with a margin which is flexed over and sealed to the frame around the entire periphery thereof to form a seal between the frame and the cuff.

2. A face seal as claimed in claim 1, wherein the margin is sealed to the surface of the frame to face the surface of the helmet interior to which the face seal is to be fixed, whereby it also forms a seal between that surface of the helmet and the frame.

3. Aface seal as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the resilient material comprises a closed cell Neoprene.

4. Aface seal for a protective helmet, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

5. A method of forming a face seal for a protective helmet, which method comprises configuring a strip of resilient material to a pattern such that a cuff can be formed by folding over the strip to leave an uncovered margin, adhering the folded over portions together, joining the end edges of the strip, and then flexing the margin and securing it to a mounting frame.

6. A method of forming a face seal as claimed in claim 5, wherein the end edges of the strip are joined by depositing adhesive on the edges and butting them up against one another.

7. A method of forming a face seal as claimed in claim 5, wherein the strip is formed to provide overlapping parts at the end edges and the overlapping parts respectively at the two end edges are adhered together face to face.

8. A method of forming a face seal substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.