Evacuation Slide Ballast Bag Tension Strap Deployment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional evacuation slides/life rafts are susceptible to capsizing due to ballast bags that do not immediately extend and entrap water, compromising stability during water landings.
Innovation Solution
The evacuation slide incorporates ballast bags attached to tension straps that extend from the underside upon deployment, increasing the internal volume for water retention and stabilizing the slide by coupling the straps between attachment points on the slide and using inflatable pillows to translate the straps away from the slide's surface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional ballast bags are used without extension mechanism, then the device complexity is reduced, but the stability of the life raft deteriorates due to delayed water entrapment
Solution Approach 1:
The ballast bag is pre-configured with a tension strap and exit aperture arrangement that automatically extends the bag when the slide deploys. This preliminary configuration ensures immediate water entrapment capability upon deployment, eliminating the delay present in conventional ballast systems while maintaining structural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The ballast bag transitions from a compressed storage state to an extended operational state through the tension strap mechanism. This dynamic transformation allows the ballast bag to adapt its shape and volume in response to deployment conditions, ensuring immediate water entrapment and stability without requiring complex active control systems.
2Volume of stationary object
If the ballast bag is extended away from the slide underside, then the volume for water retention increases, but the device complexity increases due to tension strap mechanism
Solution Approach 1:
The tension strap is pre-attached to the ballast bag and slide structure during manufacturing, with the exit aperture pre-positioned on the slide underside. This preliminary arrangement ensures that when the slide deploys, the ballast bag automatically extends to its full water-retention volume without requiring complex deployment mechanisms or additional components.
3Reliability
If the ballast bag extends immediately upon deployment, then the stability improves through immediate water entrapment, but the device complexity increases due to the extension mechanism
Solution Approach 1:
The ballast bag system utilizes the natural deployment motion of the slide to trigger automatic extension. The tension strap is configured to engage the exit aperture and extend the bag as the slide deploys, creating a dynamic, self-actuating system that achieves immediate water entrapment without requiring separate actuation mechanisms or complex control systems.
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
This configuration enhances the stability of the evacuation slide by ensuring the ballast bags extend and fill with water effectively, reducing the likelihood of capsizing and maintaining the slide's structural integrity during water landings.
Implementation Method 1
a first tension strap attached to the first ballast bag. The first tension strap may be configured to extend a bottom surface of the first ballast bag away from the underside of the evacuation slide upon deployment of the evacuation slide
Implementation Method 2
The ballast bags are configured to fill, at least partially, with water, thereby reducing a likelihood of the life raft capsizing
Implementation Method 3
using inflatable pillows to translate the straps away from the slide's surface
Data Source
AI summary
An evacuation slide may comprise a ballast bag attached to an underside of the evacuation slide. A first tension strap may be attached to the ballast bag. The tension strap may be configured to extend a bottom surface of the ballast bag away from the underside of the evacuation slide upon deployment of the evacuation slide.