Inflatable escape slide assembly

• US 5,906,340 A
• Filed: 05/29/1997
• Issued: 05/25/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: The B.F.Goodrich Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Goodrich Corporation (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Duggal, Virinder
• Primary Examiner(s): Jordan, Charles T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wesson, Theresa M.
• Application Number:
  US08/865,198
• Time in Patent Office: 726 Days
• Field of Search: 244/137.2, 244/905, 182/48, 193/25 B
• US Class Current: 244/137.2
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 25/14 Inflatable escape chutes

Abstract

An escape slide and life raft assembly for evacuating personnel from an aircraft, with the slide having side tubes and cross tubes along with a slide panel that extends the full length of the slide. The slide has a head end and a toe end with one of the cross tubes located at the head end defining a head end tube. A girt, secured to the aircraft, has a quick release connection to the escape slide that is actuated by a lanyard, which lanyard is also connected to a plurality of releasable straps which provide support to the slide while it is being inflated. Such releasable straps are located at the head end of the slide and interconnect the head end tube and the side tubes to the girt.

Claims

1. An aircraft life raft escape slide assembly for use from an egress door of an aircraft comprising an assembly of at least two inflatable side tubes and two inflatable transverse tubes, said slide having a head end and a toe end, said head end being located adjacent said egress door of said aircraft, one of said transverse tubes being a head end tube and located adjacent said egress door upon deployment of said escape slide, a strip of flexible material secured to said tubes to define a slide surface, a girt means secured to said aircraft having a releasable connection to said head end tube, a lanyard connected to said releasable connection and operative upon actuation to release said escape slide from said girt means, pressurizing means operative upon actuation to inflate all of said tubes, flexible stabilizer strap members interconnecting said girt members to opposite ends of said head end of said slide to stabilize said slide while transferring load stresses to said girt means, and release means interconnecting said stabilizer strap members to said lanyard and operative to release said strap members from said girt members upon actuation of said lanyard which completely releases said escape slide from said aircraft.

2. An aircraft life raft escape slide assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein said strap members consists of an upper strap member located on each side of said slide, and a lower strap member located on each side of said slide.

3. An aircraft life raft escape slide assembly as set forth in claim 2 wherein said upper strap members are connected to opposite top portions of said side tubes, and said lower strap members are connected to opposite end portions of said head end tube.

4. An aircraft life raft escape slide assembly as set forth in claim 3 wherein said head end tube extends laterally beyond each side of said slide defining two spaced remote end portions on said head end tube, and said lower straps being connected to the bottom portions of said remote end portions.

5. An aircraft life raft escape slide assembly as set forth in claim 4 wherein the respective upper strap members and said lower strap members on each side of the slide are a one piece strap that has its intermediate portion releasably secured to a release pin operatively connected to said lanyard.

6. An aircraft life raft escape slide for use from an egress door of an aircraft comprising at least a pair of inflatable side tubes and a pair of cross tubes, said slide having a head end and a toe end, one of said cross tubes is a head end tube located at said head end of said slide, a slide panel member fastened to said tubes to provide a slide surface for the evacuation of passengers from said egress door of said aircraft, pressurized inflation means mounted on said slide and operative upon actuation to inflate said tubes, a fabric panel located at the upper end of said slide and secured thereto, a girt panel interconnected to said fabric panel by a quick release means, a lanyard means mounted on said slide and connected to said quick release means that is operative upon actuation to release said slide from said girt panel, and releasable stabilizer straps interconnecting said girt panel to said head end of said slide and said head end tube to stabilize said escape slide.

7. An aircraft life raft escape slide as set forth in claim 6 wherein said stabilizer straps consists of a strap on each side of said slide to stabilize both sides of said slide.

8. An aircraft life raft escape slide as set forth in claim 7 wherein said stabilizer strap on each side of said slide has an upper strap portion and a lower strap portion.

9. An aircraft life raft escape slide as set forth in claim 8 wherein said head end tube extends laterally beyond each side of said slide to define two spaced ends, and said lower strap portions are secured to said respective lower ends of said head end tube.

10. An aircraft life raft escape slide as set forth in claim 9 wherein said upper strap portions are secured to the upper portions of said side tubes adjacent said head end of said slide.

11. An aircraft life raft escape slide as set forth in claim 10 wherein said girt panel is connected to said aircraft by a girt bar, said girt panel having a pair of laterally spaced loops defining a primary pair of loops, and said strap on each side of said slide having a loop defining a secondary pair of loops, and removably pins releasably securing said secondary loops to said primary loops.

12. An aircraft life raft escape slide as set forth in claim 11 wherein said pins are secured to ropes that are connected to said lanyard means for actuation to remove said pins and release said straps from said girt panel while simultaneously actuating said quick release means to separate said straps and escape slide from said girt panel.

13. An aircraft life raft escape slide assembly for use from an egress door of an aircraft comprising an assembly of at least two inflatable side tubes and two inflatable transverse tube, said slide having a head end and a toe end, said head end being located adjacent said egress door, one of said transverse tubes being a head end tube that is located adjacent said egress door upon deployment of said escape slide, a strip of flexible material secured to said tubes to define a slide surface, girt means secured to said aircraft and having a releasable connection to said head end tube, a positioning tube mounted on the bottom of said head end portion of said slide and operative upon inflation to aid in the deployment of said escape slide, pressurizing means operative upon actuation to inflate all of said tubes, flexible stabilizer strap members releasably secured to said girt means, said flexible stabilizer strap members being secured to said head end of said escape slide while transferring stress and load from said escape slide to said girt means, lanyard means are operative upon actuation to release said escape slide and said strap members from said girt means to free said escape slide from said girt means and aircraft,

said head end tube having laterally spaced end portions that extend laterally beyond each side of said side tubes, said strap members has a pair of straps on each side of said head end of said slide, each of said pair of straps having a bottom strap and a top strap, each of said top straps having one end secured to the top portion of said side tubes, and each bottom straps secured to the bottom of said end portions of said head end tube to transfer their load to said girt means and said aircraft while holding said head end of said escape slide in position for deployment.

14. An aircraft life raft escape slide for use from an egress door of an aircraft consisting of at least two longitudinally extending inflatable side tubes and at least two inflatable transverse tubes, a slide panel member fastened to said tubes to provide a slide surface for said escape slide, said slide having a head end and a toe end, said head end located adjacent said egress door of said aircraft, one of said transverse tubes being a head end tube and located adjacent to said egress door upon deployment of said slide, pressurizing means mounted on said slide and operative upon actuation to inflate said tubes of said slide, a girt bar mounted on said aircraft adjacent to said egress door, a girt panel secured to said girt bar, quick release means interconnecting said girt panel to said head end of said slide, a stabilizer strap member on each side of said girt panel, each of said strap members having a releasable connection to each side of said girt panel, each of said stabilizer strap members secured to said head end of said slide, and release means operative upon actuation to simultaneously activate said quick release means and said releasably connections to free said escape slide from said girt panel.

15. An aircraft life raft escape slide as set forth in claim 14 wherein each of said stabilizer strap members have an upper strap portion and a lower strap portion, said upper strap portions are secured to the respective top portions of said side tubes and said lower strap portions are secured to the respective bottom portions of said head end tube to provide spaced stabilization to said escape slide.