GB2243342A

GB2243342A - Weed controlling boom

Info

Publication number: GB2243342A
Application number: GB9005631A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Hugh Robert Asquith Fish
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1990-03-13
Filing date: 1990-03-13
Publication date: 1991-10-30
Also published as: GB9005631D0

Abstract

A floating boom assembly constructed by the connection together in lines of used rubber vehicular tyres. At least 3 lines are further connected together laterally to provide stability in the water. Flotation bags are provided in the top half of the tyres. A continuous skirt of flexible material is provided against the inner line of tyres so that at water surface level there exists a barrier to the passage of floating weed, debris and oil. The skirt is attached to the inner line in such a way as to lie on alternate sides of consecutive tyres making up the inner line. <IMAGE>

Description

A method of maintaining clear channels in weed infested waterways.

waterways.

This invention relates to floating containment booms.

In the tropics the occurance of infestations of water hyacinth is increasing at an alarming rate. This weed eventually covers entire watercourses, causing enormous inconvenience to communities relying on the watercourse for communication and food.

Current methods of control are not effective. One method involves the 'harvesting' of the weed by boat and mechanical grab depositing the weed onto a barge for disposal on land. This is laborious and time consuming, and hundreds of such units are required to keep pace with growth of the weed. Another system is a crude fence of mesh attached to poles set in the bed the watercourse, which holds back the weed, and maintains a clear route for local boats.

This invention is based upon a floating assembly. of sufficient strength to hold back large areas of hyacinth despite the considerable pressures applied to it from tide, currents and particularly wind. Other requirements of such an assembly or restraining boom are cheapness and availablity in third-world countries.

The invention is shown on Sketches A and B attached. The raw materials are used rubber tyres of approximately equal diameter, buoyancy material, connecting rods or chains and second-hand conveyor belt, all of which are generally easily available, if not plentiful, even in Africa. The tyres are held together in long lengths in such a way as to provide at least 3 interconnected parallel lines of tyres with the centres of the tyres offset form each other as shown, using metal rods, in this embodiment in the shape of closed U-rods, or chains. As weed would escape through the central hole in the tyres, it is necessary to provide a curtain along the length of the boom, in this embodiment a 'fence' of conveyor belt.Whilst other sheet materials such as PVC or canvas could be used the conveyor belt is inherently very tough and acts as additional resistance aginst tension should the forces on the boom in the water prove excessive. As the conveyor belt is quite rigid in the vertical plane, the assembly would become unstable in rough water, and therefore it is arranged to take up a wave-like shape (in plan), so that it is sufficiently flexible to ride a swell.

The location of the buoyancy material is critical in maintaining the orientation of the assembly in the water. It is usual to pack the upper part of each tyre with shaped rigid polystyrene pieces or other extremely buoyant materials, so that the tyres naturally sit in the water, once connected together into at least 3 parallel lines, in the same orientation as they would if attached to a road vehicle.

It is envisaged that considerable lengths of boom can be built at the site of infestation, and if two parallel lines of boom assembly are laid and then parted, a clear passage of water can be obtained, which can be kept free of fresh weed infestation with much less effort than the entire width of infested watercourse.

It is envisages that this design of boom can also be utilised to contain floating oil and other debris and can be used for protecting cooling-water intakes for industry.

Claims

1. A floating assembly made up of a series of used rubber tyres filled or partially filled with buoyancy material connected together to form a minimum of 3 interconnected parallel lines of tyres, so orientated that two longitudinal gaps exist between the lines of tyres, the tyres arranged to sit in the water in the same plane as they would be if attached to a road vehicle, by the positioning of the buoyancy material within each tyre.

2. As 1, with a curtain of material at water level effectively preventing the passage of debris, weed, oil, through the holes in the centres of the tyres, located in the gap between two of the parallel lines of tyres

3. As 1 & 2 above, with the tyres' centres offset, and with the curtain of material interwoven with the tyres so as to take up the shape of a wave in plan, alternating its location between the two gaps between the three lines of tyres.

4. As 3 above but with any number of parallel lines of tyres (n) with therefore (n-l) longituninal gaps between them, with the tyres' centres offset and with the curtain taking up a more complicated wave shape by interweaving between any or all of the (n-l) gaps, along the length of the assembly.