Hydraulic and earth engineering – Fluid control – treatment – or containment – Flow control
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-20
2001-01-30
Lillis, Eileen D. (Department: 3673)
Hydraulic and earth engineering
Fluid control, treatment, or containment
Flow control
C405S107000, C405S091000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06179521
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a flexible membrane inflating structural body such as a flexible membrane dam, which is provided on a bed of a waterway and is used as a dam (or a weir or a barrage), a wave absorbing dike, or the like, and further relates to a mounting metal fitting used in the flexible membrane inflating structural body to mount a flexible membrane onto a structure.
2. Description of the Related Art
For example, a flexible membrane dam used for a river is constructed in such a manner that a portion of a flexible membrane in the vicinity of an outer peripheral edge thereof, which flexible membrane is formed as an elongated planar sheet by vulcanization and integrally with an elastic body such as rubber, is mounted onto a structure (for example, a river bed and the side slopes thereof) by using a mounting metal fitting. This flexible membrane dam functions in a state in which it is expanded into a three-dimensional configuration by air being supplied to an interior of the flexible membrane.
A conventional mounting metal fitting used for a flexible membrane weir will be hereinafter described with reference to
FIGS. 15
to
18
.
A conventional mounting metal fitting
100
shown in
FIG. 15
is comprised of a lower pressing metal fitting
104
provided in a lower structure
102
such as concrete, and an upper pressing metal fitting
110
which, together with the lower pressing metal fitting
104
, sandwiches flexible membranes
106
and
108
. Portions of the flexible membranes
106
and
108
in the vicinities of the outer peripheral edges thereof are fixed between the lower pressing metal fitting
104
and the upper pressing metal fitting
110
by fastening a nut
114
which is screwed on an anchor bolt
112
provided at the lower structure
102
.
Convex portions
116
are formed in the lower pressing metal fitting
104
at both sides of the anchor bolt
112
in the transverse direction of the lower pressing metal fitting
104
. Convex portions
118
are formed in the upper pressing metal fitting
110
at both sides of the anchor bolt
112
in the transverse direction of the upper pressing metal fitting
110
. A convex portion
119
is formed in the upper pressing metal fitting
110
at the center thereof in the transverse direction. The flexible membranes
106
and
108
are bent by the convex portions
116
, the convex portions
118
, and the convex portion
119
.
A conventional mounting metal fitting
120
shown in
FIG. 16
includes a lower pressing metal fitting
122
and an upper pressing metal fitting
124
. By screwing a bolt
128
into an anchor
126
embedded in the lower structure
102
, portions of the flexible membranes
106
and
108
in the vicinities of the outer peripheral edges thereof are fixed between the lower pressing metal fitting
122
and the upper pressing metal fitting
124
.
A convex portion
130
formed by a round bar is fixed to the lower pressing metal fitting
122
at a position further toward the main body of the flexible membrane weir than the bolt
128
(i.e., at the side of the bolt
128
in the direction opposite to the direction indicated by arrow E). A convex portion
132
is formed in the upper pressing metal fitting
124
at a position further toward the main body of the flexible membrane weir than the convex portion
130
. The flexible membranes
106
and
108
are held in a state of being bent by the convex portion
130
and the convex portion
132
.
In addition to the mounting metal fitting
100
and the mounting metal fitting
120
, there is also a mounting metal fitting
140
shown in FIG.
17
. The mounting metal fitting
140
includes a lower pressing metal fitting
142
and an upper pressing metal fitting
144
. Portions of flexible membranes
106
and
108
in the vicinities of the outer peripheral edges thereof are fixed between the lower pressing metal fitting
142
and the upper pressing metal fitting
144
by fastening a nut
144
screwed on an anchor bolt
112
provided at the lower structure
102
. As shown in FIG.
18
A and
FIG. 18B
, a plurality of convex portions
146
are formed in the lower pressing metal fitting
142
at intervals, and a plurality of convex portions
148
are formed in the upper pressing metal fitting
144
at intervals. The flexible membranes
106
and
108
are held in a state of being bent by the plurality of convex portions
146
and the plurality of convex portions
148
.
In all of the convex portions formed in the conventional mounting metal fitting
100
and in the conventional mounting metal fitting
120
, the radius of curvature of the top portion thereof is set to be large. When two or more convex portions are provided in each mounting metal fitting, the respective tops of all of the convex portions are each set at the substantially same radius of curvature.
For this reason, if a tension f acting on the flexible membrane
108
due to expansion increases, the flexible membranes
106
and
108
cannot be supported by the mounting metal fitting. Accordingly, there is a problem in that even if the fastening force is increased, the entire flexible membranes
106
and
108
move slidingly.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been devised as a result of examination in order to solve the above-described problem found in the conventional techniques, and an object thereof is to provide a mounting metal fitting which can reliably fix a flexible membrane on which a large tensile force acts, and further provide a flexible membrane inflating structural body in which a flexible membrane can reliably be held by the mounting metal fitting even if a large tensile force acts on the flexible membrane.
The present invention is a mounting metal fitting used for a flexible membrane inflating structural body which is erected by supplying a fluid to an interior of a flexible membrane and which is deflated by discharging the fluid within the flexible membrane, the mounting metal fitting including a first metal fitting disposed at a side of a structure at which the flexible membrane inflating structural body is provided and contacting one surface of the flexible membrane, and further including a second metal fitting contacting another surface of the flexible membrane, and together with the first metal fitting, sandwiching a portion of the flexible membrane in the vicinity of an outer peripheral edge thereof by a fixing means, wherein at least one convex portion is provided in each of the first and second metal fittings so as to bend the flexible membrane while the flexible membrane is being held, and corner portions of an end portion of the convex portion are chamfered so as to form a radius of curvature, and respective radii of curvature of the chamfered corner portions are set so as to be gradually made smaller toward the outer peripheral edge of the flexible membrane.
Operation of the mounting metal fitting according to the present invention will be described hereinafter.
When a fluid such as air, water and both water and air is supplied to an interior of the flexible membrane inflating structural body, the flexible membrane expands and a tension acts thereon. The tension acts, in the vicinity of the outer peripheral edge of the flexible membrane, in a direction which crosses the outer peripheral edge.
A portion of the flexible membrane held between the first and second metal fittings in the vicinity of the outer peripheral edge is bent by convex portions formed in the first and second metal fittings, and frictional force to the metal fittings is increased.
Here, cramping force which holds the flexible membrane using the first and second metal fittings is determined by equilibrium of the tension acting on the flexible membrane and the frictional force produced by the first and second metal fittings. At the side of a main body of the flexible membrane inflating structural body, the tension generated when the flexible membrane inflating structural body expands acts in such a direction as to open the first and second metal fitting
Muramatsu Tateo
Naito Shoji
Sato Yoshihiro
Tagomori Satoshi
Bridgestone Corporation
Lillis Eileen D.
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
Pechhold Alexandra K.
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