Vertical Flood Escape Structure with Severable Walkway

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional storm, flood, or tsunami shelters are typically deployed away from residential areas due to architectural incompatibility, resulting in insufficient proximity to populations and reduced effectiveness in saving lives during natural disasters.

Innovation Solution

The development of vertical escape structures that are smaller, aesthetically pleasing, and designed to blend into the local environment, featuring a sealed escape housing with a staircase, elevator, or lift, and a severable connecting walkway, allowing for dispersed deployment in residential areas and providing evacuation refuge from flooding events.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If conventional storm, flood, or tsunami shelters are deployed away from population centers, then they can maintain larger size and better structural integrity, but they reduce accessibility and effectiveness in saving lives

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestructural integrityVSAvoidaccessibility

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent transitions from horizontal dispersion (large shelters spread across land) to vertical concentration (tall, narrow shelters rising from ground). The escape structure achieves height through vertical stacking of modules rather than horizontal expansion, allowing placement in residential areas while maintaining flood protection capability. The vertical orientation enables the structure to rise above flood levels without requiring large footprint space.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Solution Approach 2:

The escape structure is divided into multiple vertically stacked modules, each serving specific functions (habitable space, equipment housing, access points). This segmentation allows the overall structure to achieve greater height and flood protection while maintaining manageable individual component sizes for manufacturing and assembly.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Ease of operation

If escape structures are made smaller and dispersed in residential areas, then accessibility improves, but maintaining structural integrity against flooding becomes more difficult

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveaccessibilityVSAvoidstructural integrity

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The escape structure utilizes composite construction with concrete cores providing structural strength and steel reinforcement for durability. The combination of materials creates a structure that is both strong enough to resist flood forces and compact enough for residential deployment.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

Solution Approach 2:

The cylindrical/circular cross-section of the escape structure provides superior structural integrity compared to angular shapes. The curved geometry distributes flood forces evenly around the structure, preventing stress concentration and improving resistance to flooding while maintaining a compact footprint.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

3Stability of the object's composition

If the connecting walkway is made permanently attached to the building, then structural stability improves, but damage from flooding can propagate from building to escape structure

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestructural stabilityVSAvoidflood damage propagation

Core Design Contradiction:

Stability of the object's compositionVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The walkway connection is designed as a separate, removable component rather than a permanent structural attachment. This allows the walkway to be detached from the building while maintaining connection to the escape structure, isolating the escape structure from flood damage that affects the building.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The walkway serves as a temporary intermediary connection that can be installed when needed and removed when flood risk increases. It provides access functionality without creating permanent structural vulnerability between the building and escape structure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS11560731B2Vertical flood escape structure

Publication Date: 2023.01.24 THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AS REPRESENTED BY THE SEC OF HOMELAND SECURITY

AI summary

A vertical escape structure comprises an escape housing disposed in a vertical orientation and mounted to a ground to maintain structural integrity in the vertical orientation against external flooding. The escape housing includes an interior which is sealed against water entry from exterior flooding and at least one of a staircase, a ladder, an elevator, or a lift disposed in the interior of the escape housing. The vertical escape structure further comprises a connecting walkway to connect the escape housing to a building. The escape housing has a smaller horizontal footprint than the building. The walkway is severable from the building by force without damaging the escape housing to cause water entry from the exterior flooding.