"DEVICE OF PROTECTION AGAINST OVERFLOWING AND PROCEDURE FOR

ITS REALIZATION"

Technical field The present invention concern a device of protection against overflowing, which can be withheld or made ready for use on request. Moreover this invention refers to the procedure for the realization of this device, as well as to the use of the device for the protection of areas of interest against overflowing. More particularly, the present invention concerns structures such as embankments or similar which are used like barriers in order to prevent from the passing of water. Background art

Until today the protection from overflowing of streams has been assured by raising embankments along the banks of the rivers themselves; besides it is common knowledge that in case of extraordinary events the embankments are not a sufficient barrier. On the other side, it is not possible to further increase the height of these embankments because on one side environmental requirement don't justify the raising of the level of these ones; on the other hand the erection of the embankments can cause big interventions on the existing infrastructure such as, for example, the raising of roads, bridges, railways level and so on. The system of temporary protection, now in use, resorts to the formation of barriers made of rubble or of sand bags which are amassed in order to raise the embankments- level. These systems present the disadvantage to require always the human intervention, often endangering people; furthermore they need a long time for their installation, often not available in case of emergency, and they don't have a sufficient seal to the mass of water both from the point of view ofthe Λvatertightness and from the point of view ofthe erosion and, in consequence, of their duration. Disclosure of invention

An object ofthe present invention is a new type of embankment which does not present the above mentioned disadvantages, which can be easily, rapidly and safely installed and which can guarantee at the same time a good protection against overflowing.

According to this invention, the embankment is made of an element which can change its volume, for example an inflatable tubular element that, in case of emergency, can be

inflated within a short time and that, on the other side, in normal conditions remains hidden in a seat arranged in the ground so that it doesn't create any obstacle to the normal road conditions and it doesn't compromise the environmental appearance.

This kind of embankment can be by itself a barrier for the overflowing water or can be assembled on existing fixed embankments in order to increase the height.

This inflated embankment can be integrated with stretches of embankments of the traditional fixed type when these latters don't present problems of environmental appearance or don't cause massive changes ofthe existing infrastructures.

The embankment according to the invention can be inflated with gases, preferably air, with liquids, preferably water or with a mixture ofthe same.

The material the inflatable embankment is made of can be any material used for pneumatic devices, for example can be a textile fabric coated with polymeric coverings or a film made of polymeric material, flexible and sufficiently resistant to undergo the strainings caused by the masses of water and by the dragged materials. The embankment, when the state of emergency is over, is deflated and the folded wrapper is accommodated in a seat arranged in the ground provided with a suitable cover.

In the seat arranged in the ground are put the plumbing (pipes), connected to the pumps, which permit the inflating with air and/or water ofthe device according to the invention. The device can be fixed to the ground with any known means, particularly the inflatable wrapper can be of a strip of proper material whose edges are connected among them in order to form a tubular which is connected with the ground or the two edges are fixed separately to the ground and, in this case, the ground included among the two lines of junction ofthe edges is the base ofthe inflatable embankment. The inflatable embankment, when in operation, presents a usually cylindrical form which is flattened in the area of contact with the ground and it can present a height till 5 m. It is possible to foresee higher embankments even if, preferably, the height is between 0,5 and 2 m. The inflating of the embankment according to the invention can be controlled by a control system controlled by an operator or automatically, for example with systems that exploit the raising of the river level or similar. When automatic systems are used is preferable to associate to these a system of manual auxiliary control.

3 The inflating can be made with water or pressuring air or with water and air.

The overpressure ofthe fluids inside the wrapper can range from 0,01 atm to 15 atm.

The stretched cylinder which forms the embankment according to the invention can be continuos or can foresee inside of it a subdivision realized through bulkheads. The embankments according to the invention can be used, in case of overflowing, as auxiliary barriers for existing fixed embankments raising the height or can be used, in alternative to the fixed embankments or to the emergency traditional ones, in order to protect particular areas of interest such as factories, towns, railway stations, stretches of roads or railways located in hollows in the ground. Brief description of drawings

The present invention will be now illustrated with reference to the enclosed drawings which must not be construed as limitative ofthe invention itself.

Figure 1 represents a cross section of an inflatable embankment according to the invention used as an additional protection for a traditional fixed embankment. Figure 2 still shows as a cross section the inflatable embankment of figure 1 housed in the hole in the ground in normal conditions.

Figure 3 represents schematically the application of the embankment according to the invention to the protection of some areas of particular interest in an area subject to overflowing. In picture 1, 1 is the plane of the crest of a traditional fixed, embankment, whose inner slope is indicated by 2; the level ofthe bed ofthe river is represented with 3. An inflatable embankment according to the invention 5 is mounted on the crest of t he embankment, inside a hole 6 obtained in the base made of concrete 7. In figure 1 the inflatable embankment 5 is represented in operative conditions and permits to stand a flood stage 4 much above the level ofthe traditional embankment. In the figure 2 the same embankment is represented in inactive conditions. In fact the element pneumatic tubular which forms the inflatable embankment according to the invention is shown deflated and folded and housed inside the hole obtained in the concrete base. The "disappearance" of the embankment is assured by the closing of the hole by means ofthe cover schematically represented with 8.

It is clear, therefore, that when the level of the river is in normal conditions, as shown with 4 in figure 2, the inflatable embankment according to the invention does not cause

any obstacle to the normal activities and does not present any inconvenience of environmental or appearance nature.

In figure 3 is schematically represented the application of the inflatable embankment according to the invention, in combination with other traditional fixed defenses, to the protection of areas of particular interest situated in areas subjected to overflowing.

In particular, in this figure references from 31 to 34 indicate buildings or areas of particular interest which must be protected, such as monuments, industrial plants, railway stations and so on.

The embankments formed by the inflatable embankment according to the invention are indicated with 51.

In some cases they cooperate with fixed barriers shown with 61 (traditional embankments, town walls, slopes etc.).

With 71 a depression ofthe ground is shown which is crossed by a road that is protected with the embankment according to the invention.