Hydraulic and earth engineering – Bank – shore – or bed protection – Revetment
Patent
1981-07-08
1983-10-04
Taylor, Dennis L.
Hydraulic and earth engineering
Bank, shore, or bed protection
Revetment
405157, 405 16, E02B 312
Patent
active
044076061
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The invention relates to the forming and installing of a ballasted mat for stabilization of the ground. Typical applications of the invention are: Prevention or control of scour along submarine pipelines and also ballasting of these, shore and river bank protection, prevention of shoaling up of navigational channels, stabilization of the ground under roads, prevention of land slides, and the like.
BACKGROUND ART
Several means have been devised for fixing the soil or for covering it. However, these present solutions often are of relatively high cost and are somewhat complex in construction while not always giving the desired protective results.
For anchoring of underwater pipelines a continuous dumbbell tube system is disclosed by the Murphy U.S. Pat. No. 3,779,027. However, this tube system extends only a short distance away from the pipeline and thereby has too narrow width to prevent undermining of the pipeline. Furthermore, the filling of the tubular envelope with ballast material takes place after the tubular envelope has been installed over the pipeline. This method of filling which does not utilize gravity cannot and is not supposed to totally fill out the cross-section of the tube.
Similar disadvantages has the Keith U.S. Pat. No. 3,793,845.
Another existing, so called Gabion system is used for shore protection, harbour construction, road construction, and the like. The area to be stabilized is covered with separate side-by-side boxes of wire mesh which are filled manually with stones. Because of the large required volume of stones and the extensive use of labour work involved, this system is very expensive.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for producing and laying a ballasted mat for ground stabilization which will overcome the inherent limitations and disadvantages of the known prior systems.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a ballasted mat having an economical cost per unit area factor.
Depending on the purpose of the mat, the mat-producing machine is mounted either on a vehicle, e g supplied with caterpillars fit for moving on land, or on a surface vessel or on a platform supplied with movable legs by means of which the platform can "walk", or on a underwater vehicle, e g supported on and driven forward by longitudinally extending rotating tubes supplied with screw threads on their outer surfaces.
The sheet material used for forming the mat preferably is provided in two opposite rolls, each having the proper width, or alternatively, in more, shorter rolls. The material from either roll is fed through a system of parallel, adjacent rollers which spread out the sheets and by means of brakes control the speed of laying the mat.
A certain distance below the last roller which either sheet passes over, the sheet is seamed together with the other sheet by means of a row of horizontally spaced seaming devices. Hereby a continuous mat containing vertical parallel compartments like those of a ribbed eider down is formed.
Particulate matter forming ballast is simultaneously fed through pipes or hoses between the seaming devices into the compartments of the mat. The lower ends of the hoses or pipes are below the seaming devices, but above the ground, so that the weight of the ballast continuously pulls the mat down to the ground, as the mat-forming machine is continuously advanced.
At the completion of the section of mat, the compartments of the mat are closed by seaming crosswise the end of the section in a horizontal line below the lower ends of the hoses or pipes. A parallel seam a little distance above this first seam is produced to close the foremost end of the next section of mat to be produced, and finally the mat is cut between the two seams.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
While the fields of application of the present invention cover uses above as well as under water, a full and complete understanding of the invention may be had by reference to the description of preferred em
REFERENCES:
patent: 1956967 (1934-05-01), Upson
patent: 4077222 (1978-03-01), Larsen
patent: 4338043 (1982-07-01), Biancale et al.
Gungor John A.
Taylor Dennis L.
LandOfFree
Method and apparatus for producing and laying a ballasted mat fo does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Method and apparatus for producing and laying a ballasted mat fo, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Method and apparatus for producing and laying a ballasted mat fo will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-971538