EVACUATION SLIDE WITH BEAM STRUCTURE COMPRISING FOUR-POINT CROSS SECTION

• US 20170106988A1
• Filed: 10/19/2015
• Published: 04/20/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Goodrich Corporation (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Original Assignee: Goodrich Corporation (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Inventors: Hartman, Drew, Volny, Jaro S.
• Granted Patent: US 10,118,708 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 25/14 Inflatable escape chutes

Abstract

According to various embodiments, disclosed is a beam structure comprising a four-point cross section for an inflatable article comprising an inflatable slide. The beam structure has greater beam strength and provides greater structural support than an inflatable beam having a traditional circular cross section.

Claims

1. An inflatable slide comprising:

an elongated member comprising a sliding surface; and

a support structure supporting the elongated member, the support structure comprising a first rail beam and a second rail beam bordering opposites sides of the elongated member,

wherein the first rail beam and the second rail beam are inflatable,

wherein the first rail beam and the second rail beam each have a four-point cross section,

wherein the four-point cross section is defined by a longitudinal pair of opposite arcuate sections comprising a first arcuate section having a first peak point and a second arcuate section having a second peak point, and a transverse pair of opposite arcuate sections comprising a third arcuate section having a third peak point and a fourth arcuate section having a fourth peak point,

wherein a longitudinal diameter between the first peak point and the second peak point intersects a transverse diameter between the third peak point and the fourth peak point, and

wherein the four-point cross section is further defined by a first indent formed between the first arcuate section and the fourth arcuate section, a second indent formed between the second arcuate section and the third arcuate section, a third indent formed between the third arcuate section and the first arcuate section, and a fourth indent formed between the second arcuate section and the fourth arcuate section.

2. The inflatable slide of claim 1, wherein the inflatable slide is an aircraft emergency evacuation slide.

3. The inflatable slide of claim 1, wherein the longitudinal diameter equals the transverse diameter.

4. The inflatable slide of claim 1, wherein the longitudinal diameter and the transverse diameter intersect at about 90 degrees.

5. The inflatable slide of claim 1, wherein a first diameter between the first indent and the second indent intersects a second diameter between the third indent and the fourth indent at about 90 degrees.

6. The inflatable slide of claim 5, wherein the first diameter equals the second diameter.

7. The inflatable slide of claim 5, wherein the first diameter intersects the second diameter at about 90 degrees.

8. The inflatable slide of claim 5, wherein the four-point cross section is symmetrical about a central point, wherein the longitudinal diameter equals the transverse diameter, defining a large diameter of the four-point cross section, and the first diameter equals the second diameter, defining a small diameter of the four-point cross section, which is smaller than the large diameter.

9. The inflatable slide of claim 8, wherein a ratio between the small diameter to the large diameter is between 3:

5 and 4;

6.

10. The inflatable slide of claim 8, wherein the ratio between the small diameter to the large diameter is 4:

5.

11. The inflatable slide of claim 1, wherein

the sliding surface is bonded to the first rail beam at one of the first peak point, the second peak point, the third peak point, or the fourth peak point of the four-point cross section of the first rail beam, and

wherein the sliding surface is bonded to the second rail beam at one of the first peak point, the second peak point, the third peak point, or the fourth peak point of the four-point cross section of the second rail beam.

12. An inflatable support structure comprising:

a flexible material formed into an inflatable elongated configuration having a cross section of which when inflated defines four arcuate sections each having a peak point defined by the largest radial extent of an outer surface of the inflatable support structure at each of the four arcuate sections, a first pair of opposing peak points defining a first large transverse dimension and a second pair of opposing peak points defining a second large transverse dimension, four indentations being defined perimetrically between the peak points each of the four indentations having an indent point defined by the smallest radial extent of the outer surface of the inflatable support structure between perimetrically adjacent peak points, a first pair of opposing indent points defining a first small transverse dimension and a second pair of opposing indent point defining a second small transverse dimension.

13. The inflatable support structure of claim 12, wherein the flexible material, when inflated, forms at least one of a first rail beam and a second rail beam, the first rail beam and the second rail beam providing a support structure for an elongated member comprising a sliding surface of the support structure, wherein the first rail beam and the second rail beam border opposite sides of the elongated member comprising the sliding surface.

14. The inflatable support structure of claim 13, wherein the flexible material, when inflated, further forms a ground rail beam bordering on a bottom side of the elongated member.

15. The inflatable support structure of claim 12 wherein the four arcuate sections of the flexible material are formed from more than one continuous gas fill chamber.

16. The inflatable support structure of claim 15 wherein the flexible material forms at least a portion of an inflatable slide.

17. An inflatable article comprising a support structure, the support structure comprising an inflatable four-point cross section beam structure, the four-point cross section beam structure including a four-point cross section,

wherein the four-point cross section is defined by a longitudinal pair of opposite arcuate sections comprising a first arcuate section having a first peak point and a second arcuate section having a second peak point, and a transverse pair of opposite arcuate sections comprising a third arcuate section having a third peak point and a fourth arcuate section having a fourth peak point,

wherein a first large transverse dimension between the first peak point and the second peak point intersects a second large transverse dimension between the third peak point and the fourth peak point,

wherein the four-point cross section is further defined by a first indent formed between the first arcuate section and the fourth arcuate section, a second indent formed between the second arcuate section and the third arcuate section, a third indent formed between the third arcuate section and the first arcuate section, and a fourth indent formed between the second arcuate section and the fourth arcuate section, wherein a first small transverse dimension between the first indent and the second indent intersects a second small transverse dimension between the third indent and the fourth indent, and

wherein the four-point cross section beam structure comprises at least one continuous gas fill chamber.

18. The inflatable article of claim 17, wherein the four-point cross section is symmetrical about a central point, wherein the first large transverse dimension has a radial extent approximately equal to the radial extent of the second large transverse dimension, defining a large radial extent of the four-point cross section, and wherein the first large transverse dimension intersects the second large transverse dimension at about 90 degrees,

wherein the first small transverse dimension has a radial extent approximately equal to the radial extent of the second small transverse dimension, defining a small radial extent of the four-point cross section, and

wherein the first small transverse dimension and the second small transverse dimension intersect at about 90 degrees.

19. The inflatable article of claim 18 wherein a ratio between the small radial extent to the large radial extent is between 3:

5 and 4;

6.

20. The inflatable article of claim 17, comprising an inflatable slide for emergency evacuation of an aircraft.