Inflatable Barrier for Wind Impact Dissipation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wind protection devices are cumbersome, expensive, opaque, noisy, and impractical for large areas, as they require reinforcing bars and do not effectively dissipate the force of wind-borne missiles, limiting their usability and causing damage due to their rigidity.
Innovation Solution
A flexible protective barrier system using a mesh material with inflatable cushions that can be easily deployed and stored, providing substantial rain and impact resistance, capable of spanning large areas without reinforcing bars, and dissipating wind and debris forces through elastic deformation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If rigid materials such as steel and aluminum alloy are used to make shutters, then strength and impact resistance are improved, but weight and bulk increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses flexible fabric material instead of rigid metal sheets to create the shutter. The fabric is stretched over a frame structure, providing coverage and some protection while being significantly lighter than traditional metal shutters. This flexible film approach resolves the contradiction by maintaining shutter functionality without the weight penalty of rigid materials.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention combines fabric material with a structural frame system to create a composite shutter assembly. The fabric provides the covering function while the frame provides structural support, creating a composite structure that achieves the necessary strength without using heavy solid metal throughout, thus reducing overall weight while maintaining strength.
2Strength
If reinforcing bars are added to meet strength standards, then strength and integrity are improved, but device complexity and mounting difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The shutter system is divided into modular components: the fabric material, the frame structure, and the mounting hardware are separate elements that can be assembled together. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently and simplifies installation, as the modular pieces can be attached in a systematic way rather than requiring complex integrated reinforcing structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The shutter design incorporates dynamic elements that allow the structure to flex and move in response to wind forces rather than relying solely on rigid reinforcing bars. The fabric material and frame system can deform elastically under load, providing strength through dynamic response rather than static rigidity, which reduces the need for complex reinforcing arrangements.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the shutter completely covers the window area, then protection is improved, but light transmission and visibility are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The fabric material used for the shutter has a porous or open structure that allows light to pass through while still providing protection from wind-borne missiles. The fabric's weave pattern creates openings that transmit light and maintain visibility but are sufficiently dense to block or deflect debris, resolving the contradiction between complete coverage for protection and light transmission for visibility.
4Strength
If the shutter is made from stiff material, then impact resistance is improved, but ease of storage and deployment is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The shutter system uses flexible fabric material that can be easily rolled up for storage and deployed when needed, unlike stiff metal shutters that are difficult to store. The fabric's flexibility enables simple manual operation and compact storage while the frame structure and tensioning system provide the necessary impact resistance, resolving the contradiction between stiffness for protection and flexibility for ease of operation.
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 system effectively reduces wind velocity and prevents damage from wind-borne missiles, is lightweight, easy to install, and maintains transparency, while dissipating impact energy gently, making it suitable for large-scale protection without the drawbacks of traditional rigid devices.
Implementation Method 1
dissipating wind and debris forces through elastic deformation
Implementation Method 2
The system effectively reduces wind velocity
Data Source
AI summary
A flexible hurricane shutter or barrier to protect buildings from over pressure has inflatable cushions held in place by a fabric material capable of withstanding winds in excess of 100 mph. The barrier can be stored on site in a rolled fashion. Retainers are mounted on a building to guide and secure the longitudinal edges of the fabric to permit ease of deployment. The retainers may be spaced apart over one side of a building and the barrier may be deployed over an entire surface of a multi-story building by raising and lowering the fabric. Inflatable cushions are held between the fabric and the building. The inflated cushions reinforce the material and distribute the force of impact throughout the surface of the cushions and act as spacers to both hold the fabric off the structure and focus the forces onto stranger portions of the structure.