Emergency Slide System for High-Rise Evacuation
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Solution Overview
Problem
High-rise building evacuations during emergencies are hindered by the unavailability of safe and efficient escape routes, particularly in situations where elevators are inoperable and traditional staircases pose risks due to panic, physical limitations, and hazardous conditions like fires.
Innovation Solution
An emergency slide system comprising elongated escape chutes built into stairwell walls, which can be deployed from a stowed to an extended position, allowing individuals to slide safely between floors, accommodating various physical conditions and reducing evacuation time.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional staircases are used for evacuation, then the evacuation route is simple and requires no additional equipment, but the evacuation process becomes dangerous due to panic, crowding, and physical limitations
Solution Approach 1:
The escape chute is divided into multiple sections that can be deployed independently from different floors. Each section is stored separately in wall-mounted enclosures and can be activated individually, allowing分段 evacuation from multiple levels simultaneously without requiring a single complex centralized system.
Solution Approach 2:
The escape chute transitions from a static stored state to a dynamic deployed state through mechanical actuation. The system includes movable components such as telescoping sections, articulation joints, and deployment mechanisms that enable the chute to extend and configure itself rapidly when activated, providing a dynamic response to emergency conditions.
2Speed
If elevators are used for evacuation, then the evacuation speed is fast and efficient, but elevators become inoperable during fires and disasters
Solution Approach 1:
The escape chutes are pre-installed within wall enclosures throughout the building, positioned and ready for immediate deployment. The system requires no assembly or preparation during the emergency - the chutes are already in place, stored in a compact manner within the wall structure, and can be activated instantly through a simple deployment mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The escape chute acts as an intermediary device between the interior of the building and the exterior environment. It provides a transitional pathway that connects the stairwell interior to the outside safe zone, allowing individuals to bypass the hazardous conditions (fire, smoke, structural damage) that prevent elevator and staircase use.
3Ease of manufacture
If jump from windows or roof is the only option, then no additional equipment is needed, but the risk of injury or death increases significantly for falls exceeding five meters
Solution Approach 1:
The system converts the harmful effect of gravity (which causes injury in free-fall) into a beneficial controlled descent mechanism. The escape chute is designed with friction surfaces and guiding structures that control the descent speed, allowing individuals to slide down safely under gravitational influence rather than free-falling, thus converting the harmful gravitational force into a controlled, safe evacuation method.
4Reliability
If helicopter evacuation from rooftops is used, then rescue can be provided for high-rise buildings, but the process becomes time-consuming and dangerous due to fire, explosions, and weather
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces the complex mechanical and logistical system of helicopter evacuation with a simpler passive mechanical system - the escape chute. Instead of requiring external rescue equipment, powered vehicles, and coordinated operations, the system uses gravity-driven sliding through a fixed chute structure, eliminating the need for complex mechanical systems and external resources.
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 emergency slide system provides a rapid and safe evacuation method from high-rise buildings by bypassing elevator risks and addressing physical limitations, reducing the likelihood of injury and enhancing evacuation efficiency even in chaotic emergency situations.
Implementation Method 1
enable a person exiting the building to slide down a plurality of the elongated escape chutes between the upper and lower floors
Data Source
AI summary
An emergency slide system to provide an evacuation of a high-rise building comprises a plurality of slide assemblies configured for movement from a first stowed position to a second deployed position. Each of the plurality of slide assemblies are built into a wall adjacent each of the flights of stairs disposed in the stairwell of the building. Each of the plurality of slide assemblies is disposed in a storage enclosure built into the wall adjacent each of the flights of stairs disposed generally parallel to the flights of stairs designed to zig zag down from an upper floor of the building to a lower floor. Each of the slide assemblies is constructed of an elongated escape chute to enable a person exiting the building to slide down a plurality of the elongated escape chutes between the upper and lower floors disposed in the stairwell of the high-rise building.