Double-Walled Inflatable Hull with Connecting Wires
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Solution Overview
Problem
Inflatable hulls for floating devices, such as dinghies, face limitations in rigidity, hydrodynamic performance, manufacturing complexity, and structural support for sail propulsion due to their material and design, leading to reduced navigation quality and increased production costs.
Innovation Solution
A double-walled textile inflatable hull with a simplified structure, using binding threads to create a rigid and lightweight shell that can be inflated to support weight and forces, featuring a non-planar shape and integrated components for improved hydrodynamics and ease of assembly, allowing for independent inflation compartments and secure attachment of propulsion devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If conventional inflatable hulls use simple single-walled structures, then manufacturing is easier and material usage is lower, but rigidity and load-bearing capacity are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by combining two textile walls (first and second walls) connected by connecting threads to form a double-walled envelope structure. This composite construction provides enhanced rigidity and load-bearing capacity while maintaining the inflatable nature of the hull, resolving the contradiction between strength and structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses flexible textile walls connected by threads to create an inflatable envelope that achieves rigidity when inflated. The double-walled flexible structure with connecting threads provides the necessary structural integrity without requiring bulky rigid reinforcements, thus improving strength while controlling complexity.
2Shape
If inflatable hulls use flat bottom design, then manufacturing is simpler, but hydrodynamic performance and navigation quality deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements curvature in the hull design by forming the inflatable envelope with a non-flat bottom that can be curved or contoured. The double-walled structure with connecting threads allows the hull to maintain desired curved shapes when inflated, improving hydrodynamic performance while the modular envelope construction keeps manufacturing relatively simple.
3Strength
If inflatable hulls use complex multi-component structures, then rigidity and support capacity improve, but manufacturing time and material usage increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple functions into a single integrated inflatable envelope structure. The double-walled envelope with connecting threads simultaneously provides structural rigidity, buoyancy, and hull formation without requiring separate rigid reinforcement components. This integration improves structural rigidity while reducing the number of separate parts to manufacture and assemble.
Solution Approach 2:
The inflatable envelope serves multiple functions: it provides the hull structure, buoyancy, rigidity through the double-walled construction, and support for sailing equipment. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional specialized components, improving productivity by simplifying manufacturing and assembly.
4Reliability
If inflatable hulls use conventional structures with multiple pneumatic envelopes, then buoyancy and stability improve, but weight and structural complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses composite materials in the form of a double-walled textile envelope with connecting threads that provides both buoyancy and structural stability. This composite construction achieves the reliability of multiple pneumatic envelopes while using a single integrated structure, reducing the overall weight compared to conventional multi-envelope designs.
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 solution provides a rigid and lightweight inflatable hull with enhanced hydrodynamic performance, enabling the use of powerful sail propulsion comparable to hard-material dinghies, while simplifying manufacturing and maintenance, and reducing weight and production costs.
Implementation Method 1
The inflatable shell inflated to relatively high pressure benefits from a rigidity comparable to that of a shell made of hard material
Implementation Method 2
The material with two textile walls connected together by connecting threads from which the envelope is made
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to an inflatable hull comprising at least one air casing (2, 2') that has two walls (2c, 2d) placed one over the other. Said walls (2c, 2d) each comprise a fabric sheet, are connected therebetween by a plurality of connecting wires (2f) distributed over the entire surface of said sheets while forming a structure suitable for being inflated to a pressure capable of rigidifying said structure, and are capable of ensuring the buoyancy of said hull separately from any reported buoyancy element. The inflatable hull is characterized in that said casing (2, 2') has a first transversely cross-sectional curvature and a second longitudinally cross-sectional curvature that is present over at least the front portion of said casing. One (2c) of said walls corresponds to the inside of said curvature, and the other (2d) of said walls corresponds to the outside of said curvature. The inflatable hull is also characterized in that said casing (2, 2') has at least one clip set up such as to form a stem (E).