Abstract:
The invention relates to explosive blast mitigation enclosures, and in particular to enclosures adaptable to accommodate blast mitigation of suspect devices placed against a wall, the outside corner of two walls meeting at 90°, in close proximity to an immovable object such as a telephone pole or in other similar environmental settings. One aspect of the invention is broadly defined as a blast mitigation enclosure adaptable to various environmental settings comprising a plurality of wall panels substantially fabricated from ballistic fabric. The wall panels are removably attached to one another along their adjacent upright edges to form a floor-less enclosure, and at least one of the wall panels has a closable flap allowing for the introduction of blast-suppression foam into the enclosure.

Description:
FIELD OF INVENTION  
       [0001]     The invention relates to explosive blast mitigation enclosures, and to an apparatus and method for use therefor. More particularly, the invention relates to enclosures adaptable to accommodate blast mitigation of suspect devices placed against a wall, the outside corner of two walls meeting at 90°, in close proximity to an immovable object such as a telephone pole or in other similar environmental settings.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     Blast mitigation enclosures have been known for some time. One particular system, the UCS (Universal Containment System) from Allen-Vanguard, consists generally of a lightweight tent-shaped ballistic-fabric enclosure which can be placed over a suspect device and filled with a blast-suppression foam. The suspect device can then be detonated and the UCS will absorb the energy of the blast and contain contaminants that are released in the process. When a blast occurs under blast-suppression foam, as each bubble bursts, there is an incremental loss of the blast overpressure energy, the net effect of millions of bubbles being destroyed causing a significant blast reduction. Such a system is the subject of U.S. patent Ser. No. 6,439,120, incorporated herein by reference.  
         [0003]     In the past, suspect devices placed against a wall, the outside corner of two (2) walls meeting at 90°, in close proximity to an immovable object, or in other similar environmental settings had to be moved using Hook and Line equipment to a position that would allow the Blast Mitigation enclosure to be placed completely over it. The action of moving the suspect device increased the risk to the First Responder and the immediate surroundings.  
         [0004]     There is therefore a need for a Blast Mitigation enclosure and system that can be used when suspect devices are placed in such inconvenient positions, without having to move the suspect device.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005]     The present invention relates to an adaptable containment system and method for blast mitigation, which obviates or mitigates at least one of the disadvantages of the prior art. It is an object of the invention to provide an improved containment system and method for blast mitigation.  
         [0006]     One aspect of the invention is broadly defined as a blast mitigation enclosure adaptable to various environmental settings comprising: a plurality of wall panels substantially comprising ballistic fabric, the wall panels being removably attached to one another along their adjacent upright edges to form a floor-less enclosure; at least one of the wall panels having a closable flap allowing for the introduction of blast-suppression foam into the enclosure.  
         [0007]     Another aspect of the invention is broadly defined as a method of suppression of a blast from an explosive device under various environmental settings, comprising the steps of: a) providing a blast mitigation enclosure adaptable to various environmental settings comprising: a plurality of wall panels substantially comprising ballistic fabric, the wall panels being removably attached to one another along their adjacent upright edges to form a floor-less enclosure; at least one of the wall panels having a closable flap allowing for the introduction of blast-suppression foam into the enclosure; b) removing one or more of the wall panels of the blast mitigation enclosure to accommodate the environmental settings and encompass the explosive device, c) positioning the blast mitigation enclosure to encompass the explosive device, and d) substantially filling the blast mitigation enclosure via the closable flap and covering the explosive device with a blast-suppression foam material, whereby upon detonation of the explosive device, the blast is suppressed.  
         [0008]     This summary of the invention does not necessarily describe all features of the invention. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]     These and other features of the invention will become more apparent from the following description in which reference is made to the appended drawings wherein:  
         [0010]      FIG. 1  presents a top view of a four-panel, adaptable blast mitigation enclosure in an embodiment of the invention, with all four wall panels installed;  
         [0011]      FIGS. 2A and 2B  present top views of a four-panel, adaptable blast mitigation enclosure in an embodiment of the invention, with two wall panels installed and a back wall apron installed,  FIG. 2A  presenting a top view prior to positioning adjacent a wall, and  FIG. 2B  presenting a top view with the enclosure positioned adjacent to the wall;  
         [0012]      FIGS. 3A and 3B  present side views of the four-panel, adaptable blast mitigation enclosure of  FIGS. 2A and 2B ,  FIG. 3A  presenting a top view prior to positioning adjacent a wall, and  FIG. 3B  presenting a top view with the enclosure positioned adjacent to the wall;  
         [0013]      FIG. 4  presents a front view of an adaptable blast mitigation enclosure with a back wall and apron installed;  
         [0014]      FIG. 5  presents a top view of a four-panel, adaptable blast mitigation enclosure in an embodiment of the invention, with a single wall panel and bottom frame piece identified to be removed for use in a 90 degree outside corner application;  
         [0015]      FIGS. 6A and 6B  present top views of a four-panel, adaptable blast mitigation enclosure in an embodiment of the invention, with three wall panels installed and a back wall and apron installed,  FIG. 6A  presenting a top view prior to positioning adjacent a 90 degree outside corner of a wall, and  FIG. 6B  presenting a top view with the enclosure positioned adjacent to the outside corner of the wall;  
         [0016]      FIG. 6C  presents a front view of the four-panel, adaptable blast mitigation enclosure of  FIGS. 6A and 6B ;  
         [0017]     FIGS.  7 A and  7 A′ present top and side views respectively, of a four-panel, adaptable blast mitigation enclosure in an embodiment of the invention, with the seam of one pair of wall panels unzipped for deployment around a suspect device and light standard;  
         [0018]     FIGS.  7 B and  7 B′ present top and side views respectively, of the adaptable blast mitigation enclosure of FIGS.  7 A and  7 A′, deployed around a suspect device and light standard; and  
         [0019]     FIGS.  7 C and  7 C′ present top and side views respectively, of the adaptable blast mitigation enclosure of FIGS.  7 A and  7 A′, deployed around a suspect device and light standard, with the seams of the wall panels in a zipped position. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0020]     A containment system for and method of blast mitigation that addresses one or more of the problems in the art is presented in  FIGS. 1 through 7 .  
         [0021]     The Adjustable Containment System (ACS)  10  will generally take the form of a tent or hemispherical, dome-shaped, 4- or 6-panel enclosure which will mitigate the blast of Chem-Bio, Radiological, or shrapnel producing devices. A 4-panel enclosure will generally be pyramid-like in shape with a square foot-print and 4 upstanding wall panels, more or less equal in dimensions. A 6-panel enclosure will have 6 equally-dimensioned wall panels and a hexagonal footprint.  
         [0022]     The ACS  10  can be adjusted to accommodate suspect devices placed in various environmental settings such as against a wall, adjacent the outside corner of two walls meeting at 90 degrees, or in close proximity to an immovable object, without having to move the suspect device.  
         [0023]     The wall panels of a typical UCS containment enclosure are sewed together so the enclosure is of fixed dimensions and structure. In contrast, the ACS  10  allows for adjustability and adaptability for various environmental settings by:  
         [0000]     1. connecting the wall panels  12  removably together along their adjacent upright edges  14 , allowing the wall panels  12  to be selectively removed as described hereinafter;  
         [0000]     2. allowing aluminum or fiberglass poles  16  and bottom frame members  18 , which provide the ACS  10  with its shape, to be removable; and  
         [0000]     3. providing the wall panels  12  with aprons  10  along their vertical lengths, as shown in  FIGS. 3A and 3B , to improve the “sealing” of the blast mitigation enclosure against an adjacent surface.  
         [0024]     The wall panels  12  are made of the same composite textile material typically used for blast mitigation enclosures in the art, for example, including a central layer of a ballistic fabric material (one such material is sold under the trademark Dyneema™), sandwiched between inner and outer layers of a light-weight rip-stop nylon fabric material. Other useful ballistic materials include Kevlar™ or equivalents. Depending upon the nature of the threat, additional ballistic layers and/or flys may also be used.  
         [0025]     The wall panels  12  are held removably together along their vertical lengths using zippers (metal or plastic), a hook &amp; loop system (Velcro™), two-sided tape or using some similar technique. The use of plastic zippers sewed to the ballistic fabric is the preferred approach, respective halves of the zippers being sewed to adjacent upright edges of the wall panels  12 . This manner of fastening allows wall panels  12  to be selectively removed as needed.  
         [0026]     At least one of the wall panels  12  is also provided with a foam injection opening  22  near the top of the enclosure. The foam injection opening  22  is preferably provided with a closure or flap of the same ballistic-fibre used to fabric the wall panels, the closure being sealed to the wall panel with a mechanical zipper or Velcro™. Other openings or doors may also be provided for the injection or removal of foam, to remove noxious gases, to install a disruptor or detonation device, or to perform other tasks. In this embodiment, a door opening  25  is provided in one of the wall panels  12  and includes a large zipper closure means to facilitate operation by gloved hands. This allows the First Responder to use the ACS  10  as a shield while approaching a suspect device.  
         [0027]     In many applications it is desirable to include a bottom panel (hot shown), much like a tent floor, to minimize leakage of foam out from the bottom of the ACS  10 . The bottom panel may be a continuation of the side and overlap, being held in place with Velcro or a mechanical zipper. The bottom panel will typically have a central, circular opening like that shown in  FIG. 3  of U.S. patent Ser. No. 6,439,120, though it could be implemented with various bottom panel designs, connected to the balance of the ACS  10  in various ways.  
         [0028]     As noted above, the poles  16  and bottom frame members  18  provide the ACS  10  with structure, but not all of them are required in every application. The ACS  10  uses poles  16  and bottom frame members  18  which are removable in much the same manner as recreational tents, fabric channels  24  in the wall panels  12  being provided as guides for the poles  16 . The fabric channels  24  having openings in the ends to allow for the removal of the poles  16 . The poles  16  and bottom frame members  18  may be of aluminum or fiberglass construction, or any other suitable lightweight material. It is generally desirable to use materials that are less likely to become shrapnel or projectiles themselves. Flexible materials have the added advantage of easily flexing the ACS  10  to pass through doorways and other openings.  
         [0029]     As noted above, the system is also provided with removable aprons  20  which may be fastened to the wall panels  12  along their vertical lengths, as shown in  FIG. 4 , for example. These aprons  20  seal the ACS  10  against an adjacent surface. The aprons  20  are typically constructed of 3 layers of Ballistic felt sandwiched between rip stop nylon, being zipped into place.  
         [0030]     The ACS  10  can be used as a full enclosure (a full enclosure being approximately 54 inches square) or reduced to a ¾ or a ½ size enclosure, giving the First Responder protection in the most dangerous of conditions. It will be appreciated that other enclosure sizes, larger or smaller, or enclosures of different shapes, are all within the scope of the invention.  
         [0031]     Other variants on the design of the ACS  10  are described hereinafter and are shown in the attached figures.  
         [0000]     First Exemplary Implementation  
         [0032]     A suspect device  30  is found near or against a wall  32  or other surface that is substantially perpendicular to the ground as shown in  FIGS. 2A, 2B ,  3 A and  3 B.  
         [0033]     In this case two wall panels  12 , two members of the bottom frame  18  and one pole  16  are removed from the four panel enclosure. The back wall  26  (see  FIG. 4 ) is then zipped into place using the zipper which previously held the removed wall panels  12 . The back wall  26  is a half-moon shaped section of ballastic fabric, with an apron  20  about its perimeter (except along the bottom edge) and an opening  26  at the bottom.  FIGS. 2A and 3A  show a top view and side view respectively, of this arrangement, prior to deployment against the wall  30 .  
         [0034]     The ASC  10  is then used as a shield as the suspect device  30  is approached. This is accomplished by unzipping the door opening  25 , and by looking through this opening and the openings in the back wall  26  and floor of the ACS  10 .  
         [0035]     The ACS  10  is then lowered over the suspect device  30 , the suspect device  30  passing through the opening in the bottom panel.  FIGS. 2B and 3B  show a top view and side view respectively, of this arrangement, after deployment against the wall  30 . The apron  20  on the back wall  26  is secured to the wall  32 , the back wall access flap is lowered, and the ACS  10  can then be sand bagged. The system may be sealed using two-way tape. The ACS  10  is then filled with Dispersal Suppressant Foam (DSF) or Decontaminant Dispersal Suppressant Foam (DDSF) which can significantly reduce the dangers related to and the dispersal area of a Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear (CBRN) or shrapnel producing device.  
         [0036]     Various aqueous energy absorbing, flowable foam materials are known, such as Silvex™ (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,770,794, incorporated herein by reference). The foam is introduced into the enclosure using a standard foam generating fire truck, or a portable pump and foam generating system, using an air aspirating foam nozzle as known in the art. One suitable nozzle is the subject of the co-pending U.S. application, Ser. No. 08/758,075, filed Nov. 27, 1996 (incorporated herein by reference). It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that many other blast-mitigation foam materials may also be used, including those containing biological/chemical decontaminating agents. The device can be countercharged or otherwise destroyed in a protected environment.  
         [0000]     Second Exemplary Implementation  
         [0037]     A suspect device  30  is found near or against the outside corner of two walls meeting at 90 degrees  34  or other surface substantially perpendicular to the ground.  
         [0038]     In this case, one wall panel  40  and one member of the bottom frame  42  are removed from the four panel enclosure as shown in  FIG. 5 . The back wall  26  is then zipped into place using the zippers which previously held the removed wall panel  40 .  
         [0039]     The ACS  10  is then used as a shield as the suspect device  30  is approached. This is accomplished by unzipping the door opening  25 , and by looking through this opening and the openings in the back wall and floor of the ACS  10  as the suspect device  30  is approached.  
         [0040]     The ACS  10  is then lowered over the suspect device  30 , the apron  20  on the back wall  26  is secured to the wall with two-way tape or some similar adhesive system, the back wall access flap is lowered, and the ACS  10  can then be sand bagged. The ACS  10  is then filled with Dispersal Suppressant Foam (DSF) or Decontaminant Dispersal Suppressant Foam (DDSF). The suspect device  30  can be countercharged or otherwise destroyed in a protected environment.  
         [0041]      FIG. 6A  presents a top view of this arrangement prior to deployment against the 90 degree corner of the wall  34 , while  FIG. 6B  presents a top view after deployment.  FIG. 6C  presents a front view of this arrangement.  
         [0000]     Third Exemplary Implementation  
         [0042]     A suspect device  30  is found in close proximity to an immoveable object such as a light standard  36  or telephone pole.  
         [0043]     In this scenario one zipper  50  is completely unzipped and one member of the bottom frame  52  is removed as shown in FIGS.  7 A and  7 A′ ( FIG. 7A  showing a top view, and  FIG. 7A ′ showing a side view of this arrangement, prior to deployment). The ACS  10  is then brought around the immovable object  36  and the suspect device  30  as shown in FIGS.  7 B and  7 B′ (top and side views respectively). The zipper  50  is then re-zipped and the frame member  52  is replaced. The pole or light standard  36  as well as the suspect device  30  are now surrounded by the ACS  10  as shown in FIGS.  7 C and  7 C′ (top and side views respectively).  
         [0044]     The ACS  10  is then filled with Dispersal Suppressant Foam (DSF) or Decontaminant Dispersal Suppressant Foam (DDSF) and the suspect device  30  can be countercharged or otherwise destroyed.  
         [0045]     While the invention has been described in connection with specific embodiments and in specific uses, various modifications thereof will occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.  
         [0046]     All citations are hereby incorporated by reference.