Relocatable Storm Shelter Structure for Compact Pet-Safe Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing emergency shelters are not easily relocatable, do not accommodate pets, and are often impractical for use in limited spaces or mobile home parks, lacking ventilation and being too large or cumbersome for effective protection during storms like hurricanes and tornadoes.
Innovation Solution
A relocatable personal and pet shelter made from materials like carbon steel, stainless steel, or aluminum, designed for easy assembly and disassembly, with a compact size, side access door, ventilation holes, and features such as bench seats and a fold-down table, that can be anchored to a concrete foundation and easily transported, providing protection from various hazards.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If pre-manufactured emergency shelters are constructed using permanent fasteners and concrete, then structural strength and stability are improved, but relocatability and ease of assembly are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The shelter is divided into modular components including panels, frames, and connectors that can be easily assembled and disassembled. Each panel is a self-contained unit with standardized connection points, allowing the shelter to be segmented into transportable sections while maintaining structural integrity when assembled.
Solution Approach 2:
The shelter transitions from a static permanent structure to a dynamic relocatable system. The design incorporates removable fasteners and adjustable connectors that allow the shelter to be quickly assembled, relocated, and reconfigured, providing adaptability while maintaining strength through proper connection mechanisms.
2Stability of the object's composition
If emergency shelters are designed for permanent installation, then structural stability is improved, but ease of relocation and adaptability to different locations are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The shelter is pre-assembled into complete modules at the manufacturing site, including pre-attached doors, windows, and interior fixtures. This preliminary assembly ensures structural stability is built-in during manufacturing, while the modular nature allows entire stabilized units to be relocated without disassembly of internal components.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection parameters between shelter components are designed to change from permanent (welded/bolted) to temporary (removable fasteners/clips). This parameter change allows the same structure to maintain stability during use while enabling easy relocation by simply changing the connection state at key joints.
3Device complexity
If traditional shelters are designed without ventilation, then structural simplicity is improved, but habitability and safety during extended sheltering are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The shelter incorporates porous or permeable materials in strategic locations such as ventilation panels with mesh screens or porous foam insulation with controlled airflow paths. These materials allow air passage while maintaining structural integrity and protection from debris, providing ventilation without significantly increasing overall structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
Ventilation systems use intermediary components such as removable vent panels, mesh screens, or filtration layers that mediate between the need for air flow and the need for structural simplicity and debris protection. These intermediaries can be added or removed based on sheltering duration and conditions without redesigning the entire structure.
4Quantity of substance
If shelters are made large to accommodate multiple people, then protective capacity is improved, but space efficiency and ease of storage are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The shelter panels and components are designed to nest within each other when disassembled, with larger panels containing smaller structural elements, insulation, and accessories. This nesting arrangement minimizes storage volume while maintaining the capacity to assemble a large shelter when needed, effectively solving the contradiction between protective capacity and storage efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
Relocatable personal and/or pet safety shelters for protecting occupants from dangerous conditions such as those from hurricanes and tornadoes. The shelters can include metal wall and ceiling panels of approximately 10 gage to approximately 12 gage thick and be able to withstand winds of up to approximately 250 miles per hour or greater, and be able to withstand a projectile such as 2 inch by 4 inch wood member shot at approximately 100 miles per hour from penetrating inside. The shelter can have a length of approximately 60 inches, a width of approximately 30 inches, a height of approximately 55 inches, with a total weight of up to approximately 940 pounds. The shelter can have fixed bench seats along opposite sides of the door from each other, and be attached in a fixed horizontal orientation above the floor by elongated L-shaped brackets that are attached to the walls be removable fasteners. The bench seats can also be attached by hinges so that the bench seats can have folded up positions adjacent to side walls and can fold down to horizontal positions to allow occupants to sit thereon. A fold down table can be included to fold down between the two bench seats when being used. A safety window such as plexiglass, can be formed in the door to allow the occupants to see outside environmental conditions. The shelter can be fastened to a concrete pad base, or driveway or concrete floor and the like, both inside and outside of a garage, a home, a trailer, and the like.