Inflatable evacuation slide and ship rescue equipment comprising said slide

Abstract

The present invention relates to an inflatable marine evacuation slide for evacuating people from a ship to at least one inflatable liferaft (or survival raft), as well as rescue equipment for the passengers and/or crew members of a ship, comprising at least one inflatable liferaft, stored folded in the deflated state, together with associated inflation means, in a container around which is wrapped, folded in the deflated state, an inflatable marine evacuation slide according to the invention.

1 - 16 . (canceled) 
     
     
         17 . An inflatable evacuation slide for evacuating people from a ship to at least one inflatable rescue liferaft, the slide comprising:
 at least three multiple longitudinal beams, including two lateral lower beams and a central upper beam, spaced apart transversally over their length and substantially parallel to each other in the inflated state, each beam comprising at least two individually inflatable longitudinal tubes, said tubes connected side by side and adjacent over their length;   a flexible chute intended to support people during their evacuation via the slide, said chute linking said two lateral lower beams and extending continuously between said lower beams and over the entire length of the slide from a slide entry end, equipped with means for coupling to the ship, to a slide exit end, equipped with deformable and releasable slide liferaft interface coupling devices;   a plurality of lower braces comprising inflatable lower tubes connected to said two lateral lower beams and extending under said chute; and   a plurality of lateral braces comprising inflatable lateral tubes connected to said central upper beam and to said lateral lower beams so as to stiffen the structure of the slide in the inflated state, said lateral braces giving said slide a cross-section, substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal beams, having a generally triangular shape, wherein said inflatable tubes of said lower and lateral braces are arranged to form a plurality of inflatable closed stiffening frames, said frames polygonal in the inflated state, surrounding said three longitudinal beams to which said tubes of said stiffening frames are connected.   
     
     
         18 . The slide according to  claim 17 , wherein said plurality of lower and lateral braces are arranged as a plurality of inflatable stiffening modules, mechanically and pneumatically independent of each other, each stiffening module being passed through by said chute and said longitudinal beams, and said stiffening modules being arranged side by side by respective module bases, from one end to the other of the slide, said stiffening modules being connected to said three longitudinal beams. 
     
     
         19 . The slide according to  claim 18 , wherein each stiffening module is a compartmentalized assembly comprising a plurality of inflatable structures connected together, each inflatable structure delimiting a sealed compartment that is individually inflatable relative to the other compartments of said assembly. 
     
     
         20 . The slide according to  claim 19 , wherein each stiffening module comprises at least one inflatable structure forming, in the inflated state, a hexagonal closed stiffening frame, the structure comprising three long tubes, the tubes comprising two lateral braces and a lower brace, alternating with three short tubes, said short tubes comprising two lower lateral connections of lateral ends of said lower brace to lower ends of said lateral braces, and a short upper brace, connecting upper ends of said two lateral braces. 
     
     
         21 . The slide according to  claim 20 , wherein each stiffening module has, in the inflated state, a general external shape of a hollow truncated pyramid with a square or rectangular base having inclined edges formed by the lateral brace tubes delimiting two opposite substantially triangular lateral faces, one of which is an upstream face, facing said slide entry end, and the other of which is a downstream face, facing said slide exit end, said upstream and downstream faces being passed through by said three longitudinal beams and said chute, and said base of each said stiffening module is formed by an upstream lower brace tube and a downstream lower brace tube which, in the inflated state of said stiffening module, are braced by a substantially X-shaped brace extending under said two lateral lower beams and chute. 
     
     
         22 . The slide according to  claim 21 , wherein each said stiffening module comprises, in the inflated state, an upstream outer hexagonal frame and a downstream outer hexagonal frame, each module constituting an independent inflatable structure overlapped along said two long lateral brace tubes and said three short tubes of said upstream or downstream outer hexagonal frame and towards the inside of said stiffening module, by two long tubes and three short tubes homologous respectively of an upstream inner polygonal frame and a downstream inner polygonal frame, each constituting another independent inflatable structure, and each also comprising a lower tube in the shape of a flared U, connected by ends of arms of said U to said two lower lateral short tubes of said corresponding upstream or downstream inner polygonal frame, while each said lower U-shaped tube is connected over the length of a base of the U to a base of the U of the homologous lower tube of the other inner polygonal frame, in order to form said substantially X-shaped brace of said base of said stiffening module. 
     
     
         23 . The slide according to  claim 22 , comprising, at each of said two slide ends, respectively one of two end stiffening modules which are stiffer in the inflated state than intermediate stiffening modules mounted between said two end stiffening modules. 
     
     
         24 . The slide according to  claim 23 , wherein each said end stiffening module comprises a larger number of inflatable structures than each said intermediate stiffening module. 
     
     
         25 . The slide according to  claim 24  wherein at least one of said end stiffening modules comprises at least two additional independent inflatable structures, each having an overall shape of an inverted V and comprising two long lateral brace tubes and a short upper brace tube connected over their length respectively on the outside of said two long lateral brace tubes, said short upper brace tube of respectively one of said upstream and downstream outer frames, so that said at least one end stiffening module comprises at least six independent inflatable structures. 
     
     
         26 . The slide according to  claim 18 , wherein homologous inflatable structures of two adjacent stiffening modules of the slide are mainly connected to different inflatable longitudinal tubes of said longitudinal beams. 
     
     
         27 . The slide according to  claim 17 , wherein said slide exit end comprises a downstream end inflatable transverse tube connected at two areas spaced apart against the downstream ends of inflatable longitudinal tubes of said two lateral lower beams, and extending laterally downwards beyond said two spaced apart areas by two curved inflatable end extensions, making it possible to extend an area of contact between the slide and the liferaft. 
     
     
         28 . The slide according to  claim 17 , further including connection means for connecting said inflatable tubes of said longitudinal beams and said inflatable lateral and lower brace tubes, said means include detachable mechanical fixing devices. 
     
     
         29 . The slide according to  claim 28 , wherein some of said detachable mechanical fixing devices of said inflatable tubes of said beams to said inflatable lateral or lower brace tubes simultaneously constitute inflation means of said brace tubes. 
     
     
         30 . A rescue equipment system for passengers and/or crew members of a ship comprising at least one inflatable liferaft, said liferaft stored folded in the deflated state and with an associated inflation means in a container, around which is wrapped, folded in the deflated state, an inflatable evacuation slide, said slide including a slide entry end which is attached to the ship by coupling means and a slide exit end which is attached to said liferaft in said container by deformable releasable slide/liferaft interface coupling devices, wherein said slide comprises:
 at least three multiple longitudinal beams including two lateral lower beams and a central upper beam, spaced apart transversally over their length and substantially parallel to each other in the inflated state, each beam comprising at least two individually inflatable longitudinal tubes, connected side by side and adjacent over their length;   a flexible chute intended to support people during their evacuation via the slide, said chute linking said two lateral lower beams and extending continuously between said lower beams and over the entire length of the slide, from said slide entry end to said slide exit end;   a plurality of lower braces comprising inflatable lower tubes connected to said two lateral lower beams and extending under said chute; and   a plurality of lateral braces comprising inflatable lateral tubes connected to said central upper beam and to said lateral lower beams so as to stiffen the structure of the slide in the inflated state said lateral braces giving said slide a cross-section substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal beams that has a generally triangular shape, wherein said inflatable tubes of said lower and lateral braces are arranged to form a plurality of inflatable closed stiffening frames, said frames polygonal in the inflated state, surrounding said three longitudinal beams to which said tubes of said stiffening frames are connected.   
     
     
         31 . The equipment system according to  claim 30 , wherein said deformable releasable slide-liferaft interface coupling devices are two lateral assemblies, each mounted close to respectively one of the lateral edges of said slide exit end, and each comprising two releasable coupling devices remotely released by pneumatic or pyrotechnic or manual or local means, coupled to said slide by straps and to said liferaft by other straps attached to at least one of the coupling devices. 
     
     
         32 . The equipment according to  claim 30 , wherein an assembly constituted by said container containing said at least one liferaft and said slide wrapped around said container is housed in a storage and launching cradle for said assembly, said cradle being fixed on the deck of the ship, said cradle comprising a thrust plate having a concave front face capable of pushing said assembly onto an overhanging sliding plate, said sliding plate capable of projecting said container relative to the deck of the ship, and a toggle plate, to ensure the launching and deployment of said container-slide assembly with clearance relative to the edge of the deck of the ship.