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US 6,805,035 B2Granted
Blast attenuation device and method
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsDonald L. Edberg, Stanley Schneider
Life of this patent
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AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsDonald L. Edberg, Stanley Schneider
Estimating the term…
The present invention provides systems and methods for producing a shield for protecting an area from a pressure blast. The shield, which attenuates the pressure blast, can be used with tall, mobile, and underwater structures, including structures in densely populated areas. One system includes a source for providing an attenuation material, a delivery system that delivers the attenuation material to nozzles, and at least one valve device to control the delivery. A detector is configured to actuate the valve device to an open position in response to a perceived blast threat so that the delivery system delivers the attenuation material to form the shield proximate to a periphery of the protected area.
A shielding system for attenuating a pressure blast to shield a protected area, the system comprising:
A shielding system for attenuating a pressure blast to shield a protected area, the system comprising:
A shielding system for attenuating a pressure blast to shield a protected area, the system comprising:
A shielding system for attenuating a pressure blast to shield a protected area, the system comprising:
A shielding system for attenuating a pressure blast to shield a protected area, the system comprising:
A shielding system for attenuating a pressure blast to shield a protected area, the system comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
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From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.
Rendering explosive charges harmless, e.g. destroying ammunition ; Rendering detonation of explosive charges harmless: detonation-wave absorbing…
Arrangements for preventing, or minimising the effect of, excessive or insufficient pressure: due to explosion, e.g. inside the container
Blasting
Containers for storage or transport of articles or materials
Term ended 6 Dec 2022 (estimated)
1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the attenuation of blasts and, in particular, to apparatuses and methods for attenuating blasts with a shield formed of attenuation, or absorptive, material.
2) Description of Related Art
Having thus described the invention in general terms, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:
FIG. 1 is perspective view of a blast attenuation system adapted to mitigate damage to a building according to one embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a chart illustrating the thicknesses of blast attenuation shields of different particulate materials that are required for attenuating blast pressures to a final pressure of 0.25 psi;
The present inventions now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all embodiments of the inventions are shown. Indeed, these inventions may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.
Referring now to the figures, and in particular FIG. 1, there is shown a blast attenuation system 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention, which is configured to provide an attenuation shield 70 around a protected area 80. The blast attenuation system 10 can similarly be used to protect other areas of any size and shape. Each protected area 80 can also include one or more structures such as buildings 82 or vehicles. The blast attenuation system 10 includes a delivery system 12 that includes a network of passages, such as pipes 14, disposed at an outer periphery 84 of the protected area 80. The pipes 14 can be formed of metal or plastic, and can be conventional pipes that are used in water distribution systems. The pipes 14 can be made an integral part of the building 82, for example, by locating the pipes 14 partially within the exterior walls of the building 82. Alternatively, the pipes 14 can be mounted on the exterior of the building 82 as shown in FIG. 1, for example, by adding the attenuation system 10 to the exterior of an existing building to thereby improve the protection of the building from blast damage. In any case, the attenuation system 10 can be designed to be visually unobtrusive or appealing, for example, by decorating the pipes 14 in a color or style that complements the exterior walls of the building 82.
The pipes 14 are fluidly connected to a source that provides an attenuation material for delivery through the pipes 14. The attenuation material can be a solid, liquid, or gas, as further described below. The source can be a water pipe that delivers water from a ground water supply 16 such as a public water supply system. Preferably, the source includes a reservoir that holds a volume of the attenuation material sufficient to provide the protective shield for at least a predetermined duration. For example, a water reservoir 18 can be located at the top of the building 82 and fluidly connected to the ground water supply 16 so that the attenuation system 10 remains operational even if a connection 20 to the ground water supply 16 is interrupted. The reservoir can also provide the attenuation material to other systems of the building 82, for example, a sprinkler system or other fire extinguishing system.