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US 11,555,284 B1Granted
Integrating articulated concrete blocks with gabion/reno cages
OwnerLee A. Smithinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An articulated concrete block system that includes a gabion mattress drainage layer. The two major components of the system reduce the effects of erosion and increase the hydraulic stability in areas that experience high velocity water flows, hydraulic jumps, and will dissipate wave energy action for shoreline and coastal erosion. Geosynthetics are first placed on the ground surface, followed by a gabion mattress drainage layer, a smaller aggregate layer for fine grading, another optional geosynthetic layer, and then the articulated concrete blocks overlie the system.
Claims20
A method of preventing erosion, comprising:
- using a wire cage having wire sides and a wire bottom, and installing said wire cage over a surface to be protected from erosion;
- filling the wire cage with a coarse material;
- using said coarse material of a size such that at least parts of said coarse material protrude through the wire bottom of said wire cage but said coarse material remains contained in said wire cage, and so that the portion of said coarse material protruding through the wire bottom engages with an underlying material on which said wire cage is installed, whereby said coarse material-filled wire cage is stabilized against lateral movement, and if the underlying material on which said wire cage is installed erodes, said wire cage remains filled with said coarse material contained therein;
- and
- installing a plurality of erosion control blocks connected together so as to form a unit of blocks overlying a top surface of the coarse material filling the wire cage.
2 more elements
A method of preventing erosion of a sloped grade, comprising:
- installing a geotextile material on the sloped ground surface to be protected from erosion;
- installing a geogrid netting material over the geotextile material;
- placing wire cages over said geogrid netting material so that respective bottom wire portions of said wire cages engage said geogrid netting material and said geogrid netting material prevents movement of the overlying wire cages;
- using said wire cages having respective sides and bottoms and interconnecting said wire cages together, and overlying said wire cages on said sloped grade to contain a rock material placed in said wire cages so that the rock material does not migrate down the sloped grade during installation of said rock material;
- using the rock material to substantially fill each said wire cage, whereby the rock material in a bottom portion of said wire cages engages said geogrid netting material to resist lateral movement of said rock material-filled wire cages and said wire cages are thereby prevented from moving down the sloped grade;
- spreading a fine aggregate over a top surface of said rock material filling said wire cages and leveling said fine aggregate to provide a level surface suitable for supporting thereon erosion control blocks;
- and
- installing a plurality of said erosion control blocks interconnected together so as to form a unit over the leveled top surface of the rock material-filled wire cages.
5 more elements
An erosion prevention product, comprising:
- a geotextile material on a sloped ground surface to be protected from erosion;
- a geogrid netting material over the geotextile material;
- one or more wire cages installed over said geogrid netting material so that respective bottom wire portions of said wire cages engage said geogrid netting material, and said geogrid netting material prevents movement of the overlying wire cages;
- a rock material substantially filling each said wire cage, whereby the rock material in a bottom portion of said wire cages engages said geogrid netting material to resist lateral movement of said rock material-filled wire cages and said rock material is contained in said wire cages and is thereby prevented from moving down the sloped grade;
- a fine aggregate spread and leveled over a top surface of said rock material filling said wire cages, said level surface suitable for supporting thereon erosion control blocks;
- a mat of interconnected said concrete erosion control blocks placed over the leveled top surface of the rock material-filled wire cages;
- and
- said one or more wire cage each having a height about 18 inches or less, and said interconnected erosion control blocks overly the top of said leveled fine aggregate to provide additional weight to said wire cages having a height of about 18 inches or less, thereby increasing the stability of said rock material-filled wire cages.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.