SLIDE-RAFT FOR EMERGENCY AIRCRAFT EVACUATION

• US 3,833,088 A
• Filed: 10/18/1972
• Issued: 09/03/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Goodrich Corporation (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Original Assignee: Joseph Nmi Chacko, Robert S. Satterfield, Ronald H. Day
• Inventors: Satterfield, Robert S., Chacko, Joseph Nmi, Day, Ronald H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Machado, Reinaldo P.
• Application Number:
  US05/298,563
• Time in Patent Office: 685 Days
• Field of Search: 182/48 9/11A,2A,DIG.2 193/25 244/137
• US Class Current: 182/48
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 25/14 Inflatable escape chutes

Abstract

An evacuation device which inflates automatically upon opening of the door of an aircraft unless predetermined actions are accomplished before the door is opened. The device comprises individually operable and pneumatically distinct upper and lower inflation tube assemblies which support a slide surface therebetween across which persons jumping from the aircraft may slide to ground level. A canopy is provided which may be fastened across the slide surface so that the device can be utilized as a raft in an aircraft ditching situation. If desired, the capacity of the raft can be increased by the provision of sponsons integral with each of the inflatable tube assemblies and extending laterally therefrom.

Claims

1. An emergency aircraft escape slide/raft for use on land or water comprising a first inflatable tube structure extending in inflated relationship from the emergency escape in the aircraft to a position adjacent the land or water, a second inflatable tube structure physically attached to the first inflatable tube structure at a position adjacent to the emergency escape in the aircraft but pneumatically independent of said first tube structure, a slide surface located at one end at substantially the interface of said first and second inflatable tube structures and supported by the first inflatable tube structure along the length of the first inflatable tube structure, the slide surface providing a support surface on which persons may slide when evacuating an aircraft, inflatable stanchions integral with said first inflatable tube structure and in pneumatic communication therewith, a flexible canopy means fastened to said first inflatable tube structure and extending over the inflatable stanchions to define the canopy, means operably coupled to the first inflatable tube structure to provide for an inflation of the first inflatable tube structure when an emergency escape from the aircraft is to be provided. means for providing for the detachment of the slide/raft from the aircraft after the evacuation of passengers from the aircraft, and means operatively coupled to the second inflatable tube structure for inflating the second inflatable tube structure after the evacuation of the passengers from the aircraft to define with the first inflatable tube structure a raft having side walls around the periphery of the raft.

2. The escape device of claim 1 including means for retaining said canopy means in an opened position wherein said slide surface is uncovered and means for supporting said canopy in a closed position wherein said slide surface is covered.

3. The escape device of claim 1 including inflatable sponson sections in pneumatic communication with said first tube structure and disposed laterally outwardly from said tube, and floor means extending between said first inflatable tube structure and said sponson sections, said floor means providing surfaces upon which persons may be supported after evacuation from an aircraft.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein the inflating means for the second inflatable tube structure includes:

means in one of said first and second tube structures for preventing air flow from the first inflatable tube structure to the second inflatable tube structure during inflation of the first inflatable tube structure, and means for selectively providing an air flow path from the first inflatable tube structure past said air flow preventing means to the second inflatable tube structure when desirable to inflate said second inflatable tube structure.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein said canopy means includes access openings at predetermined locations about the periphery thereof and means for selectively effecting closure of said access openings to prevent passage of air and water therethrough.

6. The device of claim 1 including means attached to said first tube structure for inhibiting concavity produced in said slide surface by the cumulative weight of passengers.

7. A safety device which may be utilized as a personnel slide and as a raft for an aircraft comprising a lower inflatable flotation tube assembly, first means operatively coupled to said lower inflatable tube assembly for inflating said lower tube assembly, an upper inflatable flotation tube assembly mounted on said lower tube assembly and pneumatically distinct therefrom, second means operatively coupled to said upper inflatable tube assembly for inflating said upper tube assembly, personnel support means suspended between said lower and upper tube assemblies, inflatable stanchion means in pneumatic communication with saId upper tube assembly, first inflatable sponsons pneumatically associated with the lower inflatable tube assembly for inflation with the lower inflatable tube assembly and disposed exteriorly of the lower inflatable tube assembly in the inflated condition, second inflatable sponsons pneumatically associated with the upper inflatable tube assembly for inflation with the upper inflatable tube assembly and disposed exteriorly of the upper inflatable tube assembly and disposed exteriorly of the upper inflatable tube assembly in the inflated condition, means defining walking surfaces between the first inflatable tube assembly and the first inflatable sponsons and between the second inflatable tube assembly and the second inflatable sponsons, and enclosure means supported by said stanchion means and said first and second inflatable sponsons to removably enclose the space intermediate opposed sides and ends of said first and second inflatable sponsons and said personnel support means and walking surface means.

8. The device of claim 7 including means disposed at one end of the upper flotation tube assembly for preventing the inflation of said one end of said upper inflatable tube assembly by said second inflating means and means operative upon the inflation of the upper flotation tube assembly for providing for a withdrawal of a portion of the air from said upper inflatable tube assembly and delivering it to the non-inflated one end thereof to thereby inflate said one end when desired to close off said personnel support means for use as a raft.

9. The device of claim 8 wherein said air-withdrawing means is disposed within the upper inflatable tube assembly and is operated from a position external to said upper inflatable tube assembly.

10. The device of claim 9 including detachable stanchion means, each independently inflatable, for supporting said enclosure means at approximately the center of said personnel support means when said enclosure means is closed thereover.

11. An emergency evacuation device releasably attachable to an aircraft at an exit thereof comprising an elongated slide means including a first inflatable tube assembly comprising a pair of side tubes, an upper end tube extending between the side tubes in fluid communication with the side tubes, lower end tube extending between the side tubes in fluid communication with the side tubes, at least one cross support tube disposed at an intermediate position between the upper and lower end tubes and in fluid communication with the side tubes, and a slide divider tube disposed between the side tubes and in fluid communication with the side tubes, slide surface means located at substantially the upper periphery of said first tube assembly and divided into distinct slide paths by said divider tube, a second inflatable tube assembly mounted on said first tube assembly and comprising a pair of side tubes forming side walls for said slide surface means, a bottom end tube disposed for support on the ground or on water when the device is used as a slide, the bottom end tube being disposed in fluid communication with the pair of side tubes in the second inflatable tube assembly, and a head end tube for closing one end of the second inflatable tube assembly when the device is used as a raft, means for inflating said first and second tube assemblies, means operatively coupled to the head end tube in the second inflatable tube assembly for preventing inflation of said head end tube of said second tube assembly when said pair of side tubes and said bottom end tube in said second inflatable tube assembly are being inflated, and means operatively coupled to the head end tube in the second inflatable tube assembly for providing for inflation of said head end tube after the inflation of the side tubes and the bottom end tube in the second inflatable tube assembly.

12. The device of claim 11 including inflatable sponson means disposed externally of the side tubes in the first inflatable tube assembly and the side tubes in the second inflatble tube assembly and in pneumatic communication with the side tubes in the first and second inflatable tube assemblies and extending to either side of said slide means and including flexible flooring therein for support of personnel thereon when said device is detached from an aircraft and used as a raft.

13. The device of claim 12 including canopy means extending over the first and second inflatable tube assemblies and the inflatable sponson means and attachable to the inflatable sponson means for enclosing said slide surface and said flexible flooring for protection of personnel thereon from exposure.

14. The device of claim 11 including means operatively coupled to the head end tube and the second inflatable tube assembly for operating upon the inflation-preventing means to provide for a withdrawal of a portion of the air from said second tube assembly and an inflation of said head end tube with the air.

15. The device of claim 14 wherein the means for providing for the withdrawal of air from the second inflatable tube assembly to the head end tube is manipulatable from a position external to the second inflatable tube assembly and the head end tube.

16. The device of claim 11 including truss means fixed to said first tube assembly for preventing concavity of said slide surface.

17. An evacuation device for evacuating passengers from an airplane comprising upper and lower pneumatically distinct inflatable tube assemblies, means operatively coupled to the upper and lower inflatable tube assemblies for providing for the inflation of such tube assemblies, a slide surface located between said tube assemblies for support of an evacuee sliding therealong, means pneumatically separating a portion of said upper tube assembly from the remainder of said upper tube assembly at the position of evacuation of the passengers from the aircraft, and means operatively coupled to said last mentioned means for providing for a pneumatic communication between said separated portion and said remainder of said upper tube assembly.

18. An evacuation device for evacuating passengers from an airplane comprising an upper inflatable tube assembly including inflatable sponson means in pneumatic communication therewith, means operatively coupled to the upper inflatable tube assembly for providing for the inflation of such inflatable tube assembly, a lower inflatable tube assembly including inflatable sponson means in pneumatic communication therewith, means operatively coupled to the lower inflatable tube assembly for providing for the inflation of such inflatable tube assembly, floor means fixed between said upper and lower inflatable tube assemblies and supported by said lower tube assembly, stanchion means in pneumatic communication with said upper tube assembly, canopy means fixed to said upper tube assembly and extending over and supported by said stanchion means, and means operatively coupled to the upper tube assembly for providing for uninhibited evacuation of passengers from the aircraft on the floor means and for providing for the production of barriers against the movement of the passengers from the upper tube assembly after the evacuation of the passengers to convert the evacuation device into a raft.

19. The device of claim 18 wherein said sponson means are located on each side of said upper and lower inflatable tube assemblies and that portion of said floor means disposed within said inflatable tube assemblies comprises a slide surface along which personnel may traverse said device when said device is utilized as a slide and upon which personnel may be supported when said device is utilized as a raft.

20. Apparatus for use as a slide for evacuation of a vehicle and thereafter for use as a raft comprising AN upper inflatable tube assembly, a lower inflatable tube assembly, means operatively coupled to the upper and lower inflatable tube assemblies for providing for inflation of said tube assemblies, a surface supported between said upper and lower tube assembly for use initially as a slide surface for evacuation from the vehicle and for use thereafter as a walking surface from the raft, means for blocking at least the end of said upper inflatable tube assembly adjacent to the vehicle from inflation during use as a slide, and means operatively coupled to the upper inflatable tube assembly for providing for the inflation of the uninflated and of the upper inflatable tube assembly during use as a raft.

21. A combination of claim 20 wherein said upper and lower tube assembly are pneumatically distinct and each includes means for inflation thereof and wherein said blocking means comprises bulkhead means for segregating a distinct portion of said upper inflatable tube assembly adjacent to the position of evacuation from the vehicle and said inflatable means for said distinct portion of said upper inflatable tube assembly includes means for transferring air from said upper inflatable tube assembly to said distinct portion to selectively equalize the air pressure between said distinct portion and the remainder of said upper inflatable tube assembly.

22. The device of claim 18 wherein the last mentioned means includes means for preventing the inflation of the end of the upper tube assembly adjacent to the aircraft during the use of the evacuation device as a slide for evacuating passengers from the aircraft and further includes means for providing for the withdrawal of air from the upper tube assembly to the uninflated end of the tube assembly for operation of the evacuation device as a raft.

23. The device of claim 22 wherein the last mentioned means includes means operable from a position external to the upper tube assembly to provide for the withdrawal of air from the upper tube assembly to the uninflated end of the tube assembly for operation of the evacuation device as a raft.

24. A safety device which may be utilized as a personnel slide and as a raft for an aircraft, comprising a lower inflatable flotation tube assembly, first means operatively coupled to said lower inflatable tube assembly for providing for the inflation of said lower inflatable tube assembly, an upper inflatable flotation tube assembly mounted on said inflatable tube assembly and pneumatically distinct from said lower inflatable tube assembly, second means operatively coupled to said upper inflatable tube assembly for providing for the inflation of said upper inflatable tube assembly, third means supported between the upper and lower inflatable tube assemblies for providing a slide surface during the evacuation of the personnel from the aircraft and for thereafter providing a support surface for the personnel during use as a raft, inflatable stanchions extending upwardly from the upper inflatable tube assembly in fluid communication with the upper inflatable tube assembly to be inflated at the same time as the upper inflatable tube assembly, and canopy means supported by the stanchions and extending over the upper inflatable tube assembly to provide a cover for the personnel during use as a raft.

25. A safety device as set forth in claim 24, including lower inflatable sponson assemblies extending laterally outwardly from the lower inflatable tube assembly in fluid communication with the lower inflatable tube assembly, upper inflatable sponson assemblies extending laterally outwardly from the upper inflatable tube assembly in fluid communication with the upper inflatable tube assembly, and fourth means supported between the upper and lower inflatable sponson assemblies and constituting an extension of the third means for providing a further support surface for the personnel during use as a raft, the canopy means also extending over the upper inflatable sponson assemblies.

26. A safety device as set forth in claim 25, including means disposed on a particular one of the upper and lower inflatable sponson assemblies for securing the canopy means.

27. A safety device as set forth in claim 25, wherein the upper inflatable tube assembly does not initially inflate along a particular wall adjacent to the aircraft during use as a slide and wherein means are provided for inflating the particular wall of the upper inflatable tube assembly for use as a raft.