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By midoh
#3417
Have you ever gone out for a walk the day after a windy/stormy day/night and noticed on nearly every street/avenue the twisted carcasses of broken umbrellas? Umbrellas operate fine on rainy days where there is just light to moderate wind - that is they perfom their design function beautifully (keeping the rain off you). However on days when winds start to gust and squall, it is a full time job just trying fo keep the umbrella facing into the wind. At intersections/road junctions and in exposed areas the design flaw of the umbrella comes into play. An abrupt change in direction of the wind catches you off-guard, catching the umbrella and blowing it inside-out. If this gust is strong enough your brolly is busted instantly(hence the discarded skeletal remains (of the brolly) which are discovered the next day! Is it possible to design one which could automatically adjust itself to abrupt & violent changes in windflow? I would be interested in purchasing such a brolly!

Reward: Free gust-proof brolly!
By mtd28student
#3523
how bout making an umbrella that has "valves"

Using some elastic and a bit of cleaver sowing, flaps could be placed on the fabric. When the rain hits the top, it flows down the fabric, but when the wind gets underneath the umbrealla, it goes through the flaps. The flaps are held down using some elastic, sort of like a one way valve.
By midoh
#3538
8-o
I hate to be a pain in the U-NO-WHERE but,

if flaps are installed in the brolly, the structural integrity is compromised,in other words a heavy downpour might penetrate the flap/flaps (force =Mass*acceleration etc.).Also it is a good design principle to have as few parts as possible in the design!The use of one or more flaps would break this rule.I had thought of flaps myself, but for the reasons I've already mentioned they'd be a non-runner with manufacturers.Perhaps it is time to have a whole new look at the umbrella/brolly concept as a design project,rather than trying to provide fixes to a concept that has never really quite worked.
Best regards ,
Midoh O:-)
By mtd28student
#3539
Hi Midoh

I think auctaully my idea is quite simple, as do many other companys around the world.

I did a basic google search for an "unbreakable umbrella" Almost all work in the way i sugested, using "valves". Below is a picture from a website of one of there umbrellas.
Image

"Double canopy system with aerodynamic vents for wind dissipation rather than umbrella inversion - will not invert in winds up to 60 mph!"

regards

Mark
By midoh
#3540
;-D

Hi Mark(mt8dstudent)!,
I have my knife & fork, and am ready to eat lashings of HUMBLE PIE!.Just shows,one can never be more wrong than when you're cock-sure that you know what your talking about.In future I'll do some GOOGLE SEARCHES before I start shootin' the ol' mouth off!
Thanks Mark for doin' the search and apologies for questioning your rational.
Brilliant picture,can't wait to try it.

Best regards,
a more humble (slightly) MIDOH.
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By Michael D. Grissom
#3573
Have you ever noticed the large hole in the top of a parachute or the multitude of holes in an aircrafts speed break flaps? They are there because the holes actually cause MORE drag. With the hole(s) the parachute descends slower and the plane decelerates faster. I think they overlooked this old technique when they designed that valved umbrella.

I think the newer carbon fiber rod umbrellas are a pretty good one
valve design that inverts just before its yanked from your hands to become a potential deadly weapon to the people down wind. I see a lot of ingenious safety engineering in the older designs.
By anais_found
#4108
I don't know much about anything, but I thought an umbrella made out titanium would be good. :-) It's very strong and very light. I don't know, maybe I should just stick to books...
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By Michael D. Grissom
#4110
anais_found <---NO!!!... please don't give up! The fact that you came up with "titanium" as a possible solution means that you're already thinking "outside the box". You only need to go one step farther (the invention step) --> WHAT will make the umbrella FAIL immediately before anyone is harmed? That's what makes this an invention and it only takes a tad more thought to become an invention. Don't stop here -- think just a "tad" more. I'd give you another hint but you're already so close any additional hint would be a dead give-a-way. We awate your additional thoughts.
:-?
By anais_found
#4122
Oh dear, I might be in over my head here. Or maybe I'm just a little too selfish as the safety of others is not my concern. ;) I just want a way to keep from buying 14 umbrellas a year..
By Rishi
#4823
The umbrella everts because of the force of the wind in the reverse direction. If the fabric is a mesh it will allow the air to flow through it and minimise this.

By rendering the fabric water repellent ( Easily done withavailable Dupont Teflon coatings for fabrics) the downcoming drops will not come through. Another option is to use a mono-stable design, which will let the umbrella evert when the reverse pressure exceeds some value but will go back to the original configuration when normalcy is restored.

Rishi
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