environmental pressure suits and method of manufacture
AssigneeILC Dover, Inc.
InventorsDavid Graziosi, Donald R. Cohee, Steven M. Lloyd
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Abstract
A method of fabricating an articulated joint for a pressure vessel, especially a pressure suit, by separately forming a structural fabric and a gas barrier layer into a series of alternating peaks and valleys. The structural fabric can be formed into the three dimensional shape by patterning or heat shrinkage. The resulting articulated joint, pressure vessels and pressurized suits are also described.
Claims29
An articulated joint for a pressure vessel;
- said joint comprising a layered construction;
- said layered construction comprising a structural fabric and a gas barrier layer;
- said structural fabric comprises a series of alternating peaks and valleys which have been formed into the structural fabric;
- said gas barrier layer being separately formed into a series of alternating peaks and valleys which, when assembled onto said fabric, nest together with said structural fabric to provide a bladder.
A method of making an articulated joint from a layered construction of structural fabric and a gas barrier layer, said method comprising:
- forming said structural fabric into a three dimensional shape comprising alternating peaks and valleys;
- forming one half of a three dimensionally shaped gas barrier layer into a series of alternating peaks and valleys, joining said one half to an identical half, and nesting said structural fabric within said gas barrier layer.
A pressure suit comprising at least one articulated joint, the joint comprising:
- a layered construction;
- said layered construction comprising a sep structural fabric and a sep gas barrier layer;
- said structural fabric comprises a series of alternating peaks and valleys which have been formed into the structural fabric;
- said gas barrier layer being separately formed into a series of alternating peaks and valleys which, and nested within said structural fabric to provide a bladder.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.