FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to apparatus for and a method of dropping srαppiies from aircraft. It relates particularly to the dropping of relief supplies in the form of, for example, food, fuel medical supplies or the like, into areas where such supplies are required.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

As a result of extensive news coverage, most people are familiar with t e

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problems of delivering relief supplies to those in need. Typically, supplies are got to starving populations by road convoy or by air¬ dropping supplies into the surrounding area.

In many cases, however, road access is just not possible which means that supplies must be delivered by air if they are to reach those in need at all Conventionally, dropping supplies from an aircraft involves either delivering bulk loads by parachute from air-drop altitudes or S ing low over the drop zone and allowing the bulk aid packages to fall to the ground from the aircraft under gravity.

There are many problems associated with both of these methods of dropping supplies. There is a particular danger of injury to persons in the area, into which the suDυlies are drorjDed. There is also one.: a loss of goods supplied due to heavy packages breaking open on impact and an administrative burden on the ground of ensuring the equitable apportionment of the aid from such bulk loads of supplies and many deserving cases never receive the aid at all

Furthermore, supplies dropped by parachute are dropped from aircraft flying relatively high above the ground. The drop height is usually also increased if there is a danger of ground attack. .As a result of the height above ground from which such bulk loads are dropped, inaccuracies in the position at which these loads reach the ground can result.

So, in summaiy, present methods of aid distribution from the air suffer from one or more of the following drawbacks:

(i) loss or damage to the aid on impact;

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(ϋ) aid missing the destination zone and as a result not reaching those in need, or worse still, falling into the wrong hands;

(iii) death or injury to people on the ground;

(iv) panic or violence associated with aid distriburioE.

The objxmCt of the present invention is to address the problems associated with conventional methods of dropping supplies from aircraft, and avoid the risk to the delivery aircraft of low level drops in hcstϋε environments.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a air-drop carton assembly for use in distributing sachets, comprising a plurality of the sachets, a base with upstanding edge portions, and at least one containing wall shaped to be retained releasably on the base about the sachets, so that separation of the base and the wall causes disnersion of the sachets.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a method of distributing a plurality of individual packages comprising providing a carton assembly having a base with upstanding edge portions, and at least one containing wall shaped to be retained

releasably on the base about the packages, filling the canon a _t leas _t partially with the packages, and ejecting the canon assemb _l y from an aircraft over a target zone so that the canon assembly disin _t egrates and disperses the packages over the target zone, the packaεes _t hen failia _* individually to the ground.

According to a third aspect of the invention mere is provided a sache _t comprising at least one compartment having flexible walls of shee _t material, the sachet being filled or pan-fflled with panicula _t e ma _t erial and having a ratio of size and shape to weigh: selected _t o cause _t he sachet to fall sufficiently slowly when dropped to preven _t burs _t inε thereof on impact with the ground.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described in more detail, by way of examoie only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows a front view of an empty sachet, in accordance with the third aspect of the invention;

Figure 2 shows a side view of the sachet of Figure 1;

Figure 3 shows a front view of the sachet of Figure 1 filled with a granular food;

Figure 4 shows a side view of the sachet of Figure 3;

Figure 5 shows yet another sachet in accordance with the third aspect of the invention;

Figure 6 shows a side view of the sachet of Figure 5;

Figures 7, 8 and 9 shows alternative sachets;

Figure 10 shows a side view of stacks of air-drop cartons of the invention on a roller system within an aircraft;

Figure 11 shows a plan view of two stakes of Figure 10 on the roller system;

Figure 12 shows a sectional side view of the stack of cartons moving along the roller system with a static line threaded through it;

Figure 13 shows the stack of cartons coming apart in the slipstream of the aircraft to liberate the sachets within each carton;

Figures 14 to 17 are additional explanatory sketches.

DESCRTPTION OF PREFERRED EivIBODT r Tς

The sachet 10, shown empty in Figures 1 and 2 and nUed in Fig res 3 and 4 of the drawings, is for materials to be distributed to areas bv bein°- dropped from an aircrafL It comprises flexible walls 1- of sbz _t z material which are welded to one another along weld lines 22 _t o ce≤ne a sealed compartment 16 which is Sled or pan niisti with name-m ma ^t erials 18 and air 20. The sachet is designed so thai i: i _≤ sronε enough to withstand free-fall from any heigh: without bursting en mm act with the ground. Tins is achieved by i: having a ratio of size and shaoe ^t o weight to cause the sachet 10 to crop siowiy and to feather-fall ra _t her than to free fell The volume of contents to volume of air ra _t io v. ^' :'-l- the sachet is also such that the sachets disperse adecuateiy on imoact w ⁱ thout bursting the sachet. If the thickness of the walls and volume of ^t he paniculate material, were too great, then not only would this amect the free-fall characteristics but would, in erect, create lime bombs which would be harmful on impact

The volume to air ratio plays a further role in that it is critical tha _{t t} he free-fall flutter or feathering be controlled such that the sachet arrives on the ground where it is required and its downward passasε is not badly affected by winds. Typically, the mass of the sachet would be greater than 30 g and less than 700 g for successful free-fall performance and the compartment 16 is typically filled to between 15% to ^~ 5% of its volume with paniculate material.

The sachets 10 can be constructed from any convenient ma _t erial

provided it is strong enough to withstand the stresses and strains of storage, free-fall descent, impact on landing and is not effected by moisture or extremes of temperature. If the sachet walls 14 were too thin, then there would be unnecessary breakage and loss of contents and if they were too thick, the contents would be difficult to get at and the resulting sachet would be too heavy. The sachet walls 14 are nevertheless thin enough to enable a recipient to break the sachet 10 open. Plastics or similar synthetic materials are most conveniently used and again it will be appreciated that too thin or too heavy a gauge of plastic would not be suitable. T pically, a minimum wall thickness of 50 micron and a maximum thickness of 300 micron are employed but these thicknesses will dεoend noon the exact nature of the material involved.

The sealed compartment 16 of the sachet 10 is defined by welding the walls 14 to one another along weld lines 22 to form the sealed compartment 16. However, there are clearly other forms of construction, using folds, fold-overs or a one-piece construction, that could equallv well be apDΪied.

Each sachet 10 has an elongate flexible streamer 24 at its operative top end when it is in frεe-falL The screamer 24 assists in stabilising the sachet when it is in free-fail and in slowing its fall. In addition, it makes the felling sachet more visfole as it makes its way to the ground

Typically, the sachet 10 has dimensions of 200 mm x 150 mm, that is, with a length to width ratio of 4:3. It wϋl be appreciated, however, that the exact configuration and dimensions of the sachet may vary greatly. Some versions of -he sachet are more elongate, with a length to width ratio of 2:1 or more.

As mentioned above, the material contents 18 in the compamaent 16 of the sachet 10 His between 15% and 85% of the volume of the compartment 16 and the remainder of the compartment is ruled with air or some other gas. It must be appreciated that the materials 18 can take the form of a wide variety of aid materials. These include food, fuel, medical supplies or the like, according to the requirements on the ground.

In use, the cot-figuration of the sachet 10 and the arrangement of the materials 18 and the air 20 in the sealed compartment 16 per it the sachet 10 to feather in free-fall, thereby slowing down the descent of the sachet 10 to the ground and in this way assisting in preventing me sachet from rupturing on impact.

Tne sachet 110 illustrated in Figures 3 and 6 of the drawinp is muiti- OtnpartmentaL Hereinafter, the same and/or __Lπ_iiar reference numerals are used to depict the same and/or similar items to these depicted in Figures 1 and 2 and 3 and 4- of zhε drawings.

The sachet 110 consists of two sealed compartments 116 and llδA which are each filled wiih a mixture of par cuiate materials IS and air 20. Each compartment 116 is defined by one pair of opposing walls 114 which are welded to one another along weld lines 22 and 122. The multi-compartment sachet 110 retains the desired feather-fall characteristics. In fact, these multi-compartment sachets in some cases have improved feather-fall characteristics.

The operative lower compartment 116A of the sachet 110, when the sachet is in free-fall, in use, contains food granules typically having a

mass of 100 g while the operative upper compartment 116 contains material 18 in the form of a nutritional drink having a maw of 75 g. Once again, the sachet 110 has a configuration and is filled with a mixture of materials 18 and air 20 in an arrangement which permits the sachet 110 to feather in free-fall to the ground, in use.

The sachet 210 illustrated in Figure 7 of the drawings has a lighz- emitting means in the form of a strobe or high visibility magnesium chemical tube 25 in the lower compartment 116. The tube 25 is broken prior to insertion into the sachet 210 or broken within the sachet and prior to being dropped from an aircraft. Other night-visible devices. such as cold fiuorescents, may also be included. This permits the sachet 210 to be more visible when in flight and on the ground. In use. one or more of such sachets 210 can be dropped together with a number of other sachets in order to make the sachets more visible to persons on the ground. It is envisaged that the sachet 210 will find particular application in the dropping of these aid sachets at night.

The sachet 310 ϋlustrated in Figure 8 of the drawings is similar to those packages depicted in Figures 5 and 6 of the drawings but has a smaller sachet 26 attached thereto. The sachet 26 defines a sealed compartment 28 which is filled with other materials 25, for example, water purification tablets or medical items, and, optionally, air 20.

Tne sachet 410 illustrated in Figure 9 of the drawings is similar to the sachet 310 depicted in Figure 8 of the drawings. It defines three scaled compartments 116, 216 and 316 and has a smaller compartment 128 attached thereto. The compartment 128 is filled with materials 27 and air 20. The compartment 116 contains materials 18 typically having a

miiw of 100 g, the compartment 216 contains materials IS iyp_.cr.Uy having a Tna i of 75 ^ the compartment 316 contains materials 30 typically having a ma ^ς . of 50 g and the compartment 128 contains materials 27 typically having a mass of 25 g. The configuration of the sachet 410 and the arrangement of materials 18. 27 and 30 and aL- 20 in each of the compartments permits the package 410 to feather in free-fall in use. The ma '. of the contents of the various compartments can be adjusted according to their intended use and particular requirements of the intended recipients. It is clear, however, mat an aid rec-pie— will never have to collect spillage or carry a large parcel to safety.

Any of these sachets av have radar scattering means attached thereto to enable the sachets 10 be detected by radar. Other devices, _Z ^' as mini-tιan__mitters, for monitoring and locating ±c sachets may also be indnded.

The individual sachets described above are packed- into airdrop C2_r_c__s 40, as ϊllustraied in Figures 10 to 13, to be loaded onto aircraft and ejected. As shown in Figure 12, each carton 40 comprises a rectangular bottom tray 42 having a floor and four, integral upstanding sides. Held within the tray 42 are four continuous, generally mbular, rectangular section cardboard containing walls or surrounds 44, as shown in Figure 1L These surrounds — have no top or bottom flaps and are merely held within the bottom tray 42 by their fricriona. tit within it. A second tray 42 is then stacked on top of the four bottom cardboard surτo___ιds 44 J ^J Tiri a further four cardboard su-rounds 44 placed in in The stack 46 of cartons may be two or three tiers high- (Some form of binding, such as plastic webbing, wire tape or string 62 may be wrapped around the canons, although this is generally not essential, with a similarly advantageous but not necessarily prerequisite loose-fitting top 63 of similar format to the bottom tray 42.

These stacks 46 are placed one behind the other on a roller system 4S, shown in Figures 10 to 13, within an aircraft. The roller system 46 is angied downwardly at about 5° from the nose to the tail of the aircraft so that once the aircraft is over the drop zone and the tailgate of the aircraft is opened, the stacks move easily and automatically down the rollers. A catch plate 50 is positioned at the end of each roller system 4S. As each stack 46 hits the catch plate 50, it is tipped outwardlv so that it tends to tumble as it exi s the aircraft, so that the trays 42 and the rectangular surrounds 44 move apart in the air currents created around the aircraft. The tumbling motion of the cartons in these air currents causes the sachets to disperse and to begin floating earthward to "cam et" the drop zone. The binding 62, if used, unravels automatically, as shown; from the outset of the drop.

Static lines 52, similar to those used to release parachutes, may be threaded through the stacks of cartons, as shown in Figures 12 and 13. The static lines 52 help to tip and disrupt the stacks 46 but also have the effect of breaking up the surrounds 44 of the cartons as the stacks 46 are released from the aircraft. This is done by attaching a static line to an eyelet 54 on each surround 44. As the stack 46 moves into the slipstream of the aircraft, the static line rips through the lightweight cardboard material from which the tray and the surround 44 is made. Alternatively, ihe eyelet may be pulled out of the cardboard material In either case, the resulting carton debris then also drifts gently to earth without causing injury to people and property on the ground. Tne recipients of the aid are therefore not required Lo brave the debris of flying pallets to gather it.

The packaging and method of dispersion of the invention confers a distiller advantage on the present method of air dropping supplies as

opposed to conventional airdrop methods where aid is bulked toεethεr. In the conventional methods the packaging is designed to preserve its integrity during handling and in flight and when it iniDacts with the ground. Thus, strong containers are used which are inevitably palleused for ease of movement on the ground and for ease of loadin ^σ and despatch from a transport aircraft, such as a HERCULES C130 (TM). Indeed, the pallet is often an integral part of the packaging, especially when the aid is to be dropped by parachute. In this case, the pallet, hopefully, hits the ground first and absorbs some of the impact thus giving some protection to the aid so that packaging around a staple food commodity, such as maize, rice, dried milk powder or the like, being dropped by air remains intact so that the food is useful to the recipients. Such large packages falling from air drop altitudes present a reai threat to those on the ground, even if the descent of the packages is slowed bv parachute.

In contrast, the canons used in the present invention are not stacked on pallets. Instead, they are loosely stacked one on top of the other with comer pieces or corner stays, which may be removed, placed in ±ε corners of the cardboard surrounds so that the cartons and stacks of cartons retain their rigidity and integrity during packing and loading.

To aid the disintegration of the carton on leaving an aircraft, the outer section of the carton may be constructed to be sufficiently weak so as to disintegrate once the base is no longer supported and as soon as it comes into contact with the air current. The surround may be formed with integral lines or areas of weakness, such as scored lines 60, 61 or perforations, defined at strategic points which will cause it to disintegrate on leaving the aircraft. Despite these areas or lines of weakness, the

integral rigidity of the canons and the stays will, as described, allow them to be handled and transported without collapsing.

It is advantageous to reinforce the cartons with additional sheets of cardboard. Unlike a pallet, however, these present little or no danger to the aid recipient when they fall to the ground.

The height and speed of the aircraft and the prevailing wind conditions, together with other factors that are inherent in the sachets themselves wfli define at what point the stacks are allowed to exit the aircraft.

To ^ή vc an indication of a HERCULES C130 payload and the potential of this technique, the following example is provided. In what is termed a combi-pack, as iiiustrated in Figures 5 and 6, a compartment containins 75 s, of an energv-rice oowdered drink, to be dilutee in cold water, is twinned to a compartment containing 100 g of a high protein stew, based on soya, that requires cooking by the recipients. - (One combi-pack contains the equivalent of three meals and three drinks, ±us one pack per person per day.)

Tne payload of a HERCULES is typically 22 stacks of cartons, each stack holding about 4000 combi-packs. The free-falling payload to the intended drop zone could therefore be about SS000 combination sachets that arrive at the ground intact, in an area defined as a carpet of food. Broadly speaking then, two HERCULES aircraft dispersing tbeir τπaττ ^' τmτm payload at a height above hand-held portable surface to air missile threat, could potentially feed a population of 40,000 suffering entrapment, providing for a small loss of say 5%.

Summarv of Disclosure

1. An air-drop carton comprising a plurality of sachets, each individually containing food, medical supplies or other aid-related contents in (for example) granular - particularly powdered - form, and a wrapper which packages the sachets to form and define the so-called carton; characterised by the features:

a) that each sachet is so sized, shaped and filled or part-filled that, when released from the confines of the wrapper at air-drop altitudes, it tends to feather-fall rather than free-fall earthwards, and

b) that the wrapper is so constituted, and so arranged about its sachets, that whilst it tends to hold the sachets in their cartoned format as they sit in an aircraft immediately prior to being air¬ dropped, it is designed to disintegrate from that format sufficiently to release the sachets for individual flight as or shortly after the carton leaves the aircraft.

2. A method of air-dropping food, medical supplies or other aid-related contents, characterised by the features a) that the contents are carried by one or more canons as defined in the paragraph immediately above, and b) that the or each such carton is released from the aircraft in flight at air-drop altitudes.

3. A sachet a) intended for use in an air-drop carton and b) containing food, medical supplies or other aid-related contents in (for example) granular - particularly powdered - form, characterised by a combination of size, shape, contents and filled or part-filled weight which ensures that when the sachet is released from an aircraft in flight it tends to feather-fall rather than free-fall earthwards.