US2977723A - Bombshelter - Google Patents

Description

April 1961 F. RUDINGER 2,977,723

BOMBSHELTER Filed Feb. 7, 1958 z 7 2a J 43 /a INVENTOR.

FRED RUDINGER MAM 14 TTQKIVE).

United States Patent.

2,971,72j3 BOMBSHELTER Fred Rudingen New York, N.Y., assignorto Morton M. Rosenfeld, Mount Vernon, N.Y.

Filed Feb. 7, 1958, set. No. 713,938

1 Claim. ci. 50-100 there was disclosed a most efiicient bombshelter for pro tecting civilians who are situated at some distance from ground-zero, such as three-quarters of a mile or more from ground-zero. V l e The present invention is directed to bombshelters of thesame general category as disclosed in said patentapplication Serial No. 564,971, namely bombshelters which are appendent to residential dwellings and which enable feet of earth 1 1 without affecting the grade level of the lawn 16-adjacent the residence.

The bombshelter in the illustrated embodiment is .formed of poured concrete. However, alternatively, the

bombshelter 10 may be formed of metal, such as metal plate or sheet metal. In the illustrated embodiment the concrete forming the bombshelter 10 is designated as 18. It is a feature of the present invention that both the inner surface 20'and the outer surface 22 of concrete 18 is entirely coated with a layer of charcoal. Such charcoal layer may be secured to its supporting surfaces by any of avariety of means including adhesives, lacquers, and the like. Alternatively, the charcoal may be carried within a coating vehicle that is paintedupon or sprayed upon the surfaces 20 and 22 of concrete 18.

Similar means for coating the surfaces 20 and 22 may be employed when the shell of bombshelter 10 is formed from metal, such as lead, or lead-clad steel.

The charcoal surfaces 20 and 22 of concrete 18 serve to adsorb fine contaminated dust which accompanies the fall-out of any atomic explosion. Such dust is radioactive, and is highly dangerous toall forms of animal the occupants of such residential dwellings to seek shelter from their basements into the bombshelter at the initial warning of a bombing. This invention-has as an object the provision of a bombshelter which is relatively effective and which may be cheaply and easily constructed. L" This invention has as another object the provision jof a bombshelter which provides protection against radia-.. tion resulting from a nuclear explosion.

This invention has as yet another object the provision of a bombshelter which permits its occupants to be'relatively safe from flooding and from entombrnent arising from the'burs'ting of water pipes and thedeposition of debris.

Other objects will appear hereinafter. For the purpose of illustratingthe' inventionthere is shown in the drawings a formwhich is presently 'preferred; it being understood, howeven that this invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.

life including human life, particularly when the same is inhaled. By providing the surfaces 20 and 22 with the highly adsorbent charcoal, the occupants of the bomb: shelter 10 are protected to a considerable degree against ultrafine radioactive dust.

The entrance to bombshelter 10 is from the basement floor 12 over the flood barrier 24. In the illustrated em-' bodiment, the flood barrier 24 is a monolithic barrier or curb which provides protection against flooding should a bursting pipe in the basement flood the basement with water. It is to be emphasized that the protection achieved by the barrier 24 is not only against flooding due to the water, but also is protection against radioactive materials suspended in the water which otherwise would secure access to the bombshelter lll upon Referring to the drawings wherein likeireference icharacters refer to like parts: a

1 Figure l-is -a vertical sectional viwthrough the bombshelter of the present invention taken on line 11 of Figure 2.

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view of the bombshelter of the present invention taken on line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of the entrance to the bombshelter of the present invention from the basement of the appurtenant family dwelling.

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawings, the shelter of the present invention is designated 10, and is situated adjacent a basement-containing dwelling, such as a family residence, and in particular a detached family residence, somewhat below the level of the basement-floor 12 (see Figure 3). By being below the level of the basement floor 12, the

bombshelter 10 may be covered by upwards of three the flooding of the same by the water. The barrier 24 also prevents the stairwell and entrance to the bombshelter 10 from becoming blocked by debris.

Stairs 26 are provided in back of barrier 24, .such stairs 26 descending to the bombshelter 10.

Stairs 26, as is evident from an examination of Figure 3," are at right angles to the entrance door 28 of bombshelter 10 It is to be noted from Figure 3 that while the bombshelter 10 is situated well below the level of the base-. ment floor 12, yet the bottom of the entrance door 28 is relatively close to the level of the basement floor 12, such entrance door 28 being raised above the floor 30 of bombshelter 10. Thus, the stairwell for stairs 26 can accommodate an appreciable amount of overflow water, should water in the basement flood over the barrier 24, prior to any degree of contact between such water and door 28. Moreover, there can be an appreciable buildup of the water level or debris level within the stairwell for stairs 26 before such water level or debris level reaches the bottom of entrance door 28.

Since no claim is made to the equipment to be contained within the bombshelter 10, no description of such equipment will be made herein. However, it is to be understood that the bombshelter 10 is provided with a suitable generator and air purifier. The generator may be powered by means of an external tank or cylinder of gasoline or other fuel, and hand-operated emergency means may be provided for operating such generator. The generator may be used to operate lights within the bombshelter 10 and to operate the air purifier for the ventilator system therefor.

A wide variety of ventilator systems may be provided for the bombshelter 10. Thus, one form of ventilator system may comprise an internal air purifier, which re moves carbon dioxide from the air. This type of internal air purifier is well known to the art and as it forms no part of the present invention, is not described herein. An internal air purifier is to be preferred over an external ventilator duct, as the use of such a duct not only weakens the bombshelter at the point of its emergence therefrom, but is apt to be readily destroyed by the explosion of the atom bomb. However, in the illustrated embodiment a reinforced filter 32, which may be cut out of operation by being closed by a steel door (not shown) is provided above the entrance door 28. It is to be understood that the filter 32 is not intended as a replacement for an internal air purifier, but is intended as a complement thereto, which may be used if it can be used safely, so as to decrease the workload upon the internal air purifier.

An alternate exit is provided at the portion of bombshelter remote from the entrance door 28.

The alternate exit includes the cover 34 made of a heavy and durable metal, which may be a metal including lead, such as a lead-clad steel, or which may include another metallic element which effectively impedes the penetration of gamma radiation. The cover 34 should be disposed a short distance below the surface of lawn 16 so that it is hidden from view by persons standing on lawn 16, but is close enough to the lawn surface so that upon its being raised no appreciableproblem of moving the earth above the cover 34 is present nor is there the possibility of appreciable deposition of debris from the lawn 16 into the well 36 beneath the cover 34.

The cover 34 is preferably provided with a dependent annular skirt 38 which is tightly received onto the uppermost end of upwardly directed metal cylindrical flange 40 of the escape well 36. The upper end of escape well 36 is provided with a powerful manually operated mechanical jack 42 which may be used to remove the cover 34. A vertical ladder 44 is provided Within well 36 and extends from the floor thereof to a point below cover 34 Within the cylindrical flange 40.

The well 36 is partitioned off from the remainder of bombshelter 10 by partition 46. Both the inner and outer surfaces of partition 46 are coated with charcoal, as has heretofore 'been indicated for the inner and outer surfaces of the shell comprising the bombshelter 10.

The partition 46 is provided with an access doorway 48 through which the occupants of the interior of bombshelter 10 may pass to enter the well 36. The access doorway 48 is spaced somewhat above the floor 30 of bombshelter 10 to provide a barrier. Thus, in the event of-fiooding of the interior of the bombshelter 10, the oc cupants may enter the well 36 with the barrier beneath the access doorway 48 serving to retard the passage of water into the well 36. Similarly, the barrier beneath the access doorway 48 serves to provide a buffer should debris occupy the bottom of the well 36.

Preferably. both doors 28 and 48 should be sliding doors since pivotation of these doors may not be possible due to the deposition of debris. As seen in the drawings, in the illustrated embodiment, the doors 28 and 48 comprise tracks above and below the doors, with the doors being slideable along such tracks.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof and, accordingly, reference should be made to the appendedclaim, rather than to the foregoing specification as indicating the scope of the invention.

I claim:

A resident dwelling comprising a basement, a passageway in the wall of said basement, said passageway descending appreciably below the level of the floor of the basement, an upright barrier on the floor of the baserner t barring the entrance to the passageway, the space intermediate the top of, said barrier and the ceiling of the passageway beingsufiicient to permit a person to obtain access to the passageway, a bombshelter in com-.

munication with said passageway, said bombshelter being disposed beneath the ground level, an opening in said bombshelter in communication with and adjacent to the passageway, the size of said opening being suificient to permit a person to obtain access between saidbombshelter and said passageway, the bottom of said opening being raised above the floor of both said bombshelter and said passageway, an access door operatively mounted for selectively opening and closing said opening, an escape hatchway extending through the uppermost portion of said bombshelter and walled'off from the remainder of the interior of said bombshelter, a fitted cover for said hatchway, means disposed in the upper portion of said hatchway for raising said cover, with said hatchway cover being disposed a short distance beneath the surface of the ground'level and being covered by the ground, an opening in the wall of said hatchway, the bottom of said hatchway opening being spaced above the floor of the hatchway and the floor of the bombshelter, and a hatchway door for selectively opening and closing said hatchway opening, with said hatchway opening being of sufiicient size to permit a person to move between said hatchway and the interior of said bombshelter.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

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