Self supporting flexible wall dams
OwnerRalph H. Hoyeckinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A flexible wall dam assembly, or the like, comprising two opposite elongated flexible walls with balanced inclination towards each other, water filling the space between them and counterbalancing ties joining the upper edge of the walls. Balanced cable beams support the flexible walls and transfer their loads to each other or to the waterbed through equally balanced anchoring ties.
Claims19
A self-supporting flexible wall dam assembly, or the like, for restraining the flow of water, comprising in combination, two flexible walls oppositely disposed on a waterbed, means to enable water to fill space between said oppositely disposed flexible walls, said flexible walls each having upper and lower edges, means for sealingly securing said lower edges to said waterbed, each said wall being formed with at least one arcuate portion hereby enabling said flexible walls to be inclined towards one another, means defining counterbalancing ties to inter connect the upper edges of said oppositely disposed flexible walls, said water in said space having an internal water pressure defining a vertical component and a horizontal component acting against the at least one arcuate portion of said flexible wall, transversal tie means connecting both said flexible walls to said waterbed, so that said vertical components of said internal water pressure hold said flexible walls in upward position while the horizontal components of said internal water pressure are counterbalanced by said transversal tie means resulting in a self-supporting flexible wall dam assembly, capable of holding a water head on the upstream side slightly lower than the internal water head retained in between the two oppositely disposed flexible walls.
A self-supporting wall dam, or the like, for use in restraining the flow of water, comprising in combination, an upstanding impermeable inextendible flexible wall, said wall having reinforced upper and lower edges, means for positively and substantially sealingly securing said lower edge to a waterbed, said wall being formed with at least one arcuate portion and being inclined against the upstream direction of the water it retains, using the vertical components of the water pressure exerted by the retained water, acting on the arcuate retaining wall to lift said retaining wall, with additional horizontal or upward ties at the upper edge, of the said flexible wall, to counterbalance the residual horizontal components of the water pressure exerted by the retained water at the upper half of the upper arch of the arcuate flexible wall, which horizontal residual forces were left unbalanced, where the remaining horizontal and vertical forces in between, the waterbed and the middle line of the upper curvature of the flexible wall are counterbalanced, by the lower edge of the anchored retaining flexible wall and by the balanced anchoring ties transferring the loads from the flexible wall to the waterbed or the like.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.