WO2005090898A1

WO2005090898A1 - Improvements in and relating to blast mitigation devices

Info

Publication number: WO2005090898A1
Application number: PCT/GB2005/000891
Authority: WO
Inventors: Peter James
Original assignee: Cintec International Ltd
Current assignee: Cintec International Ltd
Priority date: 2004-03-16
Filing date: 2005-03-09
Publication date: 2005-09-29
Anticipated expiration: 2006-09-16
Also published as: GB0405853D0

Abstract

According to the invention there is provided an inflatable wall (4) comprising individual containers (5) hinged (7) with respect to each other so as to enable the wall to be wrapped around a target area, each container being fillable with a liquid such as water to thereafter remain in a substantially upright and rigid condition, the containers thereafter collectively being deployable to form a blast mitigation wall around a suspect device.

Description

Improvements in and relating to blast mitigation devices This invention relates to blast mitigation devices of the type which use inflatable water-filled containers made of flexible and rupturable material, typically drop stitch material which generally retains the shape of the container when it is pressurised to form, for example, a blast suppression bin which may be placed over or around a suspect device, such as a bomb placed in a brief case or handbag and left at a target location. A problem with dealing with suspect devices is that they can be left in places which are awkward to access, such as by being slid under a seat or table by the person placing the device so that even if it is subsequently detected it may be difficult to inspect and, equally, it may be difficult to mitigate against the effects of any subsequent explosion because of the location of the device. The present invention is derived from the realisation that it would be preferable to be able to isolate a chosen area in which a suspect device has been located through the use of self-supporting but substantially non rigid blast mitigation structures which may be quickly and effectively deployed in such circumstances. According to the invention there is provided an inflatable wall comprising individual containers hinged with respect to each other so as to enable the wall to be wrapped around a target area, each container being fillable with a liquid such as water to thereafter remain in a substantially upright and rigid condition, the containers thereafter collectively being deployable to form a blast mitigation wall around a suspect device. Conveniently, each container includes a support arm extending from the major plane of the container to thereby ensure that when folded outwards and fully inflated each container and hence the wall is self supporting irrespective of the shape or configuration it is required to assume in order to provide protection for the surroundings. Advantageously, the support arms may conveniently be inflatable with their respective container and include an air inlet and a water inlet. Conveniently, the containers may be hinged to each other by hollow corrugated hinges which allow articulation in any direction about the vertical axis and each hinge being of a size corresponding to the end of each container such that no or substantially no gap is afforded between adjacent containers. Conveniently, each hollow hinge may be water-fillable, either independently or from an adjacent container, and all containers may be pneumatically connected, or each hinge may be connected to a respective single container such that as one container is filled with water it also fills up one hinge, and so on. Pressure relief valves are preferably incorporated in the containers if independently tillable or in at least one of the containers if they are all pneumatically connected, to ensure that the containers are filled to a required pressure only, to thereby avoid bursting. The invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a plan view of a barricade according to the invention in position around a table and chair, and Figure 2 is a side elevation of the arrangement of Figure 1 but showing a single barricade element for illustrative purposes. Referring to the drawings, a table 1 and chair 2 are shown in a standard configuration in which a suspect device, in this case a briefcase 3, is disposed on the floor of a building and which would, ordinarily, be difficult to inspect by e.g. a robotically and remotely controlled 'sniffer' vehicle for the presence of e.g. explosives material. Since the bag 3 may have been left unintentionally an alternative to risking injury by removing the table 1 and chair 2, or evacuating the building itself, is to erect a configurable barricade or wall shown generally at 4 around the table 1 and chair 2. The wall 4 is comprised of individual self- supported inflatable segments in the form of containers 5 made e.g. of drop stitch material such that they may be inflated without losing their intended shape, such as being first inflated by air to attain the required shape and then by the use of pressure relief valves the air is subsequently replaced by water to effectively provide a water wall around the suspect device 3. Each container 5 also includes a support arm 6 extending outwardly therefrom and adapted to lie on a floor surface so as to ensure that each segment 5 is self supporting although it will be appreciated that where a number of such segments 5 making up the wall 4 are configured in the manner shown in Figure 1 their geometry already provides that they are self supporting. Between each container 5 is a corrugated hollow hinge 7 in the form of a bellows, by which adjacent containers 5 may be articulated with respect to each other such that wall 4 may simply be arranged or configured in a straight line, or may be partially curved or entirely encircle a suspect device, or pairs of barricade may be used to do so. The hinges 7, whilst not being as effective for mitigating against a blast from a suspect device, nevertheless help to ensure that flying debris does not escape to the surrounding area in the substantially horizontal direction, which usually causes most damage when an explosion occurs as a result of e.g. a terrorist bomb exploding. However, in a refinement to the invention the hinges 7 may also be water-fillable, either independently or from an adjacent container 5 such that the entire barrier is effectively a wall of water. In the embodiment shown the wall 4 is pneumatically connected throughout and is provided with a small bore air inlet valve 8, a large bore water inlet valve 9 and a pressure release valve 10, although it will be understood that where the wall 4 is not pneumatically interconnected each container 5 may have its own air and water inlet valve and pressure release valve. In operation, the wall 4 is initially in an uninflated condition and is placed around or adjacent a suspect device, whereafter it is initially filled with air or some other suitable gas, such as nitrogen or C02 under pressure, to quickly inflate the wall 4 to thereby provide an initial, lower, level of protection in the event of the suspect device then exploding, although it is to be understood that where the containers 5 are made of drop stitch material it is known that such material can be quite effective in catching flying debris even without water being present in each container 5. In order to obtain a higher level of protection water can be introduced into the large bore water inlet, which may conveniently be adapted to fit the end of a fire hose so that when water is available to fill the wall 4, which may be a relatively large structure, it may nevertheless still be filled rapidly, the gas venting through the pressure release valve 10 as water is introduced into the container 5, their respective support arms 6 and the hinges 7 until the wall 4 is completely filled with water and begins to vent through the pressure release valve 10. Where gas under pressure is not available to initially inflate the wall 4 it will be understood that it may still be inflated by the use of water, even though this may take longer than would ordinarily be the case in respect of using gas under pressure. The invention therefore provides a quickly erectable configurable barrier or wall which is adaptable for use in many circumstances without requiring personnel to physically remove e.g. furniture from around or over a suspect device in order to inspect it or to place e.g. a blast mitigation bin over it until the device can be inspected and dealt with by trained personnel.

Claims

1. An inflatable wall (4) comprising individual containers (5) hinged with respect to each other so as to enable the wall to be wrapped around a target area, each container being tillable with a liquid such as water to thereafter remain in a substantially upright and rigid condition, the containers thereafter collectively being deployable to form a blast mitigation wall around a suspect device.

2. An inflatable wall according to Claim 1 further characterised in that each container (5) includes a support arm (6) extending from the major plane of the container to thereby ensure that when folded outwards and fully inflated each container and hence the wall is self supporting irrespective of the shape or configuration it is required to assume.

3. An inflatable wall (4) according to Claim 2 further characterised in that the support arm (6) is inflatable.

4. An inflatable wall (4) according to Claim 3 further characterised in that at least one support arm (6) includes a water inlet (9) and an air inlet (8), each pneumatically connected to at least one container (5).

5. An inflatable wall according to any preceding claim further characterised in that the containers (5) are hinged to each other by hollow corrugated hinges (7) which allow articulation in any direction about the vertical axis and each hinge being of a size corresponding to the end of each container such that no or substantially no gap is afforded between adjacent containers.

6. An inflatable wall according to Claim 5 further characterised in that each hollow hinge (7) is water-fillable, either independently or from an adjacent container.

7. An inflatable wall according to any preceding claim further characterised in the all the containers are pneumatically connected or connectable.

8. An inflatable wall according to any one of Claims 1 to 6 further characterised in that each hinge (7) is pneumatically connected to a respective container (5) such that as one container is filled with water it also fills up one hinge, and so on.

9. An inflatable wall according to any preceding claim further characterised in that pressure relief valves (10) are incorporated in the containers (5) if independently tillable or in at least one of the containers if they are all pneumatically connected, to ensure that the containers are tillable to a required pressure only, to thereby avoid bursting.

10. An inflatable wall substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the drawings.