Inflatable Fire Barrier With Elastic IR Reflective Panels
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fire barrier systems are ineffective against strong gusts of wind, which can knock them down and render them useless in preventing the spread of forest fires by infrared radiation.
Innovation Solution
A deployable and transportable fire barrier system with inflatable panels coated with infrared reflective material, designed to be elastically bendable in wind and resume upright position, forming a wall that reflects ground-parallel IR radiation back towards the fire, supported by an inflatable base with anchor tabs for stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If rigid panels are used to form a fire barrier wall, then the structure provides stable protection against infrared radiation, but strong gusts of wind can knock down the panels rendering them ineffective
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the panels elastically bendable rather than rigidly fixed. The panels are designed to flex dynamically in response to wind gusts while maintaining their protective function. This allows the fire barrier to adapt to varying wind conditions without becoming ineffective, resolving the contradiction between providing stable protection and withstanding wind gusts.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical state of the panels from rigid to elastically bendable. This parameter change allows the panels to deform under wind load and then return to their upright position, maintaining both stability and wind resistance. The elastic property enables the panels to absorb wind energy while preserving their fire barrier function.
2Stability of the object's composition
If panels are made elastically bendable to withstand wind gusts, then the fire barrier remains upright after wind exposure, but the panels must be designed to flex and recover which adds structural complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses flexible panels that can bend elastically while maintaining their structural integrity. The panels are designed as flexible elements that can deform under wind load and return to their original position, providing both stability and wind resistance without requiring complex mechanical recovery mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The panels are designed to be self-recovering through their elastic properties. After being bent by wind gusts, the panels automatically return to their upright position without requiring external intervention or complex recovery mechanisms. This self-service capability simplifies the overall structure while maintaining the fire barrier's effectiveness.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the fire barrier reflects infrared radiation back towards the fire, then nearby trees and homes are cooled and fire spread is reduced, but the reflective material must be coated on panels that must be individually elastically bendable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies flexible panels coated with infrared reflective material that can bend elastically while maintaining the reflective coating. This allows the panels to adapt to wind conditions without compromising the infrared reflection function, resolving the contradiction between providing radiation protection and maintaining panel flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite construction by combining flexible panel material with infrared reflective coating. This composite structure maintains both the flexibility needed for wind resistance and the reflective properties needed for infrared protection, allowing the panels to be individually elastically bendable while still providing effective radiation barrier function.
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 the spread of forest fires by cooling nearby trees and homes, lessening the need for personal protective equipment for firefighters and potentially reducing the need for helicopter water or chemical drops, and avoids the necessity of back burning.
Implementation Method 1
an inflatable base deployable from an empty state to a fully inflated state
Implementation Method 2
A coating of an infrared reflective material disposed on each of the plurality of first panels on the first side of the wall
Implementation Method 3
Each of the plurality of panels is independently elastically bendable with respect to the inflatable base
Data Source
AI summary
A fire barrier includes an inflatable base deployable from an empty state to a fully inflated state and a first row of panels including a plurality of first panels disposed on the inflatable base. The base supports the plurality of first panels in an upright state when the inflatable base is in the fully inflated state, thereby forming a wall having a front side and a rear side opposing the front side. Each of the plurality of panels is independently elastically bendable with respect to the inflatable base. A coating of an infrared reflective material is disposed on each of the plurality of panels on the front side of the wall.