Patent ID: 6471001
Filing Date: 2002-10-29
Classification: B64D

Abstract:
An aircraft life raft assembly for use from an elevated egress opening of an aircraft comprising a longitudinally extending inflatable escape slide said escape slide having a pair of longitudinally spaced linear sections and an intermediate section, said slide having a longitudinally extending center line, said slide having a head end and a toe end, said head end being located adjacent an egress opening of an aircraft, said toe end upon deployment of said slide being located adjacent a horizontally extending ground plane at an elevation below that of the egress opening, flexible material secured to said escape slide having an upper surface extending in said longitudinal direction defining a slide surface when said escape slide is inflated, pressurizing means operative upon actuation to inflate said escape slide, said intermediate section located along the length of said escape slide between said longitudinally spaced linear sections, said intermediate portion of said escape slide being curvilinear in plan view,a plane normal to said center line on said curvilinear section intersects said slide surface to define a first line that makes an acute angle with said horizonitally extending ground plane, said flexible material that forms said escape slide includes an upper longitudinally extending panel and a lower longitudinally extending panel that are secured together along their peripheries to form a first chamber, said first chamber having a plurality of longitudinally extending bulkheads that are laterally spaced, said bulkheads having upper and lower running edges that are secured to said upper and said lower panels to define longitudinally extending chambers, said upper panel and said lower panel and said bullheads define an upper septum chamber, said escape slide having an inflatable guide bumper secured to the respective outer margins, thereof, and wherein said bulkheads that form the outermost chambers with adjacent inward chambers are slanted inwardly and upwardly relative to said longitudinal center line.