Ships – Building – Bulkhead and compartment
Reexamination Certificate
2001-01-26
2003-01-28
Morano, S. Joseph (Department: 3617)
Ships
Building
Bulkhead and compartment
Reexamination Certificate
active
06510807
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a fireproof bulkhead or overhead to protect compartments of ships, boats, submarines, aircraft, railway tanker cars, and tanker trucks. More particularly, the fireproof ship's bulkhead includes an inner core fireproof layer with adjoining outer metal layers and outer insulation layers with intumescent fire retardant coatings on woven fiberglass material on the metal layers.
1. Background of the Invention
Fireproof panels for bulkheads and overheads have been used for many years in compartments of ships, aircraft and the like, for protection against fire in many areas of the ship especially those where there is a potential source of ignition or a potential leakage of flammable liquids or gases. In these areas, it is important to separate the potential ignition sources and any such leakage from combustible areas that could lead to a major explosion or fire in a craft. Areas within these aircraft or ships in which this separation is required are defined as fire zones and are required by various governmental agencies to be separated from other areas of the aircraft or ships by fireproof firewalls. Under the United States Coast Guard regulations, fireproofing means the structure must be able to withstand exposure to heat and flames and withstand exposure to 1700 degrees Fahrenheit heat for up to 60 minutes, depending upon the location of the bulkhead. The standards required by the U.S. Coast Guard and the International Maritime Organization are included in IMO Resolution A.754(18) and are exposed for up to 60 minutes, depending on the location.
Typical designated fire zones include the regions in which are located engines turbines or furnaces, any auxiliary power units, fuel burning heaters, and other combustion equipment intended for in-transit use. In ships, the oil burning furnaces and steam generators must be isolated from the rest of the ship by properly rated firewalls and overheads. In addition, substrates such as steel, aluminum, and many types of composites made of vinyl esters, polyesters, and other types of resins require a rated firewall for the fireproofing.
Typical bulkheads and overheads of a ship are fire protected by using insulation blankets or insulation panels that are fastened to the sides of the bulkhead after the bulkhead is installed. These blankets are impractical or provide reduced performance for many reasons such as heavy weight, thickness, durability, and the requirement of a coating or surface finishing which adds a flammable top layer and significant additional expense. In addition, spray-on fireproof coatings are relatively difficult and time-consuming to apply and inspect, and are subject to cracking and peeling which must be repaired or replaced frequently. This adds up to increased installation costs, further maintenance costs and increased downtime for the ships involved.
There remains a need for a fire protective bulkhead or overhead having the following desirable features of being thin and lightweight, having high performance standards such as meeting the Coast Guard A60 requirement, a finished surface which requires no top coating, and a low surface flame spread complying with the SOLAS code (Safety of Life at Sea) of the IMO (International Maritime Organization), low smoke and toxicity requirements (IMO Resolution A.653(16) and MSC.41(64)), being easy to install which requires only a simple overlap joint with no reinforcement, and requires no additional installation of blankets or any other type of fireproofing materials, is completely dry, non-toxic and environmentally safe.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Fireproof panels for bulkheads and overheads of various designs, structures, configurations and materials of construction have been disclosed in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,830,319 discloses a flexible fire barrier felt. This is a fire barrier wall, which is a replacement for a ceramic blanket or mineral wool. This patent refers to only one component of a system, and does not refer to the entire bulkhead structure.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,564,243 discloses an insulative wall cladding having insulating boards fitting together to form channels and having fire-retardant panels disposed therein. This patent describes alternate methods of constructing walls in a building primarily for water and air pressure resistance at ambient temperature. The use of flame resistant materials allows the wall to have a reduced flame spread rating, but does not provide protection from fire penetration and this insulative wall will not comply with a 60-minute bulkhead fire test according to the IMO Resolution.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,402,615 discloses a fire retardant barrier system having a fire barrier wall for a building. This fire barrier wall features a layer of inorganic fiber material sandwiched between two high conductivity panels. The panels and blankets are joined together with a wound filament. The panel members are made of copper, aluminum, or silver. Copper and silver are very expensive. The performance of the aluminum in this invention is substantially poorer than the copper or silver, due to its reduced thermal conductivity. The wound metal wire is labor intensive and very expensive to install. Joints are cumbersome, complicated and not easily installed and require stitching with filaments. In order to achieve a 60 minute fire rating this bulkhead is complex, expensive, difficult to install, and requires complicated manufacture. This technique is not an improvement of the prior art techniques of using insulation blankets on bulkheads.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,397,201 discloses a wall assembly for offshore use, suitable for applications on ships, ocean drilling rigs and platforms and the like. This patent design includes fiber-reinforced polymers as a skin with a core made of balsa wood. The panels are welded to the wall structures and require complex installation. The weight of an 8 ft. by 8 ft. section of this structure is 857 lbs. This is only 211 lbs. less than a typical bulkhead construction. By contrast, the bulkhead of the present invention is less than 300 lbs. for the same size.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,119,755 discloses a fire retardant plate material. This fire retardant plate material may be incorporated in a wall or bulkhead in place of mineral wool or ceramic blankets. It may be a substitute for mineral wool, one component of the system, but is not a stand-alone bulkhead.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,914,880 discloses a fire retardant partition wall having multiple panels therein for erection within a masonry structure. This wall prevents the passage of fire and smoke but is not designed for 60-minute fire protection according to IMO and U.S. Coast Guard requirements. It is heavy, expensive, and difficult to install and join together.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,099,625 discloses a partition wall for openings in building shells for providing a fire protection cushion for the openings in these partitioned walls. It is constructed with fiberglass and mineral materials. These are fillers for bulkheads but not stand-alone bulkheads.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,261,555 discloses a flexible insulation panel for a drum and dryer apparatus with insulation.
None of the aforementioned prior art patents disclose the particular structure and design of the fireproof bulkhead of the present invention.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a fireproof bulkhead made from an incombustible material inner core with outer metal layers and multiple insulation layers for use as a fireproof, flame and heat resistant bulkhead or overhead for protection of ships, aircraft, railway tanker cars, tanker trucks, and the like.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a fireproof bulkhead that is thin and lightweight, easily installed, requires no finish coat or topcoat, and requires no complicated joining techniques.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a fireproof bulkhead with a surface that has a low flame spread, smoke, and toxicity according to the requirements of the United States Coast Guard and Inter
Morano S. Joseph
No Fire Technologies Inc.
Sutton Ezra
Vasudeva Ajay
LandOfFree
Pre-fabricated fireproof bulkhead with special interlocking... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Pre-fabricated fireproof bulkhead with special interlocking..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Pre-fabricated fireproof bulkhead with special interlocking... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3054613