WO1999042359A1 - Inflatable liferaft - Google Patents
Inflatable liferaft Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- WO1999042359A1 WO1999042359A1 PCT/GB1999/000268 GB9900268W WO9942359A1 WO 1999042359 A1 WO1999042359 A1 WO 1999042359A1 GB 9900268 W GB9900268 W GB 9900268W WO 9942359 A1 WO9942359 A1 WO 9942359A1
- Authority
- WO
- WIPO (PCT)
- Prior art keywords
- liferaft
- inflatable structure
- inflatable
- tube
- liferaft according
- Prior art date
Links
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
- B63B—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPPING
- B63B27/00—Arrangement of ship-based loading or unloading equipment for cargo or passengers
- B63B27/14—Arrangement of ship-based loading or unloading equipment for cargo or passengers of ramps, gangways or outboard ladders ; Pilot lifts
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
- B63C—LAUNCHING, HAULING-OUT, OR DRY-DOCKING OF VESSELS; LIFE-SAVING IN WATER; EQUIPMENT FOR DWELLING OR WORKING UNDER WATER; MEANS FOR SALVAGING OR SEARCHING FOR UNDERWATER OBJECTS
- B63C9/00—Life-saving in water
- B63C9/06—Floatable closed containers with accommodation for one or more persons inside
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
- B63B—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPPING
- B63B27/00—Arrangement of ship-based loading or unloading equipment for cargo or passengers
- B63B27/14—Arrangement of ship-based loading or unloading equipment for cargo or passengers of ramps, gangways or outboard ladders ; Pilot lifts
- B63B27/143—Ramps
- B63B2027/145—Inflatable ramps
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
- B63C—LAUNCHING, HAULING-OUT, OR DRY-DOCKING OF VESSELS; LIFE-SAVING IN WATER; EQUIPMENT FOR DWELLING OR WORKING UNDER WATER; MEANS FOR SALVAGING OR SEARCHING FOR UNDERWATER OBJECTS
- B63C9/00—Life-saving in water
- B63C9/02—Lifeboats, life-rafts or the like, specially adapted for life-saving
- B63C9/04—Life-rafts
- B63C2009/042—Life-rafts inflatable
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
- B63C—LAUNCHING, HAULING-OUT, OR DRY-DOCKING OF VESSELS; LIFE-SAVING IN WATER; EQUIPMENT FOR DWELLING OR WORKING UNDER WATER; MEANS FOR SALVAGING OR SEARCHING FOR UNDERWATER OBJECTS
- B63C9/00—Life-saving in water
- B63C9/02—Lifeboats, life-rafts or the like, specially adapted for life-saving
- B63C9/04—Life-rafts
- B63C2009/044—Life-rafts covered
- B63C2009/046—Life-rafts covered reversible, i.e. deployable in upright or upside down positions
Definitions
- the invention relates to liferafts.
- a known form of liferaft comprises two members connected by an inflatable structure which, when inflated, separates the members to form an enclosure, with one member forming a generally planar floor and the other member forming a generally planar roof to the enclosure.
- An example of a liferaft of this type is shown in US-A-3037218.
- a liferaft of this type occurs on inflation, particularly inflation under water.
- the floor and roof members are initially deployed in their planar configurations.
- the member that forms the roof can be covered with significant quantities of water and the weight of this water can be such as to prevent the inflatable structure inflating properly and deploying the liferaft .
- a liferaft comprising two members connected by an inflatable structure, which, when inflated, separates the members to form an enclosure, with one planar member forming a generally planar floor and the other planar member forming a generally planar roof to the enclosure, a passage being provided between the first and second members, the passage being open as the inflatable structure inflates to allow water to drain from the surface of the planar member.
- a liferaft comprising an inflatable structure and an entrance ramp including at least one inflatable member, the inflatable member being in communication with the inflatable structure, the boarding ramp being held in a collapsed disposition and being releasable from said collapsed disposition, the release permitting the inflatable member to inflate with gas from the inflatable structure to deploy the boarding ramp .
- Figure 1 is a plan view from above of a deployed liferaft showing drainage passages and projecting boarding ramps
- Figure 2 is a side elevation of the liferaft of Figure 1, viewed in the direction of the arrow X in Figure 1,
- Figure 3 is a side elevation of the liferaft of Figure 1 viewed in the direction of the arrow Y in Figure 1,
- Figure 4 is a cross-section on the lines A-A of Figure 2
- Figure 5 is a plan view of one of the drainage passages shown in Figure 1
- Figure 6 is a side elevation of the drainage channel of Figure 5
- Figure 7 is a partial cross-section through a tube of the liferaft of Figures 1 to 4 showing one of the boarding ramps in a collapsed disposition and held against the tube by two sheets of material,
- Figure 8 is a similar view to Figure 7 but showing the boarding ramp in a deployed disposition
- Figure 9 is a partial side elevation of the liferaft in the direction shown in Figure 2 and showing the deployed boarding ramp to a larger scale.
- the liferaft is generally octagonal in plan view with two opposed side walls 10, two opposed end walls 11 and four corner walls 12 interconnecting the end walls and the side walls.
- the walls are formed by an inflatable structure including six stacked inflatable tubes 13a-13f.
- the two uppermost tubes 13a, 13b and the two lowermost tubes 13e,13f are continuous around the liferaft.
- Each of these tubes, 13a, 13b, 13e, 13f thus has eight corners 14. The corners of all the tubes
- each entrance includes a doorway formed by a sheet 17 of rubberized fabric provided with a securable cover 18 that can be rolled back, as seen in Figures 2 and 3.
- Each side entrance 15 is associated with a respective pair of boarding ramps 19. The construction and operation of these boarding ramps 19 will be described in more detail below.
- the uppermost tube 13a and the lower most tube 13f are each provided with a respective succession of water pockets 20 extending around the associated tube 13a, 13f. As shown, there are 32 water pockets 20 on each tube 13a, 13f. These water pockets 20 are of conventional design.
- the liferaft is also provided with a floor 21 and a roof 22.
- the floor 21 and the roof 22 are both made from rubberized fabric material of suitable strength. In this regard, it will be appreciated from the description of the drawings above and from the drawings themselves that the liferaft is reversible.
- the floor 21 could act as a roof and the roof 22 could act as a floor.
- the periphery of the roof 22 is sandwiched between the uppermost tube 13a and the next adjacent tube 13b.
- the periphery of the floor 22 is sandwiched between the lowermost tube 16f and the next adjacent tube 16e.
- the roof 22 and the floor 21 are separated within the liferaft by an inflatable internal structure comprising two pairs of cross beams 23, with the beams 23 of each pair separated by three spaced vertical columns 24.
- the beams 23 and the columns 24 are formed by inflatable tubes of known design.
- one cross beam 23 of each pair extends across the floor 21 between the side walls 10 and the other cross beam 23 of each pair extends across the roof 22 between the side walls 10.
- the two pairs of cross beams 23 are spaced apart along the length of the liferaft.
- the roof 22 and the floor 21 are provided with respective circular entrances 25 in register with one another. These entrances 25 are interconnected by a tube including a slanting diverter (not shown) .
- the tube can be open to allow access into the interior of the liferaft.
- the entrance 25 on the roof 22 is designed to be connected to an escape chute of the kind shown in our PCT Application Publication No. WO 97/22514. Accordingly, this will not be described in any further detail .
- the roof also includes three attachment points 26 by which gas cylinders may be mounted on the roof for supplying gas to the inflatable structure via an inflation system (not shown) of conventional type.
- tubes 27 extending between the roof 22 and the floor 21. These are to allow the drainage of rain water from the roof 22 and these tubes 27 may be provided with valves and outlets to allow such rain water to be collected and used as drinking water.
- each passage 28 comprises a tubular sleeve 29 of flexible foldable material extending inwardly from an aperture 30 in the floor/roof 21/22.
- the aperture 30 is covered by a circular mesh 31.
- the end of the sleeve 29 remote from the mesh 31 is provided with a draw string 32.
- the drainage passages 28 in the roof are in register with drainage passages 28 in the floor 21. Before the inflatable structure is inflated, the sleeves 29 of all the drainage passages 28 are rolled back so that they leave the associated apertures unobstructed. Each drainage passage 28 in the roof 22 is then connected to the registering drainage passage 28 in the floor 21 by breakable threads 40 to form a continuous passage between the roof 22 and the floor 21. The purpose of this will be described below with the description of the deployment of the liferaft on inflation.
- two drainage passages 28 are located on a lateral axis 38 of the roof 22, each adjacent a respective side entrance 15.
- the third drainage passage is located on a longitudinal axis 39 of the roof 22 adjacent the intersection of this axis 39 with the lateral axis 38.
- each boarding ramp 19 comprises a U-shaped inflatable tube 33 connected at the base of the U to either the uppermost tube 13a or the lowermost tube 13 f. This base of the U-shaped tube is in gas communication with the associated tube 13a/13f. The space between the limbs of the U is filled with a mesh material 34.
- boarding ramps 19 there are two boarding ramps 19 associated with each side entrance 15.
- One boarding ramp 19 extends radially from the upper tube 13a and the other boarding ramp extends radially from the lower tube 13 f.
- the boarding ramps 19 are on respective opposite sides of a vertical plane passing through the centre of the side entrances 15.
- a boarding ramp 19 usable whichever way the liferaft falls.
- the U-shaped tube 33 and the mesh material 34 are rolled up against the associated tube 13a, 13f. They are held in this position by a retaining device formed by two sheets of material 36,37 attached at spaced points to the adjacent tube 13a, 13f.
- the first sheet 36 wraps around the folded boarding ramp 19 and then connects to the second sheet 37.
- This connection may be by any releasable device such as the engaging hooks and eyes sold under the trade mark VE CRO.
- the pressure of air from the associated tube 13a, 13f inflates the U-shaped tube 33 and deploys the boarding ramp 19.
- the volume of the U-shaped tube 33 is so small in comparison with the volume of the associated tube 13a, 13f as to make little difference to the rigidity of the associated tube 13a, 13f.
- the liferaft In use, the liferaft is deflated and packed and stored on an appropriate vessel. As mentioned above, it may be associated with an escape chute of the kind described in WO-A-97/22514.
- the liferaft When required, the liferaft is thrown from the side of the vessel and, as it hits the water, the inflation system is actuated automatically. Thus, gas from the cylinders mounted on the attachment portions 26 of the roof 22 is supplied to the inflatable structure. This happens very quickly and the first effect is to form the upper and lower tubes 13a, 13f into their octagonal shape so spreading the floor 21 and the roof 22 into their octagonal shapes. This may occur when the liferaft is wholly or partially under water or when the liferaft is being covered by high seas. As the roof 22 is spread, water will collect on the roof 22. The weight of this water may be sufficient to withstand the forces of the expanding inflatable structure.
- drainage passages 28 are of sufficient size, number and location that water passes through these passages from the roof 22 to the floor 21 and so prevents such water inhibiting the inflation of the inflatable structure.
- the evacuees can close the drainage passages 28 by use of the drawstrings 32.
- Those passages 28 in the floor can be used as balers.
- the tubes 27 can be used to collect water.
- the liferaft could have any convenient shape. This need not be a polygonal shape, it could be a circular shape. There may be more or less entrances.
- the boarding ramps 19 are optional. There may be more or less drainage passages 28.
- the drainage passages 28 could be constantly continuous between the roof 23 an the floor 21 even when the liferaft is fully deployed.
- the drainage passages 28 may be located other than as shown.
- the boarding ramps need not be used on a liferaft of the kind described above with reference to the drawings; they could be used on any suitable liferaft.
- the boarding ramps could have 10 any required configuration, they need not be formed by a U- shaped tube and a mesh. Any form of inflatable tube or tubes could be used with the structure receiving gas from an adjacent inflatable structure.
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Ocean & Marine Engineering (AREA)
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
- Tents Or Canopies (AREA)
- Buildings Adapted To Withstand Abnormal External Influences (AREA)
Abstract
Description
Claims
Priority Applications (5)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
EP99902679A EP1054803A1 (en) | 1998-02-17 | 1999-01-26 | Inflatable liferaft |
JP2000532330A JP2002503592A (en) | 1998-02-17 | 1999-01-26 | Life raft |
AU22891/99A AU2289199A (en) | 1998-02-17 | 1999-01-26 | Inflatable liferaft |
CA002320742A CA2320742A1 (en) | 1998-02-17 | 1999-01-26 | Inflatable liferaft |
NO20004088A NO20004088L (en) | 1998-02-17 | 2000-08-16 | Inflatable life raft |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
GB9803358A GB2334239A (en) | 1998-02-17 | 1998-02-17 | Liferaft having roof drainage |
GB9803358.2 | 1998-02-17 |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
WO1999042359A1 true WO1999042359A1 (en) | 1999-08-26 |
Family
ID=10827145
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/GB1999/000268 WO1999042359A1 (en) | 1998-02-17 | 1999-01-26 | Inflatable liferaft |
Country Status (7)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP1054803A1 (en) |
JP (1) | JP2002503592A (en) |
AU (1) | AU2289199A (en) |
CA (1) | CA2320742A1 (en) |
GB (1) | GB2334239A (en) |
NO (1) | NO20004088L (en) |
WO (1) | WO1999042359A1 (en) |
Cited By (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US10351219B1 (en) | 2018-03-02 | 2019-07-16 | Goodrich Corporation | Life raft system with multipurpose inflatable boarding deck |
Citations (11)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
DE956835C (en) * | 1954-03-27 | 1957-01-24 | Viktor Danilow | Method and device for rescuing shipwrecked people |
US3037218A (en) | 1960-07-11 | 1962-06-05 | Nat Textile Res Inc | Shelter life raft |
US3463287A (en) * | 1968-04-08 | 1969-08-26 | Ind Covers Inc | Automatic inflation system for evacuation slide |
GB2052398A (en) * | 1979-07-04 | 1981-01-28 | Rfd Inflatables Ltd | Inflatable liferaft |
US4678443A (en) * | 1985-02-22 | 1987-07-07 | Rfd Limited | Inflatable liferaft |
US4723929A (en) * | 1987-05-18 | 1988-02-09 | The B. F. Goodrich Company | Inflatable life rafts |
FR2628702A1 (en) * | 1988-03-18 | 1989-09-22 | Flament Daniel | Inflatable net surrounding lifeboat - with flexible airtight tubes closed at one end |
US4890569A (en) * | 1986-07-14 | 1990-01-02 | Givens Buoy Liferaft Co., Inc. | Life raft |
US5301630A (en) * | 1993-02-05 | 1994-04-12 | Smr Technologies, Inc. | Inflatable rescue ramp |
GB2305150A (en) * | 1995-09-14 | 1997-04-02 | Wardle Storeys Ltd | Liferafts |
WO1997022514A1 (en) | 1995-12-19 | 1997-06-26 | Wardle Storeys (Safety And Survival Equipment) Limited | Marine escape systems |
Family Cites Families (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US4267614A (en) * | 1979-11-02 | 1981-05-19 | Axel Anderson | Life-saving apparatus |
EP0274570A3 (en) * | 1987-01-16 | 1988-11-17 | SMR Technologies, Inc. | Modular liferaft |
-
1998
- 1998-02-17 GB GB9803358A patent/GB2334239A/en not_active Withdrawn
-
1999
- 1999-01-26 JP JP2000532330A patent/JP2002503592A/en active Pending
- 1999-01-26 WO PCT/GB1999/000268 patent/WO1999042359A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
- 1999-01-26 CA CA002320742A patent/CA2320742A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 1999-01-26 AU AU22891/99A patent/AU2289199A/en not_active Abandoned
- 1999-01-26 EP EP99902679A patent/EP1054803A1/en not_active Withdrawn
-
2000
- 2000-08-16 NO NO20004088A patent/NO20004088L/en not_active Application Discontinuation
Patent Citations (11)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
DE956835C (en) * | 1954-03-27 | 1957-01-24 | Viktor Danilow | Method and device for rescuing shipwrecked people |
US3037218A (en) | 1960-07-11 | 1962-06-05 | Nat Textile Res Inc | Shelter life raft |
US3463287A (en) * | 1968-04-08 | 1969-08-26 | Ind Covers Inc | Automatic inflation system for evacuation slide |
GB2052398A (en) * | 1979-07-04 | 1981-01-28 | Rfd Inflatables Ltd | Inflatable liferaft |
US4678443A (en) * | 1985-02-22 | 1987-07-07 | Rfd Limited | Inflatable liferaft |
US4890569A (en) * | 1986-07-14 | 1990-01-02 | Givens Buoy Liferaft Co., Inc. | Life raft |
US4723929A (en) * | 1987-05-18 | 1988-02-09 | The B. F. Goodrich Company | Inflatable life rafts |
FR2628702A1 (en) * | 1988-03-18 | 1989-09-22 | Flament Daniel | Inflatable net surrounding lifeboat - with flexible airtight tubes closed at one end |
US5301630A (en) * | 1993-02-05 | 1994-04-12 | Smr Technologies, Inc. | Inflatable rescue ramp |
GB2305150A (en) * | 1995-09-14 | 1997-04-02 | Wardle Storeys Ltd | Liferafts |
WO1997022514A1 (en) | 1995-12-19 | 1997-06-26 | Wardle Storeys (Safety And Survival Equipment) Limited | Marine escape systems |
Cited By (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US10351219B1 (en) | 2018-03-02 | 2019-07-16 | Goodrich Corporation | Life raft system with multipurpose inflatable boarding deck |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
CA2320742A1 (en) | 1999-08-26 |
GB9803358D0 (en) | 1998-04-15 |
AU2289199A (en) | 1999-09-06 |
GB2334239A (en) | 1999-08-18 |
EP1054803A1 (en) | 2000-11-29 |
JP2002503592A (en) | 2002-02-05 |
NO20004088L (en) | 2000-10-13 |
NO20004088D0 (en) | 2000-08-16 |
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