The invention concerns a chute for a ship and of the type which has the shape of a stocking-like elastic hose with a diameter smaller than a person, and which in an emergency situation is used for transferring persons from an evacuation station on the ship to, for example, a rescue platform on the sea by letting the persons, in a controlled fall, sliding one by one through a chute, which is suspended at the evacuation station and at the lower end is attached to the rescue platform.

Such a chute has proved to be an excellent mean for quick and safe evacuation of persons in distress from elevated floors in a burning or unstable house. When being in use the chute is hanged out from the floor that is to be evacuated with the lower end placed slightly above the ground and the persons, who are to be evacuated, will then descend into the chute which is elastically expanded when it is forced by a person. The passage has the character of a fall at a constant velocity determined in advance, which velocity is defined by the amount of the frictional force and the resistance which the chute offers by successively being expanded. By suitable choice of the frictional coefficient and the construction of the chute the velocity of fall is determined, which is adequately large to bring the persons quickly down to the ground, without, however, being so large that the persons at the same time are injured.

A ship in distress can get into a similar situation where the person on board, in order to be rescued, as quickly as possible will have to be transferred to, for example, a rescue platform, which has been placed on the sea and is lying at the ship's side. Such a rescue operation is taking place from an evacuation station which, at least regarding larger ships, often will find themselves at a rather large distance above the platform. A chute could also in this case be an excellent mean of transference but only in fair weather, where the ship

and the platform lie calmly on the sea, and the distance between the two levels will be permanent, just as it is the case on land. This condition is, however, rarely present when a ship is at distress. In rough sea the ship will roll and the platform will follow the movements of the waves. The distance between the evacuation station and the platform will therefore vary strongly; in practice more than ten metres. Under these conditions a conventional chute cannot be used. One moment the chute will be too short such that it will try to pull the platform out of the water or tear itself loose, and the next moment it will be too long and therefore slack, such that it not will be possible to come out of its lower opening.

The object of the invention is to provide a chute of the type mentioned in the opening paragraph being arranged in such a way, that it even in high sea can be used for a quick and secure transference of persons from an evacuation station on a ship in distress to a rescue platform or similar on the sea.

The new and unique whereby this is obtained is according to the invention, that the chute is divided into an upper and a lower part, being arranged to be telescopically displaced inside each other, whereby the chute automatically can compensate for the inevitable changes of level which all the time will arise between the evacuation station and the platform during a rescue operation in heavy sea.

It is advantageous if the upper part has the smallest diameter and goes into the lower part, so that the upper edge of this latter will not be in the way for a person sliding down through the chute.

When being in use the chute is to be kept extended in its whole length in order to be able to function efficiently. In order to obtain this, one end of the lower part can be attached to the platform and the other end can be suspended in

a line which via pulleys on the ship is let down to a counterweight. The arrangement ensures that the lower part of the chute continuously is kept strictly extended simultaneously with the part being able to follow the movements of the platform on the sea.

The upper part can in a simple way be kept extended by being hanged freely out from the evacuation station with a lower load, which advantageously can consist of a number of rather small heavy elements of for example lead, which are placed at a mutual distance along the circumference of the chute in such a way, that the lower part also can expand and allow the passage of a person at the area where the load is placed.

The two parts shall for practical reasons preferably have only a small mutual diameter difference. At the overlapping area their surfaces will therefore be sliding along each other under the influence of the forces, which will emerge when a person is forcing the chute and this therefore is expanding elastically. In order to prevent that the upper part simultaneously more or less will stick in the lower part, the upper part can advantageously have an outer surface coating with a small frictional coefficient.

It is important that the two parts of the chute never loose the connection with each other. One of the parts can therefore be provided with gaffs and the other with a painter to catch each other when attempts are made to pull the two parts out of each other. Instead of gaffs the arrangement can also be secured with one or more lines which successively are tightened up as the parts are sliding out of each other.

When the ship and the platform are working at the sea there can, as mentioned, arise considerable differences in the distance between the evacuation station and the platform. The total of the length of the two parts must therefore be larger

than the largest distances, which can arise in practice. In order not to provide neither of the parts with larger length than is necessary, they can expediently have the same length.

The invention will be explained more fully by the following description of embodiments, which just serves as examples, with reference to the drawing, where

Fig. 1 shows, seen from the side, an arrangement with two chutes according to the invention hanged out from an evacuation station on a schematically shown ship and attached at the lower end to a rescue platform, which is on a crest,

Fig. 2 shows the same, but where the rescue platform is in a trough of waves, and

Fig. 3 shows in a larger scale a section of the chute shown in fig. l and 2.

The chute according to the invention is generally designated by the reference number 1. On the drawing is shown two similar chutes, which extend from an evacuation station 2 on a schematically shown ship 3 to a rescue platform 4 on the sea 5. The chute has the character of a stocking with a diameter of app. 20 cm, and it is, like conventional chutes, produced of an elastically yielding material. When a person is forcing the chute, it will therefore expand and make room for the person to come through. At the same time it fits closely around the person with a pressure which together with the friction will see to, that the person will slide down through the chute at an adequate velocity. The velocity has to be as large as possible in order to promote the evacuation, but it must on the other hand not be so large that the person is injured by the meeting with the platform.

Each chute consists of an upper part 6 and a lower part 7. The upper part has a slightly smaller diameter than the lower part and goes, as shown, into this.

The upper part 6 is at the top suspended freely out along the ship's side from the evacuation station 2 and is kept in a tight downwards hanging position by means of a lower load 8 in the shape of lead chains 9, which are regularly scattered with a distance between along the circumference. The lead chains make concentrated loads, which leave the main part of the upper part's wall free to expand when the chute is forced by a person .

A surface coating 10, (fig. 3) with a very small frictional coefficient is applied to the outer side of the upper part. When the chute is in use the upper part will therefore not be inclined to stick in the lower part, even if the surfaces of the two parts slide against each other under the influence of the forces, which arise when the walls of the two parts elastically are closing tightly around the descending persons. At the top the upper part has a funnel-shaped extension 11 to facilitate the admittance to the chute.

The lower part 7 is at the bottom attached to the rescue platform 4 by means of lines 12. Said part debauches a suitable distance above the platform, so that a person who has come down the chute quickly can come out and give room to the next person. In the example shown there are two chutes 1, each having their lower part 7. The two lower parts 7 are with an funnel-shaped extension 13 each suspended in a joint yoke 14, which again is hanging in a wire 15. This wire is via pulleys

16 and 17 on the ship 3 let down to a bowsing bag (?) which is hanging in the water and with its contents of water serves as counterweight for constantly keeping the lower part 7 tightly extended.

In fig. 1 the platform 4 is on a crest and in fig. 2 in a trough of waves. As it can be seen, the lower part 7 follows the movements of the platform while it is kept tight extended by the bowsing bag, which simultaneously is moving in a counter phase to the platform. At the same time the two parts 6, 7 are displaced telescopically in relation to each other. The chute according to the invention will therefore constantly be extended in its total longitudinal extension so that a person, who has passed the chute, without hindrance can come out en the platform and give room for the next person who is to be rescued. Since the two parts are only slidingly connected to each other the chute will not be able to transfer tensile forces. The chute according to the invention can therefore not, as the conventional chutes, detach itself or pull the platform more or less out of the water in heavy sea.

Fig. 3 shows a section of a chute according to the invention. As it can be seen, the upper part 6 has at its bottom a set outwards turning hooks 19 and the lower part 7 has at the top a ring-shaped catch line 20, which is suspended in straps 21, which again are attached inside in the lower part. When the two parts are pulled adequately far away from each other the hooks are catching the catch line. The upper part can therefore not be pulled out of the lower part.

Instead of this construction there can on the outside be attached lines (not shown) at the top of the lower part and equally at the outside at the top of the upper part or alternatively on the ship itself. The lines must be precisely so long that they can be fully extended, while the upper part still extend an approbiate distance down into the lower part. The lines therefore secure the two parts against being pulled away from each other. By an expedient embodiment each line is in its full longitudinal extension wounded together with a line of e.g. rubber to keep the line tight in every telescope

position, so that it is prevented that a slack line will slide in between the two parts or catch some parts of the ship.

The invention is on the drawing shown and described above from the presumption, that the chute will be used for a ship. This is, however, only to be understood as an example, since the chute also can be used on the ground, where its telescopical construction with advantage can be used to compensate for the very varying hights which are seen in practice and from which hights persons in distress should be able to be rescued. There can therefore advantageously be used the same chute for rescue stations with different hights above the ground.