U.S. patent application number 16/095232 was filed with the patent office on 2019-05-16 for sea wall structures, sea walls and methods of manufacture and assembly of the same.
The applicant listed for this patent is RENEWABLE HYDROCARBONS LTD. Invention is credited to Peter HAIGH.
Application Number | 20190145072 16/095232 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 58638862 |
Filed Date | 2019-05-16 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20190145072 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
HAIGH; Peter |
May 16, 2019 |
SEA WALL STRUCTURES, SEA WALLS AND METHODS OF MANUFACTURE AND
ASSEMBLY OF THE SAME
Abstract
A sea wall structure (10) comprising a rigid supporting
structure (12) and one or more hollow tanks (14) affixed to the
supporting structure (12), wherein the volume of the tank or tanks
(14) is such that, when filled with air, their displacement is
sufficient to support the weight of the sea wall structure (10) and
thus enable the sea wall structure to be floated on water (300).
The rigid supporting structure (12) is suitably made from cast,
reinforced concrete, and the tank or tanks (14) are suitably
blow-moulded plastics components having peripheral edges that are
moulded into the concrete. The sea wall structure (10) is ideally
modular, having side edges that are adapted (28, 30) to engage with
adjacent structures (10) to form a wall, caisson or the like.
Inventors: |
HAIGH; Peter; (Lancashire,
GB) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
RENEWABLE HYDROCARBONS LTD |
Lancashire |
|
GB |
|
|
Family ID: |
58638862 |
Appl. No.: |
16/095232 |
Filed: |
April 28, 2017 |
PCT Filed: |
April 28, 2017 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/EP2017/060214 |
371 Date: |
October 19, 2018 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
405/203 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E02B 3/06 20130101; E02B
3/062 20130101; E02D 29/02 20130101 |
International
Class: |
E02B 3/06 20060101
E02B003/06; E02D 29/02 20060101 E02D029/02 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Apr 22, 2016 |
GB |
1607031.0 |
Claims
1. A sea wall structure comprising a rigid supporting structure and
one or more hollow tanks affixed to the supporting structure,
wherein the volume of the tank or tanks is such that, when filled
with air, their displacement is sufficient to support the weight of
the sea wall structure and thus enable the sea wall structure to be
floated on water.
2. The sea wall structure of claim 1, wherein the supporting
framework is manufactured from concrete.
3. The sea wall structure of claim 2, wherein the supporting
framework is manufactured from moulded, reinforced concrete.
4. The sea wall structure of any preceding claim, wherein the tank
or tanks are formed from blow-moulded plastics.
5. The sea wall structure of any preceding claim, wherein the tank
or tanks, are rounded or curved.
6. The sea wall structure of any preceding claim, wherein the
tank's or tanks' corners and/or edges are rounded or curved.
7. The sea wall structure of any of claims 3 to 6, wherein the or
each tank comprises keying formations adapted to key/anchor, and
hence affix, the tank or tanks into the concrete.
8. The sea wall structure of claim 3, wherein the or each tank
comprises one or more engagement means adapted in use, to engage
with a reinforcing bar of the reinforced concrete of the supporting
framework.
9. The sea wall structure of any of claims 3 to 8, further
comprising a bonding or sealing agent interposed between the or
each tank and the concrete adapted to improve the adhesion of the
concrete to the or each tank.
10. The sea wall structure of any preceding claim, wherein the side
edges of the sea wall structure comprise lips that partially
overlap one another when two like sea wall structures are placed
side by side.
11. The sea wall structure of any preceding claim, wherein a lower
edge of the sea wall structure comprises one or more piles.
12. The sea wall structure of any preceding claim, wherein opposite
side edges of the sea wall structure comprise complementary
connectors to engage adjacent sea wall structures with one
another.
13. The sea wall structure of claim 12, wherein the connectors
comprise one or more cups affixed to one side edge of the sea wall
structure; and a corresponding number of pins affixed to the
opposite side edge of the sea wall structure.
14. The sea wall structure of claim 13, wherein the connectors are
self-centring.
15. The sea wall structure of claim 14, wherein the or each pin
comprises a tapered or chamfered lower end, which engages a
part-conical upper portion of the respective cup.
16. The sea wall structure of any of claims 12 to 15, wherein the
connectors are canted such that when they are engaged with one
another, at least one of two so connected sea wall structures is
pulled into engagement with the other.
17. The sea wall structure of any preceding claim, wherein the or
each tank comprises a valve comprising an outlet communicating with
the interior of the tank, and an inlet connected to a fluid
source.
18. The sea wall structure of claim 17, wherein the fluid source
comprises sea water in or upon which the sea wall structure is
located.
19. The sea wall structure of claim 17, wherein the fluid source is
a fluid supply connected to the valve via pipework.
20. The sea wall structure of claim 19, wherein the fluid supply
comprises any one or more the group comprising: an air supply; a
gas supply; a liquid supply; a water supply; a flowable, fluid-like
ballast; fine, dry sand; glass beads; and metal powder.
21. The sea wall structure of any of claims 17 to 20, wherein the
valves are controllable remotely to enable each tank to be filled
individually, in groups, or together.
22. A sea wall formed from a plurality of sealingly interconnected
sea wall structures according to any preceding claim.
23. The sea wall of claim 22, further comprising a supporting
buttress.
24. The sea wall of claim 23, wherein the supporting buttress
comprises an anchorage spaced apart from the sea wall on the sea
bed, and a buttress framework rigidly connecting the sea wall to
the anchorage.
25. The sea wall of claim 22, comprising a pair of generally
parallel, spaced-apart sea walls.
26. The sea wall of claim 25, further comprising any one or more of
the group comprising: a deck; cross-bracing between the
spaced-apart sea walls; and a pile supporting one of the sea
walls.
27. The sea wall of any of claims 22 to 26 forming part of any one
or more of the group comprising: a tidal barrage; a tidal barrage
for tidal electricity generation; a dykes; a tidal defence wall; a
flood defence wall; a coastal erosion defence wall; and a
three-tank tidal energy generation and storage systems (such as
that described in UK Patent No: GB2507362).
28. A method of assembling the sea wall of any of claims 22 to 27
comprising the steps of: floating a first sea wall structure to a
desired installation site; flooding the tank or tanks with sea
water to cause the sea wall structure to float upright; further
flooding the or each tank to a level above sea level to drive a
base of the sea wall structure into a sea bed.
29. The method of claim 28, further comprising repeating the
procedure with a second sea wall structure, and engaging a side
edge of the second sea wall structure with a side edge of the first
sea wall structure.
30. The method of claim 28 or claim 29, further comprising the
steps of: installing an anchorage on the sea bed at a spaced-apart
location from the sea wall on the sea bed; and installing a rigid
buttress framework between the sea wall and the anchorage.
31. The method of claims 28 to 30, further comprising forming a
pair of generally parallel, spaced-apart sea walls.
32. The method of claim 31, further comprising any one or more of
the steps comprising: installing a deck; installing cross-bracing
between the spaced-apart sea walls; installing a pile for
supporting one of the sea walls; and backfilling the space between
the sea walls.
33. A method of manufacturing a sea wall structure comprising a
rigid supporting structure and one or more hollow tanks affixed to
the supporting structure, the method comprising the steps of:
forming a mould; placing a grid-like array of reinforcing bars into
the mould; installing a set hollow tanks into the mould and
connecting the tanks to the reinforcing bars; pouring concrete into
the mould into the interconnected spaces between the tanks to form
the supporting structure; allowing the concrete to set render the
supporting structure rigid; and removing the sea wall structure
from the mould.
34. The method of claim 33, wherein the step of connecting the
tanks to the reinforcing bars is accomplished by engaging
connectors of the tanks with the reinforcing bars.
35. The method of claim 33 or 34, further comprising the step of
installing flooding/emptying pipework for the tanks.
36. The method of any or claims 33 to 35, wherein the step of
pouring concrete into the mould comprises filling the mould with
concrete to a level whereby the reinforcing bars are encased in the
concrete, but whereby the tanks slightly protrude above the level
of the concrete.
37. A sea wall structure substantially as hereinbefore described,
with reference to, and as illustrated in, FIGS. 1 and 3 to 13 of
the accompanying drawings.
38. A sea wall substantially as hereinbefore described, with
reference to, and as illustrated in, FIGS. 2 and 16 to 19 of the
accompanying drawings.
39. A method of manufacturing a sea wall structure substantially as
herein before described, with reference to, and as illustrated in,
FIGS. 6 to 11 of the accompanying drawings.
Description
[0001] This invention relates to sea wall structures, sea walls and
methods of manufacture and assembly of the same, respectively.
[0002] Sea walls are used in a wide range of marine or civil
engineering applications to separate two or more bodies of water
(for example, as a harbour wall), or as a retaining structure (such
as a dyke), to hold-back a body of water.
[0003] Sea walls are traditionally constructed from locally-sourced
construction material, such as sand or gravel found on the sea bed
in the immediate vicinity of the intended sea wall, which is piled
up, using dredgers, to a level above the waterline. To prevent the
construction material from washing away, one or more layers of
retaining material, such as geotextiles, rocks and boulders,
concrete etc. are then placed or poured over the construction
material to cap it and hence keep it in-situ. The use of dredgers
is increasingly becoming disapproved of because of the adverse
effects that they cause to marine ecosystems by disturbing and/or
redistributing the sea bed. Further, marine life living in the sea
bed, are often unable to survive the dredging process, or to
survive in the new structure, resulting in death and subsequent
decomposition within the sea wall's fill material, which can have
adverse effects later on, for example, outgassing of methane, or
forming voids in the granular fill material. In addition to the
foregoing drawbacks, dredging is a slow, labour- and
energy-intensive procedure, and tends to be expensive.
[0004] In attempts to combat one or more of the aforesaid problems,
many modern sea walls are constructed from concrete slabs, which
are placed vertically on the sea bed, and which interlock to form a
contiguous structure. However, to be effective, this solution
requires a large amount of concrete and due to the poor environment
credentials of concrete as a building material, as well as the need
to manufacture the slabs in the "dry" before transporting them to
site (the over-land and over-sea transportation cost; and
fuel/energy usage of which tending to be relatively high), concrete
sea walls are also considered by many to be undesirable.
[0005] Nevertheless, a significant need for sea walls exists, for
example in large-scale civil engineering projects such as tidal
power generation barrages, coastal erosion and flood defences and
so forth.
[0006] It will therefore be clear from the foregoing that a need
exists for a solution to one or more of the above problems and/or
an alternative to existing sea walls and construction techniques
for them.
[0007] Various aspects of the invention are set forth in the
appended claims.
[0008] According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a
sea wall structure comprising a rigid supporting structure and one
or more hollow tanks affixed to or within the supporting
structure.
[0009] Another aspect of the invention provides a sea wall formed
from a plurality of sealingly interconnected sea wall structures as
herein described.
[0010] Another aspect of the invention provides a method of
manufacturing a sea wall structure as herein described.
[0011] Another aspect of the invention provides a method of
assembling a sea wall from a plurality of sea wall structures as
herein described.
[0012] By providing a sea wall structure comprising a supporting
structure and one or more hollow tanks, it is possible to vastly
reduce the amount of material required to construct the sea wall
structure as the portion of it formed by the tank or tanks is
essentially hollow.
[0013] Further, the tank or tanks can be useful in transporting the
sea wall structure over land because when empty (i.e. filled with
air), this renders the sea wall structure considerably lighter and
thus more easily and inexpensively handled (lifted/moved) compared
to, say, a solid concrete wall structure.
[0014] Further, the tank or tanks can be useful in transporting the
sea wall structure over water because, in certain embodiments, the
size of the tank or tanks can be designed in such a way that their
displacement in water is sufficient to support the weight of the
sea wall structure when floated on water. This means that the sea
wall structure can be floated and towed to site, rather than having
to be loaded onto a barge or the like, which greatly simplifies the
installation and assembly of a sea wall constructed from one or
more of the sea wall structures.
[0015] Moreover, the tank or tanks can be filled with ballast, such
as sea water, to orient and/or to sink the sea wall structure and
also to render it more heavy and/or solid.
[0016] Put another way, the tank or tanks of the invention can
serve as buoyancy or ballast tanks, depending on whether they are
empty (or filled with a gas), or full (e.g., filled with water or
other ballast), respectively.
[0017] The supporting framework is suitably manufactured from
concrete, such as moulded, poured, reinforced concrete. Concrete is
readily available in most parts of the world, and thus it is
possible, in certain situations, to manufacture the sea wall
structure locally (i.e. close to the final installation site) by
the use of moulds and the like. This, advantageously, reduces the
environmental impact of transporting the sea wall structure. The
invention also reduces the amount of concrete that is used in the
manufacture of sea walls, compared with solid concrete wall
structures.
[0018] The tank or tanks are suitably formed from blow-moulded
plastics, and are preferably manufactured from locally-sourced
recycled materials, thereby reducing the structure's environmental
impact yet further. The tank or tanks are ideally designed with
formations, such as flanges comprising through holes, that "key"
with poured concrete of the supporting framework.
[0019] Additionally or alternatively, and in the situation where
the supporting structure of the sea wall structure is manufactured
from poured, reinforced concrete; the or each tank may comprise one
or more engagement means adapted in use, to engage with the rebar
of the reinforced concrete supporting framework prior to pouring of
the concrete. The provision of engagement means usefully enables
the or each tank to be clipped to, or otherwise temporarily
connected to the rebar, thereby facilitating retaining the or each
tank in its correct position during the concrete pouring and
setting procedure (otherwise, the tanks might float out of the
concrete before it sets). The engagement means, where provided, may
also help to anchor the tanks into the concrete, thereby improving
the integrity of the sea wall structure.
[0020] Where the supporting structure of the sea wall structure is
made from poured concrete, this may usefully form a seal with the
tanks that are in contact with the concrete, thereby preventing
water from leaking through the sea wall structure (via gaps between
the supporting structure and the tanks), in use. It may be
necessary, in certain situations, to apply a bonding or sealing
agent (such as an adhesive layer, bitumen etc.) to the tank or
tanks prior to pouring the concrete, especially where the adhesion
of the concrete to the chosen material of the tanks is poor, or
likely to be.
[0021] Each sea wall structure is preferably generally cuboidal, to
facilitate the modular assembly of a sea wall by placing several
like sea wall structures side-by-side. In a preferred embodiment of
the invention, the sea wall structure has "left" and "right" sides,
which are complementarily engageable with one another. In one
possible embodiment, the left and right sides of the sea wall
structure comprise lips that partially overlap one another when two
sea wall structures are placed side by side. Such a configuration,
when correctly implemented, may provide a small channel (formed by
two L-shaped lips coming together) into which a seal can be
inserted or poured, for form a watertight (or a substantially
watertight) seal between the edges of adjacent sea wall
structures.
[0022] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the (vertical)
side edges of the sea wall structure comprise complementary
connectors to engage adjacent sea wall structures with one another.
In one embodiment of the invention, the connectors comprise a cup
and pin arrangement: the cups and pins being disposed on opposite
sides of each sea wall structure so that they can engage to lock
two adjacent sea wall structures together. Preferably, the
connectors are self-centring, for example, with the pin having a
tapered point that engages a part-conical portion of the cup. Thus,
as the pin is lowered into the cup, it self-aligns. More preferably
still, either or both of the complementary connectors are slightly
canted such that when they are engaged with one another, at least
one of the two connected sea wall structures is "pulled into"
engagement with the other. Finally, a tubular steel pile can be
installed within the sleeves formed by the connection and the top
of this steel pile can be bolted to connection points on the top of
the sea wall structure.
[0023] In certain embodiments of the invention, each tank may be
provided with a valve. The valves are suitably controllable
remotely to enable each tank to be filled individually, in groups,
or together. This is suitably accomplished by providing
electronically-controllable valves. The outlet of each valve, where
provided, communicates with the interior of a tank, and the inlet
of each valve, where provided, is connected to a fluid source. The
fluid source may be sea water in or upon which the sea wall
structure is located. Alternatively, the fluid source may comprise
pipework connected to an air or gas supply; and/or to a supply of
liquid (e.g. water) or other flowable (fluid-like) ballast (e.g.
fine, dry sand, glass beads, metal powder and the like).
[0024] An advantage of being able to flood and empty each tank as
desired is apparent in a possible assembly methodology for a sea
wall constructed from the sea wall structures of the invention.
Specifically, the sea wall structure can be floated to site by
emptying all of its tanks so that it floats in water. When
manoeuvred into position, the lowermost tanks can be flooded with
water to sink the lower end of the sea wall structure, thereby
beginning to right it in the water (stand upright). Then, further
tanks can be flooded with sea water to continue the righting
procedure until the sea wall structure floats vertically (upright)
in the water. Thereafter, subsequent tank flooding sinks the sea
wall structure to the sea bed, where it rests. Yet further flooding
of yet further tanks, for example by pumping water into above-sea
level tanks can be used to drive the base of the sea wall structure
into the sea bed. In relation to the latter, the base (lower edge)
of the sea wall structure suitably comprises a pile-like structure,
such a downwardly extending legs/pins/skirts that can pile into the
sea bed, or a hollow/recess on its lower edge, which can be driven
into the sea bed, or evacuated in a "suction pile" fashion to
anchor the sea wall structure into the sea bed.
[0025] Further sea wall structures can then be installed adjacent
to the already-installed sea wall structures, to form a contiguous
sea wall. Two or more sea walls so formed may be formed in a
generally parallel, spaced-apart relationship, to form a two-walled
structure, which can be topped, for example, by a deck/roadway to
form a causeway or access. The space between the sea walls can be
backfilled, if desired, with various materials, including sand,
gravel, building detritus, landfill material etc., or left empty
(or emptied) to form a caisson between the sea walls.
[0026] It will be appreciated from the foregoing that the invention
can be used in the construction of small- and large-scale civil
engineering projects, such as tidal barrages for electricity
generation, dykes for reclaiming land, tidal/flood/coastal erosion
defences, and in tidal energy generation and storage systems, such
as that described in UK Patent No: GB2507362.
[0027] Embodiments of the invention shall now be described, by way
of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in
which:
[0028] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a sea wall structure in
accordance with the invention;
[0029] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a partial sea wall formed by
two adjacent sea wall structures as shown in FIG. 1;
[0030] FIG. 3 is a partial front view of the two sea wall
structures of FIG. 2 showing how the cups and pins align;
[0031] FIG. 4 is a detail view of FIG. 3 showing the engagement of
the cups and pins, and an optional steel pile;
[0032] FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view on the of FIG. 3 showing how
the two sea wall structures mate, when coupled;
[0033] FIGS. 6 to 11 are a sequence of plan views showing how a sea
wall structure in accordance with the invention can be
manufactured;
[0034] FIG. 12 is a schematic cross-section of FIG. 11 on XII;
[0035] FIG. 12A is a schematic cross-section of a variant of the
sea wall structure shown in FIG. 12;
[0036] FIG. 13 is a schematic view of a sea wall structure in
accordance with the invention;
[0037] FIGS. 14 and 15 are schematic side views showing the
installation of a sea wall structure in accordance with the
invention;
[0038] FIG. 16 is a schematic cross-section of a sea wall installed
with a supporting buttress;
[0039] FIG. 17 is a schematic cross-section of a causeway/caisson
formed using two sea walls in accordance with the invention;
[0040] FIG. 18 is a schematic cross-section of a causeway/caisson
formed with pile-supported sea walls in accordance with the
invention; and
[0041] FIG. 19 is a perspective view of a tidal power generation
and storage system, such as that described in UK Patent No:
GB2507362, constructed using sea walls in accordance with the
invention.
[0042] Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings, a sea wall structure 10
in accordance with the invention comprises a cast concrete
supporting structure 12, which has an array (in this case a
5.times.9 array) of tanks 14 moulded into it. The sea wall
structure 10 is generally cuboidal in shape--having vertical left
16 and right 18 side edges, a horizontal upper edge 20 and a
horizontal lower edge 22. Extending downwardly from the lower edge
22 are a set of piles or skirts 24, which can be driven into the
seabed to support the sea wall structure 10, as shall be described
below.
[0043] The left 16 and right 18 side edges of the sea wall
structure 10 each have a lip formation 26 intimately formed in the
cast concrete supporting structure 12, the function of which shall
be described in greater detail below. The left 16 and right 18 side
edges of the sea wall structure 10 are also provided with
complimentary coupling members, in the form of pins 28 (affixed to
the right side edge 18) and cups 30 (connected to the left side
edge 16). As can be seen from FIG. 1 of the drawings, the sea wall
structure is a modular unit, which can be installed along with
other like units to form a sea wall as shown in FIGS. 2, 16, 17 and
18 of the drawings.
[0044] Referring now to FIG. 2 of the drawings, a sea wall 100 can
be assembled by connecting together a series of like sea wall
structures 10 by connecting the pins 28 and cups 30, as previously
described, together.
[0045] In FIG. 2 of the drawings, the left-hand sea wall structure
10 is installed in the seabed and is therefore slightly lower than
the right-hand sea wall structure 10', which has yet to be driven
into the seabed. The right-hand sea wall structure 10' is offered
up to the pre-installed sea wall structure 10 and its pins 28 are
offered-up to the cups 30 of the pre-installed sea wall structure
10. Upon driving the right-hand sea wall structure 10' into the
seabed, its pins 28 engage with the cups 30 of the pre-installed
sea wall structure 10, to form a modular assembly. The process can,
of course, be repeated by adding additional sea wall structures 10
to the sea wall 100, to extend the width of the sea wall 100
laterally, as required.
[0046] The engagement of the pins 28 and cups 30 is shown in
greater detail in FIGS. 3 to 5 of the drawings. Again, the
left-hand sea wall structure 10 is pre-installed, that is to say
with its piles 24 driven fully into the seabed (not shown) to
anchor the sea wall structure 10 in position.
[0047] The next sea wall structure 10' is then moved into position
with its pins 28 located above the cups 30 of the pre-installed sea
wall structure 10. Next, the (right-hand) sea wall structure 10'
can be sunk into position, whereupon the pins 28, which have
chamfered lower peripheral edges, engage with a part-conical
portion 32 of the cups 30 of the pre-installed sea wall
structure.
[0048] As shown in greater detail in FIG. 4 of the drawings, when
the right-hand sea wall structure 10' is driven fully into the
seabed (not shown) the pins 28 of the right-hand sea wall structure
10' are guided into engagement with the cups 30 of the
pre-installed sea wall structure 10 by virtue of the part conical
guiding formation 32 of the cups 30. Therefore, the additional sea
wall structure 10' is effectively pulled into engagement with the
pre-installed sea wall structure 10 by the self-aligning nature of
the pins 28 and cups. Finally, and optional steel pile 37 can be
inserted through the cups 30 and tubular pins 28, and held in
position by driving its lower end into the sea bed and/or using a
fastener connecting the pile 37 to the sea wall structure 10.
[0049] As can be seen from FIG. 5 of the drawings, which is a
schematic plan view on the of FIG. 3, when the right-hand sea wall
structure 10' is connected to the pre-installed sea wall structure
10, the lips 26 of each of the sea wall structures 10, 10' comes
into engagement with the respective opposite side edge 16, 18 of
the adjacent sea wall structure 10. A bead of sealant 34 can be
used to form a watertight seal between the lips 26 and their
corresponding mating side edges 16, 18 of the sea wall structures
10 and/or a grout or sealant 36 can be injected into the cavity
formed between the adjacent sea wall structures 10 to further
inhibit and/or prevent the leakage of seawater from one side of the
sea wall 100 to the other.
[0050] FIGS. 6 to 11 are a sequence of drawings showing how the sea
wall structure 10 can be manufactured relatively easily, and
preferably close to the final installation site of the sea wall
100. FIGS. 6 to 11 are plan views showing how the sea wall
structure 10 can be fabricated in a generally horizontal
(laid-flat) orientation.
[0051] Referring to FIG. 6 of the drawings, a shuttering
arrangement 200 is formed by arranging (for example in a jig) a set
of side shutters 202, a lower 204 and an upper 206 shutter. A set
of generally cuboid blanks 208 are placed inside the shuttering 200
atop the lower shutter 204 to form a mould for the piles 24 as
shall become apparent later. The side shutters 202 eventually form
the left and right side edges of the sea wall structure 10, and so
are made up of formed steel or reinforced concrete members having
an integrally-formed lip (not shown) and cups 30 and pins 28 (as
described above).
[0052] Referring now to FIG. 7 of the drawings, the next step in
the procedure is to install a set of reinforcing bars ("rebar") for
concrete, which will later be poured into the shuttering 200. The
rebar comprises a peripheral frame 210, a set of vertical rebars
212 (which extend into the pile parts of the structure between the
blanks 208) and a set of horizontal rebars 214, which are laid into
the shuttering 200 to form a grid-like structure. The lengths of
the vertical 212 and horizontal 214 rebars are fabricated in
sections which are connected by overlapping the main reinforcement
in accordance with the specific reinforced concrete codes. The
vertical 212 and horizontal 214 rebars also engage with the inner
sidewalls of the shuttering 200, thereby partially self-aligning
them in the mould. The alignment of the peripheral frame 210 is
accomplished as shall be explained next.
[0053] Referring now to FIG. 8 of the drawings, a set of
blow-moulded, hollow plastics tanks 14 is placed into the
shuttering 200 in a grid-like array.
[0054] Each tank 14 has a peripheral flange portion 218, which keys
the tank 14 into the concrete, which is poured into the shuttering
200 later. The flanges 218 may also have a set of through holes 202
to further key the tanks 14 into the later-poured concrete.
[0055] As can be seen, each tank has extending outwardly from its
side edges, a set of connectors 222, which are shown in
cross-section in FIG. 8a. Each of the connectors 222 has a
supporting limb portion 224, which is integrally formed with the
flange 218 or side of each tank 14; and a cup-like formation 226,
which clips onto the rebar 210, 212, 214. It will be appreciated
that by connecting the tanks 14 to the rebar 210, 212, 214 thus,
the spacing and arrangement of the rebar and tanks becomes fixed
and is also centred/located within the shuttering 200 by virtue of
the lengths of the rebar being configured to engage with the inner
sidewalls of the shuttering 200 as well.
[0056] As can be seen from FIG. 9 of the drawings, each tank 14
comprises a valve 228, which enables the tanks 14 to be filled with
either air or sea water, as required.
[0057] Each of the valves 228 is connected to a pipe 230, which is
fed around inside the shuttering 200 and which emerges 232 at the
top of the shuttering 200.
[0058] In use, it is thus possible to fill or empty the tanks 14,
as required, by pumping air/water into/out of the tanks 14 via the
pipes 230, via an air/water supply connected to the free end 232 of
the pipes.
[0059] It will also be noted from FIG. 9 that the valves 228 of the
tanks 14 are connected in groups thus enabling individual tanks 14,
or groups of tanks 14, to be filled/emptied individually, in
groups, all in unison.
[0060] Turning now to FIG. 10 of the drawings, concrete 234 is
poured into the shuttering 200 to a level such that the rebar 210,
212, 214 and the pipework 230, is encased in the concrete 234, but
where the tanks 14 slightly protrude above the level of the
concrete 234. Notably, the tanks 14, and in particular their
corners and/or edges, have rounded or curved profiles, which when
encased in concrete, avoids the formation of sharp corners in the
concrete, which could serve as stress concentration points in the
final structure. Thus, the curvature of the tanks 14 removes stress
concentration points, thereby potentially extending the duty cycle
of the sea wall structure 10 by reducing the likelihood of the
structure developing fatigue stress-induced cracks at the corners
of the concrete where it meets the tanks.
[0061] Once the concrete 234 has set, it is then possible to remove
the shuttering 204 and 206 and thus the sea wall structure 10 is
formed.
[0062] FIG. 12 is a schematic cross-section of FIG. 11 on XII
showing how the tanks 14 and rebar 212 are encased in the concrete
234 to form an integral structure. The sea wall structure can also
be fabricated horizontally so that it can be easily launched in
readiness for towing to the installation site. Consequently, there
are two options for setting out the tanks and steel reinforcement
prior to pouring concrete. FIG. 12A shows the tanks 14 located on
the base of the seawall structure 10, whereas FIG. 12 shows the
tanks 14 located on the top of the sea wall structure 10. The key
difference between these two options is that the option shown in
FIG. 12A can be completed by a single concrete pour, provided the
tanks 14 are fixed or ballasted. On the other hand, the option
shown in FIG. 12 may require two pours (if the concrete cannot flow
around and under the tanks 14 to form the continuous layer/surface
shown at the bottom of FIG. 12): with the tanks 14 having to be
located after the first pour (forming a skin or continuous
layer/surface) and then held in place during the second pour.
Consequently, the option shown in FIG. 12A should be able to be
completed quicker, and more cheaply, than the option shown in FIG.
12.
[0063] FIG. 13 is a schematic view, similar to that shown in FIG. 9
of the drawings, of the sea wall structure 10 depicted in FIGS. 1
and 2. Identical reference signs have been used to denote identical
features to avoid repetition, but it will be noted from FIG. 13
that the arrangement of rebar within the structure is typically
more complicated than that described schematically/conceptually
above.
[0064] FIG. 14 shows how, when the tanks 14 are empty, the sea wall
structure 10 can be floated on a body of water 300 and towed, for
example using a tug 302 to an intended installation site.
[0065] Once brought into position, as shown in FIG. 15 of the
drawings, the tanks 14 can be flooded by opening their respective
valves 228 in a desired sequence. In this particular example, the
lowermost tanks are flooded first; followed by subsequent rows of
tanks, which causes the sea wall structure 10 to rotate towards the
vertical position as shown by dashed lines in FIG. 15.
[0066] The sea wall structure 10 can effectively float in a
vertical orientation and thus be manoeuvred precisely into position
before subsequent flooding of further tanks, which causes the sea
wall structure 10 to sink to the seabed 306. Then, by pumping
further water into further tanks (i.e. tanks located above sea
level 308, a head of water within the sea wall structure 10 can
self-pile it into the seabed 306, thereby driving its piles 24 (or
skirts) into the seabed 306 to stabilise it.
[0067] This is shown in FIGS. 16, 17 and 18 of the drawings in
which the piles and skirts 24 of the sea wall structure 10 have
been driven into the seabed 306 to form an initial anchorage.
[0068] In FIG. 16 of the drawings, an additional pile or concrete
block 308 is placed on/in the seabed 306 behind the sea wall 10/100
and is connected to the sea wall 10/100 by a buttress framework
310. In this way, the sea wall 10/100 is able to hold back a body
of water or, as shown in FIG. 16 of the drawings, to support a
differential sea level 308, 308' on opposite sides of the sea wall
10/100.
[0069] An alternative arrangement is shown in FIG. 17 of the
drawings, in which two opposing sea walls 10/100 are installed
side-by-side in a spaced-apart configuration. The sea walls 10/100
can be cross-braced by a supporting framework 312, which serves to
stabilise the sea walls 10/100 and form a more rigid structure. The
structure can also be topped by a deck 314, which can be used for
various purposes, such as a roadway or access along the top of the
sea wall 10/100.
[0070] A further possibility is shown in FIG. 18 of the drawings in
which, again, a pair of spaced-apart sea walls 10/100 are supported
by piles 316, which are braced to their respective sea walls 10/100
by a supporting framework 318. Again, this structure can be topped
with a deck 314.
[0071] With regard to the embodiments shown in FIGS. 17 and 18 of
the drawings, the space 320 between the sea walls 100 can either be
left empty (i.e. as a caisson), or it can be backfilled with sand
or other material, or allowed to flood--depending on the
requirements of the application.
[0072] Finally, turning now to FIG. 19 of the drawings, a
perspective view from above of a tidal power storage and generation
system, such as that described in published patent number
GB2507362, which is formed by a circular, outer sea wall 100' which
defines a lagoon. The lagoon is divided into three internal lagoons
400, which are separated by three internal sea walls 100''. The
outer sea wall 100' has sluice gates in it to allow seawater 300
into and out of the lagoons at high and low tide; and a set of
tidal generators are provided in the internal sea walls 100'' thus
enabling power to be generated by allowing seawater to flow between
the internal lagoons 400 in the manner described in published
patent number GB2507362.
[0073] The following statements are not the claims but relate to
various features or embodiments of the invention: [0074] Statement
1 A sea wall structure comprising a rigid supporting structure and
one or more hollow tanks affixed to the supporting structure.
[0075] Statement 2 The sea wall structure of statement 1, wherein
the volume of the tank or tanks is such that, when filled with air,
their displacement is sufficient to support the weight of the sea
wall structure and thus enable the sea wall structure to be floated
on water. [0076] Statement 3 The sea wall structure of any
preceding statement, wherein the tank or tanks, and in particular
their corners and/or edges, are rounded or curved. [0077] Statement
4 The sea wall structure of any of any preceding statement, wherein
the or each tank comprise one or more engagement means adapted in
use, to engage with rebar of the reinforced concrete supporting
framework.
[0078] The invention is not restricted to the details of the
foregoing embodiments, which are merely exemplary of the invention.
In particular, any shapes, dimensions, materials or properties,
whether express or implied are illustrative only, and are not
restrictive of the scope of the invention.
* * * * *