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Simple. The shelter consists of two hemispherical shells of
nylon, one inside the other, to form a double-walled dome.
The two shells are joined at the bottom, so the inter-wall
cavity is a closed space, apart from a nozzle.
Also included is a man-sized can of fire-rated polyurethane
foam
(low density, high expansion, fast curing).
In an emergency, the foam is released into the cavity
between the walls, creating a six-inch-thick hemisphere
large enough for two or three people to hunker down for
the time it takes the wildfire to pass.
This is about the lightest fireproof, heatproof structure I
can think of.
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Yea, maybe. It's certainly insulation. |
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If you puff it up in a big sphere you could put a little
distance between you and the flames which couldn't hurt.
Maybe have the foam inflate a double walled balloon/tent
type deal. |
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//Maybe have the foam inflate a double walled
balloon/tent type deal.// |
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You mean, a bit like the thing I described explicitly in
the idea? Or not? |
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Were you talking about it expanding like a balloon? I thought
you were suggesting a solid structure into which you shot
the foam. My oops. |
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I'm picturing what may be a lighter alternative though.
Two collapsible, geodesic, spring-loaded aerogel hemispheres.
The weight would be negligible. Both hemispherical shapes could be reduced in size by configuring the triangular panels to fold up on themselves, and the weight of the canisters of liquid foam would be unnecessary. |
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The hemispherical form factor is a bit pedestrian, isn't it? Surely what's wanted is the full 360 degree fire-retardant zorb, which the occupants could ride triumphantly through the fire-front, on to the burnt out area beyond. Some practice drills may be required. |
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//Were you talking about it expanding like a
balloon?// Ah - my bad. I meant a purely hollow
fabric shell which is inflated by the foam. |
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The unfilled shelter would basically be a sphere
made of nylon, but with one side "caved in" to
create a double-walled hemisphere. There would
be ties connecting the inner and outer walls. The
whole thing has no rigid parts, so it can be
scrunched up into a small package, pending
inflation by the foam. |
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//Two collapsible, geodesic, spring-loaded aerogel
hemispheres.// The spring loaded structure will
not be as light or compact as a fabric shell plus
foam canister. Also, the geodesic panels would
have to be quite thin so, at best, you'll have an
inch of aerogel and an air-gap between you and
eternity. |
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Yea, you don't have a big weight allotment to play around with here. You've got a firefighter who's already probably carrying 30 pounds of equipment around on uneven even mountainous terrain. |
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It really comes down to a protection from x amount of heat for y amount of time per pound thing. |
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