US2156713A - Floating sluice - Google Patents

Description

y 1939- w. A. WHITCOMB 2,156,713

' FLOATING SLUICE Filed June 19, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet l aww Inverfior.

May 2, 1939. w. A. WHITCOMB FLOATING SLUICE Filed June 19, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 w. an v Patented May 2, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FLOATING SLUICE Application June 19, 1937, Serial No. 149,119

8 Claims.

This invention relates to floating sluices and sluice-ways, particularly, although not necessarily limited, for use for conveying logs, as pulp logs, through a body of water as a pond or canal.

Sluices made of Wood and supported by rafts have been used heretofore to convey pulp wood to the barkers or the grinders or to the grinder reservoir. Such wooden sluices are diflicult to adjust for proper grade and elevation with respect to the level of the water in which they are floated and in proper alignment with adjacent sluices and are alsodifficult to operate and to keep in repair owing to their rapid decay and to the destructive forces of turbulent water in which they may be floated.

Hence one of the objects of the present invention is a sluice unit adapted to be united with similarly constructed sluices to form a sluice-way, the sluice being comprised mainly of a buoyant metal construction not readily damaged by rough treatment and having provision for ready adjustment of its level with respect to the level of water in which it is floated and preferably also having provision for adjustment of the grade of the sluice to adjust the flow of water therealong.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a buoyant metal sluice adapted to cooperate with similar sluices in end to end relation therewith to form a continuous water channel, the sluices having provision for interconnection between their adjacent ends in such manner that any desirable angular relation between the adjacent sluices can be maintained, the connection,

however, being adjustable so that the angular relation between adjacent sluices may be varied to unite the sluices into a continuous sluice-Way having such configuration as may be desirable to conform with the configuration of the water-way in which the sluice-way is floated.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a sluice composed of a buoyant metal structure having skids on the bottom thereof by which the sluice may be supported in hauling it out of water and onto the shore of the waterway, the skids also strengthening the sluice structure.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a sluice having buoyant members or' pontoons on opposite sides of the water passage, the sides of the pontoon preferably defining the sides of the passage and the pontoons having water receiving compartments by which the floating level of the sluice can be adjusted by adjusting the amounts of water in the compartments; the pontoons also preferably each having separate compartments distributed lengthwise of the pontoon capable of receiving different amounts of water so that one compartment can be loaded more heavily than the other to incline or pitch the water passage.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a floating sluice-way composed of buoyant metal sluices and a spout which fits into the entrance of the sluice-way to guide water to flow therein from a storage pond, the spout being capable of automatic vertical adjustment to accommodate the rise and fall of the sluice-way in response to changing elevations of the level of the Water in which the sluice-way is floated.

Another object is generally to improve the con- 5 struction and facilitate the use of sluices and sluice-ways.

Fig. l is a diagrammatic plan view of a floating sluice-way embodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan View illustrating the first three sluice units located at the entrance end of the sluice-way of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the sluice units of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a view of the entrance end of the first sluice of Fig. 3, taken along line 4-4 of Fig. 2. andomitting the entrance unit.

Fig. 5 is a transverse section taken along line 5-5 of the second sluice of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a transverse section taken along line 6-6 of the third sluice of Fig, 2.

Fig. 7 is a transverse sectional detail of the outlet passage of the water reservoir and illustrating in end view the spout for conducting water into the floating sluice-way.

Fig. 8 is a longitudinal section through one of the pontoons of a sluice unit, taken along line 8-8 of Fig. 6.

The sluice-way I0 embodying the present invention is herein shown as arranged to conduct water and logs, as pulp logs, floating therein from a reservoir held back by a dam l2, Fig. 1, through a canal M to an elevating conveyor I 5 which conveys the logs to a barking drum house I8. The sluice-way, however, is not limited to this par- 'ticular use.

The sluice-way comprises a plurality of sluice units 20 which are or can be identical and two additional units 22; and 24 which form the first and second entrance units of the sluice-way and in general embodying the principle of construction thereof although they are not identical therewith.

Each of the sluice units 2!) comprises a pair of pontoons 26 and 28 disposed in spaced side by side relation and composed of the upstanding side walls 30, the end walls 3|, the top walls 32, the inclined inner side walls 34 and the bottom wall 36, the bottom wall being common to both pontoons. A plurality of skids 38 are secured transversely to the bottom wall to rigidly connect the pontoons together and to form supports by which the unit can be dragged over the ground in launching the pontoons and pulling them out of the water.

The confronting inclined inner side walls 34 of the pontoons are spaced apart to form a water channel 40 between them, the bottom wall 36 forming the bottom wall of the channel.

All of the walls of the unit are composed of relatively thick steel sheets, as boiler sheets, so that the unit is strong and rigid and can withstand without serious injury the buffeting to which it may be subjected when floated in turbulent waters carrying rapidly moving solid objects.

The interior of each of the two pontoons are divided into two compartments by a vertical partition plate 42 extended transversely across the pontoon in the middle thereof and welded or otherwise secured in a water tight manner together at its edges to the contiguous walls of the pontoon and thereby provides each of the pontoons with separate front and rear water tight compartments, which serve to float the unit in the water. The pontoon compartments are provided with large filling necks 44 which open through the top walls 32 of the pontoons, the necks being closed by removable caps 46. Water is adapted to be introduced in any suitable manher through these necks into the pontoon compartments to adjust the level at which the sluice unit floats in the water. It will be apparent that by varying the amounts of water in the compartments the unit may be adjusted to fioat at a higher or lower level in the water. The amounts of water in the compartments may be different so as to level the unit and to pitch it in the desired direction. For instance, there may be more water in the forward or left hand compartments, see Fig. 8, than in the rear or right hand compartments, so that the pontoons can be pitched in the direction of water flow in the sluice 40, and by adjusting the amounts of water the rate of flow of the water in the sluice can be adjusted.

The side walls 34 and the bottom wall 36 of the sluice unit are projected beyond the end of the unit at one end thereof, and preferably the discharge end, and the projecting ends are adapted to nest in the water channel of the next adjacent sluice units, as is illustrated in Fig. 3, so that the water can pass from one unit to the other without serious loss of water therebetween. While there is some loss of water the amount is relatively small and inconsequential There is intended to be permitted a substantial amount of play or universal movement between the interfitting parts of the sluices so that the sluice units can be disposed sufliciently out of direct alignment to form the sluice-Way into any configuration that may be necessary to accommodate it to the waterway in which it fioats. V

The top walls 32 of the pontoons are broad enough to form foot-paths along which a workman may walk to inspect the line of units and the logs floating therealong.

The adjacent units are connected together in end to end relation in any desired angular relation by tie bolts 48 and are passed through confronting brackets 50 that are located at the ends of the units adjacent the long sides thereof, the tie bolts being secured to the brackets by nuts 52. The bolt holes in the brackets are larger than the tie bolts so that the bolts can be positioned at any desired angle in the brackets required for the angle between the adjacent sluice units.

The sluice unit 24 is essentially the same in construction as one of the units 20, except that it is provided with three sets of transverse partition plates or bulk-heads 54, see Fig. 2, to form four water tight compartments extending along the length of each pontoon. The side walls 34 of the sluice also have extensions 34w which rise above the top walls 32 of the unit to accommodate the higher elevation of water in this unit. Each compartment of the unit is provided with a filling neck 44.

The sluice unit 22 is also constructed along the general principles embodied in a unit 20 except that the inclined sides 34 of the sluice upstand above the top of the pontoons and have higher upstanding parallel sides 56 that are high at the water entrance end of the unit and taper downwardly toward the discharge end of the unit, as illustrated in Fig. 3, and are supported from the pontoons by the upstanding braces 58, see Fig. 4. The unit is also deeper to provide more increased buoyancy to support the additional weight. The sluice 40 is also higher in the pontoons and the bottom wall 60 thereof is also elevated above the bottom wall 62 of the unit and is supported on upstanding plates 64 which isolate the pontoon compartments on opposite sides of the sluice. The pontoons are divided into four water tight compartments located lengthwise of the unit by the partition plates or bulk-heads 66,

The entrance end of the sluice-way is anchored to the dam by eye members 68 loosely secured to brackets carried by the end of the unit 22 and slidable on vertical rods 12 secured to the dam. With this arrangement the units may rise and fall to accommodate changes of level of water in the canal while maintaining their anchorage to the dam. The sluice-way, at intervals along its length, is also anchored against lateral displacement in the canal by pairs of chains or cables 14 which extend in opposite directions from the units and are anchored tolthe opposite banks of the canal.

Water and logs are guided into the entrance end of the sluice-way by a spout l6 composed of sheet metal and having a bottom wall 18, see Fig. '7, and side walls 80, the side walls at the entrance end of the spout closely engaging the side plates 82 of the water outlet of the dam and at the discharge end of the spout fitting within and closely engaging the sluice walls of the first sluice unit 22. The entrance end of the spout is pivoted at 84' between the flash board channels 86 of the water outlet and is so arranged that the pivot can be raised or lowered to adjust the height and angle of inclination of the spout to the water level in the reservoir and the elevation of the sluice-way. The spout by being pivoted can rise and fall freely with the sluice unit.

As thus arranged a stream of water is conducted from the dam along the several sluice units to the discharge location and logs entering the entrance end of the unit will be floated with the stream along the units to the discharge end. The elevation of the individual units can be adjusted at will to maintain them at a suitable level and grade to maintain a strong flow of Water. The angular relation between the units can be adjusted to conform to the curvature of o lated through the sluice-way by a pump.

I claim:

1. A sluice-way comprising a series of sluice units each comprising a pontoon having side and bottom channel Walls defining a water channel,

the Walls of channels of immediately adjacent pontoons being overlapped to provide a channel that is substantially continuous between the pontoons, tie-means connecting the adjacent pontoons together characterized by holding the pontoons in a predetermined angular relation, said pontoons having buoyancy-adjusting water compartments, and means for establishing communication With said individual compartments to adjust the floating level and grade of the sluiceway.

2. Log conveying apparatus including a sluice- Way comprising a series of sluice units each comprising pontoons having walls defining a water channel, the pontoons floating at different levels to pitch the sluice-way, said pontoons having buoyancy-adjusting water compartments, means for establishing communication with said compartments to adjust the amounts of water therein, the Water channel walls of immediately adjacent pontoons being loosely overlapped and arranged to permit diflerent angular dispositions of the adjacent pontoons while maintaining such overlapped relation, means interconnecting the adjacent pontoons rigidly in a predetermined angular relation therebetween, a spout projecting into the channel of the first unit adapted to conduct water from a dam-outlet into the sluice- Way, and pivotal supporting means for said spout permitting it to rise and fall with the sluice-way.

3. A floating sluice structure comprising a pair of pontoons having confronting walls and a bottom wall defining a water channel therebetween, said pontoons having a series of buoyancy-adjusting water compartments disposed lengthwise of the channel, and means for separately establishing communication with said compartments to adjust the amounts of water therein, the bottom and side walls of said water channel projecting beyond one end of the pontoons and into the channels of the immediately adjacent pontoons.

4. A floating sluice structure comprising a pair of pontoons, walls defining a water channel carried by said pontoons, and transverse skid members under said pontoons and channel and secured to and rigidly connecting said pontoons.

5. A floating steel sluice comprising a pair of pontoons having walls composed of sheet steel and having confronting walls that define a water channel, and a bottom wall that is common to both pontoons and said channel.

6. A floating steel sluice comprising a pair of pontoons having walls composed of sheet steel and having confronting walls that define a water channel, a bottom wall that is common to both pontoons and said channel, and skid members transversely disposed under said channel and secured to said bottom wall and rigidly interconnecting said pontoons, said pontoons having water tight buoyancy-adjusting compartments, and means for establishing communication with said compartments to adjust the amounts of water therein.

'7. A floating sluice-way comprising a series of sluice units each comprising a pair of pontoons and side and bottom walls defining a water channel between them, the walls of the channels .of adjacent units having interfitted parts for guiding the flow of Water from one unit into the next adjacent unit, means interconnecting the adjacent units to maintain a predetermined angular relation therebetween, each of said pontoons having a series of buoyancy-adjusting water compartments disposed lengthwise of the associated channel, and means for establishing communication with said compartments to adjust the amounts of water therein to adjust the floating level and grade of each unit.

8. A floating sluice comprising a series of pontoons arranged in a line and carrying a sluiceway, the pontoons having means for adjusting the buoyancies thereof and the pontoons floating at different elevations to maintain the sluiceway at an inclination so that water can flow along it by gravity.

WILLIAM A. WHITCOMB.

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