A FLOATING MEMBER AND COUPLING-TOGETHER OF A PLURALITY OF FLOATING MEMBERS

The invention relates to a floating member for covering and thereby reduc- tion of evaporation, emissions as well as shade against sunlight from a surface of a liquid, wherein the floating member in the vertical plane is provided with ribs, which extend from the edge of the floating member above and below the horizontal plane of the floating member and inwards to its centre, and whose height increases from the edge of the floating member, which is disposed in the horizontal plane of the floating member at the surface of the liquid, to the centre of the floating member.

The invention also relates to coupling-together of floating members.

The prior art

A floating member of the type defined in the introductory portion of claim 1 is known from EP 1697234 A1.

In view of this, an object of the invention is to provide a floating member which may be manufactured more easily and rapidly, and which provides the possibility of easily changing the production of a floating member having one outer geometry to a floating member having another geometry.

The document US 4270232 A discloses a floating member having ribs between which faces are provided. The faces are essentially plane and serve to restrict the evaporation from a surface. The floating member is constructed as a cover and is not provided with any bottom. Thus, the buoyancy is determined by the specific gravity of the material, and by the ribs and the edges being constructed with a certain hollowness. The floating member is not constructed with the purpose in mind that the floating mem-

bers are to be instrumental in securing each other in e.g. windy weather.

The object of the invention

The object of the invention is achieved by a floating member which is characterized in that faces are provided between the ribs, said faces defining a closed cavity in the interior of the floating member.

Hereby, the floating members may be manufactured by means of a process which combines injection moulding and gas injection techniques, and which is relatively easy to change for the production of floating members.

Further, it is easy to adapt the floating members to specific tasks, where weight, wind sensitivity, liquid surface composition, etc. are decisive factors.

When, as stated in claim 2, the faces between the ribs of the floating members are configured with a double-curved profile, and, as stated in claim 3, the outer shape of the floating member is symmetrical relative to its horizontal plane, a very stable floating member is achieved, which is fastened well to the surface of the liquid.

To ensure that the floating members, after having been transferred to a surface of a liquid, e.g. in that a truckload of floating members is thrown down into a container with liquid, will contact each other intimately, it is ad- vantageous, as stated in claim 4, that the edges are configured as two sub- edges, so that the sub-edges overlap each other.

For use e.g. in connection with the improvement of growth conditions for plants and bacteria, the faces of the floating members may have a structure which is characterized, as stated in claim 5, in that the surface of the faces is fluted, or, as stated in claim 6, in that the surface of the faces is provided

with ribs, or, as stated in claim 7, in that the surface of the faces is provided as synthetic grass.

For special uses, e.g. in biogas systems in which controlled processes take place at an aerobic or anaerobic level, between which levels switching is to be performed, it is advantageous, as stated in claim 8, that a plurality of floating members are coupled together by coupling means, and, as stated in claim 9, that the coupling means are formed by a wire which is passed through an eye which is secured to the top of the centre of the floating member, or, as stated in claim 10, that the coupling means are formed by a wire which is passed through holes in the faces of the floating members.

A variant of the coupling means is accomplished, as stated in claim 11 , in that the coupling means are formed by two pins which are arranged on a connecting part and are secured to the floating members through the holes in two of the faces of the floating members.

The drawing

The invention will now be explained with reference to the drawing, in which

fig. 1 A shows a floating member according to the invention, seen in perspective,

fig. 1 B shows a cross-section of the floating member shown in fig. 1A ₁

figs. 2A - 2C show embodiments of the structure of the surfaces on the floating member of fig. 1A,

fig. 3 shows the floating member of fig. 1A prepared for coupling with other floating members in two embodiments,

fig. 4 shows the floating member of fig. 3 made ready for coupling with other floating members by means of a wire in a first embodiment,

fig. 5 shows the floating member of fig. 3 made ready for coupling with other floating members by means of a wire in a second embodiment,

fig. 6 shows a coupling means for coupling floating members with other floating members,

fig. 7 shows how the coupling means of fig. 6 is used for coupling a plurality of floating members together, while

fig. 8 shows a plurality of floating members which are coupled together in rows.

Description of the exemplary embodiments

In the figures, the same reference numerals are used for the same con- structional parts.

The floating member shown in fig. 1A has six ribs 1 which extend from an edge 2 of the floating member to the centre 3 of the floating member, so that the height of the ribs increases from the edge 2 to the centre 3.

As will be seen, the floating member has ribs 1a which extend below the edge 2, so that the geometry of the floating member is symmetrical relative to the edge 2.

The edge 2 is constructed such that it consists of two sub-edges 7, 8, where the sub-edge 7 is disposed lower than the sub-edge 8.

The two sub-edges attach two floating members tightly to each other, as the sub-edge 7, when contacting another floating member, will be overlapped by the sub-edge 8 thereof, while the sub-edge 8 will overlap the sub-edge 7 of the other floating member.

Fig. 1 B shows a floating member seen from the side. A section is made through the floating member so as to make it appear that the member is hollow and defined by faces 4, ribs 1 and edges 2. Faces 4, shown here as curve-shaped, are arranged between the ribs 1 , said faces 4 extending from the edge 2 inwardly toward the centre 3 of the floating member. The curve shape of the faces may be made double- curved with an inwardly directed shell, as shown in fig. 1 B, or with an outwardly directed shell (not shown).

With this structure, a closed cavity is created inside the floating member, which, in addition to stabilizing the floating member in use, allows it to be manufactured by injection moulding in combination with gas injection techniques. The moulding tool may be constructed with several cavities.

This process gives a very regular and reproducible hollow in the object, and the volumetric proportion between plastics melt and gas may be varied, as desired. Hereby, it is possible to produce floating members with a buoyancy which fits the surface of the liquid which is to be covered. Moreover, a sur- face on the object of good quality with an accurate mould print is achieved.

The manufacturing process gives good degrees of freedom for the construction of the object and therefore good optimization possibilities.

With this process, a larger number of floating members per unit of time may be produced and with less consumption of material relative to the situation

where they are manufactured to be solid, where chemical propellants are included in the manufacturing process.

In addition, it is possible to manufacture the floating members in a wider range of materials, including also inexpensive recycled materials.

Depending on the field of application, the faces 4, which are shown in figs. 1 A and 1 B, may be made with a structure as shown in figs. 2A - 2C.

In fig. 2A, the structure is fluted, as outlined by the reference numeral 10, while the structure shown in fig. 2B is provided with ribs 11 , and the structure shown in fig. 2C is provided as synthetic grass 12.

These structures may advantageously be used in connection with the im- provement of growth conditions for plants, algae or bacteria, e.g. for the production of biomass in aqueous environments.

With some applications, e.g. application in a biogas system in which processes take place at an aerobic or anaerobic level, it is an advantage to couple the floating members together in chains, as will be explained now in connection with figs. 3 - 5.

Fig. 3 shows the floating member which is shown in fig. 1A, but now provided with an eye 14 at the centre 3. Alternatively, as also shown in the figure, holes 17 may be provided through the faces 4.

Now, as shown in figures 4 and 5, a wire 13 may be pulled through the eye 14 or the holes 17, which wire is passed through several floating members and holds these tightly to each other.

An alternative coupling-together of the floating members, as shown in figs.

6 - 8, is to couple the floating members together by a coupling means 16, which is formed by a connecting member 21 having two pins 18, where each pin may be inserted into a hole in its respective floating member and thereby couple them together, as shown in fig. 7.

Finally, fig. 8 shows an example of two rows of floating members 19, 20, where each row consists of floating members which are coupled together by coupling means 16.

As will be appreciated, these rows may be laid and removed rapidly from a surface of a liquid.