Bulkhead Firefighting Accessory With Expanding Barbs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current firefighting methods on vessels are hazardous due to limited access to compartment fires, where oxyacetylene torches can ignite volatile gases and water streams are inefficient, requiring personnel to manually hold hoses, leading to exhaustion and resource depletion.
Innovation Solution
A firefighting accessory with a securing arrangement, such as a reconfigurable barb arrangement, that expands to secure itself through a bulkhead aperture, connected to a fire extinguishing agent source, guiding the agent through a conduit with a spray nozzle to efficiently combat fires without requiring continuous manual operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If oxyacetylene torch is used to cut bulkhead, then aperture is created for firefighting access, but volatile gases may be ignited causing fire escalation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a water jet cutting system as an intermediary method to create aperture in bulkhead, replacing the oxyacetylene torch. The water jet serves as a safe mediator that can cut through steel bulkhead without producing sparks or heat that could ignite volatile gases in the fire compartment, thus resolving the contradiction between creating access and preventing fire escalation
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the thermal/mechanical system of oxyacetylene cutting with a high-pressure water jet mechanical cutting system. This substitution eliminates the thermal hazard while maintaining the ability to cut through steel bulkhead, allowing aperture creation without the harmful thermal effects that could ignite gases
2Reliability
If water stream is configured to fit through small aperture, then bulkhead integrity is maintained, but firefighting efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a reconfigurable expanding arrangement that transitions from a compact state for insertion through small apertures to an expanded state for secure engagement. This dynamic transformation allows the system to maintain bulkhead integrity by fitting through small holes while subsequently expanding to provide stable positioning and effective firefighting agent delivery, thus resolving the contradiction between aperture size and firefighting efficiency
3Measurement precision
If personnel manually hold firefighting hose, then correct angle and height are maintained, but personnel fatigue and resource exhaustion occur
Solution Approach 1:
The invention implements a self-securing mechanism with expanding barsbs and engagement features that automatically position and hold the firefighting accessory in the correct angle and height. The system serves itself by mechanically maintaining proper positioning through the expanding arrangement and bulkhead engagement, eliminating the need for continuous manual holding and thereby preventing personnel fatigue while maintaining positioning accuracy
4Ease of operation
If hatch is opened to compartment, then direct firefighting access is gained, but oxygen is fed to fire causing escalation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the bulkhead into two functional zones: a small aperture section for inserting the firefighting accessory and a sealed remainder section. This segmentation allows limited access through a small hole rather than opening the entire hatch, enabling firefighting agent delivery while maintaining bulkhead sealing to prevent oxygen ingress and fire escalation
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 accessory allows for safe and efficient delivery of firefighting agents through a bulkhead, reducing personnel fatigue and resource exhaustion while preventing oxygen escalation of the fire, effectively suppressing compartment fires.
Implementation Method 1
an expanding arrangement, the expanding arrangement being reconfigurable between: a retracted configuration in which the expanding arrangement is insertable through an aperture in a bulkhead in operation; and a deployed configuration in which the expanding arrangement is not retractable through the aperture in the bulkhead
Data Source
AI summary
A firefighting accessory is provided for use in fighting a fire through an aperture in a bulkhead. The firefighting accessory includes a securing arrangement and a connector. The securing arrangement is for securing the firefighting accessory through the aperture in the bulkhead. The connector is for connecting a source of fire extinguishing agent. The firefighting accessory is configured for guiding a flow of firefighting agent through the aperture to fight the fire in operation. The securing arrangement preferably includes a barb arrangement with expandable barbs that can move between a retracted position and a deployed position. While the barbs are in their retracted position, the firefighting accessory can be inserted through the aperture in the bulkhead. A tensioning arrangement then secures the barbs against an inner surface of the compartment that the fire is in.