WO2014065660A1

WO2014065660A1 - A method of providing a seal lining for an underwater door

Info

Publication number: WO2014065660A1
Application number: PCT/NL2013/050743
Authority: WO
Inventors: Petrus Van Kerchove
Original assignee: Iv-Consult B.V.; Iv-Infra B.V.
Priority date: 2012-10-26
Filing date: 2013-10-23
Publication date: 2014-05-01
Also published as: NL2009702C2

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method of providing a seal lining (210) for an underwater door (102), wherein a seal lining (210) is provided to a face (220) chosen from the first face (460) and the second face (220) at a location where in the second position of the door (102) the first face (460) seals against the second face (220) via the seal lining (210). According to the invention, the seal lining (210) is provided by clamping adjacent sealing tiles (300), and use fasteners (303) to fix the sealing tiles (300) while they are clamped together.

Description

A method of providing a seal lining for an underwater door

The present invention relates to a method of providing a seal lining for an underwater door, said door comprising a first face capable of facing a second face defined by a sill and posts, said second face further comprising a passage opening, wherein the door may be in i) a first position in which the door at least partially unblocks the passage opening, and ii) a second position in which the door closes off the passage opening,

wherein a seal lining is provided to a face chosen from the first face and the second face at a location where in the second position of the door the first face seals against the second face via the seal lining.

Underwater doors are used as a barrier to separate a body of water from another body of water or from air. The term "underwater door" means that in use at least part of the door is under water, and usually only part of the door. The movement of the door from the first position to the second position (and vice versa) may be a sliding movement and/or a rotational movement. Typical examples are a door (lock gate) for a lock in a waterway, a door for a spillway of a dam, and a door of a dock. Locks are used to overcome differences in water height in waterways, such as in canals. In use in a lock, the door is typically moved between i) a first position in which the door is at least partially received by a recess so as to allow a ship to pass through the lock and ii) a second position in which the lock is closed by the door. A famous example of locks are the locks in the Panama canal. In that particular case as an example, it is desired to limit the loss of freshwater to the ocean due to leakage when the door (lock gate) is in the second, closed position. Leakage can be significant because the difference in water height at opposite sides of the door can be significant, such as 20 meter. A seal lining according to the prior art is for example a stainless steel lining embedded in a concrete second face. An elastomeric (rubber) strip on the first face will seal against said seal lining.

A method of providing a seal lining is known from US4220420.

A problem with the existing method is that the stainless steel lining is very long and has to be embedded accurately, making it costly to provide. In corrosive environments, very expensive stainless steel (Duplex) is required, increasing cost even more. Not only is a seal lining difficult to provide because of the large length

necessary, it is also hard to replace a damaged seal lining. This may increase the amount of time necessary to replace the damaged seal lining, which reduces the uptime. In particular in case of a lock, this may lead to large economic damages.

The object of the present invention is to provide a method of providing a seal lining for an underwater door with reduced cost for at least one of initial installation and repair.

To this end, a method according to the preamble is characterized in that the seal lining comprises a continuous series of sealing tiles, the seal lining to be formed comprising a first sealing tile, a second sealing tile and a third sealing tile, wherein

- the second sealing tile has a first contact edge at a first end and a second contact edge at a second end,

- the first sealing tile has a second contact edge at a second end of the first sealing tile, said second contact edge being parallel to and facing the first contact edge of the first end of the second sealing tile, and

- the third sealing tile has a first contact edge at a first end of the third sealing tile, said first contact edge being parallel to and facing the second contact edge of the second end of the second sealing tile,

wherein, with fasteners of at least one of the first sealing tile and the second sealing tile in a unfastened first state, the second end of the first sealing tile and the first end of the second sealing tile are subjected to a clamping force at a non-perpendicular angle to the first contact edge and parallel to the face so as to push

- the first contact edge of the second sealing tile against the second contact edge of the first sealing tile, and

- the second contact edge of the second sealing tile against the first contact edge of the third sealing tile; and

the fasteners in the unfastened first state are tightened to a fastened second state in the presence of said clamping force so as to fix the position of the second sealing tile while maintaining clamping force until the second sealing tile

- is fixed with respect to the face, and

- the first contact edge and the second contact edge of the second sealing tile remain in a state of being pressed against the second contact edge of the first sealing tile and the first contact edge of the third sealing tile, respectively.

The method according to the invention is suitable both for repair, in which for example only a single sealing tile is replaced, and for initial construction of a seal lining composed of a multitude of sealing tiles. Replacement of a sealing tile may be done by a diver. Pushing the sealing tiles against each other achieved by maintaining the clamped state in a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction of the seal lining makes the contact joints between adjacent sealing tiles less susceptible to leakage when the temperature drops and the sealing tiles tend to shrink. Clamping can be achieved using a large size glueing clamp. In general, the

direction of the clamping force is transverse to the general direction of the seal lining at the location of the second sealing tile. For a sill this general direction will usually be horizontal and for posts vertical. The first contact edge will be at a non-perpendicular angle to a direction of the seal lining defined by the first sealing tile and the third sealing tile. Suitable material for seal lining is known in the art for bearing linings, for example a plastic such as a polyolefin. A very suitable material is UHMWPE, displaying some compressibility and little creep. The angles of facing edges of adjacent tiles with respect to the direction of the continuous series of sealing tiles are the same. These angles may be different for the first and second edges of one sealing tile. The angles will in general be between 90° and 30°, usually between 75° and 40°. A typical dimension of a sealing tile in the direction transverse to its longitudinal direction and in the plane of the face is in the range of 25 cm to 1.50 m, such as 1 m for the Panama locks. The clamping force is exerted by clamping two ends of adjacent sealing tiles together. The clamping force results in adjacent sealing tiles to be pressed together, i.e. the sealing tile itself is compressed, rendering it less sensitive to shrinkage in case the temperature drops. In general, for fixing at least the second sealing tile two sets of fasteners are used, each set spaced apart in the direction of the seal lining between the first end and the second end of the second sealing tile, and each set comprising two fasteners spaced apart in a second direction transverse to said longitudinal direction. Thus, because of the relatively short distance between the fasteners and the edges, with the fasteners preventing any movement of the seal tile, the distance over which shrinkage due to a temperature drop may occur is reduced. Hence, leakage is reduced or even prevented. Each set will comprise at least one fastener, such as two to ten fasteners. For improved sealing capabilities, the fasteners are preferably located close to the contact edge (e.g. a distance in the longitudinal direction of the seal lining of less than 30 cm, such as less than 20 cm) . A seal lining on the sill and posts will generally be U-shaped. A seal lining on a door may be of any shape, but this shape will include seal lining at the location of the sill and posts if the door is in the closed second position thereof.

According to a favourable embodiment, a continuous series of sealing tiles is provided by provisionally placing sealing tiles with their first edges facing the second edges of adjacent sealing tiles with the fasteners for the sealing tiles in the first state where movement of the sealing tiles in a plane parallel to the face is possible, and ends of adjacent sealing tiles are clamped together by a clamping force at a non-perpendicular angle to the first contact edge and parallel to the face so as to push adjacent edges of sealing tiles against each other; and

the fasteners of the sealing tiles in the unfastened first state are tightened in the presence of said clamping force so as to fix the position of the sealing tiles while maintaining clamping force until the sealing tiles are fixed with respect to the face and edges remain pressed against adjacent edges.

This will be done when the seal lining is formed for the first time. The seal lining will remain effective if the temperature drops. When replacing a single sealing tile, the fasteners for the adjacent first and third tiles will be maintained in the second state when the fasteners for the replacement second sealing tile are in the first state .

According to a favourable embodiment, the first contact edge and said second contact edge of the second sealing tile are both at a non-perpendicular angle to the direction of the seal lining defined by the first sealing tile and the second sealing tile.

This allows both ends of the second sealing tile (and the respective ends of the adjacent sealing tiles) to be clamped and the sealing tile to be compressed more easily, thus more securely _n

5

providing tight joints between the sealing tiles.

According to a favourable embodiment, the second sealing tile is a tapered second sealing tile, the taper being defined by the first contact edge at the first end and the second contact edge at the second end, said first contact edge and said second contact edge being both at a non-perpendicular angle to the direction of the seal lining defined by the first sealing tile and the second sealing tile.

The taper helps to reduce the risk that during exertion of the clamping force the sealing tile is inclined to move. Generally, the orientations of the sealing tiles will be alternating, that is, the taper will change direction with an A-B-A-B-A-B etc pattern.

According to a favourable embodiment, the second sealing tile is a isosceles trapezoid tile.

Thus the sealing tile fits in a complementary recess defined by and between two further sealing tiles. The use of isosceles trapezoid tiles allows for the use of a reduced number of types of sealing tiles. For example, two may suffice: 1 type for the sill and lock posts and 1 type for the corners.

According to a favourable embodiment, the fasteners are bolts, the bolts having bolt heads that are sunk in the sealing tiles when the fasteners are in the second state.

The bolts will be screwed into threaded sockets available in the face. The threaded sockets may have been cast into concrete of the face. The through-holes in the sealing tiles will be oversized to allow sufficient movement of the sealing tile in the first state of the fasteners .

According to a favourable embodiment, after fastening the bolts, the bolts are capped with caps.

This reduces exposure of the bolts, in particular to dirt, salt and oxygen. This helps to keep the bolts in a good condition, and in particular prevents the bolts from getting stuck, e.g. because of corrosion or dirt. This facilitates repair of the seal lining in case a sealing tile has to be replaced. Capping is for example done by providing a recess in which a bolt is sunk in the second state with a cap.

According to a favourable embodiment, there is a resilient sealing cord extending over the face, and the sealing tiles of the continuous series of sealing tiles comprise a groove facing the face _r

b

for receiving said resilient sealing cord, the resilient sealing cord sealing the seal lining against the face when the fasteners are in the second position.

The use of resilient sealing cords, e.g. of rubber, against the face reduces the leakage of water. A sealing tile may be replaced with the resilient sealing chord in place. The resilient sealing cord will preferably continuously extend over the lock posts and the sill of a lock. A sealing tile may have fasteners away from the first and second edge to keep the resilient sealing cord against the face. These relatively centrally located fasteners will generally not be tightened as tightly as the fasteners close to the first and second edge.

According to a favourable embodiment, for a given sealing tile the groove of at least one of two contacting adjacent edges of two sealing tiles is wider at said contact edge than further away from said contact edge.

The increased width allows for the sealing tile to be moved with a contact edge relative to the adjacent contact edge of the adjacent sealing tile in a plane parallel to the face without damage to the resilient sealing cord.

According to a favourable embodiment, the sealing tiles of the seal lining have a height and are provided at a location allowing the seal lining to serve as a bearing lining.

The bearing lining is then an integral part of the seal lining, saving cost. In case a sealing tile is damaged, e.g. due to an anchor dropped by a ship or any other cause, only the damaged sealing tile needs replacement. A typical dimension of a sealing tile in the direction transverse to its longitudinal direction and in the plane of the face will in such a case in general be in the range of 50 cm to 1.50 m, such as 1 m for the Panama locks. Lock gates do not only have to seal properly against the seal lining, but are typically also be moved between the open first position and the closed second position. The method according to the present invention allows for providing a seal lining that allows for a sliding movement, that is, the bearing lining will act as a slide bearing for lateral movement of the door during opening/closing thereof.

The present invention will now be illustrated with reference to the drawing where

Fig. 1 shows a perspective view on a lock; Fig. 2 shows a frontal view on a face comprising posts and a sill of the lock shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 shows a detail of a seal lining provided using the method according to the present invention;

Fig. 4a a-d show how a face is constructed for providing a seal lining;

Fig. 5 shows a detail of an attached sealing tile of Fig. 4D; Fig. 6 shows rear view of a detail of two adjacent sealing tiles; and

Fig. 7 schematically shows a detail of a seal lining of Fig. 2.

Fig. 1 shows a perspective view on a lock 100 of a waterway such as a canal, the lock 100 comprising a door 102 (lock gate 102) . In Fig. 1 the door 102 is in a position (the second position), where it closes off a passage 203 (see Fig. 2) through the lock 100. There is a recess 104 for the door 102. If the door 102 is in the recess 104 (the first position) , the passage 203 is available for ships to move in or out of the lock 100.

In a typical situation for a lock as shown in Fig. 1, the water level at one side (the left) is higher than at the other (the right), as a result of which the door 102 is pushed against posts 201 and sill

202 of the lock 100 as shown in Fig. 2. The outline of door 102 in its second position is shown with a broken line, closing off the passage

203.

In use the door 102 slides between a first position (in which the passage 203 is open and ships can pass) and a second position (with the door as shown in Fig. 2; where the passage 203 is closed off) . To this end, a seal lining 210 provided in accordance with the present invention doubles a bearing lining, said seal lining 210 being provided against a face 220 defined by the posts 201 and the sill 202.

The seal lining 210 comprises a series of sealing tiles 300. Fig.

3 shows three of those tiles, more specifically first sealing tile 300', second sealing tile 300' ' and third sealing tile 300' ' ' . Each sealing tile has a first end 301 and a second end 302. Each first end 301 has a first contact edge 311 and each second end 302 has a second contact edge 312.

The tiles 300 are bolted to the face 220 using bolts 303 (Ml 6) inserted into oversized holes (shown in Fig. 5) . The bolts 303 may be in an unfastened first state and in a fastened second state. ₀

o

Using glueing clamps (not shown) and with the bolts 303 in the unfastened first state, the second contact edge 312' of the first sealing tile 300' is clamped against the first contact edge 311' ' of the second sealing tile 300' ' by clamping the second end 302' of the first sealing tile 300' against the first end 301' ' of the second sealing tile 300' ' . Similarly, the second end 302' ' of the first sealing tile 300' ' is clamped against the first end 301' ' ' of the third sealing tile 300' ' ', thus pressing the second contact edge 312' ' against the first contact edge 311' ' ' . The locations where force is applied at an angle to the contact edges are indicated by triangles.

Subsequently the bolts 303 are tightened to the fastened second state. The glueing clamps are removed, leaving the contact edges 311, 312 of adjacent tiles 300 firmly pressed together.

If the second sealing tile 300' ' was replaced, the bolts 303 of the first sealing tile 300' and the third sealing tile 300' ' ' will remain in the second state during the clamping process.

The sealing tiles 300 as shown in Fig. 3 have a thickness of 50 mm, a longest side of 2 m, a height of 90 cm and the contact edges are at an angle of 70° with respect to the longest side.

Fig. 4A-D show how a concrete face 220 suitable for providing said face 220 with a seal lining 210 can be provided.

A rough casting 499 of the sill 202 is made (Fig. 4A) , which will be provided with a precisely defined face 220.

To this end, shuttering 401 is positioned (Fig. 4B) , said shuttering 401 provided with threaded sockets 402, which in turn are provided with anchor bars 403. The threaded sockets 402 are bolted to the shuttering 401, so the location of the threaded sockets 402 is well-defined and no concrete will enter the lumen of the threaded sockets 402.

Concrete 410 is poured over the anchor bars 403, embedding the threaded sockets 402 into the concrete. The concrete 410 is left to set .

Then the shuttering 401 is removed (Fig. 4C) , leaving the face 220 defined by the sill 202 (and the posts 201) .

Subsequently, the tiles 300 are provided to the face 220, as described above. The finished result is visible in Fig. 4D, which also shows part of the door 102 having a protruding load bearing member 220a that will bear the load of the door 102 and water behind it by _n

y

contacting the seal lining 210.

In Fig. 4D (and in detail in Fig. 5), it can be seen that the heads of the bolts 303 are sunk into the sealing tile 300, and provided with a cap 420 which will advantageously be of the same material as the sealing tile 300 itself, e.g. UHMWPE (Ultra High Molecular Weight Poly Ethylene) .

Fig. 4D also shows a cross-sectional view of the bottom part of the door 102 of the lock 100. The door 102 has a first face 460 provided with the protruding load bearing member 460a comprising plastic beams 461 of UHMWPE covered by stainless steel plate 462. The door 102 has, for example, 4 of such plastic beams 461 covered with stainless steel plate 462, with a length of 2 meter and a height of 60 cm. If necessary, the stainless steel plate 462 can be replaced easily .

In case of a difference in water level at the opposite sides of the door 102, the water pressure will push the door 102 agains the sill 202, and more specifically the stainless steel plate 462 against the sealing tiles 300 of the seal lining 210. Thus the seal lining 210 has a load bearing function as well. Because the door 102 is a sliding door 102 of a lock 100, in use when moving the door 102 from a closed to an open position or vice versa, the door 102 may bump into the seal lining 210. Thus, the seal lining 210 acts as a slide bearing as well.

The door 102 is provided with strip of elastomeric material (reinforced rubber) that act as a seal 440, e.g. mounted using bolts 441. The strip extends over the length of the seal lining 210 (Fig.

2) . The seal 440 is mounted at an angle such that water pressure will press the seal 440 against the seal lining 210, completing the sealing of the door 102 in the closed state. Such a seal 440 is known in the art and does not require further elucidation.

Fig. 5 shows a detail of the sealing tile 300 attached to sill

202 of Fig. 4D . The sealing tile 300 has a stepped through-hole 501 that is oversized (20 mm wider) with respect to the width of the bolt 303. This allows movement of the sealing tile 300 necessary for placement and to accommodate any deviation from the planned location of the socket 402. The head of the bolt 303 is driven against a washer 502, which as a result is pressed against the sealing tile 300. Thus the sealing tile 300 is pressed against the sill 202.

The cap 420 closes of the through-hole 501. The caps will be ₁ flush with the exposed side of the sealing tile 300. The lumen of the through-hole 501 may be filled with fat, which helps to prevent corrosion of the bolt 303.

To replace a sealing tile 300, the caps 420 will be removed, followed by the bolts 303 and then the sealing tile 300 itself.

To prevent any water from flowing behind the sealing tile 300, an elastomeric (rubber) cord 510 is provided in a groove 511 at the back of the sealing tile 300.

Fig. 6 shows a rear view of two ends of contacting sealing tiles 300, and shows two groove 511, which extend over the length of the sealing tiles 300. Preferably at at least one of the contact edges 312', 311" and more preferably at both contact edges 312', 311" the width of the grooves 511 is increased, advantageously by a taper 511a. This helps to ensure the integrity of the cord 510 in case the sealing tiles 300 are moved with respect to each other. The bolts present at locations in the middle of sealing tiles 300 (tiles shown in Fig. 3) serve as a main purpose keeping the sealing tile pressed against the cord 510 so as to ensure proper sealing over the full length of the sealing tile.

Fig. 7 schematically shows a detail of the seal lining 210 shown in Fig. 2, and in particular a corner tile 300a having contact sides that are on adjacent sides of the corner tile 300a. At the left, the lining does not need to serve against leakage, solely as a bearing lining and may consist of conventional rectangular tiles 300b which do not need to be in contact with each other as there will be no leakage there. Such a bearing lining comprised of spaced-apart bearing tiles is known in the art.

The invention may be varied within the scope of the appended claims. For example, the seal lining may comprise rectangular sealing tiles. Such tiles will be in a unfastened first state when a clamping force to a sealing tile that does have a contact edge at a

non-perpendicular angle to the direction of the seal lining. Sealing tiles may also have the form of a parallelogram, but this is not considered as favourable as wedge-shaped sealing tiles shown in Fig. 3.

Claims

C L A I M S

1. A method of providing a seal lining (210) for an underwater door (100), said door (100) comprising a first face (460) capable of facing a second face (220) defined by a sill (202) and posts (201), said second face (220) further comprising a passage opening (203), wherein the door (100) may be in i) a first position in which the door (100) at least partially unblocks the passage opening (203), and ii) a second position in which the door (100) closes off the passage opening (203),

wherein a seal lining (210) is provided to a face chosen from the first face (460) and the second face (220) at a location where in the second position of the door (102) the first face (460) seals against the second face (220) via the seal lining (210), characterized in that the seal lining (210) comprises a continuous series of sealing tiles

(300), the seal lining (210) to be formed comprising a first sealing tile (300'), a second sealing tile (300'') and a third sealing tile

(300 ' ' ' ) , wherein

- the second sealing tile (300' ') has a first contact edge

(311 ' ' ) at a first end (301 ' ' ) and a second contact edge (312 ' ' ) at a second end (302''),

- the first sealing tile (300') has a second contact edge (312) at a second end (302) of the first sealing tile (300'), said second contact edge (312) being parallel to and facing the first contact edge (311) of the first end (301) of the second sealing tile (300 ' ' ) , and

- the third sealing tile (300' ' ') has a first contact edge

(311''') at a first end (301''') of the third sealing tile

(300 ' ' ' ) , said first contact edge (311 ' ' ' ) being parallel to and facing the second contact edge (312'') of the second end (302'') of the second sealing tile (300''),

wherein, with fasteners (303) of at least one of the first sealing tile (300') and the second sealing tile (300'') in a unfastened first state, the second end (302') of the first sealing tile (300') and the first end (301'') of the second sealing tile (300'') are subjected to a clamping force at a non-perpendicular angle to the first contact edge (311'') and parallel to the face so as to push

- the first contact edge (311' ') of the second sealing tile (300'') against the second contact edge (312') of the first sealing tile (300'), and

the second contact edge (312' ') of the second sealing tile

(300'') against the first contact edge (311 ) of the third sealing tile (300 ) ; and

the fasteners (303) in the unfastened first state are tightened to a fastened second state in the presence of said clamping force so as to fix the position of the second sealing tile (300' ') while maintaining clamping force until the second sealing tile (300'')

- is fixed with respect to the face (220), and

- the first contact edge (311'') and the second contact edge (312'') of the second sealing tile (300' ') remain in a state of being pressed against the second contact edge (312') of the first sealing tile (300') and the first contact edge (311''') of the third sealing tile (300'''), respectively.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein a continuous series of sealing tiles (300) is provided by provisionally placing sealing tiles (300) with their first edges (312) facing the second edges (312) of adjacent sealing tiles (300) with the fasteners (303) for the sealing tiles (300) in the first state where movement of the sealing tiles (300) in a plane parallel to the face is possible, and ends of adjacent sealing tiles (300) are clamped together by a clamping force at a non-perpendicular angle to the first contact edge (311' ') and parallel to the face so as to push adjacent edges (311, 312) of sealing tiles (300) against each other; and

the fasteners (303) of the sealing tiles (300) in the unfastened first state are tightened in the presence of said clamping force so as to fix the position of the sealing tiles (300) while maintaining clamping force until the sealing tiles (300) are fixed with respect to the face and edges (311) remain pressed against adjacent edges (312) .

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first contact edge (311'') and said second contact edge (312'') of the second sealing tile (300'') are both at a non-perpendicular angle to the direction of the seal lining (210) defined by the first sealing tile (300') and the second sealing tile (300'').

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the second sealing tile (300'') is a tapered second sealing tile (300''), the taper being defined by the first contact edge (311'') at the first end (301'') and the second contact edge (312'') at the second end (302''), said first contact edge (311'') and said second contact edge (312'') being both at a non-perpendicular angle to the direction of the seal lining (210) defined by the first sealing tile (300') and the second sealing tile (300 ' ' ) .

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the second sealing tile (300'') is a isosceles trapezoid tile (300'') .

6. The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the fasteners (303) are bolts (303), the bolts (303) having bolt heads that are sunk in the sealing tiles (300) when the fasteners (303) are in the second state.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein after fastening the bolts (303), the bolts (303) are capped with caps (420) .

8. The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein there is a resilient sealing cord (510) extending over the face, and the sealing tiles (300) of the continuous series of sealing tiles (300) comprise a groove (511) facing the face for receiving said resilient sealing cord (510), the resilient sealing cord (510) sealing the seal lining (210) against the face when the fasteners (303) are in the second position.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein for a given sealing tile (300) the groove (511) of at least one of two contacting adjacent edges (311, 312) of two sealing tiles (300) is wider at said contact edge than further away from said contact edge.

10. The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the sealing tiles (300) of the seal lining (210) have a height and are provided at a location allowing the seal lining (210) to serve as a bearing lining.