Aircraft cargo container

• US 5,645,184 A
• Filed: 03/31/1994
• Issued: 07/08/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Royalordnance Public Limited Company
• Original Assignee: Royal Ordnance Public Limited Company
• Inventors: Sewell, Debra Anne, Rowse, David Paul, Booth, Jan Anthony, Ince, Rob William
• Primary Examiner(s): Castellano, Stephen J.
• Application Number:
  US08/220,596
• Time in Patent Office: 1,195 Days
• Field of Search: 220/88.1, 220/1.5, 220/443, 220/454, 220/666, 220/442
• US Class Current: 220/1.5
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 1/00 Layered products having a non-planar shape
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 1/02 Receptacles , i.e. rigid containers, e.g. tanks
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 15/04 comprising metal as the main or only constituent of a layer, which is next to another layer of the same or of a different material next to a bituminous or tarry layer B32B11/08; next to a water-setting substance layer B32B13/06; next to a glass layer B32B17/061; next to a cellulosic plastic layer B32B23/042
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2250/05 5 or more layers
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/56 Damping, energy absorption
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2439/00 Containers; Receptacles closures therefor B32B2435/00
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2605/18 Aircraft blades, propellers B32B2603/00
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 3/06 for securing layers together; for attaching the product to another member, e.g. to a support , or to another product, e.g. groove/tongue, interlocking
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 3/266 characterised by an apertured layer, the apertures going through the whole thickness of the layer, e.g. expanded metal, perforated layer, slit layer regular cells B32B3/12
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 3/28 characterised by a layer comprising a deformed thin sheet , i.e. the layer having its entire thickness deformed out of the plane, e.g. corrugated, crumpled B32B29/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 7/04 Interconnection of layers
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 88/14 by air
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 90/325 due to explosion, e.g. inside the container safely destroying explosive ammunition or similar F42B39/14; in buildings E04B1/98
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 39/14 Explosion or fire protection arrangements on packages or ammunition F42B39/20 and F42B39/24 take precedence; wall or panel structure of fireproof safes or storage containers E05G1/024
• CPC Class Codes: F42D 5/045 Detonation-wave absorbing or damping means

Abstract

An aircraft cargo container (10) is provided with one or more expandable regions for expansion under blast loading thereby to absorb a portion of the blast energy from a blast within the container (10). The absorbing means may comprise corrugated or concertina shaped sheets (20, 22, 34) which expand under blast loading and together with a blast absorbing material (24). The sheets (20, 22, 34) and material (24) may be provided in one or more panels (12, 14) and/or at one or more edged if required.

Claims

1. A container comprising a plurality of panels, at least one of said plurality of panels having a blast attenuation means, said attenuation means comprising an expandable region for expansion under blast loading thereby absorbing a portion of a blast energy contained in a blast, said expandable region comprising one of a sheet of woven fabric material and a sheet of knitted fabric material expandable in a lateral direction, said fabric material being encapsulated within a matrix wherein an embedded length of fibers of one of the sheet of woven fabric material and a sheet of knitted fabric material along any axis within the material is substantially greater than a length of the material along the axis, wherein the plurality of panels forms a closed container.

2. A container according to claim 1, wherein the matrix is one of a polymeric resin and an elastomer.

3. A container according to claim 2, wherein the matrix is an epoxy resin.

4. A container according to claim 3, wherein the fabric material comprises high tensile strength fibers.

5. A container according to claim 4, wherein the high tensile strength fibers are one of aramid, glass and a combination thereof.