Many inflatables are made of material that does not stretch on inflation; a notable exception of this is the balloon, whose rubber stretches greatly when inflated. The airship is usually inflated with helium, as it is lighter than air and does not burn unlike hydrogen airships such as the Hindenburg.
Typical examples of an inflatable include the inflatable boat, the balloon, the airship, furniture, kites, and numerous air-filled swimming pool toys. Air beams as structural elements are finding increasing applications. Balloons are inflatables. Smaller-scale inflatables (such as pool toys) generally consist of two or more “air chambers”, which are hollow enclosures bound by a soft and flexible airtight material (such as vinyl), which a gas can enter in to or leave from through valves (usually two on each air chamber). The design dependence on an enclosed pocket of gas leads to a need for a durable surface material and/or ease of repair of tears and holes on the material, since a puncture or tear will result in the escape of the gas inside (a leak) and the deflation of the inflatable, which depends on the gas’s pressure to hold its form. Detectable leaks can be caused by holes (from punctures or tears) on the material, the separating of seams, the separating of valve parts, or an improperly shut or improperly closing valve. Even if an inflatable possesses no macroscopic leaks, the gas inside will usually diffuse out of the inflatable, albeit at a much slower rate, until equilibrium is reached with the pressure outside the inflatable.
Inflatables are also used for the construction of specific sports pitches, military quick-assembly tents, camping tent air beams, and noisemakers. Inflatable aircraft including the Goodyear Inflatable have been used. Inflation by dynamic ram-air is providing wings for hang gliding and paragliding.
Inflatables came much in to the public eye as architectural and domestic object when synthetic materials became commonplace. Iconic structures like the US Pavilion at the 1970 Osaka Expo by Davis and Brody and Victor Lundy’s traveling pavilion for the Atomic Energy Commission popularized the idea that inflatables can be a way to build huge structures with much extended interior spans without pillars. These great hopes for inflatable structures would later be dashed by the lots of practical difficulties faced by inflatable buildings, such as acclimatization, safety, sensitivity to wind and fireproofing that, currently, restrict their use to specific circumstances.
In some cases, an inflatable roof is added to an otherwise traditional structure: the biggest example in the world is currently the BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Huge scale low-pressure inflatables are often seen at festivals as decorations or inflatable games. These are made out of rip stop nylon and have a constant flow of air from a blower inflating them.
Nowadays, inflatable structures and inflatable buildings are used in lots of ways. Membrane roofs and covers, inflatable castles and games, sails, airships, inflatable furniture, airspace structures, Inflatable boats, inflatable escape slides, security mattresses, inflatable swimming pools, inflatable coverings, inflatable pavilions for events, inflatable buildings and pavilions, air bags and many other applications. The great technology and applicability of inflatable structures is the result of the increasing use and experience in different industries and sectors.
Inflatable structures are structures made of a flexible outer membrane or fabric that is filled with air or helium inside. These fluids have the purpose of giving the shape and strength of the structure regardless of external atmospheric or use conditions. The structural behavior of the inflatable structure depends on the strength of the external membrane. The final use, shape and the size of the structure depend on the specific design and requirements that their finish users select.
Inflatable structures are rented for functions, school and church festivals and village fetes. Although they are aimed at children, adult castles can be hired in the UK. Because of liability concerns, moonwalks are never rented to adults in the US.
The growth in popularity of moonwalks has led to an inflatable amusement industry, which includes inflatable slides, obstacle courses, games, and more. Inflatables are ideal for portable amusements because they are easy to transport and store.
The name given to such structures varies. In playground terms: In the United States, East Coasters refer to them as a “moon bounce” while West Coasters stick to the generic name of “inflatable playground”. They have been marketed with such names as Moon Bounce, Moonwalk, Bounce house, Spacewalk, in the US, bouncy castle or inflatable castle in Ireland, the UK and parts of Australia, and as jumping castles in New York, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and South Africa. The term “moonwalk” has evolved as the generic term for enclosed inflatable trampolines in the US.