INFLATABLE SUPPORT STRUCTURE

STRUCTURE SUPPORT GONFLABLE

English Abstract

An inflatable support structure adapted for supporting
vehicles and personnel on soft ground comprises a generally planar,
flexible grid of interconnecting tube elements, with openings between
adjacent tube elements. An opening into an air passageway is provided
whereby said structure can be inflated and deflated. The upper
side of the tube elements is flat or gently convex to provide a working
surface and the lower side is configured in a relatively sharp edge for
traction in soft ground. The structure is deflated and rolled up for
transportation and storage.

Claims

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WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:
1. An inflatable support structure adapted for use on soft ground,
comprising:
(a) a generally planar, flexible grid of interconnecting tube
elements, each of said tube elements having an upper side,
a lower side and an air passageway therethrough, said air
passageways being interconnected throughout said grid;
and
(b) an opening into an air passageway of said grid whereby
said structure can be inflated and deflated.
2. An inflatable support structure according to claim 1 wherein said
lower side of said tube elements forms a relatively narrow edge
for traction in said soft ground, and said upper side is rounded
or flat to provide a working surface.
3. An inflatable support structure according to claim 1 wherein said
tube elements are arranged in intersecting longitudinal and
lateral lines, with spaces through said grid between adjacent
longitudinal and lateral tube elements.

Description

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INFLATABLE SUPPORT STRUCTURE
Technical Field
The invention pertains to an inflatable support structure
for use on soft ground and more particularly to a grid-like structure for
supporting vehicles and personnel in traversing or working on soft
ground.
Back rg ound
In conducting operations on ground such as mud, sand or
wet clay, for example in traversing such ground or in carrying out
rescue or salvage operations, it is often necessary to provide a tempor-
ary support structure on the ground for supporting vehicles and per-
sonnel to prevent them from sinking, or at least minimize the extent to
which they sink, into the soft ground. Temporary support structures
constructed of wooden planks or logs or the like can be constructed,
but it is desirable to provide a structure that can be rapidly installed
and moved and is compact to transport.
Summary of Invention
The invention provides an inflatable support structure in
the form of a generally flat grid which is inflated and placed on the
ground for use and can be deflated and rolled up for transportation or
storage following use. The structure can be used to support vehicles
and personnel in traversing or working on soft ground, for military
applications such as troop movement on soft terrain, rescue and
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salvage work, helicopter landing pads on soft ground, and similar
applications. The support structure comprises a generally planar
flexible grid of interconnecting tube elements, with spaces between
adjacent tube elements. Air passageways therethrough extend through
the tube elements. The structure has an opening into an air passage-
way of the grid whereby the structure can be inflated and deflated.
The lower side of the tube elements preferably forms a
relatively narrow edge for traction in soft ground. The upper side of
the tube elements is rounded or flat to provide a convenient working
surface. The tube elements form a generally square pattern.
Brief Description of Drawings
Fig. 1 is a top perspective view of the support structure
according to the invention;
Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective views of two corners
of the support structure of Fig. 1; and
Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view through a tube
element of the support structure taken on the line 3 - 3 of Fig. 2.
Description
Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the support structure 10 is a
generally rectangular grid of connected tube elements 12, connected

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together and integrally formed into a generally rectangular array. The
support structure 10 has a longitudinal direction indicated by arrow A
in Fig. 1 and a lateral direction indicated by arrow B. Openings 14
through the support structure are provided between each adjacent pair
of longitudinally-disposed and laterally-disposed tube elements.
Referring to Fig 3, each tube element 12 has a wall 20
and an air passageway 22 therethrough. Each tube element has an
upper side 26 and a lower side 28. The grid is integrally formed of
the tube elements so that all of the air passageways 22 are intercon-
nected to one another.
Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, support structure 10 has two
pairs of inlet-outlet fittings 16, 17, each fitting having an opening
leading into the air passageways 22, for inflation and deflation of the
structure. Inlet-outlet fittings 16, 17 are provided with suitable
stoppers or other conventional closure means (not shown) to close the
openings therein for inflation of the structure. Fittings 16, 17 are
positioned on the ends of the structure 10 adjacent the longitudinal
edges, such that when two support structures are placed end to end,
fittings 16, which are female, can connect to fittings 17, which are
male. Then, when air is pumped into one or both fittings 16 (or 17) at
a free end of structure 10, both structures are inflated together.
Fittings 16, 17 are provided with conventional attachment means to
secure a fitting 16 to a fitting 17. More than two support structures
can be attached serially and inflated in this manner.

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The upper side 26 of the tube elements 12 is gently
convex in shape to provide a relatively flat upper surface on the
support structure. Alternatively, upper side 26 may be substantially
flat. Lower side 28 has sloping walls which meet at a vertex at their
lower end, forming a relatively narrow edge 30. This edge digs into
the soft ground on which the structure is used, promoting traction of
the structure on the ground.
The support structure 10 is made of rubber or a suitable
synthetic material. It may include reinforcing fibres, such as steel
fibres, extending longitudinally and laterally in the walls 20 of the tube
elements. The support structure 10 is flexible, permitting it to adapt
to the contour of the ground on which it is placed, and also permitting
it to be rolled up, for example about a lateral axis, when it is deflated,
for purposes of transportation and storage.
The support structure may be fabricated, for example, by
molding the upper side of the grid as a unit, molding the lower side as
a unit and joining the two sides together with a suitable adhesive.
The support structure 10 may be made in any convenient
size. For example, it may be made in a width of about 1 m and a
length of about 35 - 50 m. Such strips may be laid side-by-side and
attached together by clips to form a support structure of the width
required for any particular application.

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As will be apparent to those skilled in the art in the light
of the foregoing disclosure, many alterations and modifications are
possible in the practice of this invention without departing from the
spirit or scope thereof. For example, the tube elements can be shaped
round in cross-section (or another shape), rather than generally tri-
angular. Also, any number of inlet-outlet fittings can be provided as
required for a particular size of structure and speed of inflation.
Accordingly, the scope of the invention is to be construed in accor-
dance with the substance defined by the following claims.

Representative Drawing