WO2002032245A1

WO2002032245A1 - A protector member

Info

Publication number: WO2002032245A1
Application number: PCT/GB2001/004675
Authority: WO
Inventors: Andre John Barnes; Nigel Beale; Goerge Cradon
Original assignee: Marine Contractors Limited
Priority date: 2000-10-20
Filing date: 2001-10-22
Publication date: 2002-04-25
Also published as: GB0025707D0; AU2002210692A1

Abstract

A protector member (60) for the exterior of a protective helmet (10), said protector member (60) incorporating or comprising a substantially rigid protector element shaped to fit over at least a part of the exterior of the protective helmet (10), and having means for releasably retaining the protector member (60) on the helmet (10), the protector member (60), when fitted, being capable of absorbing impacts whereby to protect the shell of the helmet (10) from damage.

Description

A PROTECTOR MEMBER

The present invention relates generally to a protector member and specifically to a protection device for the exterior of a helmet which itself already serves a protective function.

Protective helmets are necessarily placed in situations in which damage is likely to occur thereto, in preference to the user. Whilst such helmets will tolerate a certain amount of damage, once enough damage accumulates the helmet will need to be replaced or there is a risk that the protective capacity will be diminished or compromised. Where, as is usual, a protective helmet is formed as a one-piece construction damage even to a small area of the helmet will require replacement of the whole unit. If the helmet in question is a cheap mass produced article such as a builder's hard hat this may not present much of a problem as such helmets could themselves be considered as consumable. However, many types of helmet have high unit productions costs so that replacement of entire units can be a considerable expense.

One example of such a helmet is a diving helmet, whose function necessitates an extremely robust construction resulting in high production costs. Damage to any part of the helmet requires replacement of the entire unit, particularly so for diving helmets because of the conditions in which they must function to protect an individual, which in some cases can involve extremes of pressure and/or temperature. Once the integrity of the shell of the helmet has been compromised by an impact it can no longer provide the maximum protection for the user. The present invention therefore seeks to provide a disposable protection means for an article which itself already has a protective function.

According to the present invention there is provided a disposable protector for the exterior of a protective helmet, said protector forming, in use, a sacrificial layer thereover capable of absorbing impacts such that upon damage thereto it can be replaced.

The present invention relates particularly, although not exclusively, to a protection device for use in conjunction with a diving helmet. Diving helmets are seen as particularly suitable for such a protection device because of the high cost involved in replacement of the entire helmet. The present invention aims to provide a disposable protector at a significantly reduced unit production cost. Maintenance of helmets which have no uncertainty in their ability to confer the maximum protection on the user is therefore more economically viable and therefore more likely to be achieved.

Preferably the dimensions of the helmet are not greatly increased when the protector is fitted. The protector may, therefore, substantially match the shape of at least part, and preferably substantially the whole, of the protective exterior of the said helmet with which it is associated.

The protector may extend over at least part of the exterior of the helmet. The surface of the protector facing towards the helmet preferably substantially matches the shape of at least part of the exterior of the said helmet and may, in use, lie in contact with the helmet over substantially the entirety of its interior surface.

The protector may be made of the same material as or a different material from the helmet, and may further include a cushioning layer positioned between the protector and the helmet. Such cushioning layer may be formed as an integral part of the protector or may be a separate and removable element intended to be sandwiched between the protector and the helmet.

The protector may be formed as a unitary, preferably moulded construction, or may be formed from a plurality of constituent parts for assembly to a helmet. Any convenient means may be employed to fit the protector to the helmet. For example, the protector and/or the helmet may include attachment means such as hooks, clips or openings for receiving screw fixings. Alternatively the protector may be secured by a suitable adhesive compound such as a silicon-based adhesive. In some embodiments the protector may be formed from a resilient material and shaped to allow it to be pushed onto the helmet and held snap-engaged in place by its own resilience.

Suitable materials for the protector include plastics, for example epoxy resins, vinyl ester resins or a composite of an aramid and carbon. In this connection a protector member made from epoxy resin reinforced with woven aramid and carbon fibre layers has been found to be particularly robust and suitably strong for the purpose. In a preferred embodiment a diving helmet is provided with a single disposable protector element. Of course if appropriate a helmet may be provided with a plurality of such protectors or a composite protector so that an uppermost protector element may be removed when required, to reveal a new protector already in place, provided, of course, that the damage to the outer protector element is only superficial or at least has not passed through the outer layer.

One embodiment of the present invention will now be more particularly described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a diving helmet of a type suitable for protection by a protector according to the present invention; Figure 2 is a rear view of the helmet of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a protector according to the present invention;

Figure 4 is a plan view of the protector of Figure 3 ; Figure 5 is an under plan view of the protector of Figure 3; Figure 6 is a side view of the protector of Figure 3; and Figure 7 shows the helmet of Figure 1 shown fitted with the protector of Figure 3;

Figure 8 is a schematic view of a mould showing the production method for the protector; and Figure 9 is a cross-section through the thickness of the material of the protector, for example at the region marked A in Figure 6, showing the structure of the various layers.

Referring first to Figures 1 and 2 there is shown a diving helmet generally indicated 10. The helmet 10 comprises a generally ovoid body 15 having projecting ear portions 20, 25 on either of two longer sides and a removable carrying handle 30 (shown removed in Figure 2); a removable metal strip weight 35 extends between the two ear portions 20, 25. The front of the helmet is defined by a reinforced glass viewing port 40 which projects from the body 15 and defines a lip 45. A mouth portion 50 is connected to a gas supply (not shown) by supply tube 55.

Referring now to Figures 3 to 6 there is shown a protector generally indicated 60 adapted for use with the helmet 10 of Figures 1 and 2.

The protector 60 is a one-piece laminar element which matches the. shape, of the helmet with respect to the area it is intended to cover. Accordingly the protector 60 has a main body 65 the curvature of which matches that of the helmet 10, two ear portions 70, 75 which depend from the body 65, and a projecting lip 80 to accommodate the lip 45 of the helmet 10.

Figure 3 shows the ear portion 70 to have a notch 85, which accommodates the supply tube 55 when fitted. Figure 7 shows the helmet 10 of Figures 1 and 2 fitted with the protector 60 of Figures 3 to 6 (shown in the broken outline). The protector 60 is in direct contact with the helmet 10 over its entire area. In this embodiment it is secured by a silicon- based adhesive. As will be seen the protector 60 encloses a major part of the crown of the helmet and the sides, surrounding the viewing point 40. It will be appreciated that the strip weight 39 being made of dense metallic material, such as lead, copper, bronze or other suitable alloys is itself reasonably immune from damage so that the entirety of the vulnerable point of the helmet (that is, the point which is out of the line of vision of the diver, and thus more susceptible to impacts) is protected from damage.

Figure 8 illustrates the moulding technique used for producing the helmet protector described in relation to Figures 2 to 7. This takes place in a vacuum-assisted mould 81 into which successive layers of material are introduced to produce a strong impact resistant element. The first layer 91 introduced into the mould is the so- called gel-coat which in the finished product forms the outer skin; it is hard, abrasion-resistant and waterproof. The various layers are shown in more detail in Figure 9. The first gel coat 91 is then covered with a second gel coat 92 to improve the strength and durability of the outer skin to be formed on the outside of the finished article. Then a layer 93 of tissue carbon is laid up, followed by a plain woven layer 94 of carbon fibres. This is ???? with the fibres at 0° and 90° with respect to a notional longitudinal axis of the mould, and thus of the finished protector, as illustrated X-X in Figure 3. After this, two layers 95, 96 of woven aramid fibres, one at + 45° and one at - 45° to the axis X-X are laid up, followed by a final layer 97 of plain woven carbon fibres at 0 90° as described in relation to layer 93. These layers are all impregnated with an epoxy resin using known techniques. The mould is then encased and vacuum applied to a central outlet 82 from the mould 81 (Figure 7) which leads via a line 83 to a vacuum pump 84. This ensures that the resin impregnation is drawn fully into the mesh of the fibres layer, and that any air bubbles trapped in the resin upon application are withdrawn thereby ensuring a stronger finished product. A bleed cloth 98 is also laid up over the final layer 97 before encasement of the mould 81 to absorb any surplus resin, again ensuring that the final product is as strong and impact resistant as possible.

Claims

1. A protector member for the exterior of a protective helmet, said protector member incorporating or comprising a substantially rigid protector element shaped to fit over at least a part of the exterior of the protective helmet, means for releasably retaining the protector member on the helmet, the protector member, when fitted, being capable of absorbing impacts whereby to protect the shell of the helmet from damage.

2. A protector member according to Claim 1, in which a concave surface of the protector member facing the helmet substantially matches the shape of at least part of the exterior of the said helmet.

3. A protector member as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, characterised in that substantially the entirety of the concave surface of the protector member matches the shape of a helmet to be fitted to which it is intended.

4. A protector member as claimed in any preceding Claim characterised in that the said protector member is made of a reinforced resin material.

5. A protector member as claimed in any preceding claim, further including a cushioning layer positioned to be on the face of the protector member which, in use, faces the helmet.

6. A protector member as claimed in Claim 5, in which the said cushioning layer is formed as an integral part of the said protector member.

7. A protector member as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the reinforcement thereof concludes two layers of woven aramid fibres with the fibres thereof oriented at 45° to a datum direction of the protector.

8. A protector member as claimed in Claim 7, in which the reinforcement of the member includes at least one layer of woven carbon fibres oriented with the fibres parallel and orthogonal to the said datum direction.

9. A protector member as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the said substantially rigid element is formed as a one-piece construction.

10. A diving helmet having a removable protector member as claimed in any preceding claim fitted thereto.