PRECAST POROUS CONCRETE WITH CAST-IN CONDUITS

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a porous concrete system comprised of a porous concrete slab and one or more cast-in conduits, with at least one conduit including an adapter capable of connecting to a hose. In addition, the present invention is also directed to a porous concrete system comprising a plurality of porous concrete slabs, wherein each porous concrete slab contains one or more conduits embedded therein and at least one conduit in each porous concrete slab has an adapter that is connectable to a hose and wherein the porous concrete slabs are arranged in a manner where the conduits in one porous concrete slab are adjacent to the conduits in the neighboring porous concrete slab.

Claims

1. A porous concrete system comprising: a porous concrete slab containing one or more conduits embedded therein, at least one conduit having an adapter that is connectable to a hose.

2. The porous concrete system of claim 1 wherein the one or more conduits are perforated.

3. The porous concrete system of claim 2 wherein the one or more conduits have a diameter of about inches to about 2 inches.

4. The porous concrete system of claim 3 wherein the one or more conduits have a diameter of about inches to about 1 inch.

5. The porous concrete system of claim 1 wherein the length of one or more of the conduits is less than the width of the porous concrete slab, such that at least one end of at least one of the conduits is embedded within the porous concrete slab.

6. The porous concrete system of claim 2 further comprising a cap secured to at least one of the one or more conduits.

7. The porous concrete system of claim 1 further comprising a manifold connected to a plurality of the one or more conduits.

8. The porous concrete system of claim 1 wherein the conduits are arranged substantially parallel.

9. The porous concrete system of claim 1 wherein the conduits are arranged in a grid pattern.

10. The porous concrete system of claim 1 wherein two or more of the conduits are connected to each other and share a common adapter.

11. A porous concrete system comprising: a plurality of porous concrete slabs, wherein each porous concrete slab contains one or more conduits embedded therein and at least one conduit in each porous concrete slab has an adapter that is connectable to a hose and wherein the porous concrete slabs are arranged in a manner where the conduits in one porous concrete slab are adjacent to the conduits in the neighboring porous concrete slab; a connector connecting at least one of the conduits in one porous concrete slab with the adjacent conduit in the neighboring porous concrete slab.

12. The porous concrete system of claim 11 wherein the conduits are perforated.

13. The porous concrete system of claim 11 wherein the conduits are arranged substantially parallel in each porous concrete slab.

14. The porous concrete system of claim 11 wherein the conduits are arranged in a grid pattern in each porous concrete slab.

15. The porous concrete system of claim 11 wherein the conduits are arranged substantially parallel in at least one of the porous concrete slabs and the conduits are arranged in a grid pattern in at least one of the porous concrete slabs.

16. The porous concrete system of claim 11 wherein the conduits are perforated.

17. The porous concrete system of claim 11 wherein two or more of the conduits in at least one of the porous concrete slabs are connected to each other and share a common adapter.

18. The porous concrete system of claim 11 further comprising a cap secured to at least one of the conduits.

19. The porous concrete system of claim 11 wherein the length of one or more of the conduits is less than the width of the porous concrete slab, such that at least one end of at least one of the conduits is embedded within the porous concrete slab.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where:

[0013] FIG. 1 is a top view of a perforated conduit of the present invention.

[0014] FIG. 2 is a top view of an embodiment of a porous concrete system of the present invention.

[0015] FIG. 3 is a top view of a horizontal cross section of an embodiment of a porous concrete system of the present invention.

[0016] FIG. 4 is a top view of a horizontal cross section of an embodiment of a porous concrete system of the present invention.

[0017] FIG. 5 is a top view of a horizontal cross section of an embodiment of a porous concrete system of the present invention.

[0018] FIG. 6 is a top view of a horizontal cross section of an embodiment of a porous concrete system of the present invention.

[0019] FIG. 7 is a detail view of the horizontal cross section of the embodiment of the porous concrete system depicted in FIG. 6.

[0020] FIG. 8 is top view of a horizontal cross section of an embodiment of a porous concrete system of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021] The present invention will now be described more fully in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention should not, however, be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, they are provided so that this disclosure will be complete and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.

[0022] FIGS. 1-3 depict a first embodiment of the porous concrete system 100 of the present invention. Specifically, one or more conduits 20 are embedded within a porous concrete slab 10. As depicted, an adapter 22 is attached to one end of each of the conduits 20. The adapter 22 is located at the end of the conduit 20 on an outer edge of the porous concrete slab 10. The adapter 22 may be male, extending beyond the edge of the porous concrete slab 10, or the adapter 22 may be female. In some embodiments of the invention, the conduit 20 extends the complete width of the porous concrete slab 10. In these embodiments, while the first end of the conduit 20 will be attached to an adapter 22, the second end of the conduit 20 may be attached to either an adapter 22 or a cap 23, depending on the intended implementation of the porous concrete system 100. Alternatively, where the conduit 20 does not extend the full width of the porous concrete slab 10, the second end of the conduit 20 may include a cap 23 or an adapter 22, or as a person of skill in the art will appreciate, the second end of the conduit 20 may simply be embedded within the porous concrete slab 10 without either a cap 23 or an adapter 22. Where a cap 23 is utilized, the cap 23 may be any suitable cap 23 known in the art that is capable of sealing the second end of the conduit 20. For example, the cap 23 may be a plug.

[0023] The conduits 20 of the porous concrete system 100 include a plurality of perforations 24. Accordingly, the conduits 20 may be any suitable type of pipe, hose or tubing that may be perforated and is capable of mating with an adapter 22. The length of the conduits 20 is preferably substantially the same as the width of the porous concrete slab 10, such that the ends of the conduit 20 are each substantially flush with the edge of the porous concrete slab 10. For example, a standard four-foot wide porous concrete slab 10, would utilize conduits 20 of about four feet in length. In addition, the diameter of the conduits 20 may be selected based on the desired implementation. For example, some implementations will prefer a smaller diameter conduit 20 in the range of about to inches. Other implementations will prefer slightly larger conduits 20, ranging up to approximately two inches in diameter, while some embodiments will utilize conduits 20 with diameters larger than two inches. Furthermore, it will be appreciated that while it may be preferred that the length of the conduits 20 of the porous concrete system 100 is substantially similar to the width of the porous concrete slab 10, the conduits 20 may be of any length provided that the adapter 22 is accessible.

[0024] As described above, the conduits 20 include a plurality of perforations 24. Similar to the size of the conduits 20, the number of perforations 24 in the conduit 20 may be selected based on the requirements of the chosen implementation. In addition, the perforations 24 may be any size and may be arranged in any pattern as known to one of skill in the art. For example, a conduit 20 with a length of four feet may include ninety-six perforations 24, the perforations 24 being configured in six rows of sixteen perforations 24 and spaced approximately evenly apart. However, this example is illustrative only and a chosen implementation may prefer a greater or lesser number of perforations 24. In addition, the arrangement of the perforations 24 may be arranged in varying patterns, depending on the amount and direction of filtration that is desired. For example, in porous concrete systems 100 designed for areas where the stormwater is known to contain significant debris or pollutants such that more filtering capacity is anticipated, it may be advantageous to have more perforations 24 in the conduits 20. Additionally, it may be advantageous to have perforations 24 oriented in one or more directions. For example, it may be beneficial to have perforations 24 located on the top of the conduit 20 such that the perforations 24 are oriented substantially upward once the conduit 20 is embedded within the porous concrete slab 10, leaving the portion of the conduit 20 facing downward solid and capable of serving as a channel for water to travel through the porous concrete slab 10. Alternatively, as an additional example, the perforations 24 may be located on the sides of the conduit 20, such that the perforations 24 are oriented substantially horizontally, but not located on the top or the bottom.

[0025] The conduits 20 may be connected to a hose 30 by way of the adapter 22. A suitable hose 30 may be used to force hot air into the porous concrete slab 10 to dry the porous concrete slab 10, heat the porous concrete slab 10 and, in some instances depending on the type of debris, blow debris outward through the porous concrete slab 10. Alternatively, a suitable hose 30 may be used to backwash the porous concrete slab 10 with liquid, forcing the debris out from a number of directions and, importantly, in directions other than the natural top to bottom direction that stormwater naturally flows through the porous concrete slab 10. Because stormwater naturally filters from top to bottom, using pressure to wash debris out in alternative directions has a greater impact on restoring the porosity of the concrete. High pressure air or water is particularly effective. In addition, specialized cleaning solutions may be used in situations where the removal of specific pollutants is desired.

[0026] In some embodiments, the conduits 20 may function to provide low resistance channels within the porous concrete slab 10 so that it is possible to route water in a substantially horizontal direction. For example, in embodiments where the perforations 24 are located on the top, but not the bottom, of the conduits 20, a portion of the stormwater percolating through the porous concrete slab 10 will enter the conduits 20 through the perforations 24 and will then travel through the conduits 20 in a substantially horizontal direction. This arrangement will permit the porous concrete system 100 to effectively channel a portion of the stormwater to a known and suitable location, such as to a swale. In such embodiments, the conduits 20 may or may not include an adapter 22.

[0027] Each conduit 20 may have its own individual adapter 22 to allow each conduit 20 to connect directly to its own hose 30. Alternatively, two or more conduits 20 may be connected to each other in a manner where the two or more conduits 20 share a common adapter 22. For example, two or more conduits 20 may be connected to each other such that only one, or only a subset, of the conduits 20 have an adaptor 22 that connects to a hose 30. In addition, while a hose 30 is the preferred means of connecting to the adapter 22, it may be advantageous, as depicted in FIG. 4, to utilize a manifold 28 that connects multiple conduits 20 and provides a single manifold adapter 29. It will be appreciated by one of skill in the art that the manifold 28 may be connected via the adapters 22 located on the conduits 20. Alternatively, the manifold 28 may be connected directly to the conduits 20, removing the need for the adapters 22.

[0028] As depicted in FIG. 5, the present invention encompasses conduits 120 arranged in multiple directions within the porous concrete slab 110. For example, a second embodiment of a porous concrete system 200 of the present invention includes conduits 120 arranged in a grid pattern. Such an arrangement can be advantageous for several reasons. For example, the increased density of conduits 120 will increase the surface area where air steam or water may be forced into the porous concrete slab 110 for cleaning, heating or drying. In addition, this arrangement enables captured stormwater to efficiently travel in multiple directions across the horizontal plane of the porous concrete slab 110.

[0029] Turning to FIG. 6, a third embodiment of a porous concrete system 300 is depicted. In the porous concrete system 300, multiple porous concrete slabs 310 are arranged next to each other such that the conduits 320 of neighboring porous concrete slabs 310 are adjacent. Once positioned, the adjacent conduits 320 may be connected. As shown in the detail view depicted in FIG. 7, the conduits 310 are connected via a connector 326. The connector 326 is any connector known in the art. In addition, the connector may be an adapter 322, or the connector 326 may be a separate component so long as the connector 326 connects the adjacent conduits 320. Depending on the desired direction of flushing and debris clearing, one side of the conduits 320 may have inlet valves for receiving air or water while another end of the conduits may have outlet valves or be pluggable with a suitable cap 23.

[0030] Turning to FIG. 8, another embodiment of a porous concrete system 400 utilizes conduits 420 that are solid and not perforated. The conduits 420 can connect to an external source of heated water or steam in the same manner as the embodiments discussed previously and convey heat throughout the porous concrete slab 410 in order to dry the porous concrete slab 410 or to warm the porous concrete slab 410 during freezing conditions. Alternatively, the conduits 420 can be utilized as containers to hold specific compounds known to assist in the process of heating and cooling the porous concrete slab 410. For example, the conduits 420 may be filled with paraffin oil. While the conduits 420 are depicted with adapters 422 on both ends, one will appreciate that as described for the previously discussed embodiments, each conduit 420 may have only one adapter 422 or two or more conduits 420 may be connected to each other and share one or more common adapters 422.

[0031] It is noted that the foregoing examples have been provided merely for the purpose of explanation and are in no way to be construed as limiting of the present invention. While the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is understood that the words, which have been used herein, are words of description and illustration, rather than words of limitation. Changes may be made, within the purview of the appended claims, as presently stated and as amended, without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention in its aspects. Although the present invention has been described herein with reference to particular means, materials and embodiments, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the particulars disclosed herein; rather, the present invention extends to all functionally equivalent structures, methods and uses, such as are within the scope of the appended claims.