Survival suit
Encyclopedia
An immersion suit, or survival suit (or more specifically an immersion survival suit), is a special type of waterproof dry suit
that protects the wearer from hypothermia from immersion in cold water, after abandoning a sinking or capsized vessel, especially in the open ocean. They usually have built-on feet (boots), and a hood, and either built-on gloves or watertight wrist seals.
The first record of a survival suit was in 1930 when a New York firm American Life Suit Corporation offered merchant and fishing firms what it called a safety suit for crews of ocean vessels. The suit came packed in a small box and was put on like a pair of coveralls.
Some of these garments overlap into scubadiver-type drysuits. Others may have many of the features of a survival suit.
Since humans are warm blooded and sweat
to cool themselves, suits that are worn all the time usually have some method for sweat to evaporate and the wearer to remain dry while working.
, then two accessible suits must be provided.
This type of survival suit's flotation and thermal protection is usually better than an immersion protection work suit, and typically extends a person's survival by several hours while waiting for rescue.
An adult survival suit is often a large bulky one-size-fits-all design meant to fit a wide range of sizes. It typically has large oversize booties and gloves built into the suit, which let the user quickly don it on while fully clothed, and without having to remove shoes. It typically has a waterproof zipper up the front, and a face flap to seal water out around the neck and protect the wearer from ocean spray. Because of the oversized booties and large mittens, quick don survival suits are often known as "Gumby
suits," after the 1960s-era children's toy.
The integral gloves may be a thin waterproof non-insulated type to give the user greater dexterity during donning and evacuation, with a second insulating outer glove tethered to the sleeves to be worn while immersed.
A ship's captain (or master) may be required to hold drills periodically to ensure that everyone can get to the survival suit storage quickly, and don the suit in the allotted amount of time. In the event of an emergency, it should be possible to put on a survival suit and abandon ship in about one minute.
The Submarine Escape Immersion Equipment
is a type of survival suit that can be used by sailors when escaping from a sunken submarine. The suit is donned before escaping from the submarine and then inflated to act as a life raft when the sailor reaches the surface.
, for high visibility on the open sea. The Neoprene material used is a synthetic rubber
closed-cell foam
, containing a multitude of tiny air bubbles making the suit sufficiently buoyant to also be a personal flotation device
.
The seams of the neoprene suit are sewn and taped to seal out the cold ocean water, and the suit also has strips of SOLAS
specified retroreflective tape on the arms, legs, and head to permit the wearer to be located at night from a rescue aircraft or ship.
, but shaped to wrap around the arms and legs of the wearer. This type of suit is much more compact than a neoprene survival suit, and very easy to put on when deflated since it is just welded from plastic sheeting to form an air bladder.
Once the inflatable survival suit has been put on and zipped shut, the wearer activates firing handles on compressed carbon dioxide cartridges, which punctures the cartridges and rapidly inflates the suit. This results in a highly buoyant, rigid shape that also offers very high thermal retention properties.
However, like an inflatable boat, the inflatable survival suit loses all protection properties if it is punctured and the gas leaks out. For this reason, the suit may consist of two or more bladders, so that if one fails, a backup air bladder is available.
Dry suit
A dry suit or drysuit provides thermal insulation or passive thermal protection to the wearer while immersed in water, and is worn by divers, boaters, water sports enthusiasts, and others who work or play in or near cold water. A dry suit normally protects the whole body except the head, hands, and...
that protects the wearer from hypothermia from immersion in cold water, after abandoning a sinking or capsized vessel, especially in the open ocean. They usually have built-on feet (boots), and a hood, and either built-on gloves or watertight wrist seals.
The first record of a survival suit was in 1930 when a New York firm American Life Suit Corporation offered merchant and fishing firms what it called a safety suit for crews of ocean vessels. The suit came packed in a small box and was put on like a pair of coveralls.
Designed to be worn all the time
This type is chosen to fit each wearer. They are often worn by deep-sea fishermen who work in cold-water fishing grounds.Some of these garments overlap into scubadiver-type drysuits. Others may have many of the features of a survival suit.
Since humans are warm blooded and sweat
SWEAT
SWEAT is an OLN/TSN show hosted by Julie Zwillich that aired in 2003-2004.Each of the 13 half-hour episodes of SWEAT features a different outdoor sport: kayaking, mountain biking, ice hockey, beach volleyball, soccer, windsurfing, rowing, Ultimate, triathlon, wakeboarding, snowboarding, telemark...
to cool themselves, suits that are worn all the time usually have some method for sweat to evaporate and the wearer to remain dry while working.
- Some aircraft pilot survival suits are constructed of a breathable material that allows water vapor to escape but prevents liquid from entering. Some example include Gore-TexGore-TexGore-Tex is a waterproof/breathable fabric, and a registered trademark of W. L. Gore and Associates. It was co-invented by Wilbert L. Gore, Rowena Taylor, and Gore's son, Robert W. Gore. Robert Gore was granted on April 27, 1976, for a porous form of polytetrafluoroethylene with a...
as well as a special cotton material containing very long-fibers, which swell up when wet and close air pores in the suit. - Some aircraft pilot survival suits use a solid impregnable material such as rubber-backed cotton, which is connected to a forced-air cooling system. Ventilation air is supplied via air hoses inside the vehicle cabin. In an emergency the hoses can be rapidly disconnected and the ventilation access ports close on the suit.
Only worn in emergency / Ship or Vessel Abandonment (Evacuation)
Unlike work suits, "quick don" survival suits are not normally worn, but are stowed in an accessible location onboard the craft. The operator may be required to have one survival suit of the appropriate size onboard for each crew member, and other passengers. If a survival suit is not accessible both from a crew member's work station and berthBerth (sleeping)
The word berth was originally used to describe beds and sleeping accommodation on boats and ships and has now been extended to refer to similar facilities on trains, aircraft and buses.-Beds in boats or ships:...
, then two accessible suits must be provided.
This type of survival suit's flotation and thermal protection is usually better than an immersion protection work suit, and typically extends a person's survival by several hours while waiting for rescue.
An adult survival suit is often a large bulky one-size-fits-all design meant to fit a wide range of sizes. It typically has large oversize booties and gloves built into the suit, which let the user quickly don it on while fully clothed, and without having to remove shoes. It typically has a waterproof zipper up the front, and a face flap to seal water out around the neck and protect the wearer from ocean spray. Because of the oversized booties and large mittens, quick don survival suits are often known as "Gumby
Gumby
Gumby is a green clay humanoid character created and modeled by Art Clokey, who also created Davey and Goliath. Gumby has been the subject of a 233-episode series of American television as well as a feature-length film and other media...
suits," after the 1960s-era children's toy.
The integral gloves may be a thin waterproof non-insulated type to give the user greater dexterity during donning and evacuation, with a second insulating outer glove tethered to the sleeves to be worn while immersed.
A ship's captain (or master) may be required to hold drills periodically to ensure that everyone can get to the survival suit storage quickly, and don the suit in the allotted amount of time. In the event of an emergency, it should be possible to put on a survival suit and abandon ship in about one minute.
The Submarine Escape Immersion Equipment
Submarine Escape Immersion Equipment
Submarine Escape Immersion Equipment MK-10, also known as Submarine Escape and Immersion Equipment is whole-body suit and one-man life raft, designed by British company RFD Beaufort Limited, that allows submariners to escape from a sunken submarine. The suit provides protection against hypothermia...
is a type of survival suit that can be used by sailors when escaping from a sunken submarine. The suit is donned before escaping from the submarine and then inflated to act as a life raft when the sailor reaches the surface.
Suit construction
Survival suits are normally made out of red or bright fluorescent orange or yellow fire-retardant neopreneNeoprene
Neoprene or polychloroprene is a family of synthetic rubbers that are produced by polymerization of chloroprene. Neoprene in general has good chemical stability, and maintains flexibility over a wide temperature range...
, for high visibility on the open sea. The Neoprene material used is a synthetic rubber
Synthetic rubber
Synthetic rubber is is any type of artificial elastomer, invariably a polymer. An elastomer is a material with the mechanical property that it can undergo much more elastic deformation under stress than most materials and still return to its previous size without permanent deformation...
closed-cell foam
Foam
-Definition:A foam is a substance that is formed by trapping gas in a liquid or solid in a divided form, i.e. by forming gas regions inside liquid regions, leading to different kinds of dispersed media...
, containing a multitude of tiny air bubbles making the suit sufficiently buoyant to also be a personal flotation device
Personal flotation device
A personal flotation device is a device designed to assist a wearer, either conscious or unconscious, to keep afloat.Devices designed and approved by authorities for use by...
.
The seams of the neoprene suit are sewn and taped to seal out the cold ocean water, and the suit also has strips of SOLAS
International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea
The International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea is an international maritime safety treaty. The SOLAS Convention in its successive forms is generally regarded as the most important of all international treaties concerning the safety of merchant ships.- History :The first version of the...
specified retroreflective tape on the arms, legs, and head to permit the wearer to be located at night from a rescue aircraft or ship.
Safety features
Survival suits can also be equipped with extra safety options such as:- A whistle on a lanyardLanyardA lanyard is a rope or cord exclusively worn around the neck or wrist to carry something. Usually it is used where there is a risk of losing the object or to ensure it is visible at all times. Aboard a ship, it may refer to a piece of rigging used to secure objects...
to permit the wearer to signal for help - An emergency strobe light beacon with a water-activated batteryWater-activated batteryA water-activated battery is a disposable reserve battery that does not contain an electrolyte and hence produces no voltage until it is soaked in water for several minutes.-Description:...
- An inflatable air bladder to lift the wearer's head up out of the water
- Tethered mittens to better insulate the hands
- An emergency radio locator beacon
- A "Buddy lineBuddy lineIn scuba diving a buddy line is a line or rope physically tethering two scuba divers together underwater....
" to attach to others' suits to keep the group together for rescue
Inflatable survival suits
The inflatable survival suit is a special type of survival suit, recently developed, which is similar in construction to an inflatable boatInflatable boat
An inflatable boat is a lightweight boat constructed with its sides and bow made of flexible tubes containing pressurised gas. For smaller boats, the floor and hull beneath it is often flexible. On boats longer than , the floor often consists of three to five rigid plywood or aluminium sheets fixed...
, but shaped to wrap around the arms and legs of the wearer. This type of suit is much more compact than a neoprene survival suit, and very easy to put on when deflated since it is just welded from plastic sheeting to form an air bladder.
Once the inflatable survival suit has been put on and zipped shut, the wearer activates firing handles on compressed carbon dioxide cartridges, which punctures the cartridges and rapidly inflates the suit. This results in a highly buoyant, rigid shape that also offers very high thermal retention properties.
However, like an inflatable boat, the inflatable survival suit loses all protection properties if it is punctured and the gas leaks out. For this reason, the suit may consist of two or more bladders, so that if one fails, a backup air bladder is available.
External links
- http://www.viking-life.com/viking.nsf/public/products-immersionconstantwearsuits.html
- http://www.hellyhansensurvival.com
- http://www.dssgrp.com/
- http://www.dssaviation.com/
- Image of an immersion suit with accessories labeled
- https://www.machovec.com/ice_rescue/images/Survival%20-%20Front.JPG (big image, 1682 x 2190 pixels)
