Hydraulic and earth engineering – Bank – shore – or bed protection – Revetment
Reexamination Certificate
2001-02-05
2002-12-10
Basinger, Sherman (Department: 3617)
Hydraulic and earth engineering
Bank, shore, or bed protection
Revetment
C014S028000, C014S073000, C405S017000, C405S023000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06491473
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This application pertains to precast concrete structures of various sizes and shapes which are suitable for installation as integrated systems to form seawalls and various shoreline reinforcement systems for limiting shoreline erosion by rivers, lakes, oceans, sounds and other major bodies of water, as well as terrestrial structures for terracing, dams, bridges, buildings, etc.
2. The patent referred to above provides a summary of relevant prior art. While many techniques have been developed for reinforcing shorelines, as described in that patent and various publications of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, there is still considerable room for improvement. Applicant's company Seament Shoreline Systems, Inc. of Virginia and its subcontractors have completed many shoreline installations using the components and methods disclosed in the above patent. The Corps of Engineers publication “LOW COST SHORE PROTECTION . . . a Property Owner's Guide” discloses at page 154 the use of precast open concrete boxes filled with sand to form waterfront sills to retain perched beaches. U.S. Pat. No. 5,697,736 discloses in columns 8-9 the use of precast concrete boxes as alternatives to Double “T” units (discussed below) for constructing pier-groins extending seaward from a seawall and for use in forming underwater and near-shore) breakwaters. Columns 12-13 and
FIGS. 20
to
25
discuss the use of such concrete boxes to form floating pier assemblies.
Catalogs of Admiral Marine Co. (Staten Island, N.Y., New Orleans, Oakland, Calif. and Chicago) and Peck & Hale (West Sayville, N.Y. and Kowloon, HONG KONG) disclose various metal fastening devices which could be employed to connect certain components of the present invention to form structures.
Changing weather patterns and rising sea levels have increased the risk of shoreline damage from hurricanes and other storms, while environmental and zoning laws in many cases make it very difficult to rebuild shoreline structures which are destroyed or damaged. Accordingly, it is prudent for both private owners and governmental bodies to take timely steps to protect waterfront installations from foreseeable damage. Normally, large stone rip-rap revetments, groins or breakwaters have been used for such protection. However, these methods require that a large total mass of materials be transported to the site. Such rocks are difficult to handle, cannot be interconnected or floated into place and are not easily relocatable. Furthermmore, such rocks are not amenable to intermodal transport or use in a modular system.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide easily transportable construction components which can be used to control shoreline erosion. As another object, such components should be provided in sizes, shapes and proportions which are compatible with existing trucks, railcars and maritime transportation modes as well as adapted to existing materials handling equipment. As a further object, the components should be transportable in segments so that they can be moved into positions for installation through crowded beachfront areas, by land, water or aircraft such as heavy lift helicopters, blimps or dirigibles.
Another object of the invention is to provide such construction components as partially-closed containers which are light in weight but can be filled with available liquid or solid materials at the installation site to substantially increase their mass at little cost. A further object of the invention is to provide construction components which can be filled with solids, gases or liquids to increase their masses when installed as part of a structure, simultaneously serving as sealed storage containers for such materials for later use.
An additional object of the invention is to provide construction components which have the largest masses practicable when filled with ballasting material and installed to form structures. Maximizing the mass of such components is desirable to equip the structures to resist the large forces generated by storm waves, currents, floods, mudslides, earthquakes and other natural disasters. Such maximizing of mass can have similar applications in combat engineering, where enemy artillery, bombardment and demolitions may be encountered. The underlying physical principle is expressed by the equation F=ma, i.e. force equals mass times acceleration. The forces generated by mudslides, floods, hurricanes and large storm waves, currents, etc. can be very strong. (See calculations in columns 17-20 of the patent referred to above.) However, if the resisting mass of an object is very large (especially in comparison to the surface area against which water pressure is exerted), the resulting acceleration of the object in response to a large force can be relatively small.
Thus, it is an object of the invention to provide construction components which have ratios of surface areas and installed masses to successfully resist the forces which can be reasonably foreseen for the installation area. A further object is to provide such components which can be connected together when installed to form a structure, thus providing very massive structures which will successfully resist the worst forces of nature with very little acceleration response or damage.
Still another object of the invention is to provide intermodal sets of precast concrete boxes which can be used as construction components for various civil, marine, commercial or military construction projects. Such components could be connected together to form causeways, fixed or floating bridges, dams, drilling rigs, floating or fixed airport runways or helicopter pads, temporary or permanent shipping ports, temporary military or naval facilities, “container ships”, relocatable modular waterfront structures such as houses, and many other applications.
Another object of the invention is to employ recyled materials in the concrete mix where possible to reduce material costs as well as to help protect the environment. For example, fly ash from power plants can be successfully used in various concrete mixtures for casting the construction components. Used tires can be used as gasket or cushioning material to be placed between the precast constructions components in some installations.
Still another object of the invention is to provide methods of installing precast concrete boxes in underwater positions by transporting them on floating vessels and/or floating them into approximate position and sinking them into their final installed positions. A related object is to provide vessels which are suitable for transporting such boxes, either as deck cargo or as a floating component of the vessel itself.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide shellfish habitats based upon precast concrete boxes which will allow shellfish to grow in underwater areas separated from pollution or silting and facilitate convenient and effective harvesting of the mature shellfish.
In accordance with the present invention, improved versions of the L-members of the previous patent (having vertical walls, horizontal footers, vertical keys protruding below the footers and an angular splash plate protruding from the member directly opposite the footer), with at least one substantially vertical passage penetrating the splash plate and key, with an upper inlet and a lower outlet to facilitate setting the L-members in place by use of fluids comprising water under pressure emerging from the lower inlets of the passages. These L-members can be further improved by adding accessories including:
a) precast concrete components comprising channels adapted to form a cap atop the vertical wall portion of an L-member and mechanically attached thereto, and sections extending horizontally from the channels when the cap is in place, forming horizontal support surfaces substantially perpendicular to the vertical wall portion;
b) precast concrete components which are fastened to the upper surfaces of the horizontal sections describ
Basinger Sherman
Poole, Esq. James K.
LandOfFree
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