Unique, inflated, expandable socks are attached within the inflated chamber of a raft or a float in such a way that collapse of the chamber wall through damage, causes the adjacent sock to expand and restore the original configuration

Radnofsky, M. I.

Shewmake, G. A.

English

NASA Technical Reports Server

Inflated
January 1968	 Brief 68-10011 
NASA TECH BRIEF 
NASA Tech Briefs are issued to summarize specific innovations derived from the U.S. space program, 
to encourage their commercial application. Copies are available to the public at 15 cents each 
from the Clearinghouse for Federal Scientific and Technical Information, Springfield, Virginia 22151. 
Pneumatic Raft Automatically Reforms after Rupture of Buoyant Member 
Expandable Sock 
Inflating Valves 
The problem: 
In operation, rafts or floats that maintain their 
buoyancy by means of pneumatically inflated cham-
bers, may lose their bouyancy through a puncturing, 
rupturing, or tearing of the inflated member. In the 
case of either heavy seas or a disabled occupant, this 
would normally lead to loss of the raft and its occu-
pant. 
The solution: 
Unique, inflated, expandable socks are attached 
within the inflated chamber in such a way that col-
lapse of the chamber wall through damage, causes the
adjacent sock to expand and restore the original con-
figuration. 
How it's done: 
The expandable socks are attached to the wall of 
the inflated chamber in such a manner that a rupture 
to one (or two) of the quarter section(s) results in a 
pressure differential between the damaged quarter 
section and its adjacent undamaged member. By this 
pressure differential, the affected sock is caused to 
expand and extend throughout the damaged quarter 
section as indicated by the broken lines in the figure. 
This effectively restores both the configuration and 
bouyancy of the damaged quarter section.
(continued overleafl 
This document was prepared under the sponsorship of the National 
Aeronautics and Space Administration. Neither the United States 
Government nor any person acting on behalf of the United States
Government assumes any liability resulting from the use of the 
information contained in this document, or warrants that such use 
will be free from privately owned rights.
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19680000011 2020-03-12T05:43:11+00:00Z
Note:	 Patent status: 
Inquiries concerning this invention may be di- 	 This invention is owned by NASA, and a patent 
rected to:	 application has been filed. Royalty-free, nonexclusive 
Technology Utilization Officer	 licenses for its commercial use will be granted by 
Manned Spacecraft Center	 NASA. Inquiries concerning license rights should be 
Houston, Texas 77058 	 made to NASA, Code GP, Washington, D.C. 20546. 
Reference: B68-1001.1	 Source: Mathew I. Radnofsky

and Glenn A. Shewmake 
(M SC- l 1562) 
Brief 68-10011	 Category 05


Pneumatic raft automatically reforms after rupture of buoyant member

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