Friedman Research Corporation (FRC) has developed a blast resistant baggage container for wide body aircraft which protects the aircraft from the effects of an improvised explosive device (IED) in stowed luggage. The blast resistant container, commonly referred to as a Hardened Unit Load Device (HULD), provides a protective boundary between the aircraft fuselage and the suitcase containing the explosive device. The aircraft fuselage is protected from the shock, overpressure, fragmentation projectiles and fire generated by an explosive detonation without catastrophic structural or critical systems failure to the aircraft.

This FRC HULD design offers a much more attractive solution to the problem than any other existing container in three important aspects:
• Maximum Blast Capacity – The FRC design exhibits an explosive blast capacity which exceeds that of any ULD-3 container available in today's market;
• Minimum Weight – The FRC design represents the lightest ULD-3 container weight available and also does not require excessive venting of explosive gases;
• Affordable – The FRC design represents a much lower cost solution than any other hardened container on the market today.

The pedigree of FRC's patent pending solution is historically based on independent research and development activities directly related to the application of fiber reinforced polymer matrix (FRP) composite materials to the construction of military land combat vehicle hull structures designed to defeat kinetic energy projectiles and land mine threats. The FRC HULD combines a novel design and manufacturing process together with a proprietary advanced FRP composite material system.

The design reacts the blast overpressure with negligible venting by making the box "think" it is a cylindrical container where each of three nested shells react the overpressure by developing circumferential "hoop" stresses about three orthogonal axes. Such "outside the box" way of thinking represents the best utilization of material by uniformly stressing all of the material in the FRP composite used in constructing the container. This results in a truly minimum weight design since no ounce of material is under-utilized.

The blast capacity of the design is further enhanced by the nature of the advanced composite materials used in conjunction with a totally unique manufacturing process. The reinforcing fiber utilized in the FRC HULD design utilizes a special coating on S-2 Glass fiber (or Kevlar fiber) which promotes excellent structural blast resistance while simultaneously providing superior ballistic performance in the defeat of fragmentation threats.

A novel manufacturing process also contributes to increased blast capacity. Each of the three parts comprising the HULD is manufactured by winding woven broadgoods around a unique rectangular mandrel and curing prior to nesting.

The end result is a cost effective, minimum weight HULD which is fully compatible with standard aircraft cargo loading systems currently in service worldwide. Most importantly, the unit does not undergo catastrophic rupture, thereby further reducing any threat to aircraft survivability. The FRC HULD is extremely durable, and resistant to harsh chemical agents and solvents. It is also resistant to impact, water intrusion, galvanic corrosion and ultra-violet degradation and satisfies all applicable Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) FAR 25 flammability requirements.

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