CONTAINMENT SYSTEM FOR AND METHOD OF BLAST MITIGATION IN VARIED ENVIRONMENTAL SETTINGS

Abstract

The invention relates to explosive blast mitigation enclosures, and in particular to enclosures adaptable to accommodate blast mitigation of suspect devices placed against a wall, the outside corner of two walls meeting at 90°, in close proximity to an immovable object such as a telephone pole or in other similar environmental settings. One aspect of the invention is broadly defined as a blast mitigation enclosure adaptable to various environmental settings comprising a plurality of wall panels substantially fabricated from ballistic fabric. The wall panels are removably attached to one another along their adjacent upright edges to form a floor-less enclosure, and at least one of the wall panels has a closable flap allowing for the introduction of blast-suppression foam into the enclosure.

Description

FIELD OF INVENTION

The invention relates to explosive blast mitigation enclosures, and to an apparatus and method for use therefor. More particularly, the invention relates to enclosures adaptable to accommodate blast mitigation of suspect devices placed against a wall, the outside corner of two walls meeting at 90°, in close proximity to an immovable object such as a telephone pole or in other similar environmental settings.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Blast mitigation enclosures have been known for some time. One particular system, the UCS (Universal Containment System) from Allen-Vanguard, consists generally of a lightweight tent-shaped ballistic-fabric enclosure which can be placed over a suspect device and filled with a blast-suppression foam. The suspect device can then be detonated and the UCS will absorb the energy of the blast and contain contaminants that are released in the process. When a blast occurs under blast-suppression foam, as each bubble bursts, there is an incremental loss of the blast overpressure energy, the net effect of millions of bubbles being destroyed causing a significant blast reduction. Such a system is the subject of U.S. patent Ser. No. 6,439,120, incorporated herein by reference.

In the past, suspect devices placed against a wall, the outside corner of two (2) walls meeting at 90°, in close proximity to an immovable object, or in other similar environmental settings had to be moved using Hook and Line equipment to a position that would allow the Blast Mitigation enclosure to be placed completely over it. The action of moving the suspect device increased the risk to the First Responder and the immediate surroundings.

There is therefore a need for a Blast Mitigation enclosure and system that can be used when suspect devices are placed in such inconvenient positions, without having to move the suspect device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an adaptable containment system and method for blast mitigation, which obviates or mitigates at least one of the disadvantages of the prior art. It is an object of the invention to provide an improved containment system and method for blast mitigation.

One aspect of the invention is broadly defined as a blast mitigation enclosure adaptable to various environmental settings comprising: a plurality of wall panels substantially comprising ballistic fabric, the wall panels being removably attached to one another along their adjacent upright edges to form a floor-less enclosure; at least one of the wall panels having a closable flap allowing for the introduction of blast-suppression foam into the enclosure.

Another aspect of the invention is broadly defined as a method of suppression of a blast from an explosive device under various environmental settings, comprising the steps of: a) providing a blast mitigation enclosure adaptable to various environmental settings comprising: a plurality of wall panels substantially comprising ballistic fabric, the wall panels being removably attached to one another along their adjacent upright edges to form a floor-less enclosure; at least one of the wall panels having a closable flap allowing for the introduction of blast-suppression foam into the enclosure; b) removing one or more of the wall panels of the blast mitigation enclosure to accommodate the environmental settings and encompass the explosive device, c) positioning the blast mitigation enclosure to encompass the explosive device, and d) substantially filling the blast mitigation enclosure via the closable flap and covering the explosive device with a blast-suppression foam material, whereby upon detonation of the explosive device, the blast is suppressed.

This summary of the invention does not necessarily describe all features of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features of the invention will become more apparent from the following description in which reference is made to the appended drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 presents a top view of a four-panel, adaptable blast mitigation enclosure in an embodiment of the invention, with all four wall panels installed;

FIGS. 2A and 2B present top views of a four-panel, adaptable blast mitigation enclosure in an embodiment of the invention, with two wall panels installed and a back wall apron installed, FIG. 2A presenting a top view prior to positioning adjacent a wall, and FIG. 2B presenting a top view with the enclosure positioned adjacent to the wall;

FIGS. 3A and 3B present side views of the four-panel, adaptable blast mitigation enclosure of FIGS. 2A and 2B, FIG. 3A presenting a top view prior to positioning adjacent a wall, and FIG. 3B presenting a top view with the enclosure positioned adjacent to the wall;

FIG. 4 presents a front view of an adaptable blast mitigation enclosure with a back wall and apron installed;

FIG. 5 presents a top view of a four-panel, adaptable blast mitigation enclosure in an embodiment of the invention, with a single wall panel and bottom frame piece identified to be removed for use in a 90 degree outside corner application;

FIGS. 6A and 6B present top views of a four-panel, adaptable blast mitigation enclosure in an embodiment of the invention, with three wall panels installed and a back wall and apron installed, FIG. 6A presenting a top view prior to positioning adjacent a 90 degree outside corner of a wall, and FIG. 6B presenting a top view with the enclosure positioned adjacent to the outside corner of the wall;

FIG. 6C presents a front view of the four-panel, adaptable blast mitigation enclosure of FIGS. 6A and 6B;

FIGS. 7A and 7A′ present top and side views respectively, of a four-panel, adaptable blast mitigation enclosure in an embodiment of the invention, with the seam of one pair of wall panels unzipped for deployment around a suspect device and light standard;

FIGS. 7B and 7B′ present top and side views respectively, of the adaptable blast mitigation enclosure of FIGS. 7A and 7A′, deployed around a suspect device and light standard; and

FIGS. 7C and 7C′ present top and side views respectively, of the adaptable blast mitigation enclosure of FIGS. 7A and 7A′, deployed around a suspect device and light standard, with the seams of the wall panels in a zipped position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A containment system for and method of blast mitigation that addresses one or more of the problems in the art is presented in FIGS. 1 through 7.

The Adjustable Containment System (ACS) 10 will generally take the form of a tent or hemispherical, dome-shaped, 4- or 6-panel enclosure which will mitigate the blast of Chem-Bio, Radiological, or shrapnel producing devices. A 4-panel enclosure will generally be pyramid-like in shape with a square foot-print and 4 upstanding wall panels, more or less equal in dimensions. A 6-panel enclosure will have 6 equally-dimensioned wall panels and a hexagonal footprint.

The ACS 10 can be adjusted to accommodate suspect devices placed in various environmental settings such as against a wall, adjacent the outside corner of two walls meeting at 90 degrees, or in close proximity to an immovable object, without having to move the suspect device.

The wall panels of a typical UCS containment enclosure are sewed together so the enclosure is of fixed dimensions and structure. In contrast, the ACS 10 allows for adjustability and adaptability for various environmental settings by:

1. connecting the wall panels 12 removably together along their adjacent upright edges 14, allowing the wall panels 12 to be selectively removed as described hereinafter;

2. allowing aluminum or fiberglass poles 16 and bottom frame members 18, which provide the ACS 10 with its shape, to be removable; and

3. providing the wall panels 12 with aprons 10 along their vertical lengths, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, to improve the “sealing” of the blast mitigation enclosure against an adjacent surface.

The wall panels 12 are made of the same composite textile material typically used for blast mitigation enclosures in the art, for example, including a central layer of a ballistic fabric material (one such material is sold under the trademark Dyneema™), sandwiched between inner and outer layers of a light-weight rip-stop nylon fabric material. Other useful ballistic materials include Kevlar™ or equivalents. Depending upon the nature of the threat, additional ballistic layers and/or flys may also be used.

The wall panels 12 are held removably together along their vertical lengths using zippers (metal or plastic), a hook & loop system (Velcro™), two-sided tape or using some similar technique. The use of plastic zippers sewed to the ballistic fabric is the preferred approach, respective halves of the zippers being sewed to adjacent upright edges of the wall panels 12. This manner of fastening allows wall panels 12 to be selectively removed as needed.

At least one of the wall panels 12 is also provided with a foam injection opening 22 near the top of the enclosure. The foam injection opening 22 is preferably provided with a closure or flap of the same ballistic-fibre used to fabric the wall panels, the closure being sealed to the wall panel with a mechanical zipper or Velcro™. Other openings or doors may also be provided for the injection or removal of foam, to remove noxious gases, to install a disruptor or detonation device, or to perform other tasks. In this embodiment, a door opening 25 is provided in one of the wall panels 12 and includes a large zipper closure means to facilitate operation by gloved hands. This allows the First Responder to use the ACS 10 as a shield while approaching a suspect device.

In many applications it is desirable to include a bottom panel (hot shown), much like a tent floor, to minimize leakage of foam out from the bottom of the ACS 10. The bottom panel may be a continuation of the side and overlap, being held in place with Velcro or a mechanical zipper. The bottom panel will typically have a central, circular opening like that shown in FIG. 3 of U.S. patent Ser. No. 6,439,120, though it could be implemented with various bottom panel designs, connected to the balance of the ACS 10 in various ways.

As noted above, the poles 16 and bottom frame members 18 provide the ACS 10 with structure, but not all of them are required in every application. The ACS 10 uses poles 16 and bottom frame members 18 which are removable in much the same manner as recreational tents, fabric channels 24 in the wall panels 12 being provided as guides for the poles 16. The fabric channels 24 having openings in the ends to allow for the removal of the poles 16. The poles 16 and bottom frame members 18 may be of aluminum or fiberglass construction, or any other suitable lightweight material. It is generally desirable to use materials that are less likely to become shrapnel or projectiles themselves. Flexible materials have the added advantage of easily flexing the ACS 10 to pass through doorways and other openings.

As noted above, the system is also provided with removable aprons 20 which may be fastened to the wall panels 12 along their vertical lengths, as shown in FIG. 4, for example. These aprons 20 seal the ACS 10 against an adjacent surface. The aprons 20 are typically constructed of 3 layers of Ballistic felt sandwiched between rip stop nylon, being zipped into place.

The ACS 10 can be used as a full enclosure (a full enclosure being approximately 54 inches square) or reduced to a ¾ or a ½ size enclosure, giving the First Responder protection in the most dangerous of conditions. It will be appreciated that other enclosure sizes, larger or smaller, or enclosures of different shapes, are all within the scope of the invention.

Other variants on the design of the ACS 10 are described hereinafter and are shown in the attached figures.

First Exemplary Implementation

A suspect device 30 is found near or against a wall 32 or other surface that is substantially perpendicular to the ground as shown in FIGS. 2A, 2B, 3A and 3B.

In this case two wall panels 12, two members of the bottom frame 18 and one pole 16 are removed from the four panel enclosure. The back wall 26 (see FIG. 4) is then zipped into place using the zipper which previously held the removed wall panels 12. The back wall 26 is a half-moon shaped section of ballastic fabric, with an apron 20 about its perimeter (except along the bottom edge) and an opening 26 at the bottom. FIGS. 2A and 3A show a top view and side view respectively, of this arrangement, prior to deployment against the wall 30.

The ASC 10 is then used as a shield as the suspect device 30 is approached. This is accomplished by unzipping the door opening 25, and by looking through this opening and the openings in the back wall 26 and floor of the ACS 10.

The ACS 10 is then lowered over the suspect device 30, the suspect device 30 passing through the opening in the bottom panel. FIGS. 2B and 3B show a top view and side view respectively, of this arrangement, after deployment against the wall 30. The apron 20 on the back wall 26 is secured to the wall 32, the back wall access flap is lowered, and the ACS 10 can then be sand bagged. The system may be sealed using two-way tape. The ACS 10 is then filled with Dispersal Suppressant Foam (DSF) or Decontaminant Dispersal Suppressant Foam (DDSF) which can significantly reduce the dangers related to and the dispersal area of a Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear (CBRN) or shrapnel producing device.

Various aqueous energy absorbing, flowable foam materials are known, such as Silvex™ (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,770,794, incorporated herein by reference). The foam is introduced into the enclosure using a standard foam generating fire truck, or a portable pump and foam generating system, using an air aspirating foam nozzle as known in the art. One suitable nozzle is the subject of the co-pending U.S. application, Ser. No. 08/758,075, filed Nov. 27, 1996 (incorporated herein by reference). It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that many other blast-mitigation foam materials may also be used, including those containing biological/chemical decontaminating agents. The device can be countercharged or otherwise destroyed in a protected environment.

Second Exemplary Implementation

A suspect device 30 is found near or against the outside corner of two walls meeting at 90 degrees 34 or other surface substantially perpendicular to the ground.

In this case, one wall panel 40 and one member of the bottom frame 42 are removed from the four panel enclosure as shown in FIG. 5. The back wall 26 is then zipped into place using the zippers which previously held the removed wall panel 40.

The ACS 10 is then used as a shield as the suspect device 30 is approached. This is accomplished by unzipping the door opening 25, and by looking through this opening and the openings in the back wall and floor of the ACS 10 as the suspect device 30 is approached.

The ACS 10 is then lowered over the suspect device 30, the apron 20 on the back wall 26 is secured to the wall with two-way tape or some similar adhesive system, the back wall access flap is lowered, and the ACS 10 can then be sand bagged. The ACS 10 is then filled with Dispersal Suppressant Foam (DSF) or Decontaminant Dispersal Suppressant Foam (DDSF). The suspect device 30 can be countercharged or otherwise destroyed in a protected environment.

FIG. 6A presents a top view of this arrangement prior to deployment against the 90 degree corner of the wall 34, while FIG. 6B presents a top view after deployment. FIG. 6C presents a front view of this arrangement.

Third Exemplary Implementation

A suspect device 30 is found in close proximity to an immoveable object such as a light standard 36 or telephone pole.

In this scenario one zipper 50 is completely unzipped and one member of the bottom frame 52 is removed as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7A′ (FIG. 7A showing a top view, and FIG. 7A′ showing a side view of this arrangement, prior to deployment). The ACS 10 is then brought around the immovable object 36 and the suspect device 30 as shown in FIGS. 7B and 7B′ (top and side views respectively). The zipper 50 is then re-zipped and the frame member 52 is replaced. The pole or light standard 36 as well as the suspect device 30 are now surrounded by the ACS 10 as shown in FIGS. 7C and 7C′ (top and side views respectively).

The ACS 10 is then filled with Dispersal Suppressant Foam (DSF) or Decontaminant Dispersal Suppressant Foam (DDSF) and the suspect device 30 can be countercharged or otherwise destroyed.

While the invention has been described in connection with specific embodiments and in specific uses, various modifications thereof will occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

All citations are hereby incorporated by reference.

Claims

1. A blast mitigation enclosure adaptable to various environmental settings comprising:

a plurality of wall panels substantially comprising ballistic fabric, said wall panels being removably attached to one another along their adjacent upright edges to form a floor-less enclosure;

at least one of said wall panels having a closable flap allowing for the introduction of blast-suppression foam into said enclosure.

2. The blast mitigation enclosure of claim 1, wherein said wall panels are removably attached to one another via mechanical zippers, respective halves of said mechanical zippers being sewn to adjacent upright edges of said wall panels.

3. The blast mitigation enclosure of claim 2, wherein said mechanical zippers comprise plastic zippers.

4. The blast mitigation enclosure of claim 1, wherein said wall panels are removably attached to one another via a mating hook and loop system sewn to said wall panels.

5. The blast mitigation enclosure of claim 1, comprising 4 wall panels.

6. The blast mitigation enclosure of claim 1, comprising 6 wall panels.

7. The blast mitigation enclosure of claim 1, further comprising strengthening battens.

8. The blast mitigation enclosure of claim 7, wherein at least one of said strengthening battens is a removable vertical strengthening batten inserted into a fabric channel of one of said wall panels.

9. The blast mitigation enclosure of claim 8, wherein at least one of said strengthening battens is a removable horizontal strengthening batten inserted into a fabric channel of one of said wall panels.

10. The blast mitigation enclosure of claim 5, wherein said enclosure is substantially pyramid-shaped.

11. The blast mitigation enclosure of claim 5, wherein said enclosure is substantially hemispherical in shape.

12. The blast mitigation enclosure of claim 11, further comprising a half-moon shaped back wall, which is removably attachable to at least one upright edge of said at least one of said wall panels.

13. The blast mitigation enclosure of claim 7, wherein said strengthening battens comprise fibreglass poles.

14. The blast mitigation enclosure of claim 7, wherein said strengthening battens comprise aluminum poles.

15. The blast mitigation enclosure of claim 1, further comprising a ballistic-fabric floor, having a central opening in it, said floor being removably attached to at least one bottom edge of at least one of said wall panels.

16. The blast mitigation enclosure of claim 1, further comprising a back wall having an opening, said back wall being removably attached to at least one of said wall panels.

17. The blast mitigation enclosure of claim 1, further including an apron to replace at least one of said wall panels, said apron being removably attached to at least one of said wall panels.

18. The blast mitigation enclosure of claim 5, adapted to be deployed adjacent to a wall, by removing two of said wall panels.

19. The blast mitigation enclosure of claim 5, adapted to be deployed on the outside corner of a substantially 90° wall by removing one of said wall panels.

20. The blast mitigation enclosure of claim 5, adapted to be deployed in close proximity to an immovable object by unzipping one of said wall panels.

21. The blast mitigation enclosure of claim 1, wherein the enclosure is made of a composite textile material, comprising a layer of a ballistic fabric material, sandwiched between inner and outer layers of a light-weight rip-stop nylon fabric material.

22. The blast mitigation enclosure of claim 1, wherein the enclosure is made of a composite textile material, comprising several layers of a ballistic fabric material, sandwiched between inner and outer layers of a light-weight rip-stop nylon fabric material.

23. A method for suppression of a blast from an explosive device under various environmental settings, comprising the steps of:

a) providing a blast mitigation enclosure adaptable to various environmental settings comprising: a plurality of wall panels substantially comprising ballistic fabric, said wall panels being removably attached to one another along their adjacent upright edges to form a floor-less enclosure; at least one of said wall panels having a closable flap allowing for the introduction of blast-suppression foam into said enclosure;

b) removing one or more of said wall panels of said blast mitigation enclosure to accommodate said environmental settings and encompass the explosive device,

c) positioning said blast mitigation enclosure to encompass said explosive device, and

d) substantially filling said blast mitigation enclosure via said closable flap and covering the explosive device with a blast-suppression foam material, whereby upon detonation of the explosive device, the blast is suppressed.