US2935748A

US2935748A - Ventilation garment for inflatable flying suit

Info

Publication number: US2935748A
Application number: US621633A
Authority: US
Inventors: Stephen C Sabo
Original assignee: BF Goodrich Corp
Current assignee: Goodrich Corp
Priority date: 1956-11-13
Filing date: 1956-11-13
Publication date: 1960-05-10
Anticipated expiration: 1977-05-10

Description

S. C. SABO May 10,1960

VENTILATION GARMENT FOR INFLATABLE FLYING SUIT Filed Nov. 13, 1956 2 Sheets-She et 1 INVENTOR. STEPHEN C. SABO B QWJW ATTY May 10, 1960 s. c. SABO 2,935,743

VENTILATION GARMENT FOR INFLATABLE FLYING SUIT Filed Nov. 13, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 472v 47a 4 11 as? 53 m m 14 55 INVENTOR. Fl 6.,3 STEPHEN C. SABO ATI'T y.

llnited States atent 50 i VENTILATION GARMENT FOR INFLATABLE FLYING SUIT Stephen C. Sabo, Barber-ton, Ohio, assignor to The B. F. Goodrich Company, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Application November 13, 1956, Serial No. 621,633

7 (Tlaims. (Cl. 2=-81) The invention relates to a unitary ventilation garment adapted to cool or heat the body of the wearer and suitable for use within protective outer clothing such, for example, as an inflatable flying suit.

Heretofore, it has been customary for the pilots and particularly useful in the operation of modern, high speed, jet-powered airplanes, inasmuch as without cooling, the wearer of the pressurized flying suit may be overcome by heat prostration.

An object of the invention is to provide a unitary ventilation garment capable of overcoming the aforesaid difficulties and disadvantages encountered in the use of pressurized flying suits.

Other objects of the invention are to provide for cooling orheating effectively the body of the wearer; to provide an improved ventilation garment capable of snugly fitting the wearers body; to provide for cooling the wearers body by conduction and convection; to provide for conducting a gaseous fluid through conduits or passages on a garment including the arm-enclosing and legenclosing portions thereof; to provide for exhausting the gaseous fluid at the region of the wearers wrists and ankles; to provide for'the absorption of moisture from the wearers body and for evaporating the absorbed moisture and transporting it to theambient air outside the flying suit; to provide for surfaces in the garment having substantial areas adapted to contact the wearers body as for conduction heating and cooling purposes; and to provide for simplicity of construction, convenience of manufacture, and for effectiveness of operation.

Still further objects of the invention are to provide for conducting cooling or heating air under pressure along predetermined paths in the respective portions of the gannent; to provide for resisting distention of conduit means on the garment; to provide for maintaining the interior of the conduit means open to the flow of air despite flexure and localized bending of the arm-enclosing and leg-enclosing portions of the garment; to provide for resisting total compressibility of the conduit means; and to provide for a continuously open, air-conducting passage at one or both margins of a conduit means.

These and other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description.

In the accompanying drawings which constitute a part of this specification and in which like numerals are employed throughout to designate like parts,-

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a unitary ventilation garment 2,935,748 Patented May 10, 196( as viewed from the front thereof and constructed in ac-. cordance with and embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a view like Fig. 1 but showing the garment as viewed from the back of the same; and I Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 33 in. Fig. 2 showing the construction of an outlet conduit on the garment. v The illustrative embodiment of the unitary ventilation garment 10 shown in the drawings includes integrally united torso 11,

arms

12, 13, and leg-enclosing

portions

14, 15 of moisture-absorbent flexible material, preferably pervious to air, which portions are adapted to snugly fit the wearers body. The moisture-absorbent flexible, material may be a stretchable woven or knitted textile fabric of wool, cotton, linen, rayon, and other textile filamentary materials, which fabric may include mixtures of such textile filamentary materials. Preferably, the torso, arm, and leg-enclosing portions are made of a relatively close knitted fabric presenting a wool outside surface and a cotton inside surface, which knitted fabric has suitable stretchability and perviousness and moistureabsorption characteristics to give good results, especially in respect of snugly fitting the wearers body. t

Ihe-torso-enclosing portion 11 has aneck opening 16 and may be divided longitudinally from the neck opening 16 to the lower region of the torso-enclosing portion at the front of the unitary or one-piece ventilation garment, as shown in Fig. 1. The margins 17, 18 along the divide in the torso-enclosing portion 11 may be provided with conventional button fasteners or other suitable separable fastener means 19'capable of maintaining the margins closed. The-ann-enclosing

portions

12, 13 and the

legenclosing portions

14, 15 terminate in open ends which are positionable at the region of the wrists and the ankles, respectively, of the wearer. This construction and ar-1 rangement facilitates doning and dofling the ventilation garment.

The unitary ventilation garment, when worn by the wearer who is also wearing an inflatable or pressurized flying suit (not shown), has its torso, arm, andleg-enclosing portions positioned normally in slightly spaced relation to the interior surface of the flying suit. The permits the flow of air under pressure through the space between the garment and the flying suit to a suitable ex-L haust port .fitting (not shown) on the latter suit. I

The invention provides'conduit means of impervious flexible material on the respective garment portions 11 to 15, inclusive, for directing the flow of air along predetermined paths. The conduit means 20 may be positioned, on the interior surface of the garment, but it is preferred that the conduit means be mounted upon the exterior surface of the garment, as shown in the drawings. The conduit means 20 is desirably disposed largely at the back of the garment, and may have a conduit or conduits thereof extending laterally about the front of the garment.

, The conduit means 20 includes a manifold conduit 21 extending longitudinally along thetorso-enclosing portion 1 11 from the region of the neck opening 16 to the lower region of the torso-enclosing portion. The manifoldv conduit 21 has substantial width and length, that is, it

, covers, dmirably, the major portion of the back area are in communication therewith. -All the outlet conduits are each relativelywide to provide substantial area capable of effecting the transmission of heat by conduction from the wearers body.

One of the outlet conduits 24 extends away from the manifold conduit '21 to the upper arinregion er the armenclosing portion 12 where it divides or branches to form two

arm outlet conduits

25, 26 of'substantially uniform width extending longitudinally in spaced-apart relation along the arm-enclosing portion 12 to the open end thereof. The

outer ends

27, 28 of the arm outlet conduits 25, 26 are wholly open to facilitate the exhaust of air under pressure therefrom at the region of the wrists of the wearer. 7

An outlet conduit 29 is connected to the manifold conduit 21 opposite the arm outlet conduit 24 and is similarly arranged with spaced-apart

arm outlet conduits

30, 31 extending along the other arm-enclosing portion 13.

An outlet conduit 32 of substantially uniform width is connected at its inner end to the manifold conduit 21 at a position intermediate the length thereof. The outlet conduit 32 extends laterally about the torso-enclosing portion 11 at its chest region and terminates in a sealed, closed end 33 at the margin along the divide in the torsoenclosing portion.

Another outlet conduit 34 of substantially uniform width is-connected at its inner end to the manifold conduit 21 at a position opposite the chest outlet conduit 32 and extends in a similar manner laterally about the torso-enclosing portion 11 to the margin along the divide therein and terminates in a sealed, closed outer end 35. For admitting air under pressure to the conduit means, the outlet conduit 34 may have a flanged tubular inlet fitting 36 adhesively mounted exteriorly thereon adjacent the manifold conduit 21. The fitting 36 is in communication with the outlet conduit 34, and adapted for connection to a suitable source of air under pressure (not shown) located exteriorly of the flying suit.

An outlet conduit 37 connected at its inner end to the manifold conduit 21 at a position below the chest outlet conduit 32, extends downwardly along the torso-enclosing portion 11 to the junction of the torso-enclosing portion with the leg-enclosing portion 14, where it branches out to form a pair of

leg outlet conduits

38, 39 of substantially uniform width extending spaced-apart and longitudinally along the leg-enclosing portion 14. The leg outlet conduits 38, 39 extend to the open end ofthe legenclosing portion 15 and are open at their outer ends 40, 41. This arrangement facilitates exhausting air under pressure at the open outer ends of the

leg outlet conduits

38, 39 adjacent the wearers ankle.

Another outlet conduit 42 is connected at its inner end to the manifold conduit 21 opposite the connection of the outlet conduit 37. This outlet conduit 42 extends downwardly along the torso-enclosing portion 11 to the junction of the latter with the leg-enclosing portion,15, where it merges with two

leg outlet conduits

43, 44 of substantially uniform width which extend in spaced-apart relation along the leg-enclosing portion 15 to the open end thereof. The

outer ends

45, 46 of the leg outlet conduits 43, 44-are open to exhaust air under pressure adjacent the wearers other ankle.

Each of the conduits forming the conduit means on the garment has preferably little or no distensibility and a flat sectional shape at all times, as shown in Fig. 3. The construction shown in Fig. 3 is typical of that utilized for the manifold conduit 21, the

arm outlet conduits

24, 29, the chest outlet conduits 32, 3'4, and the

leg outlet conduits

37, 38, 39 and 42, 43, 44.

In this construction, the flat conduit is shown mounted flush against the pervious moisture-absorbent flexible material of the garment 10 at the back thereof. The flat conduit has outer 47 and inner 48 walls of impervious flexible material such, for example, as woven textile fabric desirably treated or coated'on one side only with resilient natural or synthetic rubber, neoprene, or other conduit may be arranged superimposed with the neoprene coating 49 at the inside of the conduit.

The superimposed outer 47 and inner 48 conduit walls preferably have overlapping

marginal portions

47a, 48a, and 47b, 48b, respectively, which marginal portions are adhesively secured together in face-to-face relation as by a suitable liquid neoprene cement of the air-curing type, thereby preventing the escape of 'air at such marginal portions.

A resiliently flexible, non-compressible, hollow or tubular element is mounted within the flat conduit immediately at each pair of adhered marginal portions and extends continuously along the conduit substantially throughout its length for reinforcement purposes and to facilitate uninterrupted flow of air along the conduit. This arrangement provides a pair of laterally spacedapart

tubular elements

50 and 51 extending longitudinally along the conduit, each of which elements is preferably formed of a helically coiled wire of suitable metal material such as steel with the coils in closely adjacent or abutting relation one to the other along the tubular element.

The coiled wire.

tubular elements

50, 51 not only reinforce the margins of the conduit, but resist effectively reducing or fully closing the space within the elements, especially at the elbow and knee regions of the garment, where extensive bending and flexure occur. Thus, the coiled wire tubular elements 50', 51 prevent substantial diminution in the quantity of air flowing through the conduit despite pressure of the wearers body against the conduit and despite extensive flexure and bending at the elbow and knee regions of the garment. A suitable neoprene cement is used to adhesively secure the coiled wire

hollow elements

50, 51 in position within the conduit.

A flexible reinforcing filler strip 52 is disposed within the conduit and extends laterally from one tubular element 50 to the other tubular element 51 and extends longitudinally continuously in the conduit. The reinforcing filler strip 52 is a high bulk, compression-resistant, woven fabric with an open structure sufl'icient to provide internal passages for air flow longitudinally of the fabric. A suitable fabric for the strip 52 is called Trilok which is described in the publication Textile Industries, February 1956, pages and 151, and also in the B. H. Foster Patent No. Re. 24,007, issued May 24, 1955.

The Trilok fabric is woven flat upon a standard or regular loom with polyethylene yarn arranged lengthwise and conventional textile yarns such as cotton, wool, silk,,

rayon, nylon, mohair and the like, or combinations of these, arranged both lengthwise and crossways; but becomes a permanent, three dimensional structure, when dipped in boiling water. This change is due to the great shrinkage (55%) of the polyethylene yarn and the substantially lesser shrinkage (8 to 12%) of the conventional textile yarns which buckle, when the polyethylene yarn shrinks, to form puffs.

The preferred double Trilok fabric is made of polyethylene yarn extending lengthwise thereof and nylon yarns extending both lengthwise and crossways thereof, so that the lengthwise nylon yarns buckle to a serpentine or sinuous configuration between the two, superimposed, spaced fabric layers of the shrunk, double Trilok fabric, as shown in Fig. 3, thereby defining in part individual, communicating air passages within the Trilok fabric. This Trilok fabric is flexible, resilient, and stretchable to conform to a contoured surface, and is not totally compfessible under a persons weight, and will not flatten out or collapse under long periods of compression.

The Trilok fabric filler strip 52 is desirably adhesively secured to the outer and inner walls 47, 48 of the conduit as by a suitable neoprene cement. This adhesive attachment facilitates maintaining the conduit in its flat sectional shape and resists distention of the walls even though air under pressure is flowing through the conduit. Although the Trilok fabric is not totally compressible, nevertheless some compression, that is reduction in thickness, may occur as from the pressure of the wearers body against the conduit or from extensive flexure of the garment at its elbow and knee regions. This reduction in thickness will reduce the volume of flow of air through the fabric to a limited degree, which reduction in. flow of air is largely compensated for by the air flow in the coiled wire

tubular elements

50, 51. Each conduitis of sumcient width so that compressive forces are generally exerted locally against the 'Irilok fabric to avoid reduced thickness and air flow capacity throughout its width.

The outer and inner walls 47, 48 of the conduit, the coiled wire

tubular elements

50, 51, and the Trilok fabric reinforcing filler strip 52 are further secured. together as by laterally spaced-apart rows of stitches 53 of suitable textile thread. The laterally outermost rows of stitches 53 also engage the moisture-absorbent flexible material of the garment.

Relatively narrow, reinforcing tapes 54 of suitable square-woven, cotton fabric coated on one side as with neoprene are provided to resist distention of the conduit and to reinforce the outer and inner walls 47, 48 along the coiled wire

tubular elements

50, 51. The reinforcing

tapes

54, 54 overlie the outer wall 47 and are adhesively 1 secured thereto in a suitable manner with one of the tapes 54 disposed centrally between the

elements

50, 51. Each tape 54 extends continuously longitudinally ofthe con duit.

Other tapes

55, 55 are arranged in a similar man ner, but are mounted upon the inner wall 48 between the latter and thewall of the garment, as shown in Fig. 3.,

The foregoing construction and arrangement applies to all the conduits and makes feasible extensive flexibility and bending together with resistance to distention. Outward distention of the conduit is objectionable because of the limited space between the garment and the flying suit, when the garment is worn by the wearer; The conduits make it possible to effectively cool or heat the wearer by conduction by virtue of contact of the wearers body against the garment along the respective conduits.

The air under pressure entering through the inlet fitting 36, flows through the conduits with minimum resistance or interference from the Trilok strip and the coiled wire tubular elements, exhausts from the conduits at the region of the wearers wrists and ankles, respectively, and then flows in the space between the garment'and the wall of the flying suit. During the flow of air in said space, the air picks up or evaporates the moisture, due to perspiration, in the moisture-absorbent material of the garment 10. The moisture-laden air is exhausted through the suitable fitting of the flying suit to theaircraft cabin or ambient atmosphere, whereby the wearer of the garment and flying suit is maintained in a comfortable condition.

When the air under pressure which is admitted to the conduits of the ventilation garment through the tubular inlet fitting 36, isthe air utilized to maintain the desired internal pressure within the flying suit, the ventilation garment 10 advantageously maintains the body of the wearer in comfort during flight at high altitudes, that is altitudes in excess of about 8,000 to 12,000 ft. Air under sufficient pressure to produce good flow of air through the-.- conduits, may be admitted to such conduits of the ventila: tion garment, either during flight at lower altitudes or during the wearers stay in the ready room of an aircraft carrier warship or other aircraft base, when the flying suit is not under the internal pressure flight condition,

I under these conditions of use.

Variations may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as it is defined in the followin ing in open ends positionable at the region'of the wrists and the ankles of the wearer, conduit means of impervious imperforate flexible material on the said garment portions including at least one outlet conduit extending along each arm-enclosing and leg-enclosing portion to sub stantially said open end thereof with each arm and leg outlet conduit being open at its outer end only toexhaust gaseous fluid into the space between said garment and the external covering to evaporate moisture from said material of the garment portions, and means on said garment in communication with said conduit means for supplying the gaseous fluid thereto, all portions of the said conduit means having a flat cross-sectional configuration such that the width is greater than the thickness with means in said conduit means to maintain the shape of the latter including a flat strip of flexible pervious resiliently deform able material with longitudinal fluid passages therein disposed between opposite margins of the conduit means and secured to opposed flat wall portions of the conduit means.

2. A unitary ventilation garment for use within an inflatable flying suit, said ventilation garment comprising pervious moisture-absorbent flexible textile fabric 'ma-' terial providing torso, arrn and leg-enclosing portions haust gaseous fluid into the space between said garment and the flying suit to evaporate moisture from said ma-' terial of the garment portions, and means on said gar-' ment in communication with said manifold conduit for supplying the gaseous fluid thereto, all portions of the manifold conduit-and the arm and leg outlet conduits having a flat cross-sectional configuration such that the width is greater than the thickness with means in the said conduits to maintain the shape of the latter including laterally spaced flexible tubular reinforcing elements extending longitudinally of the conduits at the margins of the latter and a flat strip of flexible pervious resiliently deformable material with longitudinal fluid passages therein disposed between said elements-and secured to opposed flat wall-portions of the conduits.

3. A unitary ventilation garment for use within an iii-- flatable flying suit, said ventilation. garment comprising torso, arm and leg-enclosing portions of pervious mois- =ture-absorbent flexible textile fabric material positionablesnugly about the wearers body and normally in spaced" relation to the interior surface of the flying suit, said arm enclosing and said leg-enclosing portions terminating in' open ends positionable at the wrists and ankles of the wearer, a manifold conduit of impervious flexible ma terial extending longitudinally along said torso portionat its exterior and the back of said garment, a plurality of outlet conduits of said impervious flexible material. connected at their inner ends to'said manifold conduit in communication therewith with at least one-outlet conduit disposed at the exterior and the back of the garment and extending along each arm-enclosing and legenclosing portion to substantially said open end thereof and each arm and leg outlet conduit being open at its outer end to exhaust gaseous fluid into the space between said garment and the flying suit to evaporate moisture from said material of the garment portions, and means on said garment in communication with said manifold conduit for supplying the gaseous fluid thereto, said manifold conduit and said outlet conduits each having a flat cross-sectional shape and having complementary spaced outer and inner wall portions of said impervious flexible material integrally united along margins of the conduit, said inner wall portion being seated against and secured to the textile fabric material of the garment, said manifold conduit and said outlet conduits each including flexible pervious resiliently deformable material within and occupying the major part of the width of the conduit and secured to said outer and said inner wall portions to maintain the flat shape of the conduit.

4. A unitary ventilation garment for use within an inflatable flying suit, said ventilation garment comprising air-pervious moisture-absorbent flexible textile fabric material providing torso, arm and leg-enclosing portions adapted to snugly fit the wearers body and positionable normally in spaced relation to the interior surface of the dying suit, said arm-enclosing andsaid leg-enclosing portions terminating in open ends positionable at the region of the wrists and the ankles of the wearer, conduit means of impervious imperforate flexible material at the back of the garment on the said garment portions including a non-distensible manifold conduit of flat sectional shape extending, longitudinally along the back of said torsoenclosing portion and occupying the major part of the' area thereof, and at least one non-distensible outlet conduit of flat sectional shape in communication with said manifold conduit and extending along the back of each arm-enclosing and leg-enclosing portion to substantially said open end thereof and each arm and leg outlet conduit being open at its outer end only to exhaust air under pressure into the space between said garment and the flying suit to evaporate moisture from said material of the garment portions, flexible pervious resiliently deformable means within all said conduits secured to' opposed flat wall portions thereof and maintaining the conduits in the flat shape and open along their length to the flow of said air under pressure, and means on said garment in communication with said conduit means for supplying the air under pressure thereto. a

a A unitary ventilation garment for use within an in-' flatable flying suit, said ventilation. garment comprising torso, arm and leg-enclosing portions of air-pervious moisture-absorbent flexible knitted textile fabric material positionable snugly about the wearers body and normally in spaced relation to the interior surface of the flying suit, said arm-enclosing and said leg-enclosing portions terminating in open ends positionable at the wrists and ankles, respectively, of the wearer, a non-distensible flat manifold conduit ofimperviousfflexible fabric material having a width greater than the thickness and extending longitudinally along said torso portion at the back of said garment, a plurality of non-distensible flat ouitlet conduits of said impervious flexible fabric material having a width greater than the thickness and extending away from and connected to said manifold conduit in communication thorewithwith at least one outlet conduit extending laterally about said torso-enclosing portion to its front and with a pair of interconnected outlet conduits extending spaced-apart at the back of. the garment along each armenclosing and leg-enclosing portion to substantially said open end thereof, each arm and leg outlet conduit being open at its outer end to exhaust air under pressure into the space between said garment and the flying suit to evaporate moisture from said material of the garment portions, all portions of each of the said conduits including laterally spaced resiliently flexible tubular reinforcing elements of helically coiled wire extending longitudinally of the conduit adjacent the margins of the latter and pervious resiliently deformable material between said reinforcing elements consisting of a pair of superimposed spaced layers of woven textile fabric secured to adjacent wall portions of the conduit and interconnected by laterally extending textile filamentary elements arranged in a sinuous disposition and defining in part individual communicating passages extending longitudinally of the conduit, and means on said garment in communication with said manifold conduit for supplying the air under pressure thereto.

6. A unitary ventilation garment for use within an external covering, said ventilation garment comprising pervious moisture-absorbent flexible textile fabric material providing torso, arm and leg-enclosing portions terminating in openends positionable at the region of the Wrists and ankles of the wearer, conduit means of impervious flexible materialfat the back of the garment and on the said garment portions including a manifold conduit extending along and occupying the major part of the back area of said torso-enclosing portion, and at least one outlet conduit in communication with said manifold conduit and extending therefrom along the back of each armenclosing portion and leg-enclosing portion to substantially said open end thereof with each arm and leg outlet conduit being open at its outer end to exhaust gaseous fluid into the space between said garment and the external covering to evaporate moisture from said material of the garment portions, and means onsaid garment in communication with said conduit means for supplying the gaseous fluid thereto, all portions of the said' conduit means having a flat cross-sectional configuration such that 35' the width is greater than the thickness with means in said conduit means to maintain the flat shape of the latter including laterally spaced flexible hollow reinforcing elements extendnig longitudinally of the conduit means adjacent the margins of the latter and pervious resiliently deformable material between said reinforcing elements consisting of a pair of superimposed spaced layers of woven textile fabric material secured to adjacent wall portions 'of said conduit means and interconnected by laterally extending textile filamentary elements arranged in a sinuous disposition and defining in part individual communicating passages extending longitudinally of said conduit means.

7. A unitary ventilation garment for use within an inflatable flying suit, said ventilation garment comprising air-pervious moisture-absorbent flexible knitted textile fabric material providing torso, arm and leg-enclosing portions adapted to snugly fit the wearers body and terminating in open ends positionable at the wrists and ankles of the wearer, a manifold conduit of impervious flexible woven textile fabric material having a flat cross-sectional figuration such that the widthis greater than the thick-- ness and connected at their inner ends to said manifold conduit in communication therewith with atleast one outlet conduit extending along the back and outer surface of each arm-enclosing and leg-enclosing portion to substantially said open end thereof and being open at its outer end to exhaust air therefrom for facilitating the evaporation of moisture from said material of, the garment portions, and means on said garment in communication with said manifold conduit for supplying air under pressure thereto, the said conduits each including laterally spaced resiliently flexible hollow reinforcing elements of helically coiled wire extending longitudinally of the conduit adjacent the margins of the latter and pervious resiliently deformable textile fabric material between said References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Akerman June 27, 1950 l0 Rodert Feb. 6, 1951 Dunn Oct. 30, 1951 Mianulli Jan. 5, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS Germany Mar. 29, 1941