Abstract:
An emergency shelter includes a domed foam structure that is constructed on-site or at a remote location from foam that can be mixed on-site. The structure can be made on-site by spraying foam in a flowable state in a predetermined pattern to build up walls to form a dome. The foam can be sprayed, for example, in a substantially helical pattern from a centrally located spray nozzle that is rotated to deposit a finite-thickness increment of foam over a time period sufficient that, by the time the nozzle reaches a previously sprayed area, the foam already deposited has had time to cure.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims priority to provisional application Ser. No. 60/779,035, filed Mar. 3, 2006, entitled “Emergency Shelter and Associated Methods.” 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to shelters and construction methods for same, and, more particularly, to such shelters that are quickly constructed on-site or at a remote manufacturing location with materials that are easy to transport, as well as the methods for constructing same. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     After natural or man-made disasters, the problem of emergency housing can be acute. It is known in the art to erect tents for temporary shelter; however, tents are not permanent and are not sufficient for cold climates or in extreme winds. It is also known to erect mud domes and shelters from bags filled with soil that are joined with ropes, wires, or other means. It is further known to use foam as an insulating material. 
     It would be desirable to provide an emergency shelter that is constructable on-site from materials that are light and easily transported. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to an emergency shelter and methods of constructing same. The shelter comprises in a preferred embodiment a domed foam structure that is constructed on-site from foam that is also mixed on-site, reducing shipping volume and costs, since the raw materials are relatively light. The water used for making the foam, which is heavy to transport, can be provided on-site. 
     An exemplary method of the present invention includes the steps of spraying foam in a flowable state in a predetermined pattern to free form walls to construct a dome or similar structure. The foam can be sprayed, for example, in a substantially circular or helical pattern from a centrally located spray nozzle that is rotated to deposit a finite-thickness increment of foam over a time period sufficient that, by the time the nozzle reaches a previously sprayed area, the foam already deposited has had time to cure. This curing has the effect of forming a somewhat rigid film over the top of the most recently deposited layer, which provides additional strength to the structure. 
     The features that characterize the invention, both as to organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, will be better understood from the following description used in conjunction with the accompanying drawing. It is to be expressly understood that the drawing is for the purpose of illustration and description and is not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention. These and other objects attained, and advantages offered, by the present invention will become more fully apparent as the description that now follows is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a side perspective view of an exemplary emergency shelter. 
         FIG. 2  is a side schematic view of a system for constructing an emergency shelter. 
         FIG. 3  is a side perspective view of a system for constructing a plurality of emergency shelters substantially simultaneously. 
         FIG. 4  is a side perspective view of an alternate embodiment for an emergency shelter. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     A description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be presented with reference to  FIGS. 1-4 . 
     An exemplary shelter  10  of the present invention comprises a foam material that has sufficient strength to withstand inclement weather, high winds, and earthquakes. Since the structure itself is very light and aerodynamically shaped, it offers less wind resistance and is less likely to collapse. Further, since foam has gas pockets built in, it provides good insulation against cold or hot temperatures. Additional materials might in some embodiments be added to the foam, such as, but not intended to be limited to, glass fibers to improve strength. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the shelter  10  comprises a generally domed structure having a substantially continuous wall  11  that terminates on the ground at a lower edge  12 . The wall  11  has a thickness  13  that is variable depending upon the site at which it is constructed and the overall size requirements for the structure. Additional features such as a door  14 , doorway  15 , windows, and ventilation/heating ducts may be constructed as desired. Flooring  16  may also be provided that can comprise a local and/or recycled material such as waste plastic or rubber. Foam having a protective coating may also be used as a flooring when specific site conditions permit. 
     The shelter  10  can be made on-site, as will be described in the following, or made remotely and brought to a desired location overland or dropped from a helicopter. The domed shape permits nesting of multiple shelters  10 , which maximizes space usage, and the lightness of the foam material makes it feasible to transport many shelters per load. In a particular embodiment, not intended to be limiting, a shelter  10  having a diameter of 15 ft and height of 10 ft, with a wall thickness of 8 in. would weigh approximately 450 pounds, for example. 
     An exemplary system and method of making a shelter  10  such as that of  FIG. 1  on-site can include the a setup  30  and use thereof such as shown in  FIG. 2 . Here a vehicle  31  such as a truck or portable trailer comes to the site with components  32  and  33  of foam precursor loaded thereon. 
     The truck  31  is also used to provide support to the spraying structure. A substantially vertical rotatable center support  34  is affixed to the ground  35  by means of a center ground support  36 . A rotation device  37  to affixed adjacent a top end  38  of the center support  34 , which is also hingedly connected to an upper support  39 , which in turn is supported by the truck platform  40 . A nozzle support  41  is hingedly affixed at a bottom end  42  to the center support  34 . Movement of the nozzle support  41  relative to the center support  34  is effected by a pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder  43  having a bottom end  44  affixed to the center support  34  and a top end  45  affixed to the nozzle support  41  at a generally central location therealong. This function may also be accomplished using a PLC controller and servo-motors, by way of example. 
     The nozzle support  41  is affixed at a top end  46  to a spray cylinder bracket  47 , at the distal  48  end of which is a spray nozzle  49 . The spray nozzle  49  can comprise, for example, a multiorifice nozzle, although this is not intended as a limitation. The spray nozzle  49  is in fluid communication during operation with a proportioning pump  50  on the truck  31 . The pump  50  is used to deliver foam precursors  32  and  33  by way of heated hose  57  to the spray nozzle  49 . Opening and closing of the spray nozzle  49  is effected by a pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder. Opening and closing the spray nozzle  49  can also be effected by an electromechanical device attached to the spray nozzle  49 . A linear actuator  58  attached to the spray cylinder bracket  47  guides the spray nozzle  49  during formation of the vertical and conical walled portion of the dome  10 . 
     In use, the foam material can be mixed on-site at the spray nozzle  49 , as described above. The hydraulic or pneumatic cylinders  43 , 58 , in signal communication with a control system  55  such as, for example, a processor and stepping motor, are effectuated to position the spray nozzle  49  to deliver a predetermined pattern of foam layers  56 , for example, in a circular pattern, to gradually build up the walls  11  into a desired shape, which will start by assuming a substantially cylindrical shape near the bottom  12  and then move inward to create the apex  17  of the dome  10 . 
     In an alternate embodiment ( FIG. 3 ), a unitary platform  60  can support a plurality of, here, four, of nozzle supports  41  and nozzles  49 , radially arranged about a central location  61 . This arrangement permits the substantially simultaneous formation of a plurality of shelter structures  10 . 
     The structure  10  can be anchored to the ground  35 , for example, by auger-type anchors with T handles, once the structure walls  11  have reached a predetermined height, for example, but not intended to be limited to, 1 ft. 
     Another benefit of such on-site construction is that the wall&#39;s bottom edge  12  can be sprayed to conform with the contour of the ground  35 , making the structure self-leveling and obviating the need for exacting ground preparation prior to construction. 
     Once the main part of the dome  10  is constructed, additional features can be built in, for example, by using a cutting device such as a heat source to melt the foam to make windows and doors. The spray nozzle  49  can also be used to construct the doorway  15 . 
     An alternate embodiment of the shelter  70  ( FIG. 4 ) can comprise walls  71  formed into a substantially rectangular configuration, with a substantially pyramidal roof structure  72  atop the walls  71 . Preferably, the walls  71  have a plurality of corrugations  73  therein, for providing additional stability and protection. 
     In the foregoing description, certain terms have been used for brevity, clarity, and understanding, but no unnecessary limitations are to be implied therefrom beyond the requirements of the prior art, because such words are used for description purposes herein and are intended to be broadly construed. Moreover, the embodiments of the system and shelter illustrated and described herein are by way of example, and the scope of the invention is not limited to the exact details of construction. 
     Having now described the invention, the construction, the operation and use of preferred embodiments thereof, and the advantageous new and useful results obtained thereby, the new and useful constructions, and reasonable mechanical equivalents thereof obvious to those skilled in the art, are set forth in the appended claims.