Flexible Breach Bag with Fillable Bladders for Controlled Blast Direction
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing breaching technologies face challenges in accurately and safely opening locked or barricaded doors and surfaces without causing injury or excessive damage, as they lack a flexible and controlled method to focus explosive energy effectively.
Innovation Solution
A flexible and foldable container with fillable bladders, known as a 'breach bag,' is used in conjunction with explosive charges to focus blast waves and create directed concussive forces, allowing for customizable blast characteristics by varying the bladder configuration and fill materials, thereby enabling precise penetration of surfaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If conventional explosive charges are used to breach doors or surfaces, then breaching capability is achieved, but control over blast direction and minimization of collateral damage is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a flexible jacketing material as an intermediary between the explosive charge and the target surface. This jacketing material serves as a mediator that shapes and directs the blast wave, converting the uncontrolled expansion of conventional charges into a focused, directional force that penetrates the target while minimizing collateral damage to surrounding areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a flexible jacketing material that can be conformally applied to the explosive charge and the target surface. This flexible shell adapts to various charge configurations and target geometries, providing consistent blast directionality and shape control regardless of the specific application scenario, thereby resolving the contradiction between adaptability and blast control.
2Manufacturing precision
If shaped charges are used to focus blast energy, then penetration accuracy is improved, but device complexity and portability are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent achieves blast focus accuracy by changing the physical parameters of the explosive charge itself rather than relying on complex external shaping structures. By using high-density explosive materials and optimizing the charge geometry, the system achieves shaped charge performance with simpler overall device configuration, resolving the contradiction between precision and complexity.
3Adaptability or versatility
If rigid casing is used to shape explosive charges, then blast directionality is improved, but portability and adaptability to different surfaces are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces rigid casing with a flexible jacketing material that can be conformally applied to both the explosive charge and the target surface. This flexible shell maintains blast directionality through proper configuration while allowing easy adaptation to different surface geometries and charge types, thereby resolving the contradiction between surface adaptability and deployment flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a dynamic, multi-layered jacketing structure that can adjust its configuration during deployment. The flexible materials allow the system to adapt to different surface conditions and charge configurations, providing both structural integrity for blast directionality and flexibility for portability and ease of deployment across various scenarios.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The breach bag effectively creates controlled breaches in structures by focusing blast energy, minimizing damage and injury, and allowing for adaptable deployment in various scenarios, such as door breaches and armored surface penetration.
Implementation Method 1
When the explosive material is detonated, the blast wave is focused into the structure according to the annular shape of the filled bladder
Implementation Method 2
creates a ring-shaped breach in the structure corresponding to the shape of the bladder
Implementation Method 3
A breach bag is provided including an annular bladder filled with a non-compressible material
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention is a flexible, fillable and/or inflatable breach bag with a planar body and at least one fillable bladder for use in breaching locked or barricaded doors or penetrating surfaces with explosive charges. The breach bag may conform to a variety of shapes, depending on the application. The bag generally includes a panel of flexible material having at least two material layers, including a plurality of seams joining at least two of the material layers to form at least one bladder between the material layers for the selective of fill material, generally in the field. The bladders include fluid inlets providing fluid access to said bladder for filling said bladder with fill material. Additionally, the bags include means to suspend the breach bag against structures to be breached.