Use of floatation material to support a vehicle in water

Abstract

This invention gives the directions for the design and building of a vehicle which will be supported in water by the installation of a Floatation Material. The design is so that the vehicle, occupants, and cargo will be supported so that the vehicle will come to rest in the upright position and with the water level below the upper torso of the occupants. There are several demonstrations presented on a regular basis which show how to escape from a vehicle that has suddenly become immersed in water: a lake, river, etc. Escaping is portrayed as a fairly simple procedure when performed by someone who is coached through the process, and by an individual who knows the vehicle is supported by a crane. The design presented in this invention provides a vehicle that will float while requiring no effort from the occupants, nor does it depend on the performance of some mechanism, i.e. switches, relays, or some mechanically activated procedure that requires intervention by the occupant. Several options were considered and examined before the design presented in this invention was chosen as the best, and safest. There have been designs using inflatable objects. The inflatable object approach has several shortcomings. The most obvious is that the vehicle may not assume the upright position. The material-supported vehicle design presented in this invention, when implemented, will generate a vehicle that will end up in the top-up position when placed in deep water. If the vehicle goes into the water top first, the vehicle will quickly correct to the top-up position.