US 4,632,602 A · Chemical dump site containment floor

Abstract

The floor under a chemical dump site is formed from a plurality of floor elements sealed with respect to each other by grouting material. Each floor element includes a male rib on one side and a female groove on the other side. The male rib has a dovetail geometry which is complementary to the geometry of the female groove. The male and female parts are adapted to mate and lock when the male rib slides longitudinally into the female groove thereby locking adjacent floor members to each other. The floor members are driven one behind the other in a string under the dump site. The male rib of one string engages the female groove of the next adjacent string until a floor of interlocking element strings is formed. Each floor member includes a hollow central channel running from end to end and a plurality of smaller apertures communicating the central channel with the vicinity of the male/female connection. Grouting material under pressure pumped into the central channel passes out through the apertures and into the vicinity of the male/female connection thereby sealing adjacent elements with respect to each other and forming a liquid impervious floor under the dump site. The same technique can be used to form a wall around the periphery of the site.

Claims9

Dependent claims

A liquid impervious floor apparatus for placement under an existing contaminated site and formed from a plurality of elongated interlockable floor elements, said elongated interlockable floor elements comprising:

an elongated body section;
male projection means running substantially along the length of said elongated body section;
female indentation means also running substantially along the length of said elongated body section for making sliding, interlockable contact with male projection means;
a hollow, fluid conductable interior channel running the length of said elongated body section;
and,
aperture means located in the vicinity where interlockable elements are adjacent to each other for communicating said interior channel with the area where said interlockable elements are adjacent to each other,
whereby a floor can be formed under an existing contaminated site by sliding one floor element past the other so that the male projection means on each floor element interlockingly engages the female indentation means of the next adjacent floor element until the floor is of the desired width.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Chemical dump site containment floor

Life of this patent

Chemical dump site containment floor

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims9