Technical Field

The invention relates to a transferable flood barrier consisting of dismountable units provided with wall sections and anchoring and supporting means

Background of the invention

Houses and other buildings are very often constructed at places being not only liable to be flooded but suffer from sudden floods in on and on shorter periods. Such situations require creation of constructions designed to protect the areas in danger against disastrous water waves and flows. Such precautions can't always be achieved by permanent constructions. Therefore there are produced temporary barriers, which are put in service during periods of need and otherwise are stored. There exist basically two types of such barriers.

The first one is designed specifically for certain sites, where there are built permanent anchoring means, such as anchor circles or hooks or holes for insertion of support poles. As an example there can be mentioned the design described in the paper US 6042301 consisting of vertical support poles having an l-profile and a system of transversal beams placed one above the other and covering spaces between adjacent poles. A similar solution is described in the paper FR 2843411. A system with removable rigid poles and paneling between the poles has been prepared also for the city of Prague in the Czech Republic. Such constructions need systems of pre-prepared necessary means for anchoring support poles in the ground with necessary means preventing undesired covering the means with impurities which could limit application the construction in due time.

The other type regards barriers which can be used anywhere, provided their design allows for such applications. An example of this type of a barrier is discussed in the paper DE-GM 20315154. The barrier consists of elements having a shape of horizontally arranged hollow trihedral block without both bases and a bottom wall which is partially substituted by connecting and anchoring means. One of the two remaining walls provides for a water side surface the other one for a support. This construction presents a problem due to difficulties with a transport of huge parts and demanding assembly requiring application of mechanical means. The paper CZ PV 2008-252 describes an anti-flooding barrier comprising dismountable units. The unit has a base carrying a wall section with at least one wall support. The base is at its water side provided with means for anchoring the wall section and on the opposite side means for anchoring the wall support. Each wall section is provided with a stiffening frame. The wall section support is extremely heavy and transport and manipulation with these parts requires lot of man-power. Nevertheless the problem of interconnection of adjacent units is not solved satisfactory.

It is an object of the invention to improve drawbacks of known dismountable constructions, to make manipulation with individual parts and their assembly as well as dismounting easier and simple. Disclosure of the Invention

The above objects are achieved by means of transferable flood barrier consisting of dismountable units provided with wall sections and anchoring and supporting means designed in accordance with the invention, the subject- matter of which consists in connection of the wall sections by means of connecting members inserted on adjacent ends of two spaced-apart wall sections, each of the wall sections being at its bottom provided with a longitudinally arranged resilient strip. In a preferred embodiment the wall section consists of a plate stiffened by a frame forming an integral part of the wall section where width and length of the plate are larger than respective outside width and length of the frame. Further according the invention the connecting member consists of two resilient bands spaced-apart by means of a spacer, the mutual distance of the two bands corresponding to the thickness of the wall section plate. In a preferred embodiment the first resilient band located at the water side of the connecting member is made of a rubber-bonded fabric and is at the front side reinforced by a central band the width and length of which are smaller than the same dimensions of the resilient band, while the second resilient band is made of a steel sheet. According another aspect of the invention the anchoring and supporting means comprise a base provided with two longitudinal beams spaced apart by two cross beams, where the longitudinal beams are at one end mutually connected my means of a trough adapted for at least partial seating of at least one wall element and at their other ends each of the longitudinal beams is provided with a retainer for support of at least one wall section. According a preferred embodiment the retainer allows for rotary and/or sliding movement of the support. Still according this aspect of the invention the anchoring and supporting means further consist of a support which is provided with two struts spaced apart by a cross arm, where each of the struts is at one end provided with a rest adapted for a contact with the wall section, the rest being positioned at the strut in a push fit, and at the other end, which is completed by a tip, there are located means for keeping the strut in the retainer on the adjacent longitudinal beam of the base, while on the cross arm there is attached a swing arm to keep the support in an upright position.

The transferable flood barrier according to the invention allows for redirection of a water flow and deflection the flood tide wave. Advantageously it needs no ground construction; it is easily transferable as it is possible to handle each part separately by means of pure men power without exceptional effort. The construction can be applied even in a drenched terrain soaked with water where no machinery can move. The said barrier can be installed in any location at any length.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The invention is further illustrated by way of a practical embodiment presented in the accompanying drawings, where on Fig. 1 there is a view on the barrier consisting of two wall sections with connecting members and Fig. 2 shows side view on the installed barrier including the wall section and the base with the support and swing arm. Fig. 3 represents view in the support of the wall sections. On Fig. 4 there is shown the connecting member as shown from the water side, on Fig. 5 there is shown the same element but viewed from the opposite side and on Fig. 6 there is the connecting member according to Fig. 4 shown in a cross-section. Fig. 7 represents a top view on the base without the strut and the swing arm and on Fig. 8 there is the base according to Fig. 7 in a side view.

Description of a Preferred Embodiment

On Fig. 1 there is presented the flood barrier according the invention as viewed, from the water side. The barrier consists of dismountable units, each unit comprising a wall section 1 and anchoring and supporting means which include a base 2 and at least one support 3 with a swing arm 4 as shown on Fig. 2.

The wall section 1 comprise a plate 5 made of a glass fibre material and as an integral part it comprise a stiffening frame 6 arranged at the plate back side, i.e. the side opposite the water facing surface of the plate 5. The frame is advantageously, but not necessarily, made of a profile material of a square cross-section. Width and length of the plate 5 are greater than the same dimensions of the frame 6. The plate 5 dimensions thus exceed dimensions of the frame 6 and the plate 5 outer boundaries, which are also boundaries of the wall section 1, are free.

The applied glass-fibre material is advantageously a material resistive to temperatures in a range from -30 to +50 ⁰ C and chemicals, stable with regard to shape and structure and is also environmentally sound. Such materials are well known and their application is no part of the subject matter of the invention. There can be used also other materials of similar properties. The plate 5 may have any dimensions which may vary according to applications. The frame 6, preferably made of steel profile material of a square cross-section, provides for high resistance of the barrier against mechanical strength produced by pressure of blocked water wave. Each wall section is at its bottom, i.e. bottom of the plate 5, provided with a longitudinally arranged resilient strip 7. The expression plate bottom relates to the plate 5 border seating in the base 2 which is laid directly on the ground where the barrier is located or is to be installed. The strip 7, preferably made of rubber-bonded fabric, seals the wall sections 1 against the ground and to certain extend also accommodates roughness of the terrain. On the underside of the wall section 1, i.e. on the side facing the protected area, there are attached loops made of textile bands, which facilitate manipulation with the element. The loops are not shown on the drawings.

The wall sections 1 are mutually interconnected by a connecting member JK) inserted upon adjacent borders of plates 5 of the side by side arranged wall sections 1. Each connecting member 10 consists of two resilient bands 12,13 separated by a spacer 1_1, the distance between the two bands 12,13 corresponding to thickness of the wall section plate 5. In the presented embodiment the spacer IJ. is made of a hollow profile material of a square cross-section. The first resilient band 12, the one to face the water side, which is made of a rubber-bonded fabric, is on the outside reinforced by a steel central band 14 having length and width smaller than the same dimensions of the first resilient band 12. The first resilient band 12 is reinforced also on its inner side, namely by a steel strap 15 having same dimensions as the central band λΛ_. The second resilient band 13 of the connecting member is made of a steel sheet. Both bands 12,13 inclusive the spacer H are mutually connected by rivets 16. When inserted on the two adjacent wall sections 1, free, non-reinforced parts of the first resilient band 12 cover border parts of the respective plates 5 and the bottom resilient strips 7 of both wall sections 1. The central band 14 adds compressive force for sealing a gap between two adjacent wall sections 1. A grip 17 located on the inner side facilitates manipulation with the connecting member 10.

On a site the wall sections 1 are installed in anchoring and supporting means comprising the base 2 and the support 3. According to the invention the base 2 consists of two spaced apart longitudinal beams 21,22, which are mutually connected on the one hand by a cross beam 23 located approximately in the middle of the longitudinal beams, on the other hand by a trough 24 located at the water side of the base 2. The wall sections 1, i.e. the plates 5, are by their bottoms seated in the troughs 24. According to a specific configuration of the barrier there can be used more than one base 2 for one wall section 1, nevertheless in the majority of the cases it should be sufficient to use one base 2 for two adjacent wall sections 1. To improve seat of the wall sections 1 the trough 24 is provided with a convex extension 25. The extension 25, which is made of a steel sheet and is welded to both longitudinal beams 21_,22 has a trapezoidal cross-section as seen on Fig. 8. The wall section 1 rests on the extension 25 by an adjacent part of the frame 6. On a side opposite the trough 24 the base each of the longitudinal beams 21_,22 is provided with a retainer 26 for the support 3 of one or two wall sections 1 seating in the base 2. The base 2 of the above presented design may be used also for barriers of a different construction or to accommodate walls or plates designed for a purpose different to the one explicitly discussed in this paper.

As seen on Fig. 3 the support 3 consists of two struts 31_,32 arranged in parallel and spaced apart by means of a cross arm 33. Each strut 3J _. .32 is at its upper end provided with a rest 34 for the wall section 1, the rest 34 being mounted in a sliding fit. In the presented embodiment the struts 31,32 are made of tubes and the rest 34 is attached on a sleeve 35 positioned at a free end of the respective strut 31,32. When moving the sleeve 35 along the strut the length of the respective strut there can be changed in a certain range. The end position of the sleeve 35 can be adjusted by means known as such, e.g. by a pin 38 inserted into one of the openings having the same pitch in both the strut 31 ,32 and sleeve 35. Alternatively the rest 34 may be attached on a pole inserted into the strut 31,32. The position of the rest could be provided for in the same way as described above. When installed the wall section frame 6 shall lean on the rest 34. On the end opposite the rest 34 each strut 31 ,32 has a tip 36. The tips 36 prevent undesired movement of the barrier on the terrain. Further upwards the tip 36 each strut 31,32 is provided with means for keeping the strut in the retainer 26 on the adjacent longitudinal beam 21,22 of the base 2. The said means are provided for by a pole 37 running through the retainers 26 and connecting both means 21,22. Alternatively there can be used pins fixed in the beams 21,22 and protruding into the retainers 26. On the cross arm 33 there is positioned a swing arm 4 which fixes the position of the support 3 and facilitates the assembly of the barrier. In the support 3 upright position the free end of the swing arm 4 rests against the cross beam 23 or on the extension 25. By the presented embodiment the retainers 26 are provided for by rigid elongated shackles as seen on Fig. 8. This shape allows for vertical movement of the struts 31, 32 during their positioning or by ramming the tips 36 into the ground. The retainers 26 also provides for revolving attachment of the support 3 allowing to lower the support 3 during transportation and when stored in a deposit or to put the support 3 up during installation of the barrier

The complete construction of the above described barrier can be installed either in a free terrain or on a firm ground such as pavement, asphalt or concrete surface.

Industrial application

The invention is to be applied by constructions of temporary barriers directing a water flow or preventing further flooding of retained water as the case may be. The barrier according the invention may be installed in a free terrain as well as within a dwelling centre.