An Inflatable Storage Container

Abstract

An inflatable storage container (100) for liquids or other bulk materials comprises a first portion (5) that defines abase and a second portion (4) that defines a perimeter wall that extends from a perimeter of the base, the two portions together forming an inflatable chamber. The perimeter wall comprises at least one layer of cloth that has been impregnated with a water-settable material. In use, after or when the inflatable chamber is inflated and the water-settable material is set, the first portion and second portion define a storage chamber for a liquid or other bulk material. A method of deploying a deployable storage container is also provided. A combination of a container and an inflation system suitable for inflating the container to form its final deployed shape prior to the water-settable material having set is further provided.

Claims

1. An inflatable storage container for liquids or other bulk materials comprising: a first portion that defines a base, and a second portion that defines a perimeter wall that extends from a perimeter of the base, the two portions together forming an inflatable chamber, characterised in that: the perimeter wall comprises at least one layer of cloth that has been impregnated with a water-settable material, and whereby, in use, after or when the inflatable chamber is inflated and the water-settable material is set, the first portion and second portion define a storage chamber for a liquid or other bulk material.

2. An inflatable storage container according to claim 1 further comprising a third portion defining a lid, that is optionally removable, that seals the top of the perimeter wall.

3. An inflatable storage container according to claim 1 in which the second portion includes an inner layer of water impermeable material that isolates the cloth from the interior of the inflatable chamber.

4. An inflatable storage container according to claim 1 in which the base and optionally a lid that closes the top of the perimeter wall comprise at least one layer of cloth that has been impregnated with a water settable material.

5. An inflatable storage container according to claim 1, wherein after or when the water-settable material is set, the storage container is self-supporting.

6. The inflatable storage container of any claim 1 wherein, when the water-settable material is set, the walls are self-supporting.

7. An inflatable storage container according to claim 1 which further comprises a reinforcement structure that acts under tension when the container is filled with liquid.

8. An inflatable storage container according to claim 7 in which the reinforcement structure comprises one or more loops which extend continuously around the perimeter wall, and, optionally or preferably; wherein which the loop comprises a cable such as a stainless steel cable; and/or wherein which the reinforcement structure comprises panels of additional material that are fixed to the perimeter wall.

9. (canceled)

10. (canceled)

11. An inflatable storage container according to claim 7 in which the reinforcement structure is flexible allowing it to be folded into various shapes when the container has yet to be deployed.

12. An inflatable storage container according to claim 7 which the reinforcement structure is located entirely within the inside of the inflatable chamber.

13. An inflatable storage container according to claim 1 in which the perimeter wall of the inflated container is circular when viewed in plan, and the reinforcement structure defines one or more substantially horizontal circular hoops that extend around the perimeter wall.

14. An inflatable storage container according to claim 1 that further comprises a support structure comprising a plurality of elongate substantially rigid rods that are oriented substantially vertically to help support the inflated structure against vertical loads.

15. An inflatable storage container according to claim 14 in which the rods comprise fibre glass poles; and/or wherein which one or more of the rods extend up from the base, along the inside of perimeter wall, across the top, and back down the inside of an opposing section of the perimeter wall to form an inverted u shape or rotated c shape.

16. (canceled)

17. An inflatable storage container according to claim 1 in which the water-settable material comprises a water settable mixture sandwiched between at least two layers of cloth with at least one layer optionally being a felt material.

18. An inflatable storage container according to claim 1 in which the water settable material is cement based, most preferably a quick setting cement and/or wherein the water settable material comprises CC Hydro™ (CCH5™) from Concrete Canvas.

19. (canceled)

20. An inflatable storage container according to claim 1 in which the portions of the deployable storage container when in a pre-deployment state are folded to fit within a footprint that is no larger in area than the base, and preferably a smaller area than that

21. An inflatable storage container according to claim 1 in which the inside of the chamber is lined with a material suitable for safe containment of potable water; and/or having a capacity of at least 10000 litres.

22. (canceled)

23. An inflatable storage container according to claim 1 comprising a gas inlet valve which enables the inflatable chamber to be inflated using air or any other suitable gas.

24. A method of deploying a deployable storage container according to any claim 1 comprising: transporting the container to an installation site when in a folded state, partially unfolding as required to lay out the base of the container on the ground or other surface, inflating the inflatable chamber with pressurised air, adding water to the water-settable material, and after the water-settable material has set, releasing the pressurised air.

25. An inflatable storage container according to claim 1 and an inflation system suitable for inflating the container to form its final deployed shape prior to the water-settable material having set.

Description

[0090] FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a deployed container which falls within the scope of the first aspect of the present invention;

[0091] FIG. 2 is a third angle projection of the container of FIG. 1

[0092] FIG. 3 is a view of perimeter wall only showing five reinforcing hoops of stainless steel cable fixed to the inner wall;

[0093] FIG. 4 is an illustration of the construction of the base from multiple panels that are welded together;

[0094] FIG. 5 is a flow diagram showing the steps of deployment of the container;

[0095] FIG. 6 is flowchart of the steps that may be used to manufacture the container;

[0096] FIG. 7 is an exploded view of the full component set required to deploy the container including the parts used to make the container itself; and

[0097] FIG. 8 is an isometric cutaway view of the material that is used in the example to form the perimeter wall 8.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN EMBODIMENT

[0098] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 and FIG. 7 of the drawings a deployable container 100, or tank, comprises a base portion 5, a perimeter wall 4, and top portion forming a lid 1, and a reinforcement structure 3. All these components, prior to deployment, are relatively flexible enabling them to be folded up into a compact package. Once deployed, as will be explained, they form a rigid and self-supporting container structure.

[0099] The perimeter wall 4 is joined along a lower edge to the circular base 5 to form a cylinder that is substantially vertical. The lid 1 covers the top of the cylinder and is joined along an outer circumference to a top edge of the perimeter wall.

[0100] The base 5 determines the shape the product will follow at the moment of inflation. For manufacturing and technical reasons a circular shape is preferred but not essential.

[0101] The perimeter wall 4, and in this example also the base portion 5, each comprise at least one layer of cloth that has been impregnated with a water-settable material. This material will be flexible prior to deployment allowing the container to be folded up into a compact package.

[0102] The three portions together form an airtight chamber 101 that can be inflated, and this is used as the method of deployment of the folded container 100. When under pressure the chamber will expand to open up the perimeter walls and raise the lid. In this state, the water-settable material can be soaked in water and left to set. Once set, the pressure in the chamber can be released and the container will be self-supporting.

[0103] The perimeter wall comprises an inner layer. In this example, the perimeter wall comprises a single layer of CC Hydro™ that is both air tight and water tight. This is bonded to the outer layer of the wall. This is shown in detail in FIG. 8 of the drawings.

[0104] The wall 4 of the tank will contain the liquid, such as potable water, inside the chamber 101 and also needs to withstand the pressure generated by the water. To resist pressure in the chamber once full of potable water from bursting the walls, a set of five stainless steel hoops 3 are provided that form a reinforcement structure. More, or fewer, may of course be used depending on the size of the container and materials used and so on. These are offset vertically along the wall and extend continuously around the inner layer. They are bonded in place by threading through loops thermally bonded to the inner layer of the perimeter wall. These hoops, being of an inelastic material, can prevent the walls being expanded and will hence stop the container from bursting. They can best be seen in FIG. 3 of the drawings.

[0105] Also, the reinforcement structure helps constrain the expansion of the material during inflation to obtain a specific shape and form. Another way to improve the tension resistance of the wall is adding more layers of geomembrane to increase the thickness of the wall, therefore, adding rigidity.

[0106] A suitable material that may be used for the walls may be as described in EP2393970 and also in EP (2027319) and can be purchased from Concrete Canvas limited under the brand name Hydro.

[0107] Due to the thickness of the wall 4 (CCH5=5 to 6 mm) and the height of the wall (h=2 m for a convenient 4000 litre tank form) the material can suffer from bulking. The weight of the lid and wind can make the walls collapse. Therefore, the container has an additional support structure in the form of added fiberglass poles 2 to provide vertical reinforcement. In this example as shown in FIG. 7 there are four poles that are installed, that go from one side to the other inside the tank forming an inverted U-shape.

[0108] The support structure is able to help maintain the form of the container but is not sufficiently strong as to take the full weight of the container walls and lid. This strength is provided by the perimeter wall under a generally compressive (vertical) loading.

[0109] To accommodate the functionality of the tank the perimeter wall 4 incorporates a set of standard tank accessories and fittings 9, 10, 11 and 12 in FIG. 7. The diameter of the tank and the accessories depends on the necessities of the end user.

[0110] As well as the standard tank fittings, a further inlet 12 is located towards the top of the wall or in the lid portion. This has two functionalities. During the inflation system it helps connecting the inflation system with the interior of the container. Then, when the container is under use it has an overflow functionality to avoid the container from over loading with water.

[0111] FIG. 5 shows in detail the steps carried out during a deployment of the container.

[0112] In a first step the package is unpacked at or close to its final installation position. An inflation system, such as the pump 6, hose 7 and nozzle 8 shown in FIG. 7, are then connected to the air chamber inside the package and the inflation process is started. At the same time, or later, the material for the side wall and top are hydrated. This may be as simple as spraying them with rainwater. Once at the required pressure to push out the container to its final shape, it is stabilised and left for 24 hours for the walls to become rigid.

[0113] The air pressure can then be released by detaching the inflation system and the internal fibre glass poles installed by entering through an access hatch in the lid (not shown), the interior can then be cleaned and is ready for use.

[0114] The inflation components have the only purpose to deploy the tank to reach the shape and form needed, as well as, stabilizing the structure whilst the 24-hour hardening process is happening.

[0115] The flowchart of FIG. 6 shows one method that may be used to manufacture the container 100. Having selected a suitable material, pieces are cut to shape and the base and walls are welded together. The stainless steel cables that form the reinforcement structure are installed following the circumference of the wall and the water accessories, items 9 to 12 in FIG. 7, 10 are fitted to the side wall. The inlet valve of the inflation system is also installed close to the top of the side wall. The top portion is then fitted to form a lid and the container may be checked for air-tightness. Lastly the whole assembly is folded into a palatable sized shape and packaged with the support poles ready for use and the inflation system.

[0116] The skilled reader will appreciate that the container of the invention can be used to provide a community-led approach to water management in rural communities by providing an innovative air-deployed, ready-to-use concrete water tank manufactured with a filled concrete fabric that requires little skill to deploy and has a small packed volume prior to deployment. When hydrated the container transforms into a unified concrete shell body that ensures the durability, resistance, and reliability of the product. When folded and packed, it can be transported in a standard pallet, and when the user executes the simple deployment procedure, it can reach a volume of up to 40 000 litres or more, creating a permanent concrete tank that will be ready to use in just 24 hours. Its modularity and transportability help users to strategize the usage and location of their water-related infrastructure to maximize efficiency and convenience for almost any application (storage, distribution, and even sewer water) without any technical help or construction contractors.