GB2551607A

GB2551607A - Flood defence

Info

Publication number: GB2551607A
Application number: GB1704726.7A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Dukes Paul
Original assignee: Drumco Ltd
Current assignee: Drumco Ltd
Priority date: 2016-05-20
Filing date: 2017-03-24
Publication date: 2017-12-27
Also published as: GB201704726D0

Abstract

The present invention relates to flood defences 10, in particular flood defences with a foot 16 removable from a footing such as an inflatable foot or a keder system that anchors the flood defence into a trench 20 having a restricted aperture 22, for example a drain channel. The barrier also comprises a waist portion 14 and a barrier portion 12. The barrier portion and the waist portions may comprise one or more inflatable airbags. A later embodiment relates to a water drain comprising a channel for draining water and a trench suitable for restraining a keder wherein the keder is inside the channel or associated with the outside of the channel.

Description

Flood Defence

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to flood defences, in particular flood defences with a foot removable from a footing such as an inflatable foot or a keder system that anchors the flood defence into a trench, for example a drain channel during use.

Background to the Invention

Conventional flood defences are produced from rigid materials such as concrete or particulate materials such as soil, sand and stone. Such defences are permanent in nature and take up a large volume. They are also time consuming to build so they are either permanent structures erected on site, or, if prefabricated, cannot be deployed quickly in an emergency due to their size and weight. Also some of these structures are susceptible to erosion by flowing flood water. Inflatable flood defences have been proposed in the prior art to protect buildings from flooding. Examples include inflatable flood defences that are set in a concrete footing that prevents them from floating away in a flood but prevents the flood defence barrier from being removed from position when there is not a flood. Another example is an inflatable barrier that is not anchored to the ground but has a skirt that lays on the ground and is kept in place by floodwater on top of it. However, these are not particularly strong since water is liable to get under the skirt and cause the barrier to lift up.

It is therefore desirable to provide a robust flood defence or water dam which is inflatable and can be removed from the site and yet has a strong footing to keep it in place during a flood. Such a flood defence can then be deployed quickly, where needed, and removed after use.

Summary of the Invention

According to a first aspect of the invention a flood defence comprises a foot portion joined to a barrier portion by a waist portion. The foot portion is adapted to reversibly anchor the flood defence in a suitable trench having a restricted aperture. The foot portion may comprise an airbag that can be inflated to anchor the foot portion in a trench with restricted aperture. The foot portion may comprise a keder that can be anchored into a keder trench with a restricted aperture.

The trench may be sunk into the ground or may be formed above ground in a suitable material for example, concrete, aluminium extrusion, steel channel, a pre-cast plastic or similar. The trench may have a restricted aperture such that cross section at the upper part of the trench is narrower than the cross section lower in the trench. The trench may have a circular, square, rectangular or other cross section provided that the aperture has a smaller cross section compared to the cross section of a lower portion of the trench. The trench may be built expressly to hold the flood defence or the trench may be an existing trench, for example a drainage trench/channel. The trench may be a trench having suitable dimensions to hold a keder. The trench may have a dual purpose for example being a drainage trench and also be suitable for holding the flood defence in place. The trench may be a water drain known in the art. The water drain may comprise a keder trench, for example inside the water drain channel or associated with the water drain outside of the drain channel. The trench may have a removable cover or grill covering the restricted aperture when not in use with the flood defence to prevent debris from falling into the trench.

The trench may be any length provided that it is long enough to hold the flood barrier in place. The cross section of the trench at the widest part may be between 2 and 400 mm, between 40 and 500 mm, between 50 and 100 mm. The cross section of the drain at the restricted aperture may be between 10 and 400 mm or between 10 and 80 mm provided that the cross section of the restricted aperture is at least 10, at least 20, at least 30, at least 40, at least 50, at least 60, at least 70, at least 80, at least 90, at least 100, at least 150, at least 200, at least 300, at least 400 mm smaller than the cross section of the widest part of the drain. Where the trench is a trench adapted to hold a keder the cross section of the trench may be between 2mm and 30mm, between 5mm and 20mm. The keder trench may have a restricted aperture that is 1mm to 10 mm smaller than the widest part of the trench.

The restricted aperture may have a cross section that is small enough relative to the widest part of the trench to keep the foot portion of the flood defence in place.

The cross section of the restricted aperture may be less than 10%, less than 20%, less than 30%, less than 40%, less than 50%, less than 60%, less than 70%, less than 80% of the cross section of the widest part of the drain.

The size of the flood defence, air bags and trench, the width of the trench and restricted aperture and the air pressure that the air bags can be inflated to may be determined by the skilled person so that they provide a flood defence where the foot of the flood defence may be inserted into the trench when deflated, the restricted aperture is narrow enough to keep the foot of the flood defence inside the trench and the barrier portion is high enough and has enough air pressure to form a useful barrier against the expected amount and depth of flood water.

The foot portion of the flood defence may comprise a keder and the trench may be a trench suitable for retaining a keder. A keder is a retaining mechanism where a portion of flexible fabric is folded around a linear core and sewn or welded back on itself to provide a linear thickened portion. The core may be, for example a rope or flexible plastic rod or a wooden or metal rod. The linear thickened portion may be slid into a trench that has a restricted aperture such that the thickened portion retains the fabric in the trench. The core may be a suitable diameter to retain the fabric in the trench. The trench may be made of plastic or metal with a diameter suitable to accommodate the keder and a restricted aperture of smaller diameter than the keder so that the keder is retained in the trench.

The foot portion of the flood defence may comprise a keder and/or an inflatable air bag. The foot portion of the flood defence may consist of a keder or an inflatable air bag. The waist portion of the flood defence may be the portion of the keder where the fabric is stitched or bonded to itself.

The foot portion of the flood defence may comprise or consist of an inflatable air bag and/ or keder. The foot portion of the flood defence may be inserted into the trench in a deflated condition and then inflated. Once the air bag in the foot portion is inflated it has a cross section that is wider than the restricted aperture of the trench that it is intended to be used with and therefore cannot slide out of the trench. A flood defence may comprise a foot portion that has both an inflatable air bag and a keder wherein the inflatable air bag can be retained in a trench of suitable dimensions to retain the inflatable air bag and the keder may be retained in a second trench having suitable dimensions to retain a keder.

The waist portion of the flood defence is of a suitable size to fit inside the restricted aperture of the trench and hence the waist portion is able to link the foot portion inside the trench with the barrier portion outside the trench. The waist portion may comprise or consist of an inflatable airbag. The airbag may be a discrete airbag or may be a continuation of an airbag of the foot portion and/or the barrier portion.

The barrier portion may be any barrier that is able to retain water and be linked to the foot portion through the waist portion. In one embodiment the barrier portion may comprise or consist of one or more inflatable airbags. The flood defence may comprise a single inflatable airbag that has a foot portion a waist portion and barrier portion that are continuous so that air can flow from one to another. The single inflatable airbag may be shaped such that, when inflated, the foot portion fits inside a trench at the intended site but is wider than the restricted aperture so that the foot portion may be retained in the trench, the waist portion is of suitable size to fit through the restricted aperture of the trench and the barrier portion is suitable to retain water. An advantage of a flood defence comprising a single inflatable airbag is that it can be placed in position in the trench and then inflated through a valve. The flood defence may comprise more than one separate airbag, for example the foot portion may comprise one airbag and the barrier portion may comprise one or more separate airbags. The barrier portion may comprise a series of airbags one above the other with seam welded sections in between them. A plurality of flood defences may be joined adjacent to each other along the ends of the barrier portions and/or the foot portions to form a longer flood defence.

The barrier portion of the flood defence may be any suitable height depending on the depth of flood water expected in the location where the flood defence will be used. For example the barrier portion may be between 0.2 and 5 meters high. The barrier portion may be at least 0.2 meters high.

The air bags in the flood defence may be made of any suitable material that is able to hold air and strong enough to resist damage and retain the foot portion in the trench during flood conditions when flood water imparts force on the flood barrier. The air bags may comprise or consist of polyvinyl chloride (PVC).

Suitably the or each air bag may be formed from so-called PVC material. Said PVC material may have a backing of woven polyester fibers with a surface layer of a blend of polyvinyl chloride and polyurethane. When inflated with air, the chamber formed from PVC material produces a rigid structure. In one embodiment a chained series of chambers is employed having a sheet material join between adjacent chambers, acting as a hinge and/or a water seal between adjacent chambers. A PVC material is flexible enough to be wrapped around a core and stitched or bonded to itself to form a keder.

In addition to airbags the flood defence may comprise one or more further coverings, waterproof layers, valves, solid sections, seals and/or fixings as required to allow it to function as a flood defence in the situation required.

In a second aspect the present invention provides a flood defence system comprising a flood barrier as described herein and a trench as described herein that are arranged and sized to co-operate with each other.

The flood defence and/or flood defence system may further comprise any one or more features of the embodiments of the invention which are shown by way of example only in the accompanying drawings as will now be described.

Figure 1 is a cross section view of a prototype of an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a trench suitable for locating a flood defence according to some embodiments of the present invention. This is a channel drainage system with a removable grill that prevents debris from falling into the drain. The removable grill is shown in place covering the drain.

Figure 3 is a section view of several example embodiments of the present invention showing several different embodiments of flood defences of the present invention with examples d) and e) in place in trenches,

Figure 4 is a section view of several different trenches that could be used to locate flood defences of the present invention.

Figure 5 Shows a cross section view of an embodiment of a water drain that may be used in the present invention, showing a drain with a grill coving the restricted aperture of the trench.

Figure 6 shows a cross section of a trench of the present invention with a flood defense in place. An inflatable foot portion of the flood defence can be seen in the trench with the waist portion within the restricted aperture and the barrier portion inflated.

Figure 7 shows a cross section of a trench of the present invention having a trench that it able to act as a drainage channel and a trench that can retain a keder. Part of the foot portion comprising an inflatable air bag can be seen in the trench that is able to act as a drainage channel and a part of the foot that comprises a keder may be seen in the trench that is adapted to retain a keder. A grill stops debris from falling into the water channel when a flood defence is not in situ in the channel.

Figure 8 shows a cross section of a water drain comprising a channel suitable for draining water, that can act as a trench to retain an inflatable airbag in the foot of a flood defence and a trench associated with the drainage channel that is suitable for retaining a keder.

Figure 9a shows a cross section of a water drain comprising a channel suitable for draining water and a separate trench, outside of the water drainage channel, that can act as a trench that can retain the foot of a flood barrier where the foot portion of the flood barrier comprises an inflatable airbag of a suitable size to fit inside the trench. Figure 9b shows a cross section of the water drain of figure 9a with an inflatable barrier in place, the air bag in the foot of the flood defence is inflated inside the trench.

Figure 10a shows a cross section view of a water drain comprising a channel suitable for draining water and a separate trench suitable for retaining a keder outside of the water drainage channel that can retain the foot of a flood barrier where the foot portion of the flood barrier comprises a keder. Figure 10b shows a cross section of the water drain of figure 10a with an inflatable barrier in place. The foot portion of the flood barrier comprises a keder which is retained inside the trench.

Figure 11a shows a cross section view of a flood defence system comprising channel suitable for containing an inflatable flood barrier with a trap door covering the aperture of the trench. The flood barrier comprises a foot portion comprising a keder and the trench that is adapted to retain the keder. An air canister is attached to the air bag in the barrier portion of the flood barrier to inflate the flood barrier when required. The flood defence can be stored in situ in the channel attached to the keder trench but as a keder and keder trench is a reversible fixing, the barrier can be easily removed from the keder trench and repaired, replaced or stored at a different site. Figure lib shows a cross section view of the flood defence system shown in figure 11a with the flood barrier deployed. The air bag in the barrier portion of the flood defence is filled with air and the flood defence expands out of the channel pushing open the trap doors. The flood barrier is retained in the channel by the keder in the foot of the flood barrier, which is retained in the keder trench.

Description of the Preferred Embodiments

Referring to figure 1, the flood defence may comprise a Referring to figure 2

Referring to figure 3, the flood defence 10 may comprise a barrier portion 12, a waist portion 14 and a foot portion 16. The barrier portion 12 may comprise a single airbag as shown in a), b) and e) or multiple airbags ash shown in c) and d). The airbags may be continuous with each other so that air can flow between them or be separated from each other so that each can be inflated individually. The height of the flood barrier portion may be suitable to the expected depth of flood water, for example between 20 cm and 5 meters. Alternatively the barrier portion may be made of solid material and not comprise any airbags.

The waist portion 14 should have a cross section that is narrower than that of the foot portion 16. The neck portion 14 may comprise one or more airbags or may not comprise an airbag as shown in view b). The airbag in the waist portion 14 may be continuous with the airbags in the barrier portion 12 and/or the foot portion 16.

The foot portion 16 comprises or consists of one or more airbags. When the airbags are deflated the foot portion is small enough to pass through the restricted aperture of the trench but when the airbags are pressurized by inflation the foot portion 16 is too large to fit through the restricted aperture and is anchored in the trench. The trench is not big enough for the barrier portion to fit inside so the waist portion sits within the restricted aperture and connects the foot portion inside the trench to the barrier portion outside the trench.

The flood defence may be arranged to be anchored in a trench 20 as shown in views d) and e). The trench 20 may have a restricted aperture that has a cross section that is less than the cross section of the lower part of the trench so that the foot 16 of the flood defence is too wide to pass through the restricted aperture 22 when the airbag in the foot portion is inflated. The restricted aperture 22 is wide enough for the waist portion 14 of the flood defence to pass through. The trench 20 may have a flap, cover or grating 24 that can be located over the aperture 22 to prevent debris from entering when the trench is not in use with a flood defence. The flap, cover or grating 24 may be completely removable or may have a hinge that allows it to be opened but remain attached to the trench.

Referring to figure 4, the trench 20 may be constructed below ground level 26 by digging into the ground and optionally lining the trench with a material such as concrete or metal to prevent the trench from collapsing. Alternatively an commercially available drain system may be used. The trench 20 may be constructed above ground level, either by constructing a hill or ridge 28 and setting the trench into it as shown in b) or by setting a trench into a heavy material such as concrete 30 as shown in c). Option c) is advantageous because it creates a footing that can be moved to different locations. Options a) and b) are advantageous because the trench is durably in place and may have other uses when not used to anchor a flood defence.

In use, the trench may be constructed next to the wall of a building and the barrier portion of the flood defence may, when inflated, rest against the wall preventing water from reaching the wall or entering doors or windows.

Referring to figure 5 the trench may be a water drain 40 having a grill coving the restricted aperture 42 of the trench. The grill may be removable and have locating pins 42 or other locating system to enable the grill to be located across the restricted aperture of the trench. The drain may be set into concrete or other materials. The grill 41 stops debris from falling into the water channel 40 when a flood defence is not in situ in the channel.

Figure 6 shows a cross section of a trench 40 of the same type as shown in figure 5 but with a flood defence 43 in place in the trench. An inflatable foot portion 44 of the flood defence 43 can be seen in the trench with the waist portion 45 within the restricted aperture 42 and the barrier portion 46 inflated.

Figure 7 shows a cross section of an embodiment of the present invention having two trenches 40 and 47. A first trench 40 is able to act as a drainage channel and a second trench 47 that is a suitable size to retain a keder 48. The flood defence has two foot portions 44 and 48. A first foot portion comprises an inflatable air bag 44, which fits inside a first trench 40 and is retained inside the first trench by a restricted aperture 42 of the first trench. The first trench is of a suitable size to act as a drainage channel for water and has a restricted aperture 42 that retains the foot portion in the trench 40. A second foot portion 48 that comprises a keder 48 and is retained inside a second trench 47 that is a suitable size to accommodate a keder and has a restricted aperture 49 to retain the Keder48.

Figure 8 a water drain adapted to hold a flood defence having a foot portion comprising an air bag, which fits inside the water channel 40 and/or a foot portion comprising a keder, which fits in the keder chanel 47. The water channel 40 is suitable for draining water, and can act as a trench to retain an inflatable airbag in the foot of a flood defence. The second trench 47 associated with the drainage channel is suitable for retaining a keder.

Figure 9a shows a cross section of a water drain comprising a channel suitable for draining water 40 and a separate trench 50, outside of the water drainage channel 40, that can act as a trench that can retain the foot of a flood barrier where the foot portion of the flood barrier comprises an inflatable airbag of a suitable size to fit inside the trench. Figure 9b shows a cross section of the water drain of figure 9a with an inflatable barrier 53 in place, the air bag 51in the foot portion of the flood defence is inflated inside the trench50 and retained in place in the trench by the restricted aperture 52 of the trench.

Figure 11a shows a cross section view of a flood defence system comprising channel 56 suitable for containing an inflatable flood barrier 57 with a trap door 60 covering the aperture of the channel. The flood barrier comprises a foot portion 58 comprising a keder 58and the trench 61 that is adapted to retain the keder 58. An air canister 59 is attached to the air bag 57 in the barrier portion of the flood barrier to inflate the flood barrier when required. The flood defence can be stored in situ in the channel 56 attached to the keder trench 61 but as a keder and keder trench is a reversible fixing, the barrier can be easily removed from the keder trench and repaired, replaced or stored at a different site. Figure lib shows a cross section view of the flood defence system shown in figure 11a with the flood barrier 57 deployed. The air bag 57 in the barrier portion of the flood defence is filled with air and the flood defence expands out of the channel pushing open the trap doors 60. The flood barrier is retained in the channel by the keder 58in the foot of the flood barrier 58, which is retained in the keder trench 61.

The flood defence or flood defence system may be used to contain hazardous liquids, for example hazardous chemicals or hazardous waste, in the event of a spillage, for example from a chemical plant or a piece of machinery. A trench comprising a deflated barrier may be provided surrounding the chemical plant or machinery. In the event of an emergency where a spillage of hazardous liquid is possible the inflatable barrier may be erected to contain any hazardous liquid that is spilled. The barrier portion, waist portion and/or foot portion of the barrier may be made from materials that are resistant to damage by the particular hazardous liquid that may be present. Any flood defence system or flood defence described herein would be suitable for this application,

It will be appreciated that some embodiments of the invention can provide a flood defence that can be removed from the site of use, for example for storage and can be quickly erected in the event of a flood by inserting the foot into a suitable trench and inflating one or more airbags in at least the foot portion of the flood defence to anchor it in place in the trench. The barrier portion of the flood defence may comprise one or more air bags that are continuous with the airbag of the foot portion and therefore the flood defence can be erected quickly by inflating it through a single valve.

Claims

1. A flood defence comprising: a) a foot portion; b) a waist portion; and c) a barrier portion, wherein the foot portion is adapted to reversibly anchor the flood defence in a suitable trench having a restricted aperture.

2. The flood defence according to claim 1 wherein the foot portion comprises an airbag that can be inflated to anchor the foot portion in a trench with restricted aperture.

3. The flood defence according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the foot portion comprises a keder that can be anchored into a trench with a restricted aperture.

4. The flood defence according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the foot portion comprise an air bag that can be inflated to anchor the foot portion in a trench with restricted aperture and a keder that can be anchored into a trench with a restricted aperture.

5. The flood defence according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the barrier portion comprises or consists of one or more inflatable airbags.

6. The flood defence according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the waist portion comprises or consists of one or more airbags.

7. The flood defence according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the airbags in two or more of the foot portion, waist portion and barrier portion are continuous so that air can pass between them.

8. The flood defence according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the flood defence barrier comprises a single airbag that extends into each of the foot portion, waist portion and barrier portion.

9. The flood defence according to any one of claims 1 or 2 wherein the waist portion does not comprise an airbag.

10. The flood defence according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the flood defence is only anchored by the pressure of air in the foot portion preventing the foot portion from exiting the trench.

11. The flood defence according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the flood defence is not permanently anchored to the ground.

12. A flood defence barrier system comprising: a) a flood defence according to any one of the preceding claims; and a trench having a restricted aperture that is arranged to retain the foot portion of the flood defence in the trench.

13. A flood defence barrier system according to claim 12 wherein the foot portion of the flood defence comprises an inflatable airbag arranged to retain the foot portion of the flood defence in the trench.

14. A flood defence barrier system according to claim 12 or claim 13 wherein the foot portion of the flood defence comprises a keder arranged to retain the foot portion of the flood defence in the trench.

15. The flood defence according to any one of claims 12 to 14 wherein the foot portion comprises an air bag that can be inflated to anchor the foot portion in a trench with restricted aperture and a keder that can be anchored into a trench with a restricted aperture.

16. A water drain comprising a channel for draining water and a trench suitable for retaining a keder wherein the trench suitable for retaining a keder is inside the channel or associated with the outside of the channel.

17. A flood defence as described herein with reference to the figures.

18. A flood defence system as described herein with reference to the figures.