US2333375A - Life raft - Google Patents

Description

1943- D. B. HIAINS ET AL LIFE RAFT Filed Jan. 2 1942 '2 Sheets$heet l gwua/vvto'b Chm/245s JAM/Mas "a, 0AMEL. B haw v5 awn m gs Nov. 2, 1943. D. B. HAlNS ETAL 2,333,375

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Patented Nov. 2, 1943 LIFE RAFT Daniel B. Hains and Charles J. Haines, Trenton,

N. J., assignors to Winner Manufacturing Conipany, Inc., Trenton, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application January 2, 1942, Serial No. 425,438

2 Claims.

This invention relates to unsinkable life rafts and, more particularly, to the so-called catamaran type of raft which is usually buoyed by a pair of spaced apart parallel metal tanks with a platform supported thereon and therebetween.

An object of the present invention is to construct a buoyant raft of this general type which will support a number of persons in a seated position thereon and the upper surfaces of the raft may either be a flat platform or the center portion between the spaced buoyant members may be depressed, thus forming seats over the buoyant members.

Another feature of this invention is to construct a raft that is reversible, or in other words, when the raft is thrown overboard, no matter which side of the raft is uppermost, the passenger holding platform or seats are uppermost and out of the water.

Heretofore rafts of this general character have been constructed by mounting a pair of elongated sealed metal chambers on each side of a platform, but these prior devices have several serious disadvantages including rusting through of the metal float chambers from long exposure on a ships deck and by being completely vulnerable to penetration, either by striking an object when they are being thrown over, or in the case of present warfare, by being punctured by machine gun or rifle fire. It is known that in the present naval warfare many men have lost their lives because of these inherent disadvantages of life rafts supported by air chambers and it is therefore the salient feature of the invention to completely avoid this danger as the present construction is unsinkable.

While it is not new to form life-saving equipment, such as buoys, rings, floats, etc., from balsa wood whose remarkable buoyant qualities are well known, this invention contemplates the forming of a plurality of hollow balsa wood chambers or floats in such a manner that they will not only support or buoy the life raft to a greater degree than previous constructions, but it has been discovered that such balsa wood floats or chambers can be constructed in a manner as to be selfsealing when punctured by projectiles.

A still further advantage and object of this invention is to so proportion and construct the balsa wood floats that they have the necessary structural strength and rigidity and to seal the pores of the balsa wood in a novel manner to protect the same against absorption of sea water, exposure, sun and dirt.

A still further object is to so construct the floats and pontoons that even if a large portion of the float is torn away by artillery fire, the raft will retain a large percentage of its original buoyancy. 1

In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a top plan View of an unsinkable catamaran type life raft constructed in accordance with the present invention with the platform boards across one of the floats removed.

Fig. 2 is" a vertical cross-section taken on' line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section through one of the balsa wood floats.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section taken on line 44 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a vertical cross-section taken on line 55 of Fig. 3 looking in the direction of the arrows.

As before mentioned, the general construction of the life raft is somewhat similar to conventional life rafts in as much as it is provided with a central platform 5 mounted intermediate of the longitudinal open side cages It! in which are secured a plurality of balsa wood float chambers I5. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that if desirable, the central platform portion 5 may have its surfaces flush with the top of the float retaining cages H) and also be provided with a central food and water compartment 20 and hanging hand lines 25.

The combination of the more or less conventional construction of the life raft per se with the novel and very useful balsa wood floatation chamhers I 5 is the crux of the present invention. In the drawings, the life raft is provided with two or more pairs of spaced parallel and longitudinally arranged float chambers l5 and these may be arranged in the side cages 10 in any suitable manner and held in spaced relation by end boards 25 and side bars 21.

Specifically, each chamber comprises a thick walled balsa wood rectangular six-sided box having a bulkhead or partition 30 therein dividing the long dimension of the box into two air chambers 3i and 32, respectively. Balsa wood is quite soft and of cellular formation and therefore it is preferable to glue the parts together with a waterproof adhesive in addition to holding the parts together with wooden dowels 33. The corners of the float chambers are preferably rounded and thereafter the entire outer surfaces of the chambers are covered or painted with a tacky, non-drying, rubbery, sealing compound known in the trade as Hydrotex and manufactured by the Winner Manufacturing Company of Trenton,

New Jersey. The coating of "Hydrotex is denoted by the numeral 34. Over the sealing compound 34 there is placed a layer of heavy textile 35 which may be canvas or any other close woven fabric. This covering is then exteriorly covered with a further coat 36 of the tacky, non-drying, sealing compound Hydrotex.

When placed in a liferaft, or other buoyant construction, these floatation chambers will not rot or deteriorate; they possess lightness not obtailv" able with other materials and their buoyance is w vastly superior to metal floats. If machine gun or rifle fire punctures the floats fihe walls thereof present practidfil ymoxreflstame and the projectile passes smdrbee cause of the inherent fibrous quality of the wood and the resiliency thereof due to the porous. cell structure, the wood springs"backaftertheprm jectile has passed so that the material Iisipr'actically self-sealing and thus excludes water from passing into the floats. A'further advantage-is the quick swelling of-the' 'wood"exterior'o1,"ithe bulletholes when sea water does comein contact with the pores thereof.

Tests have proven that even when the'whole end of a float is'torn away,'as*byzartilleryflre, the central bulkheads in eachchamber maintains the air on the other side' thereof and the remaining wood of the damaged portion still possesses its natural buoyance and helps to keep the raft afloat.

What we claim is:

1. A life raft of the catamaran type having spaced apart parallel floatation chambers and an intermediate platform, said floatation chambers. being rectangular m shapeimd constructed. entirely ,ofzbalsa wood bulkheadsvof balsa wood dividing said chambers into a plurality of comgpartments, a coating of a tacky, non-drying, rub

bery-like pore sealing compound extending over the entire outer surface of the chamber, a fabric covering over said/coating, and an additional ex- =ternaldayer-oi the said coating extending over and' sealingitheriabric covering.

2. A hollowgfinatation chamber of rectangular shape. formed andconsisting of balsa wood walls of substantial thickness, balsa wood bulkheads dividing. said chamber into at least two compartments, a coating of tacky, non-drying, rubberylike, plastic material covering :the ;-entire -opter surface or said chamber,-'a*fabric'eovering-o'rer said coating, and an externaladditionar layerm! the said. coating extending, over'andsealing the fabric covering, said coating possessingrabrasion resistant qualities, I

DANIEL B. 'HAINS;

CHARLES

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