Wave barrier, barrier assembly, flood barrier, and method

Abstract

The present invention relates to a self-raising wave barrier for providing an alleviation of a load due to wave action from a body of water on the side of the wave barrier remote from the body of water. The barrier includes a series of barrier assemblies providing alleviation of the load due to the wave action. Each barrier assembly includes a holder for a wave barrier element which is anchored to a bottom of the body of water or a surface adjacent to the body of water, a wave barrier element arrangeable movably over a path of movement in the holder between a lower rest state and a higher active state, and holding means for holding and/or stopping the wave barrier element in the higher active state.

Claims

1. Self-raising wave barrier for providing an alleviation of a load due to wave action from a body of water on a side of the wave barrier remote from the body of water, the wave barrier comprising: a series of barrier assemblies for providing the alleviation of the load due to the wave action, each barrier assembly comprising: a holder for holding a wave barrier element which is anchored to a bottom of the body of water or a surface adjacent to the body of water, the wave barrier element arrangeable movably over a path of movement in the holder between a lower rest state and a higher active state, holding means for holding and/or stopping the wave barrier element in the higher active state, wherein the respective wave barrier elements of the series of barrier assemblies operate in the active state for the purpose of breaking the wave action providing the alleviation of the load due to the wave action on the basis of a situationally predetermined ratio of wave barrier elements and throughflow space therebetween, a flood barrier adjacent to the wave barrier, and wherein the wave barrier is arranged with the flood barrier to create a buffer space therebetween to provide a buffer water mass behind the wave barrier elements as seen from the body of water, the buffer water mass absorbing energy of a wave and the buffer water being prevented from feeding a subsequent wave thereby protecting the flood barrier or a shore lying there behind.

2. The self-raising wave barrier as claimed in claim 1, wherein the holding means operate for the purpose of providing a lateral stability and/or fixation of the wave barrier element relative to the respective holder thereof.

3. The self-raising wave barrier as claimed in claim 1, wherein the holding means operate for the purpose of providing an end of the path of movement on the side of the active state thereof.

4. The self-raising wave barrier as claimed in claim 1, the holding means comprising: an upper stop member arranged on the holder, a lower stop member arranged on the wave barrier element, and at least one clamping member for arranging thereof and for clamping thereof in the active state between the upper stop member and the lower stop member.

5. The self-raising wave barrier as claimed in claim 4, wherein the holding means comprise a spacer for arranging thereof between the upper stop member and the lower stop member.

6. The self-raising wave barrier as claimed in claim 4, wherein a spacer is arranged in the holding means between at least an upper clamping member and at least a lower clamping member.

7. The self-raising wave barrier as claimed in claim 4, wherein the clamping member is deformable, preferably from a substantially round cross-sectional shape to a substantially oval cross-sectional shape.

8. The self-raising wave barrier as claimed in claim 4, wherein the clamping member is embodied as a substantially annular hose arrangeable round the wave barrier element.

9. The self-raising wave barrier as claimed in claim 1, wherein the holding means comprises positioning members for positioning the wave barrier element relative to the holder.

10. The self-raising wave barrier as claimed in claim 9, wherein the positioning members are centering members wherein the positioning member on the holder and the positioning member on the wave barrier element comprise inclining surfaces co-acting with each other in the active state.

11. The self-raising wave barrier as claimed in claim 1, comprising a closure for closing the holder, preferably arranged on the upper side of the wave barrier element.

12. The self-raising wave barrier as claimed in claim 11, wherein the closure is suitable for suspending of the wave barrier element therefrom.

13. The self-raising wave barrier as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wave barrier element is suitable for floating on water so that it is raised on water to be admitted into the holder.

14. The self-raising wave barrier as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wave barrier element has a tubular form.

15. The self-raising wave barrier as claimed in claim 1, wherein in side view a surface of a wave barrier element has a width of between 10 centimetres and 5 metres.

16. The self-raising wave barrier as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mutual distance lies in the range of 1 cm to 1 m.

17. The self-raising wave barrier as claimed in claim 1, wherein the holder imparts lateral strength for withstanding the load of the wave action.

18. The self-raising wave barrier as claimed in claim 1, wherein in the rest state the wave barrier elements find protection in the holder and/or are arranged substantially wholly therein.

19. The self-raising wave barrier as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mutual distance between adjacent wave barrier elements is smaller than a surface in side view of the respective wave barrier elements.

20. The self-raising wave barrier as claimed in claim 1, wherein a plurality of the holders are integrated into a structural unit in the series of barrier assemblies.

21. The self-raising wave barrier as claimed in claim 1, comprising a liquid inlet assembly for admitting liquid into the holder when the water level or a wave action level reaches a predetermined threshold.

22. The self-raising wave barrier as claimed in claim 21, wherein the liquid inlet assembly comprises a buffer pit for buffering the water and/or for preventing contamination in the holder and/or draining contamination from the holder.

23. The barrier assembly as claimed in claim 1 arrangeable in a body of water as protective barrier against floating objects.

24. A flood barrier system for arrangement thereof on a body of water comprising a self-leveling wave barrier as claimed in claim 1 and a self-closing flood barrier comprising: a chamber for holding a sheet pile which is anchored to a bottom of the body of water or a surface adjacent to the body of water, and the sheet pile which is arrangeable movably over a path of movement in the chamber between a lower rest state and a higher active state, wherein the wave barrier is arranged on the side of the body of water relative to the self-closing flood barrier for the purpose of providing protection of the self-closing flood barrier against wave action.

25. The flood barrier system as claimed in claim 24 comprising a combined liquid inlet assembly for the wave barrier and the self-closing flood barrier.

26. A method for providing protection against wave action, wherein: water forced from a body of water by an incoming wave is allowed through in slowed manner by means of wave barrier elements of a wave barrier as claimed in claim 1 to a buffer space on the body of water side bounded by the wave barrier elements of the wave barrier, water admitted into the buffer space and decelerated by the wave barrier elements of the wave barrier is allowed to flow in slowed manner in the direction of the body of water, whereby a mass of buffer water is created in the buffer space, and the mass of buffer water provides counter-mass against a subsequent incoming wave.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Further advantages, features and details of the present invention will be described in greater detail hereinbelow on the basis of one or more preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying figures. Similar, though not necessarily identical components of different preferred embodiments are designated with the same reference numerals.

(2) FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional side view of a first preferred embodiment according to the present invention in a rest state.

(3) FIG. 2 is a schematic view of this preferred embodiment in an active state.

(4) FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of the preferred embodiment according to FIGS. 1 and 2.

(5) FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a detail of a further preferred embodiment in a rest state.

(6) FIG. 5 shows the detail of FIG. 4 in an active state.

(7) FIG. 6 is a schematic view of a detail of a further preferred embodiment in a rest state.

(8) FIG. 7 shows the detail of FIG. 6 in an active state.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(9) A first preferred embodiment (FIG. 1) according to the present invention relates to a combination 19 of a wave barrier 18 and a self-closing flood barrier 17. This comprises wave barrier element 1 which is arranged in a holder 16. In the rest state the wave barrier element is suspended from cover 11 and is located as such arranged downward in the holder. The body of water W has a height which corresponds to the rest state of the wave barrier. A supply channel 7 provides access for the water to a pit 3 when the water reaches a determined height. When this height of channel 7 is reached, the pit fills and the water then flows via channel 6 into holder 16. Due to the upward pressure of the water the wave barrier element will float upward, thereby taking on the active state function.

(10) This operation is clearly shown in FIG. 3 where a series of wave barrier elements is disposed upward. Incoming waves from the body of water are broken by the wave barrier elements 1 in a manner as described above.

(11) This preferred embodiment also comprises the self-closing flood barrier 17. This comprises a vertical wall 12 which is likewise forced upward until it reaches a stop 9 due to the water coming from pit 3. The operation of such a flood barrier is public domain and such a flood barrier is available in many variants. The flood barrier is screened in the inactive state by a cover 11.

(12) The stability of the wave barrier element is provided by holding means 41 as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. These holding means are annular hoses 14 arranged round the wave barrier element with a spacer 13 between lower and upper annular hoses. In the rest state the annular hoses have a round cross-section and in the active state they are compressed between stop 15 of the wave barrier element and stop 9 of the holder. This creates a clamping effect between the holder and the wave barrier element on both the upper side and the underside, as described above.

(13) Cover 11 is preferably provided per wave barrier element. It is however equally possible for the cover to couple a group of wave barrier elements. It is advantageous that a wave barrier element according to these aspects of the preferred embodiment can be placed in or taken out of the holder individually or per group for maintenance purposes. A robust and maintenance-friendly wave barrier is hereby provided. The rings are more preferably dimensioned, such as by means of the diameter or wall thickness, such that the upper ones impart clamping action from the top downward sooner than the lower ones when the wave barrier element is raised, so that the lower ones can still move upward while the upper ones are already compressed.

(14) The preferred embodiment according to FIGS. 6 and 7 provides an alternative way of fixing the holder in the active state. Positioning members 23, 26 are arranged on wave barrier element 4. Respective support elements 22, 27 are arranged on the holder. A centering action is provided by the co-acting surfaces when the wave barrier element moves upward from the rest state to the active state.

(15) In top view the positioning members can be arranged in annular form on respectively the inner wall of the holder and the outer wall of the wave barrier element. In alternative manner the positioning members are arranged in a discontinuously annular form. It is hereby possible to respectively place and lift the wave barrier element with the positioning members mounted thereon into and out of the holder, for instance for maintenance. In a rotational position as seen along a vertical axis there is a situation here in which the positioning members arranged on the holder and the positioning members arranged on the wave barrier element can pass each other axially, and in a rotating position the situation where they engage each other operatively for the operation as positioning member.

(16) A surface adjacent to a body of water according to this document is defined as a surface which can be flooded by the body of water. Such a surface can directly adjoin the body of water or, within the context of this document, be present some distance therefrom.

(17) The present invention has been described in the foregoing on the basis of several preferred embodiments. Different aspects of different embodiments are deemed described in combination with each other, wherein all combinations which can be deemed by a skilled person in the field as falling within the scope of the invention on the basis of reading of this document are included. These preferred embodiments are not limitative for the scope of protection of this document. The rights sought are defined in the appended claims.