CONTAINMENT SYSTEM FOR AND METHOD OF BLAST MITIGATION IN VARIED ENVIRONMENTAL SETTINGS
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.
1 . A blast mitigation enclosure adaptable to various environmental settings comprising:
a plurality of wall panels substantially comprising ballistic fabric, said wall panels being removably attached to one another along their adjacent upright edges to form a floor-less enclosure;
at least one of said wall panels having a closable flap allowing for the introduction of blast-suppression foam into said enclosure.
2 . The blast mitigation enclosure of claim 1 , wherein said wall panels are removably attached to one another via mechanical zippers, respective halves of said mechanical zippers being sewn to adjacent upright edges of said wall panels.
3 . The blast mitigation enclosure of claim 2 , wherein said mechanical zippers comprise plastic zippers.
4 . The blast mitigation enclosure of claim 1 , wherein said wall panels are removably attached to one another via a mating hook and loop system sewn to said wall panels.
5 . The blast mitigation enclosure of claim 1 , comprising 4 wall panels.
6 . The blast mitigation enclosure of claim 1 , comprising 6 wall panels.
7 . The blast mitigation enclosure of claim 1 , further comprising strengthening battens.
8 . The blast mitigation enclosure of claim 7 , wherein at least one of said strengthening battens is a removable vertical strengthening batten inserted into a fabric channel of one of said wall panels.
9 . The blast mitigation enclosure of claim 8 , wherein at least one of said strengthening battens is a removable horizontal strengthening batten inserted into a fabric channel of one of said wall panels.
10 . The blast mitigation enclosure of claim 5 , wherein said enclosure is substantially pyramid-shaped.
11 . The blast mitigation enclosure of claim 5 , wherein said enclosure is substantially hemispherical in shape.
12 . The blast mitigation enclosure of claim 11 , further comprising a half-moon shaped back wall, which is removably attachable to at least one upright edge of said at least one of said wall panels.
13 . The blast mitigation enclosure of claim 7 , wherein said strengthening battens comprise fibreglass poles.
14 . The blast mitigation enclosure of claim 7 , wherein said strengthening battens comprise aluminum poles.
15 . The blast mitigation enclosure of claim 1 , further comprising a ballistic-fabric floor, having a central opening in it, said floor being removably attached to at least one bottom edge of at least one of said wall panels.
16 . The blast mitigation enclosure of claim 1 , further comprising a back wall having an opening, said back wall being removably attached to at least one of said wall panels.
17 . The blast mitigation enclosure of claim 1 , further including an apron to replace at least one of said wall panels, said apron being removably attached to at least one of said wall panels.
18 . The blast mitigation enclosure of claim 5 , adapted to be deployed adjacent to a wall, by removing two of said wall panels.
19 . The blast mitigation enclosure of claim 5 , adapted to be deployed on the outside corner of a substantially 90° wall by removing one of said wall panels.
20 . The blast mitigation enclosure of claim 5 , adapted to be deployed in close proximity to an immovable object by unzipping one of said wall panels.
21 . The blast mitigation enclosure of claim 1 , wherein the enclosure is made of a composite textile material, comprising a layer of a ballistic fabric material, sandwiched between inner and outer layers of a light-weight rip-stop nylon fabric material.
22 . The blast mitigation enclosure of claim 1 , wherein the enclosure is made of a composite textile material, comprising several layers of a ballistic fabric material, sandwiched between inner and outer layers of a light-weight rip-stop nylon fabric material.
23 . A method for 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, said wall panels being removably attached to one another along their adjacent upright edges to form a floor-less enclosure;
at least one of said wall panels having a closable flap allowing for the introduction of blast-suppression foam into said enclosure;
b) removing one or more of said wall panels of said blast mitigation enclosure to accommodate said environmental settings and encompass the explosive device,
c) positioning said blast mitigation enclosure to encompass said explosive device, and
d) substantially filling said blast mitigation enclosure via said closable flap and covering the explosive device with a blast-suppression foam material, whereby upon detonation of the explosive device, the blast is suppressed.