Inflatable Life Raft Design for Operation – Novel Solutions

The paper presents the discussion of novel life raft designs. The existing solutions of life rafts available on the market have many drawbacks. In Polish industry, a company having the experience in production of life rafts is Stomil Grudziadz who are now on the way to start new production of modern life rafts. The design for operation has been proposed to introduce complex approach including life raft considered as an element of Search and Rescue System. The conclusions of the paper comprise the main problems which need to be solved in novel design of a life raft - stability in waves, reduction of non-linearity of aero dynamical coefficients, solution of safe and easy entrance to the life raft, increase of thermal protection of survivors, increase of range of detection using novel materials, based on the latest achievements in nanotechnology.