Evacuation Slide Mounting Feature as Boarding Aid
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional evacuation slide boarding aids, such as strap or rope ladders, deform under passenger weight, making it difficult for passengers to locate the next rung during emergency water landings, hindering safe boarding of evacuation slides in raft mode.
Innovation Solution
The evacuation slide features a dual-function mounting feature with a daisy chain assembly that transitions from securing the slide to the aircraft in slide mode to hanging down as a boarding aid in raft mode, including accessible foot and hand holds, allowing easier passenger boarding by releasing the daisy chain and folding the upper ply to uncover hand holds.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional strap or rope ladders are used as boarding aids, then passengers can board the evacuation slide in raft mode, but the ladders deform under passenger weight making it difficult to locate the next rung
Solution Approach 1:
The boarding aid is segmented into multiple discrete rungs or steps along its length, allowing passengers to locate and grip individual rungs sequentially. This segmentation prevents the deformation problem of continuous strap/rope ladders by providing distinct, stable contact points that maintain their position under load.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the flexible strap/rope ladder mechanism with a rigid or semi-rigid structural boarding aid that has defined geometric rungs. This mechanical substitution eliminates the deformation issue by using a structure that maintains its shape and rung positions under passenger weight.
2Reliability
If the mounting feature is used to secure the evacuation slide to the aircraft in slide mode, then the slide can be properly mounted, but the mounting feature blocks access to hand holds when in raft mode
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting feature incorporates movable or reconfigurable elements that can transition between a secured position (for reliable mounting in slide mode) and an accessible position (for hand hold access in raft mode). This dynamic adjustment allows the same structure to fulfill both conflicting requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The design relocates hand holds to a different spatial dimension or plane that remains accessible even when the mounting feature is engaged. Alternatively, the mounting feature itself is designed with openings or gaps that provide access to hand holds in a different dimensional space, allowing simultaneous mounting and accessibility.
3Reliability
If the upper ply covers the hand hold in slide mode, then the hand hold is inaccessible to passengers, but the hand hold needs to be accessible in raft mode
Solution Approach 1:
The upper ply is designed with dynamic characteristics that allow it to be positioned in different states: covering the hand hold during slide mode for secure mounting, and being moved or repositioned during raft mode to expose the hand hold for passenger access. This dynamic repositioning resolves the accessibility conflict.
Solution Approach 2:
The upper ply temporarily 'discards' its protective covering function during raft mode by being moved away from the hand hold, allowing access. After use in raft mode, it can be repositioned to recover its protective function if needed. This temporary discarding of the covering function enables hand hold accessibility when required.
Data Source
AI summary
An evacuation slide for an aircraft may be deployable in a slide mode and a raft mode. The evacuation slide includes a head end and a toe end, with the head end having a mounting feature and the toe end being longitudinally opposite the head end. In response to the evacuation slide being in the slide mode, the head end of the evacuation slide is mounted to the aircraft via the mounting feature. In response to the evacuation slide being in the raft mode, the evacuation slide is detached from the aircraft and the mounting feature is a boarding aid, according to various embodiments.